9 May, 2022 14:17

Ukrainian forces attempt strike on Kherson – governor

Air defense units have intercepted several missiles targeting the Russian-held city, top official claims

Ukrainian forces have tried hitting the Russian-held city of Kherson, on Monday, as it staged its first large-scale World War II Victory Day celebrations since 2014, according to Vladimir Saldo, who heads the regional military-civilian administration.

Several missiles from a Uragan multiple rocket launcher system have been fired from the direction of the city of Nikolaev, Saldo told Russia’s Tass news agency.

“They were all shot down by the Russian military’s air defenses… Kherson was the target,” the official insisted.

The administration later said on Telegram that five missiles were fired at the city. The Ukrainian military has yet to comment on the incident.

On Monday, a large crowd took part in the ‘Immortal Regiment’ procession, which is traditionally held in Russia and some other countries on Victory Day to commemorate those, who fought against the Nazis.

According to Saldo, Victory Day celebrations included “the maximum possible attributes in the current circumstances” such as a concert, the laying of flowers and a field kitchen, which handed out free military-style meals to the participants.

Kherson, a strategically important port city in the southern coastal part of Ukraine, was the first major city to fall under Russian control after the start of its military operation, in February.

https://www.rt.com/russia/555198-kherson-ukraine-strike-victory/

9 May, 2022 13:45

HomeBusiness News

India strives to cash in on cheap Russian crude – media

Maintenance work at the world’s biggest oil refining complex has been postponed to process more discounted crude from Russia

Indian refining giant Reliance Industries has shelved plans for repair operations at the world’s biggest oil refining complex as the company is striving to churn out more oil products since the margins on them have recently surged to three-year highs, Bloomberg reports.

The company has been purchasing discounted cargoes of oil from Russia after European buyers opted to shy away from Russian crude, sending margins on products such as diesel and naphtha soaring.

In January-March, the margin on diesel fuel reportedly soared 71% compared to the previous quarter, while those on gasoline were up 17% and naphtha prices rose 18.5%.

Reliance’s refinery complex can process nearly 1.4 million barrels a day of almost all varieties of crude. The firm is reportedly known for its agility in oil trading, which helps it benefit from price swings.

Since the EU member states are still struggling to agree on the Russian oil embargo, some European customers have been shunning Russian crude over the past several months. The proposed ban comes as part of the sixth package of sanctions the bloc imposed on Moscow in response to the military operation in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Indian importers have reportedly increased energy purchases of Russian crude oil and coal at discounted prices, shifting their strategy from tenders to negotiated deals in order to get larger discounts.

According to the media, Indian state-owned and private refineries have soaked up over 40 million barrels of Russian oil since late February, when the military operation was launched.

Last week, the media reported that India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer, was seeking Russian crude at less than $70 a barrel to compensate for additional hurdles, such as securing financing for purchases amid Western sanctions.

https://www.rt.com/business/555188-india-russia-oil-eu-ban/

9 May, 2022 15:05

HomeRussia & FSU

Ukraine's Zelensky shares image of soldier with Nazi insignia

As Russia celebrated the defeat of fascism in WWII, President Zelensky of Ukraine shared an image of a soldier wearing an SS patch

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky marked World War II Victory Day by sharing an image of a Ukrainian soldier wearing the ‘death’s head’ patch of an elite Nazi Waffen SS unit. While the picture was soon deleted from his social media, the Ministry of Defense in Kiev also posted the photo.

The offending item was placed on Instagram and Telegram by Zelensky, on Monday. In it, a soldier next to an artillery gun wears the ‘death’s head,’ or “totenkopf” insignia of the 3rd SS Panzer Division, a unit of elite Nazi soldiers infamous for committing numerous war crimes and massacres of French civilians and Polish Jews. Zelensky himself is of Jewish heritage.

Advocacy groups consider the death’s head logo a “hate symbol” used by “Neo-Nazis and other white supremacists.”

While the photo was soon removed, it was also posted to Twitter by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, under a quote by Zelensky acknowledging May 9 as the “Day of Victory over Nazism.”

In a speech commemorating Victory Day, which marks the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Soviet Union, Zelensky on Sunday accused Russia of imposing "a bloody reconstruction of Nazism" upon Ukraine.

In Moscow, however, Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the US and its NATO allies for supporting “Nazis” in Ukraine, and described the military operation there as a “pre-emptive strike at the aggression.”

Ukraine is the only country in the world that has integrated openly neo-Nazi militias into its national military, and while these militias were once described by Western media as “neo-Nazi,” they are now referred to as “far-right groups.” Since Russian troops entered Ukraine in February, stashes of Nazi paraphernalia have been found in the houses and bases of these militia members, and social media accounts run by the Ukrainian government have posted similar images of soldiers wearing Nazi and far-right symbols.

https://www.rt.com/russia/555202-zelensky-nazi-ss-insignia/