Page 51 - RusRPTApr24

Since 2022, the Western states have imposed more than 16,500 sanctions on Russia. Seeking to undermine Russia’s economy in general and defense industry specifically, they’ve frozen half of Russia’s foreign currency reserves and sanctioned the strategically important energy, precious metals and fertilizer exports. Although in 2022, the record sanctions decreased the Russian economy by 2.2%, in 2023, it bounced back by a record 2.3% due to war spending.
Sanctions are starting to have an effect: contractors are severing ties with the Russian Federation. Turkey's Dertyol terminal, which received record volumes of Russian oil last year, will no longer accept cargo from Russia due to increased US sanctions. Global Terminal Services (GTS), which manages the terminal, said it will not accept products of Russian origin or shipped from Russian ports. GTS Terminal imports, exports, and stores fuel and crude oil. In 2023, it received 11.7 million barrels of Russian oil, 600% more than the total from all shippers in 2021. Exports from the terminal last year increased by almost 400% compared to 2021, to 24.7 million barrels. In addition, South Korean shipping company Sinokor suspended operations at the Russian port of Skhydnyi in Primorye, as the port operator recently came under US sanctions. The company's last trip to this port will occur on March 31. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden extended for a year the state of emergency that was first introduced back in 2014 following the initial Russian aggression against Ukraine.
European Council sanctions 33 people over ‘slow killing’ of Alexei Navalny. The European Council has sanctioned 33 people and two entities over the death of former Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny last month, it was announced on March 22.
● Domestic Politics
Putin recognizes 'radical Islamists' carried out terrorist attack, claims Ukraine still involved. "It is necessary to get answers to a number of questions whether radical Islamists really decided to strike Russia," Putin alleged, insinuating that the attack was carried out on behalf of another "client."
Putin's close allies see no link between Ukraine, Moscow shooting. Some people from Russian President Vladimir Putin's own inner circle think that there is no evidence of Ukraine's involvement in the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in a Moscow suburb, Bloomberg reported on March 26, citing unnamed sources with ties to the Kremlin.
FSB chief claims US warnings about terrorist attack in Russia were only 'general'. U.S. special services warned Moscow about the preparation and threat of a terrorist attack in Russia, but this information was "general," claimed Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), on March 26.
Macron: IS group behind Moscow attack 'made several attempts' to strike France. The Islamic State (IS) group, which claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall in a Moscow suburb last week, had recently made "several attempts" at attacks on French soil, French President Emmanuel Macron said on March 25.
51 RUSSIA Country Report April 2024 www.intellinews.com