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Russia, Having Weathered an Aviation Crisis, Now Confronts a Railway Catastrophe as its Railroads Battle a Severe Locomotive Shortage Amidst Relentless Western Sanctions; Read Report
Western sanctions on high tech equipment and new or replacement parts for locomotives have reduced the Russian state-run rail system's ability to move freight.

Moscow, February 7, 2024 – The Russian state-owned railway, RZHD, finds itself in a severe locomotive shortage, a crisis exacerbated by Western sanctions on critical parts supplies.

Since the latter half of 2023, RZHD has been grappling with a dwindling number of operational locomotives as the volume and duration of rolling stock repairs have surged due to a shortage of sanctioned imported components.

Reports from the Russian publication Vedomosti corroborate the challenges faced by RZHD, shedding light on the severity of the situation.

According to representatives of the state monopoly, the crisis reached a critical juncture in the fourth quarter of 2023, prompting urgent efforts to address the issue with service providers.

While nominally, RZHD has sufficient locomotives for cargo transportation, the operational capacity of the Russian railway network is steadily declining.

The ramifications of this crisis are particularly pronounced on the Sverdlovsk railway, where extended periods of locomotive downtime during repairs are disrupting operations.

Sources close to RZHD reveal that repair operations need to be conducted more effectively, leading to frequent breakdowns of locomotives during transit.

Mikhail Burmistrov, the general director of Infoline-Analytics, underscores the gravity of the situation, highlighting a decline in the technical readiness ratio of the locomotive fleet from 95 per cent to 93 per cent by mid-2023, with further deterioration noted in January 2024.

With approximately 20,000 traction rolling stock units scattered across the RZHD network, repair responsibilities are distributed among various entities, including Lokotech and STM service.

However, these service providers need help with their own challenges, including losing access to specialized components due to sanctions.

Burmistrov further elucidates that a shortage of skilled personnel exacerbates the crisis besides procurement difficulties.

While efforts are underway to integrate domestically produced locomotives into the fleet, the transition is marred by reliability issues and insufficient availability.

Parallel challenges confront the Russian civilian aviation sector in the aftermath of the country’s full-scale invasion.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s pledge to bolster domestic aircraft production echoes President Putin’s vision of self-sufficiency by 2030. However, recent safety incidents underscore the urgency of this initiative.

Since the onset of the new year, numerous safety-related incidents involving foreign commercial aircraft operated by Russian airlines have been reported.

From technical malfunctions to emergency landings, these incidents underscore the precarious state of the industry.

To mitigate the impact of sanctions, S7 airline announces staff layoffs amidst constraints in fleet maintenance.

The decision reflects the broader repercussions on aviation employment, with a significant portion of its aircraft grounded due to sanctions-related issues.

In a related development, Rosaviatsiya directs airlines to suspend the usage of specific aircraft on flights to Egypt, citing the risk of impoundment.

This directive follows legal disputes surrounding leased aircraft, underscoring the far-reaching consequences of sanctions on Russian aviation operations.

The locomotive shortage plaguing Russian railways and challenges in the aviation sector paints a grim picture of the nation’s transportation infrastructure.

As authorities grapple with the immediate ramifications of sanctions, the long-term implications for Russia’s economic and logistical landscape remain uncertain.

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Leading Chinese bank halts operations in Russia, Belarus
China's Chouzhou Commercial Bank has notified its clients in Russia and Belarus that it is ending all of its operations there due to payment issues associated with Western sanctions, the Russian state-controlled media outlet Vedomosti reported on Feb. 7, citing sources.

The news appears to be related to enhanced restrictions the U.S. announced in December 2023 to target financial institutions that help support Russia's war effort. The measures expanded sanctions authority over any financial institutions "determined to have conducted or facilitated any significant transactions...or provided any services" for already sanctioned individuals or companies involved in Russia's military-industrial complex.

Sources told Vedomosti that all payments have been impacted, not just those that use SWIFT.

Russian and Chinese payment systems still produce records viewable by Western regulators regardless of their SWIFT usage. Western sanctions enforcers have been putting increased pressure on Chinese banks to access transactions associated with Russia.

