Poroshenko: Greater Risk Of Open War With Russia Now

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says the risk of open war between Russia and Ukraine is greater now than it was a year ago.

In an interview with the German newspaper Bild published on February 3, Poroshenko said Russia had implemented "not one single point" of the Minsk accords, a cease-fire and peace plan aimed at resolving the war in eastern Ukraine.

"Instead, we can see 8,000 Russian soldiers with Russian commanders in our country, new military sites directly along the border, and constant military trainings," said Poroshenko, who met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on February 1. "Russia is investing a lot in these war preparations."

Berlin is growing increasingly suspicious that Russia is trying to cause trouble in Germany to try to weaken Merkel, who has taken a tough line on Moscow after it annexed Crimea in March 2014.

"Now Putin has opened an information war against Germany as well," Poroshenko said.

Based on reporting by Bild and Reuters

Ukraine Boasts European Gas Imports, But Most Of It Still Russian

Ukraine’s state-run Naftogaz is importing less natural gas from Russia, the company said on Tuesday. But guess where the gas is coming from that it is now importing from Eastern Europe?

Natural gas imports from eastern Europe primarily doubled from 5 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2014 to 10.3 bcm in 2015. Naftogaz now imports gas from more than 10 suppliers, diversifying away from Gazprom and Russian pipelines.

Russia’s direct imports to Ukraine decreased from 14.5 bcm in 2014 to 6.1 bcm last year, taking Russian market share from 34% in 2014 to 18%.

The past year also brought a significant increase in imports by private traders and gas consumers from the European market, as Naftogaz tests private energy markets for the first time. Naftogaz bought 1.1 bcm of gas from private companies compared to 0.14 bcm in 2014. The change comes on the heels of a new regulatory framework announced in October that is preparing the Ukrainian energy market for privatization.

Yet, even though 63% of Ukrainian-bound natural gas is coming from Europe, the three biggest single country suppliers are largely dependent on Russia. Meaning…Ukraine is still importing natural gas sourced from Russia.

Read more in Forbes here.

The War in Ukraine Is Back -- So Why Won’t Anyone Say So?

Violence in East Ukraine is spiking but Western pols are silent.

Russia’s dirty war in Ukraine is far from frozen, and despite the deteriorating situation, the West appears keen to turn a blind eye.

While the fighting in southeast Ukraine has rumbled on incessantly throughout the winter, inducing conflict fatigue and a drop in media coverage, the last weeks have seen a marked spike in the number of attacks.

Ukrainian officials are reporting up to 71 attacks a day, with most of the fighting concentrated around the separatist-held cities of Donetsk and Gorlovka, as well as the countryside east of the Azov port city of Mariupol.

Read more from The Daily Beast here.

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