Russia assured Monday that the cap on the price of its oil would not slow down its offensive against Ukraine, where its strikes continue to deprive many people of electricity and heating in the middle of winter.
The limitation of the selling price of Russian oil, a new sanction of Western countries to come into force on Monday, aims to dry up part of the colossal income that Moscow derives from the export of its hydrocarbons and thus reduce its ability to finance his military effort.
But there are doubts about the short-term effects of this measure, which caps the price of a Russian barrel at 60 US dollars, which is currently worth around 65 US dollars. kyiv considers this limit insufficient.
“Such measures will have no impact” on the intervention in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on Monday. The Russian economy “has all the necessary capacities” to finance its offensive.
“On the other hand, these measures will undoubtedly have an impact on the stability of the world energy market. […] This is a step towards its destabilization,” Mr. Peskov continued.
The activation of a cap coincides with the entry into force on Monday of a European Union embargo on the import of Russian oil transported by sea.
Mr. Peskov warned that Moscow was “preparing” retaliatory measures, but did not give details. The Kremlin has already said that it will no longer deliver oil to countries that adopt the cap.
While waiting to see the possible effect of this measure, Ukrainians continue to suffer from power cuts in the middle of winter, a consequence of recent Russian bombardments that targeted energy infrastructure.
On Monday, the situation remained “difficult”, according to the national operator Ukrenergo, with “persistent cuts” due to “considerable damage”.
Wood burning stoves
In Borodianka, a town northwest of kyiv covered in snow and sleet, large tents equipped with wood-burning stoves have been set up to allow people to warm up or cook when the power fails.
“The electricity is cut for four hours (in a row), sometimes six hours”, testifies one of its inhabitants, Serguiï, before tearing the pages of an old book to make a firelighter.
Next to it, a bearded man chops wood with a hatchet, while a woman rolls dough to make stuffed buns. The fire hums, a samovar is placed on the stove to heat the water.
“The plan is simple: we have wood and we sit down here,” resumes Serguiï. But he fears even longer cuts which would be “very hard, especially for children”.
The prospect of new Russian strikes on the energy network raises fears of a particularly harsh winter for the civilian population and a new wave of refugees leaving Ukraine.
The bombardments also continue to sow death.
“Last night, three missiles hit an industrial site in Kryvyi Rig” in southern Ukraine, the Ukrainian presidency said, adding that one person had been killed and three hospitalized.
“Leadership and Courage”
In a sign of the suffering endured for months, the chief of staff of the Ukrainian presidency, Andriï Yermak, posted on Twitter a photo showing a mound of debris from Russian rockets and missiles that fell on Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv (northeast).
“Here is the cemetery of the missiles that fell on Kharkiv. This is just a small sample of the projectiles that Russia fired into Ukrainian territory. We need a solution to close the airspace,” he said.
The fighting also continues to rage on the long front line.
The Ukrainian army announced on Monday that it had repelled several attacks during the previous 24 hours, particularly in the Bakhmout sector, in the east, where Moscow’s forces are on the offensive.
This city, which the Russians have been trying to conquer since the summer, has been ravaged by the clashes, with many buildings reduced to piles of rubble.