Polish Oil and Gas Company Files Lawsuit against Gazprom

Polish oil and gas company, PGNiG, has filed a lawsuit in the Court of Arbitration in Stockholm against Gazprom, according to a statement on Monday, February 1st. In May of 2015, PGNiG notified the Russian company of the pending arbitration.

The subject of the lawsuit is the revision of pricing conditions for a long-term contract signed in 1996 for the purchase of natural gas. The company notes that because of the "confidential nature of the arbitration" it cannot provide details of the …


Survey Suggests 56% of Russians Regret the Collapse of the USSR

More than half of all Russians regret the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and only 3% saw this event as a positive, according to a survey by the Levada Center.

According to the survey, 19% of Russians think "very negatively" about the disintegration of the Soviet Union and 25% view this event "rather negatively."

Although 54% of Russian citizens regret the collapse of the USSR, 37% indicated they "have no regrets." However, 51% of Russians believe that the collapse of the Soviet Union …


Ukrainian Intelligence: Separatists are Training for New Offensive

Separatists in the Donetsk region are training for offensive ground actions in the area of Torez in eastern Ukraine.  This was reported on Monday by the Chief of the Ukrainian Intelligence Agency.

 “At the same time as showing a readiness to comply with the provisions of the Minsk Agreements, the Command of the Russian Forces has intensified measures to increase the combat capability of formations of the 1st and 2nd Territorial Army of the South Command,” the report stated.

 “The offensive …


Naftogaz to Discuss Gas Transit Tariffs with Gazprom

The delegation Naftogaz of Ukraine will visit Moscow in the near future to discuss new tariffs for the transit of gas through Ukraine.  These discussions will be held with the Chairman of Gazprom, Alexander Medvedev.  This was reported to the Agency Gas Information (AGI) by an inside source.

The transit rate is currently determined by the long-term contract (from 2009 to 2019) between Naftogaz of Ukraine and Gazprom.  This rate is dependent on the value of the fuel component and inflation in …


US Adds Five Names to the Magnitsky List of Sanctioned Russians

The U.S Treasury Department reported that five additional people have been placed on the Magnitsky sanctions list. A Sevastopol native and former Deputy Interior Minister of Russia, Alex Anichin, as well as Yevgeny Antonov, Boris Kibis, Pavel Lapshov and Oleg Urzumtsev (all citizens of the Russian Federation) were added to the list.

The US State Department has clarified that the Russians were included to the Magnistky list on the basis of reliable information concerning human rights violations. …