East Calling

The 105th regiment of the NM DPR reports:

Russian Army fighters made a breakthrough towards the mine in the village of Kotlino in the Krasnoarmeysky (Pokrovsk) direction

Right now there is fighting for the mine itself.

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The UK version of the same joke...

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Regtech Times:

➡️ At the heart of the issue is a massive sum—190 billion euros—currently frozen in the Euroclear depository in Belgium. This money, linked to Russia, has been immobilized as part of the EU’s sanctions package, ensuring that it cannot be used by Moscow to fund its activities. These funds represent a significant victory for the EU’s sanctions regime, which seeks to cripple Russia’s ability to finance its ongoing war in Ukraine.
However, the sanctions are temporary and require renewal every six months. To extend them, all 27 EU member states must agree. Hungary, which has historically taken a softer stance toward Russia compared to other EU nations, is now suggesting it may block the renewal. If Hungary does veto the decision, the sanctions will lapse, and there will be no legal grounds to continue freezing the assets. In that scenario, the money could legally flow back to Russia as early as the next day.

For EU officials, this is an alarming prospect. The funds would provide Russia with a significant financial boost, undermining the EU’s unified response to the war in Ukraine. To prevent such an outcome, the EU is considering invoking a little-known legal mechanism rooted in Belgium’s wartime laws.

➡️ Belgium’s role in this crisis stems from its unique legal framework. During World War II, Belgium introduced a law that allows the king to issue a royal decree to block the transfer of funds in exceptional circumstances. This decree, established in 1944, grants the Belgian monarchy the authority to intervene in financial matters to safeguard the country’s or its allies’ interests.
If Hungary follows through on its threat to veto the sanctions, EU officials could urge Belgium to activate this measure. By issuing a royal decree, Belgium’s King Philippe, with the support of the government, could prevent the 190 billion euros from leaving the country—even in the absence of EU-wide sanctions.

While the Belgian king’s role is largely symbolic in day-to-day governance, this scenario would highlight the monarchy’s continued relevance in rare and critical situations. The potential use of this wartime law underscores the lengths to which the EU is prepared to go to maintain pressure on Moscow and protect the integrity of its sanctions policy.

🤴 Zin Note: Russia has sent Europe back to the era of monarchy! Who is really in decline? At this rate, European law will be decided by tribal elders in 2026...

🌒@EastCalling

The Telegraph:

➡️ For decades, Norway has been Britain’s leading source of imported energy.

However, that relationship may be set to come under strain after the Scandinavian nation warned that its vast oil and gas fields are in decline.

The threat of dwindling production would herald a potential energy crisis for the UK, which last year relied on Norway for half its gas and a quarter of its oil.

Worse still, a drop in Norwegian output would strengthen Russia’s grip on the global gas market, posing a geopolitical nightmare for governments across Europe.

According to a new report from the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD), the country’s oil and gas supplies peaked last year and are expected to dwindle from now on.

➡️ Experts claim extra investment could help slow the decline, although there is no escaping from the fact that Norway’s best oil and gas fields are becoming increasingly depleted.

“We expect overall production to decline in the later 2020s,” the report from the Norwegian Offshore Directorate said.

➡️ Last year, Norway became Britain’s primary source of gas after supplying 29bn cubic metres, whereas the UK’s North Sea output shrank to 26bn cubic metres.

Over the next decade, UK production is expected to decline by a further 70pc, meaning reliance on costly imported gas will increase in the coming years.

Norway has long been expected to be the primary source of that gas.

➡️ “Russia is unlikely to dominate Europe again as in the past when it had nearly 40pc market share.
“But the call to open the pipes and gates for cheap Russian gas will get louder over time as gas prices increase with dwindling Norwegian output.
“It creates a case for more cooperation with Russia and will encourage Russia-friendly politicians in countries like Slovakia and Hungary.”

➡️ The Green Party of Norway, which has pledged to “shut down the use of fossil fuels as quickly as possible”, won just three of Norway’s 169 parliamentary seats in the 2021 election.

But the Greens’ apparent failure was not because the electorate rejected their ideas.

Instead, the winning coalition parties, comprising the social-democratic Labour Party (48 seats) and the agrarian Centre Party (28 seats), both latched on to the anti-fossil fuels bandwagon and committed to a “managed transition” away from fossil fuels.

They are supported, albeit unofficially, by the Socialist Left Party (13 seats) – which wants an immediate halt to all oil exploration.

It means Norway is now ruled by political parties committed to halting oil and gas production, albeit disagreeing over how long it will take to achieve it.