Major Chinese banks have reportedly strengthened their compliance with Western sanctions after the new U.S. restrictions were announced in December 2023.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said at the time that the measures would apply even to unwitting financial partners, putting the onus on financial institutions and exporters in third-party countries to preemptively prevent any potential collaboration with Russia's military-industrial complex.

A Russian financial analyst told Vedomosti that so far, not all transactions with Chinese banks have been halted, and payments using Chinese yuan may still be possible, albeit at a slower pace.

Most of the top Chinese banks have branches in the U.S., making them vulnerable to sanctions enforcement.

"China’s political will is not used at the expense of its own interests, and the Chinese logically want to avoid their banks being subjected to Western sanctions," the analyst told Vedomosti.

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Ex-Wagner commander who fled to Norway has asylum request rejected
Andrey Medvedev, the former Wagner Group commander who made headlines in January 2023 for escaping to Norway, had his asylum request rejected by Norwegian authorities, his lawyer told Reuters on Feb. 6.

Since Medvedev’s first arrival in Norway, he spoke out about various war crimes committed by the Wagner Group and said he was willing to testify against the late former Wagner Group commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Medvedev was also arrested by Norwegian police in February 2023 after a bar fight.

After stating that he feared for his life if he were to return to Russia, Medvedev sought asylum in Norway but also expressed concern that he might be extradited to Ukraine for his role in war crimes committed by Wagner Group forces.

Medvedev's lawyer told Reuters that his asylum request was rejected because the Norwegian government did not consider him to have been an official member of the Russian armed forces.

While Medvedev's asylum request was denied, Norway does not plan to deport him, his lawyer said.

"He risks being punished for desertion and being killed by people from Wagner," Medvedev's lawyer said, adding that he plans to appeal the case.

It is unclear how the supposed threat against Medvedev's life in Russia has changed since September 2023, when he was arrested after he allegedly tried to illegally cross back into Russia from Norway, supposedly over fears he would be extradited to Ukraine.

Medvedev had previously told a local Norwegian newspaper that he had no plans to return to Russia.

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Iranian diplomat dies in Moscow
An Iranian diplomat at the embassy in Moscow allegedly died in a fitness club on February 4, according to the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

The paper identified the man as “A. Jahangiri,” 66, saying he felt unwell while exercising on a treadmill and died soon afterwards.

There is a long history of Iranian and Russian diplomats dying in sudden circumstances in recent years. Jahangiri’s death comes amid growing discontent in Tehran with Moscow’s handling of its security contracts with the country, with one Iranian MP accusing Russia of Betrayal.

Preliminary information revealed that the diplomat's sudden death was caused by a blood clot rupturing during training in a gym, according to the Russian newspaper.

Neither the Iranian embassy nor Persian media have published any reports on the tragic death of the embassy employee, which is now adding to questions on social media for the blackout.

This is not the first instance of sudden death of Iranian officials and their families in Moscow. The daughter of the former Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Sanaei died after a reported “heart attack,” according to Russian media reporting on the late-night occurrence.

Emerging reports of suicide in the diplomatic mission were called a provocation by the Iranian mission at the time.

“This was not the case; the embassy refutes this, the embassy noted, adding that she had a heart attack,” it said in response.

Meanwhile, Russian diplomat Konstantin Alekseev, who worked in the embassy in Tehran and consulate in Rasht, was reportedly found dead by his wife in December 2023 in their apartment in Moscow.

It was unclear if the diplomat, returning from Rasht in 2019, was still involved with Iran.

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Russia began exchanging oil for Indian bananas
The Russian authorities are launching a “banana scheme” to solve the problem of trade imbalance with India, which increased oil purchases from the Russian Federation 11 times after the start of the war, but did not launch a return flow of goods into the Russian market.

In January, the first batch of bananas left India for Russia, the press service of Rosselkhoznadzdor reported on Tuesday. The department emphasized that the decision to open the Russian market for Indian bananas was made after long negotiations and supply volumes will increase.

“The next delivery is planned until the end of February,” Rosselkhoznadzor said, adding that Russia has no restrictions on the import of fruits and vegetables from India, and local farmers are also interested in exporting mangoes, pineapples, papaya and guava.

India is the world's largest producer of bananas: last year, according to FAO, the country grew 33 million tons of this fruit. Russia is the world's main banana importer, accounting for a fifth of all purchases in the world.

