The UK announced a new wave of sanctions targeting the Russian war chest, “propaganda mongers” and people accused of involvement in the torture of Ukrainian citizens. Under the sanctions, an asset freeze and travel ban will be imposed on about 23 individuals and entities, while trade sanctions will be imposed on eight ships linked to the so-called Russian “shadow fleet.”
The measures aim to maintain economic pressure on Moscow before the harsh winter months, noting that since the beginning of the comprehensive Russian invasion in 2022, Moscow has escalated its bombing of the electricity network in Ukraine, according to the British news agency (PA Media).
The State Department said that the sanctions also target seven people “for their role in the indoctrination and militarization of Ukrainian children, including those deported by the Russian authorities,” and eight people involved in “the arbitrary detention, torture, and ill-treatment of Ukrainian civilians.”
Secretary of State for Europe, Stuart Martin Wood (Lord of Anfield), said: “We are targeting both the revenues that help sustain Russian aggression and the perpetrators of heinous crimes against Ukrainian civilians, including children. The United Kingdom will not hesitate to support Ukraine.”
On the other hand, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that there is no imminent threat to the territory of NATO countries from Russia, in response to a warning issued by Moscow regarding the Russian Kaliningrad region. He added that the assessment of the threat related to Russia has not changed from what it was three weeks, three months and a year ago, despite the warning that Moscow sent to NATO in a document seen by Reuters.
Russia stated in the document that it would be prepared to resort to nuclear weapons if the Western alliance tried to isolate the region located on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania. Rutte said that NATO responded “with some calm.” He added at an event organized by Euronews in Brussels: “In short, what we said is: Hey, listen, we are a defensive alliance and stop the nuclear threat.”
The Secretary-General of NATO pointed out that if Russia wanted to move against Finland, one of the Baltic countries, Poland, or any other NATO country, this would be preceded by a military buildup. He stressed that the United States will continue its participation in defending Europe by conventional and nuclear means.
In a related context, Russia summoned the Danish ambassador to Moscow to protest the behavior of a Danish military helicopter during an incident with a Russian warship last month, which increased tensions between the two countries.
A statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Ambassador Rolf Holmboe was summoned on Wednesday in connection with the incident that occurred on September 14 in the Baltic Sea, when a Russian corvette-class warship fired two flares (warning flares) as a Danish helicopter approached it, according to Bloomberg News Agency.
Moscow said the helicopter flew dangerously close and remained hovering less than 50 meters above the Russian ship in international waters, ignoring repeated warnings from the ship's crew. The ministry added that the two flare bombs were launched away from the helicopter to attract its attention.
On the other hand, Denmark presented a different account of the incident. The Danish army announced that the helicopter was carrying out a routine mission to photograph the Russian ship when the ship fired two flare bombs towards it, one of which passed very close to it. Denmark summoned the Russian ambassador following the incident, and also quickly implemented an aid package for Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Moscow rejected the Danish account and warned that similar incidents could lead to an escalation of growing tensions in the Baltic region and create the risk of a serious accident.
Moscow also decided to expel an unspecified number of Hungarian diplomats in response to Budapest's expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats last month. The Russian Foreign Ministry said: “As a reciprocal measure, a group of employees of the Hungarian embassy in Moscow and the Hungarian consulates general in St. Petersburg and Kazan must leave the territory of the Russian Federation within two weeks.”
The Hungarian Foreign Ministry stated in a statement that it was informed of the Russian decision, adding: “Hungary does not wish to escalate diplomatic tension.”
Hungary accused the Russian diplomats it expelled of engaging in activities incompatible with their diplomatic status, a phrase often used to refer to acts of espionage. This step constituted a clear signal that the era of pro-Russia under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban had ended.
Orban lost power in April after 16 years in office. He had maintained close relations with President Putin even after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and continued to buy Russian oil and gas despite European Union sanctions. New Prime Minister Peter Magyar and his centre-right government have repeatedly said that Hungary's main alliances are with the European Union and NATO, and that the government seeks to rebuild trust that was eroded under Orban.
The Kremlin said Thursday that Russia believes it could have cooperated with the United States on economic projects that benefit both parties, and considered it unfortunate that Washington linked progress in such initiatives to settling the conflict in Ukraine.
The statements of Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, came as a comment on the recent talks held by Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy, in the United States. Peskov said that Dmitriev briefed Putin on the results of his talks with American officials, adding that the dialogue between Moscow and Washington is continuing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, saying that relations between Russia and China have reached an unprecedented high level. The congratulatory telegram, which was published on the Kremlin’s website, said: “Relations between Russia and China have reached an unprecedented high level, as our country is implementing major joint projects in various fields, and coordinating its efforts in international affairs to build a more equitable, multipolar world order,” according to the Russian “TASS” news agency.
On the field, the Ukrainian president said that a Russian drone targeted a school in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, on Thursday, causing a fire to break out and causing damage to the building, without causing injuries among students and teachers. He added on social media, “Russian monsters continue to attack the lives of our country, the children of Ukraine, and our schools.” Zelensky vowed to launch counterattacks and called on Ukraine's allies to increase pressure on Russia and strengthen their support for Kiev.
Officials in Kiev said that two drones hit a site near one of the supports of the “South Bridge” built over the Dnipro River. The Mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, announced via the Telegram application that metro and public transportation services across the bridge have now been suspended, noting that experts are examining the bridge’s structure.
More than a third of the city's population of 3 million lives in high-rise residential complexes on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River. A total of seven bridges dedicated to metro, railway and vehicular traffic connect the eastern and western parts of Kiev. It is noteworthy that Kiev's bridges have not been subjected to serious attacks since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
The intensity of Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries declined to its lowest level in three months last September, but the pace of attacks continued to exceed the speed of repair operations, which prevented a tangible increase in oil processing rates and contributed to increasing pressure on the global fuel market.
Ukraine launched at least 15 attacks on Russian fuel production facilities last month, according to a count conducted by Bloomberg based on public statements and statements issued by the two countries, down from the record number recorded last August, which amounted to at least 22 attacks, according to the agency.
The attacks aim to undermine Moscow's ability to finance and continue its invasion of Ukraine, and come at a time when Russia is launching continuous attacks around the clock targeting critical infrastructure in Ukraine, including Black Sea ports, energy facilities and hospitals.
Despite the slowdown in the pace of attacks on Russian refineries, refinery operating rates last September only exceeded August levels by a slight margin, reaching 3.98 million barrels per day, according to estimates by EA Analytics, a subsidiary of the consulting firm Energy Aspects Limited.
The company estimates refinery operating rates by monitoring the oil supply chain, from tracking oil fields and storage tanks via satellite, to the movement of cargo flows.
