Daily Report from the Ukraine Field for 2022-12-22
News, Telegram, and Twitter Articles
[ Photo ]
❗️Chronicle of the special military operation: events of December 21, 2022
▪️In the Kupyansky sector, Russian troops continue to develop an offensive against the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Tavolzhanka area.
Intense battles are taking place on the outskirts of Dvurechnoye. It is reported about the beginning of the assault on Masyutovka.
▪️To the south, Russian artillery is conducting massive fire on the advanced fortifications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Peschany and Petropavlovka.
Rear communications and enemy deployment sites in Podol, Glushkovka and Kovsharovka are also affected.
▪️Under Kremennaya, the activity of Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance units has sharply increased.
Detachments of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, advancing from Serebryanka, are trying to capture Russian strongholds. Oncoming battles are going on in the forest near Dibrovo.
▪️Detachments of PMC "Wagner" continue the systematic siege of Bakhmut. Fighting has actually completely moved to urban areas.
Russian artillery strikes at the identified positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, located including in multi-storey buildings.
▪️Artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine again attacked the residential areas of Donetsk.
At least 12 rockets were fired at the city: multi-storey buildings and municipal infrastructure facilities were damaged.
▪️The Kiev regime has again resumed strikes on Energodar and the vicinity of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
By return fire, Russian units suppressed the positions of Ukrainian artillery in Nikopol and Krasnogrigorovka.
▪️Artillery units of the Russian Armed Forces launched a missile attack on the center of special operations of Ukraine in Ochakiv.
As a result of the fire damage, the training base for combat swimmers was damaged. Significant losses in personnel were recorded.
@rybar
@Slavyangrad
Join SLG 🔺 Intelligence Briefings, Strategy and Analysis, Expert Community
[Forwarded from Song of Oil and LNG]
🇺🇸🛢 US strategic oil reserves
It took over 40 years to use the mechanism. Did it work well?
▪️Last week the US Department of Energy said announced that it would soon start replenishing the country's strategic oil reserves. For now world oil reserves (https://www.worldometers.info/oil/) created by governments are around 1.6 billion. Not taking into account commercial oil reserves, that would be enough for two weeks of world consumption. Both governments and commercial entities create oil reserves to compensate possible supply interruption in case of war or embargo. There are also investment companies that buy big amounts of oil and hold it for a certain time, but that’s a market operation.
▪️The US government decided to create strategic oil reserves back in the 1970s after the energy crisis broke out. The Gulf monarchies reaction to Israel's support was unexpected. The imposed embargo led to dramatic oil shortage, and the only way out was to buy and control enough oil. The US oil reserves were primarily based on petrodollars, since the FED got the possibility to print as many dollars as they needed without gold backing in 1976 (Jamaica Accords). Republicans Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush contributed greatly to piling up oil reserves. At the peak, they managed to accumulate 700 million barrels of oil. When Biden run for presidency, it was about 670 million barrels.
▪️That was enough to supply the equivalent amount of Russian oil for 200 days to Europe. So, when the US started financial attack on the EU energy market under cover of the military conflict in Ukraine, they had not much time for this very risky maneuver. That’s why they imposed embargo on Russian oil on December 5, 2022 and not before. If Russian oil supplies stopped completely back in February, Europe would face an economic and social catastrophe in 3-4 months. It took US almost a year to set new supply chains, while compensating gradually disappearing Russian oil with their strategic oil reserves.
▪️Conquering EU energy market is not an easy task. American oil reserves dropped to 380 million barrels. Washington paid a high price spending about half of the oil that had accumulated for almost 50 years. It was not enough to meet the EU oil needs, but enough to take control over EU energy market.
▪️Now the United States need to restore the oil reserves. It will take the several years to reach the previous volumes, if there are no global changes. For that period Russian oil will be shipped to Europe in various, mostly illegal ways. And some multinationals (https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-04-08/ukraine-war-this-backdoor-keeps-russian-oil-flowing-into-europe) will help to bypass embargo, in favor of their profits. Old Europe will remain one of the main consumers of fossil fuels for several years.
🔺What’s next?
The idea of creating oil reserves was a good strategic decision that allowed US to dominate the world energy market. In a few years, after replenishing oil reserves, the Americans will be able to set full control over European market. The EU economic development will depend completely on the US vision. This big game is being played for decades, not for years. That’s why it was so deceiving for generations of EU politicians.
#Oil #USA #EU
@songofoil