Indian bananas will replace Ecuadorian bananas on the Russian market: in early February, Rosselkhoznadzor banned their import after discovering a polyphagous humpback fly in several batches. The decision was made after the Ecuadorian government announced the transfer of Soviet weapons to the United States for subsequent shipment to Ukraine.

Bananas should plug the “hole” in the Russian-Indian trade balance and, perhaps, solve the problem of rupees stuck in India, the volume of which, according to Reuters, could reach $39 billion. We are talking about the money with which Indian refineries paid for Russian oil, obeying the demand to carry out transactions in national currencies. However, it turned out to be impossible to withdraw rupees from India: local currency regulations prohibit this. Since late 2022, Russian officials have been pressing India for reciprocal supplies to Russia so that the accumulated rupees can be spent. The Indian government was asked to export equipment to the Russian Federation: pistons, oil pumps, ignition coils, bumpers, equipment for the textile industry, as well as threads and paints and almost 200 goods for metallurgy. But it was not possible to get the process off the ground.

At its peak, in the summer of 2023, India purchased more than 2 million barrels of Russian oil daily. By early 2024, supplies had dropped sharply to 1.2 million barrels per day. At the same time, India refused to accept 14 tankers with Sokol oil in its ports after the United States imposed sanctions against the Kremlin’s “shadow fleet.”

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Customs service general fired after drunken brawl in Kaliningrad
Lieutenant General Oleg Zavgorodniy, who caused a drunken brawl during a business trip to Kaliningrad, resigned from the Federal Customs Service (FCS). The department's press service reported that he himself submitted his resignation.

“We confirm the fact of the dismissal of the head of the main logistics department of the Federal Customs Service of Russia O. A. Zavgorodniy at his own request on February 6, 2024,” the service noted ( quoted from RIA Novosti).

On February 5, the general was detained for disorderly conduct in Kaliningrad, where he came on a business trip to participate in a meeting on the results of the work of the regional customs for 2023. A video has spread online showing Zavgorodniy lying in handcuffs on the floor of a police station, threatening members of the Russian Guard and kicking them.

The telegram channel “VChK-OGPU” wrote that after arriving in Kaliningrad, a high-ranking customs officer, together with colleagues from Moscow, settled in the five-star Crystal House hotel, in a room with an area of ​​300 m�, accommodation in which costs 235 thousand rubles per day.

After drinking alcohol in the hotel restaurant, the general began to behave aggressively and attracted the attention of the hotel security, who called the National Guard squad with a panic button. Upon the arrival of the officers, Zavgorodny got into a fight, first with the guards, and then with them, after which he was detained and taken to the department.

According to the channel, along with Zavgorodniy, the deputy head of the Federal Customs Service, Colonel-General Andrei Strukov, took part in the brawl at the hotel, but after the squad arrived, he locked himself in the room and then helped the detainee to freedom. Zavgorodny was never able to take part in the board.

According to sources, after this the Federal Customs Service tried to hush up the scandal and sent the general on sick leave, but in the end it eventually came to dismissal. However, he retained all the privileges and compensation. The Federal Customs Service has not yet decided what to do with Strukov.

The story of the rowdy behavior of high-ranking customs officers reached the Kremlin. Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that he was not in the know and advised that the details of the incident be clarified with the relevant departments.

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Op donderdag 8 februari 2024 08:34 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:
nice

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Bonus biem:
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Op donderdag 8 februari 2024 10:41 schreef Barbusse het volgende:
Tegenstander van Poetin mag niet meedoen aan presidentsverkiezingen

[ afbeelding ]

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Op donderdag 8 februari 2024 10:41 schreef Barbusse het volgende:
Tegenstander van Poetin mag niet meedoen aan presidentsverkiezingen

[ afbeelding ]

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Op donderdag 8 februari 2024 11:41 schreef Elan het volgende:

Остання фаза наступу 2023: жорсткі бої 3 ОШБр на шляху до звільнення Андріївки

Bizar. Alsof je een potje Warzone zit te kijken.

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Op donderdag 8 februari 2024 10:58 schreef MaxMark het volgende:

[..]
*Insert mild shock*

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Op donderdag 8 februari 2024 14:30 schreef Perrin het volgende:
wtf Elon?!
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