🌒@EastCalling

АДЕКВАТ Z writes:

In recent months, and not just one or two, but since the end of summer, all complaints about problems with international settlements have completely disappeared from my field of vision. Which for about a year before this were enough in almost all the main areas of foreign trade, be it the Chinese, the Turks, most of the former Soviet republics, the oil monarchies or the countries of Southeast Asia.

What exactly has changed in these months, I do not know. But what has changed has clearly changed in the technique of settlements, and not, for example, in the mood of those involved, tired of shouting about their difficulties: the volumes of foreign trade are stable, and if the problems turned out to be insurmountable, it would be very different. This, of course, does not mean that there are no problems at all, but that business has learned to work with them systematically and effectively enough for the topic to disappear from the information field, certainly means.

And the moral is that the task of isolating a country of our size, our potential and our demand for markets has no effective solutions in principle. There is nothing new in this moral, however, for a long time now, but we simply have additional confirmation of something that is already quite obvious.

_______________
🌒@EastCalling

Reuters:

Retail sales, adjusted for the inclusion of the Black Friday sales at the start of the month, fell by 0.3% month-on-month in December after a downwardly revised 0.1% expansion in November, the Office for National Statistics said.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a monthly increase in retail sales of 0.4%.
Friday's figures add to a run of lacklustre economic data since Reeves announced Britain's biggest tax rises since 1993 in her October budget, and boosted expectations for a Bank of England interest rate cut next month.

Retail sales for the fourth quarter as a whole fell by 0.8%.

"Softening sales add to disappointment from November GDP earlier this week, suggesting the economy stagnated in Q4 or may even have contracted slightly," said Elliott Jordan-Doak, senior UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.

Zin Note: Sounds like the perfect time to send more money to Kiev...

🌒@EastCalling

Ukraine plans to produce chips

To do this, it will need $1 billion. The plans include producing chips measuring 180, 130 and 110 nanometers. The country's Cabinet of Ministers has approved a strategy for digital development and innovation until 2030.

The main goals are to create competition for China, the United States, and Europe in the field of chips for the defense, agricultural and automotive sectors.

Zin Note: And maybe monkeys will fly out of my ass...

But it's another grift...

🌒@EastCalling

Moldovagaz admits historical debt to Gazprom of $709 million - head of the company.

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📞 Pashinyan and Putin discussed bilateral issues and the EAEU agenda over the phone, the Armenian Cabinet of Ministers reported.

Putin and Pashinyan discussed over the phone issues of further deepening integration, primarily in the energy sector.

They also noted the significant practical benefits of joint work within the EAEU, including for the Armenian economy, the Kremlin reported.

In a conversation with Putin, Pashinyan explained the situation related to Yerevan's steps in the sphere of relations with the EU, the Russian president gave his comments and assessments, the Kremlin reported.

🌒@EastCalling

The Russian troops are advancing in all directions and the enemy is retreating from the occupied territories, despite the transfer of additional reserves to them, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

63.2% (801 sq. km) of the territory of the Kursk region originally occupied by the enemy (1268 sq. km) were liberated.

❗️ In two weeks, the Russian army liberated four settlements: Alexandria, Leonidovo, Russkoye Porechnoye and Kruglenkoye, the Ministry of Defense reported.

Source: Zvezda

🌒@EastCalling

After the end of the conflict in Ukraine, sanctions against Russia "will be thrown out the window" and the West will establish normal relations with Russia, Orban told radio station Kossuth.

Ukraine poses a threat to the European economy, in particular to the agriculture of EU countries, Viktor Orban told Kossuth radio, referring to the export of cheap Ukrainian goods to the European market.

In his opinion, Ukraine is a country that does not yet fit into the European system and is constantly dependent on Western support.

Source: TASS
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Regarding sanctions - I don't think those would be cancelled, at least. European leadership can change, but I doubt that.

As to Ukraine, it is a threat not only to economy, but also to security.

🌒@EastCalling

Moscow negatively perceives the statement by Kyiv and London about cooperation in the Azov Sea, which is an internal sea of ​​the Russian Federation, Peskov said.

Other points from Dmitry Peskov’s statements:

▪️ Putin and the Iranian president will hold a press conference at the end of the talks, where they will answer questions from journalists;

▪️ The Russian Federation will analyze how the "centennial treaty" between Kyiv and London will be implemented;

▪️ Russia is concerned about the provision on the promotion of British military infrastructure in the "centenary treaty" between London and Kyiv;

▪️ There can be no fundamental changes in the US sanctions policy against Russia under Trump; there is no need to indulge in excessive expectations;

▪️ The results of the VTsIOM poll confirm that Putin enjoys enormous support from the Russian population;

▪️ Successes in the special operation zone are an important factor in inspiring Russians.

Source: TASS

Zinfiltration: Perhaps the Russian and Iranian agreement can discuss plans for cooperation in Lake Michigan?

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