Page 12 - RusRPTNov20

The EU on the same day announced targeted sanctions against Russian senior officials believed to be connected to the poisoning of Russian anti-corruption blogger and opposition activist Alexei Navalny in August.
European officials have found evidence that Navalny was poisoned with the Russian military-grade chemical nerve agent Novichok that “indicates” that the attack was “likely” carried out by Russian state actors. However, while the use of Novichok is not in question, the EU has no concrete evidence that allows it to identify the perpetrators of the attack. The accusations that the Russian state was behind the poisoning are based on the fact that Novichok is very hard to get hold of without good connections to the state. The Kremlin has denied all involvement with the affair.
2.5 ​ ​Poland, Russia heading for long-running legal dispute over Nord Stream 2
Poland's anti-competition authority and Russia's Gazprom could be stuck in arbitration for years
Polish regulator UOKiK has slapped a $7.6bn fine on Gazprom for going ahead with Nord Stream 2 without its permission.
Poland, a staunch opponent of Nord Stream 2, says the pipeline will have a negative effect on its gas market.
Gazprom has vowed to appeal against the decision, making a lengthy arbitration case likely. But the dispute will have little bearing on Nord Stream 2's completion.
Poland and Russia look set for a lengthy and arduous legal dispute, after Polish antimonopoly watchdog UOKiK last week slapped Kremlin-run gas supplier Gazprom with a $7.6bn fine for going ahead with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline without its consent.
Poland’s efforts will have little bearing on the controversial project, however, given that UOKiK lacks jurisdiction to halt its construction, which is now almost complete. And in any case, Gazprom has vowed to appeal against the regulator’s decision, initiating an arbitration process that could take five or so years to reach a conclusion.
The crux of UOKiK’s argument is that Gazprom created a de-facto joint venture with its European partners to finance Nord Stream 2. Gazprom’s original plan was to form a consortium with Germany's Uniper and Wintershall Dea, Royal Dutch Shell, Austria's OMV and France's Engie to finance, build and operate the €9.5bn ($11.2bn) pipeline. UOKiK’s approval was needed because of Nord Stream 2’s impact on the Polish gas market. It withheld this approval in 2016, forcing Gazprom to come up with a different plan.
Instead, the Russian company was lent funds by its European partners to cover half of Nord Stream 2’s cost, but UOKiK argues that these financing
12 ​RUSSIA Country Report​ November 2020 www.intellinews.com