A barrage of Ukrainian rockets launched at Russian oil production sites shows the ability of a new generation of missiles.
Kyiv recently demonstrated domestically made missiles such as the Flamingo, which has a range of 3,000km, and the Neptune, which can travel 300km.
The result was a series of attacks that created new problems for Russia. There are now questions over Washington’s opinion of the strikes.
The missile and drone attacks have cut Russian fuel supplies to Hungary and Slovakia – the only European countries that import Moscow’s oil – whose leaders have complained to US President Donald Trump.
But Washington has continued to sell long-range missiles to Ukraine, through European countries, with reports that 3,350 Extended Range A Missiles will be made available within six weeks.
In the past month, there have been attacks on 10 energy plants that have disrupted 17 per cent of Russia's refinery capacity, or 1.1 million barrels a day.
Analysts told The National that the attacks demonstrate Ukraine still has “leverage” in any peace talks, as attacks on Russian crude production could affect global oil prices.
Ukrainian influence
Ukraine has shown that it can directly affect foreign markets, after launching a strike on Friday against a key pumping station on the Druzhba oil pipeline that carries fuel to Europe.
Viktor Orban, Hungary’s pro-Russian Prime Minister, condemned Kyiv on social media for a “very unfriendly move”. He added that his country wishes “President Trump every success in his pursuit for peace”.
Mr Orban posted a picture on Facebook showing a handwritten note from Mr Trump. It said: “Viktor – I do not like hearing this – I am very angry about it.”
But the strikes showed that Ukraine “has leverage to take into negotiations, showing the ability to strike deep into Russia and that it has an economic impact on Russia”, said Timothy Ash, Russia specialist at the Chatham House think tank.
The tactic also allows Kyiv to challenge suggestions that it is losing the war. But such attacks will only have a global impact if Ukraine damages Russia’s crude export capacity.
“This is a sweet spot of hurting Russians at home and not actually putting downward pressure on global crude oil prices, which is beneficial to Trump,” Mr Ash said. “Anything Ukraine did to impact on global markets and energy prices would not make Mr Trump very happy.”
Russian fuel crisis
The strikes appeared to intensify at the weekend, with targets hit in the Leningrad region including the Novatek gas processing complex – the largest producer of liquefied natural gas in Russia.
On Sunday, the Syzran oil refinery in the Samara region was hit. The site refines up to 8.5 million tonnes of oil a year, which is equal to three per cent of Russia’s total refining output.
The long-range attack affected the country’s fuel reserves and threatened oil revenue, reported Kommersant, a Russian business news outlet. Such income is key to the Kremlin’s ability to pay its soldiers high wages to fight on the front lines.
Kommersant also reported that Russia was on the brink of a fuel crisis because wholesale prices have surged this month, with production down by nearly 10 per cent since January.
In some cases, fuel prices have risen by 49 per cent, with shortages leading to long queues at petrol stations. The problem has pushed the Kremlin to introduce an export ban into at least October.
Repairs at the refinery could take months to complete, especially with international sanctions making it difficult to import the right equipment.
“The Kremlin's inability to effectively navigate critical energy sector issues challenges Russia's ongoing narrative that it is capable of withstanding western economic pressures and financing its war effort for the long term,” the Institute for the Study of War think tank said.
Russia relies on oil and gas exports for a quarter of its budget revenue, which has funded a 25 per cent rise in defence spending. Despite Mr Trump’s attempts to secure a peace deal, the war has continued unabated this week, with Russia also launching attacks on Ukrainian cities.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
match info
Chelsea 2
Willian (13'), Ross Barkley (64')
Liverpool 0
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
Teaching in coronavirus times
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Results
2pm: Serve U – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Violent Justice, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
2.30pm: Al Shafar Investment – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Desert Wisdom, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ahmed Al Shemaili
3pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Fawaareq, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
4pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Rakeez, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Al Redha Insurance Brokers – Handicap (TB) Dh78,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Capla Crusader, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Company%20Profile
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