Economic tensions between Russia and the West are approaching boiling point after the Kremlin deployed arguably its most powerful economic weapon to cut off natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, both NATO members. Europe, which is heavily dependent on Russian natural gas to heat homes and generate electricity, has struggled to reduce this energy dependency since the invasion of Ukraine. Germany said on Tuesday it hopes to find an alternative to Russian oil imports in the coming days.
The United States and the United Nations said on Tuesday they were monitoring reports of explosions in Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova. The UN urged the parties involved to “refrain from making any statements or actions that could escalate tensions”, fearing that Russia’s ambitions could spill over Ukraine’s borders into neighboring Moldova.
Some Western analysts say a successful coup in Moldova could provide Russian President Vladimir Putin with “a cheap ‘win'”, though others doubt the Kremlin has the capacity while it is also stuck in eastern Ukraine. The Institute for the Study of War also said Russia has “adopted a healthier pattern of operational movement” in that region, from Izyum to Rubizhne, where it is “making better progress” than its other recent advances.
Meanwhile, the UN said that during a Tuesday meeting with the organization’s secretary-general António Guterres, Putin had “in principle” agreed to civilian evacuations from a Mariupol steel mill surrounded by Russian troops. Kiev said the Kremlin has been carrying out airstrikes against the factory, where Ukrainian fighters are also holed up in recent days. Putin on Tuesday reiterated a pledge not to attack the factory, though he has made similar pledges in recent weeks.
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