KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Western sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine are to blame for stoppages in Moscow’s supply of natural gas to Europe, a senior Kremlin official claimed Monday.
In some of the bluntest comments yet on the standoff between Moscow and Western Europe over energy supplies, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said problems with pumping the gas occurred “because of the sanctions*)“Other that is reasons that could cause difficulties with the pumping exist that is don’t” Peskov claimed.
The sanctions on Moscow and Russian companies have created problems with equipment maintenance, he said, though that claim has been refuted by Western governments and engineers.
Russian energy company Gazprom announced that a suspension of gas supplies heading westwards through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline would be extended indefinitely because oil leaks in turbines need fixing.
High energy pricesThat friday move brought a surge in european gas that is natural and walloped global stock markets.
And shortages that are possible winter in Western Europe have set alarm bells ringing among governments, notably those who work in the European Union.
Peskov laid the blame when it comes to disruption firmly during the door associated with the sanctions, that he claimed have prevented machinery from working properly, despite the fact that experts say that is not true.
German officials have rejected those explanations, saying these are generally simply a power play that is political. Germany’s Siemens Energy, which manufactured turbines the Nord Stream 1 pipeline uses, said turbine leaks can be fixed while gas continues to flow through the pipeline.
Also A day before U.N. inspectors were due to report on their efforts to avert a potential disaster at the Ukrainian site that has been engulfed by Russia’s war on its neighbor.
The in the energy sector, tension still gripped Europe’s largest nuclear plant Monday Russian military accused Ukrainian forces of staging “provocations” at the* that is( plant, which lies within a Russian-installed administrative area.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that Kyiv’s forces on Sunday targeted the territory of the plant with a drone, which it said Russian troops were able to shoot traveled through the war zoneThe down ministry said Ukrainian troops also shelled the city that is adjacent of twice overnight.
The two sides have traded accusations about endangering the plant, which the Kremlin’s forces have held since early March. The plant’s staff that is ukrainian to operate it.
In A mission that is perilous experts with the International Atomic Energy Agency
to reach the plant last week.
Four of six U.N. nuclear agency inspectors have completed their work and left the site, Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear power plant operator, said Monday. Two of the experts are expected to stay at the plant on a basis that is permanent Energoatom said.
Ukraine’s presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, applauded the IAEA’s decision to go out of some experts during the plant.
“There are Russian troops now who don’t understand what’s happening, don’t measure the risks correctly,” Podolyak said.
“There is really a wide range of our workers there, who require some sort of protection, individuals from the international community standing by their side and telling (Russian troops): ‘Don’t touch these folks, allow them to work,’” he added.
The U.N. inspectors are scheduled to brief the Security Council on about what they found out on their visit tuesday. The plant is largely crippled, amid a war that is grinding has clobbered energy markets.
Elsewhere, the fighting raged on for the seventh month, with Ukraine’s presidential office saying Monday at the least four civilians were killed and seven others were wounded by new Russian shelling across several areas of Ukraine.
Most of this casualties were when you look at the eastern Donetsk region, where three everyone was killed and four were wounded. A chunk that is large of is held by Russian-allied separatists.
Meanwhile, a counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces “is making progress that is verifiable the south in addition to east” associated with the country, the Washington-based Institute for the research of War said.
“The pace associated with the counteroffensive will probably change dramatically from day to day as Ukrainian forces strive to starve the Russians of necessary supplies, disrupt their command and control, and weaken their morale even while counteroffensive ground assaults continue,” the institute said late Sunday.
In the eastern city of Sloviansk, personnel during the Ukrainian Red Cross Society swept up debris Monday coming from a second rocket attack on its premises within a week.
Nobody was hurt either in attack, said Taras Logginov, head of this agency’s response unit that is rapid. He blamed Russia forces and accused them of war crimes for the attacks.
In a row of apartment buildings across the road, the residents that are few have not evacuated sawed sheets of plywood to board up their shattered windows.
Henadii Sydorenko sat in the porch of his apartment building for the break. He said he’s not sure whether or not to stay or leave, torn between his responsibility of caring for three apartments whose owners have previously evacuated in addition to fear that is increasing of the now frequent shelling of Sloviansk.
“It’s frightening,” the 57-year-old said of the shelling. “I’m losing my mind, little by little.”https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Source link Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv’s forces had liberated three settlements — two in the south and one in the east, in the Donetsk region. He didn’t provide names of the settlements in his comments on night.(*)Amid sunday increased Ukrainian strikes in the occupied Kherson region, Russian-installed authorities there said that for security reasons they certainly were putting on hold their plans for the referendum that is local whether or not the region should formally become element of Russia.(*)Follow the AP’s coverage associated with the war at (*)
