India Widens Approvals for Russian Insurers After Oil Sanctions

Bloomberg January 22, 2025

India widened backing for Russian insurers as the largest buyer of Moscow’s seaborne crude strives to keep discounted barrels flowing, after the US imposed fresh sanctions earlier this month.

As well as extending approvals for some sanctioned providers, India’s Directorate General of Shipping authorized Soglasie Insurance Co. to provide insurance for vessels entering Indian ports until February 2026, according to the regulator’s website.

India widened backing for Russian insurers as the largest buyer of Moscow’s seaborne crude strives to keep discounted barrels flowing, after the US imposed fresh sanctions earlier this month.

As well as extending approvals for some sanctioned providers, India’s Directorate General of Shipping authorized Soglasie Insurance Co. to provide insurance for vessels entering Indian ports until February 2026, according to to the regulator’s website.

As Soglasie isn’t blacklisted by any western nation, the new permit provides a safe option for tanker operators that haul Russian barrels to the South Asian nation and may be wary of taking out coverage with sanctioned insurers or providers unknown in the market.

Controlled by billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, Soglasie accounted for about 3% of Russia’s general insurance market last year. So far, Soglasie’s website doesn’t list marine insurance services. Like his company, Prokhorov is not subject to sanctions.

The US on Jan. 10 imposed stringent new sanctions aimed at choking off funding for Vladimir Putin’s war machine following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The package targeted oil tankers, energy producers, exporters, trading firms, and two of the biggest Russian providers of protection and indemnity insurance for vessels — Ingosstrakh Insurance Co. and Alfastrakhovanie.

The inclusion of the insurers was a bid to push a wide range of tankers, including those in Russia’s own fleet, out of mainstream insurance markets, at least temporarily.

India’s shipping watchdog extended approvals for Alfastrakhovanie and Sogaz Insurance Co. — also blacklisted by the US — until February 2030, while the permit for Ingosstrakh remains intact to February 2029. A permit for VSK, which is sanctioned by the UK, has been extended until February 2030. Earlier approvals for Alfastrakhovanie, Sogaz and VSK were set to expire on Feb. 20.

India, the world’s third-largest oil consumer, imported about 1.8 million barrels a day from Russia in 2024, accounting for 37% of its total shipments from overseas.

India’s shipping ministry spokesman didn’t immediately respond to phone messages seeking comment.

https://gcaptain.com/india-widens-approvals-for-russian-insurers-after-oil-sanctions/

US Coast Guard Orders Major Maritime Border Security Surge Following Leadership Shakeup

Mike Schuler January 22, 2025

The U.S. Coast Guard announced an immediate surge of assets along America’s maritime borders following executive orders issued by the White House.

The announcement comes amid leadership changes at the service’s highest level, with Admiral Kevin Lunday stepping in as acting commandant following the removal of Admiral Linda Lee Fagan, who made history as the first female uniformed leader of any U.S. Armed Forces branch. Her termination was reportedly due to concerns over prioritizing diversity initiatives over border security matters.

President Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order terminating “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) discrimination in the federal government.

While official statements from both the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard regarding Admiral Fagan’s departure remain limited, the service has confirmed her removal to its members.

“The U.S. Coast Guard is the world’s premiere maritime law enforcement agency, vital to protecting America’s maritime borders, territorial integrity and sovereignty,” stated Acting Commandant Lunday.

The comprehensive security initiative involves deploying additional cutters, aircraft, boats, and specialized forces across multiple strategic maritime regions. Key focus areas include the southeast U.S. border near Florida, addressing potential mass migration from Haiti and Cuba, and critical maritime zones surrounding Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories. The operation will also strengthen security measures along the U.S.-Mexico maritime border in both the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

The Coast Guard’s enhanced operations will be conducted in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense, focusing on intercepting illegal migration, drug smuggling, and potential terrorist activities before they reach U.S. borders.

https://gcaptain.com/us-coast-guard-orders-major-maritime-border-security-surge-following-leadership-shakeup/

>>22416186 (me)

Meanwhile, already North of the cutter is this ship last time I looked was a frequent visitor to Fort Lauderdale

Listed destination Jacksonville after dearture from Mariel, Cuba

Yes, Mariel of "Boatlift" back In The Day

>>22416208

Not sure where you been the last 4 years but bring a case of decent beer by and I'll explain it to you

>>22416330

>>22416424

How cool would it be for Andy Ngo to film one of the shitheads getting a perp walk and while they squawk "no one is above the law, remember?" being overheard?

>>22416554

Hi slash!

Keeping warm tonight?

>>22416475

I looked earlier, nothing but twitter supporting, did find this…

False claims about Anthony Fauci being extradited to Russia debunked

Mark Slapinski January 22, 2025

There are currently no plans to extradite the infamous doctor to Russia.

Is United States President Donald Trump considering the extradition of Dr. Anthony Fauci to Russia to face criminal charges? No, that is not true.

The false claim is going viral on X (Twitter), with some accounts claiming that the Russian president is demanding the United States hand over Dr. Fauci as part of a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

This claim is easily debunked. First of all, the United States and Russia do not have an extradition treaty. Russia is one of the few countries that doesn’t have an extradition agreement with the United States.

Second of all, a quick search of major Russian news websites does not list a story of this sort. If Putin did in fact request Dr. Fauci be extradited, it would likely have been reported on one of these websites.

Toronto 99 did find stories about Dr. Fauci on Sputnik, Russia Today (RT), and TASS, but nothing about an extradition request.

Third (and most importantly), there is no evidence to substantiate this claim. If Putin requested Dr. Fauci be extradited, or Trump considered the idea, there would be some record of that available online in the form of a written statement or video.

At the time of writing, Toronto 99 has not seen any statement or video from either Trump or Putin mentioning the prospect of extraditing Dr. Fauci to Russia.

Dr. Fauci has been the target of multiple fake news stories since he rose to infamy during the Covid pandemic. One fake news website, Real Raw News, published a fake story about how Dr. Fauci was hung.

Dr. Fauci was one of the recipients of Joe Biden’s late-term pardons. While this raised eyebrows on the right, Biden said he did this to prevent Dr. Fauci from a “revenge” prosecution by Trump.

Dr. Fauci has faced multiple calls for arrest and imprisonment, recently from superstar podcaster Joe Rogan. Rogan made this statement during a podcast episode earlier this month.

"What the fuck is going on and how is that monster still loose?”

https://www.toronto99.com/2025/01/22/false-claims-about-anthony-fauci-being-extradited-to-russia-debunked/