MOSCOW: Russia’s Lukoil is set to resume oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline to Slovakia and Hungary in October after Hungary’s MOL said it had struck deals to transport crude through Belarus and Ukraine via the pipeline, two sources said on Tuesday.
The sources said the supplies would resume next month because this month’s export plans had been made in advance and it is difficult to reroute volumes.
One said Lukoil might be able to reroute a small volume this month, but it was yet to be seen.
In the summer, Kyiv banned Lukoil supplies after putting the Russian group on a sanctions list, preventing the transport of its oil to MOL refineries in Hungary and Slovakia.
Under new deals with suppliers and pipeline operators, effective Monday, MOL said it would take ownership of the relevant crude at the Belarus-Ukraine border. Previously, Russian oil suppliers sold crude oil on an FIP (free in pipeline) Feneshlitke basis in Hungary.
One of the sources said that MOL would bear all transport and other costs from the Belarus-Ukraine border to its refineries. Previously, Russia had to pay for oil transit via Ukraine, which raised many complications.
According to the sources, Russian oil supplies via Druzhba in September are planned at 510,000 metric tons for Slovakia and at 360,000 tons for Hungary. MOL’s refinery in Slovakia has planned maintenance at its only crude distillation unit starting on Sept. 23, which will result in lower crude intake.
Russia’s Tatneft and Russneft were seen as main suppliers of crude oil to Slovakia and Hungary in September, one of the sources added.
Russian oil is shipped via the Druzhba pipeline to Slovakia, Hungary and Czech Republic, which got an exclusion from an EU embargo on Russian oil due to limited opportunities for alternative oil supplies.
Russia’s Lukoil set to resume supplies via southern Druzhba in October, sources say
https://arab.news/najnj
Russia’s Lukoil set to resume supplies via southern Druzhba in October, sources say
- Under new deals with suppliers and pipeline operators, effective Monday, MOL said it would take ownership of the relevant crude at the Belarus-Ukraine border
Indonesia strips citizenship of ex-officers who joined Russian mercenary forces
- Muhammad Rio, Satria Kumbara went viral after claiming they were fighting in Ukraine
- Both were dishonorably discharged, Indonesian police and navy have separately confirmed
JAKARTA: Indonesia has revoked the citizenship of former security forces personnel who joined Russian mercenary forces, the government said, addressing the cases of a former policeman and a navy officer who have reportedly joined the fighting in Ukraine.
Muhammad Rio, a former member of Indonesia’s paramilitary police force Brimob in Aceh province, said he was recruited by Russia’s Wagner Group in videos and photos that have widely circulated since last week.
His case followed that of former Indonesian marine Satria Kumbara, who also went viral last year after uploading clips on TikTok, where he claimed to be fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
Their Indonesian citizenships have been revoked, said Law Minister Supratman Andi Atgas.
“Anyone, be it a Brimob officer or a civilian, who joins a foreign military without the president’s permission will automatically lose his citizenship … That is clearly stipulated in the law,” he told reporters.
According to Atgas, the Indonesians who joined Russian mercenary forces did so discreetly, had their own contacts and never reported to the local Indonesian Embassy following their arrival, which makes them “difficult to track down.”
After the latest case of Rio made headlines across Indonesia, Aceh police spokesperson Joko Krisdiyanto issued a statement over the weekend, saying that the ex-policeman had deserted his post since Dec. 8 and left Indonesia on Dec. 18.
On Jan. 7, he sent photos and videos to a group chat comprising fellow police officers, “showing that the concerned person has joined the Russian mercenary division, while also describing the registration process and the salary received in Russian ruble converted to Indonesian rupiah.”
He was slapped with a dishonorable discharge on Jan. 9 over a series of misconduct, including his alleged involvement with the Russian military, Krisdiyanto said.
The Indonesian Navy has also confirmed that ex-marine Kumbara was dishonorably discharged in 2023.
