International sanctions

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar emphasized the potential impact of U.S. sanctions on Russian energy company Gazprom, stating that Türkiye could be significantly affected if not granted an exemption.

A few days ago, the massive tanker Atila, weighing 301,000 tons and flying the flag of Cameroon, was sailing with its GPS signal on, between the coasts of Mauritania and Cape Verde.

Since March, Russia has reportedly supplied North Korea with over a million barrels of oil, according to an analysis conducted by the UK-based research group Open Source Centre in collaboration with the BBC.

Diplomats in Brussels have warned China of possible consequences if it is confirmed that drones are being transferred from Chinese territory to Russia, Club Z reports. This follows reports of a long-range drone being developed by Russia's Kupol company, a subsidiary of state-owned Almaz-Antey, which was allegedly tested in China with assistance from local specialists.

Three Bulgarian companies have been sanctioned by the United States for providing support to Russia's military industry. According to lists released by the US Department of State and Treasury, the companies supplied aviation components and other goods used in Russia's ongoing military operations in Ukraine, as reported by BNR.

Russians leverage occupied Cyprus to evade sanctions imposed by the EU and other Western entities in response to the conflict in Ukraine, according to an article in Dutch newspaper Het Parool.

This strategy underscores the ongoing complexities of the geopolitical landscape and the challenges faced by Western nations in enforcing their sanctions.

The European Union and 12 partner countries have met in Brussels to discuss the effectiveness of Western sanctions on Russia and ways to strengthen the G7 price cap on Russian oil, the EU Commission said on Tuesday.

In the first half of 2024, Western allies, including Bulgaria, the European Union and the United States, purchased around 2 billion dollars worth of oil products from Turkey that were refined from Russian crude oil, according to a report by the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) and the Center for Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

The United States has imposed sanctions on ten individuals and two entities from Russia, accusing them of trying to influence the 2024 US presidential election. The US Department of the Treasury described these actions as part of a broader effort to counter Russia's alleged attempts to manipulate public opinion ahead of the November election.

Russia has imposed entry bans on 92 US nationals, including more than two dozen journalists, as announced by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday. The sanctions come in response to what Moscow describes as the Biden administration's "Russophobic policy" aimed at inflicting a "strategic defeat" on Russia, according to state media TASS.