Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russian oil tanker on fire in Mediterranean ‘after drone attack’ – UK Times

A Russian-flagged liquefied natural gas tanker linked to Moscow’s “shadow fleet” has reportedly caught fire in the Mediterranean Sea, according to maritime sources cited by Reuters.

The vessel, identified as the Arctic Metagaz, was said to be ablaze early on Monday. Some reports placed the incident near Malta, while others suggested the fire may have started closer to the Libyan coast.

Images circulating on social media appeared to show flames coming from the ship, though there was no immediate information about the condition of the crew.

One maritime source told Reuters the blaze could have been caused by a Ukrainian naval drone attack, but the cause has not been confirmed. Ukraine’s military has not commented.

The tanker is believed to be part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet – ships with opaque ownership structures used to transport Russian energy exports despite Western sanctions.

Mark Webber, Professor of International Politics, University of Birmingham

For me, the biggest surprise so far has been the resilience and adaptability of the Ukrainian war effort. Most observers, myself included, assumed in 2022 that the Ukrainians would buckle under the Russian onslaught.

Nato-led training programmes have undoubtedly been important for Ukrainian defenders. But seemingly more vital has been the determination provided by national identity. Putin’s 2022 claims that Ukraine had been committing genocide against Russian speakers and that its government was a neo-Nazi dictatorship were both spurious and counterproductive.

I too believe Russia’s war methods in Ukraine were grimly predictable. Waves of infantry assaults designed to overwhelm defences through sheer volume have been a recurring strategy in previous Russian military campaigns in Chechnya, Georgia and Syria.

But this strategy has resulted in a stalemate in Ukraine with the frontlines effectively frozen. There are two things that could alter this. The first is a change of approach by China, which has effectively subsidised Russia’s war effort through technology transfers and energy purchases.

Beijing could cut off some of the technology it provides Russia and exert pressure on Moscow to encourage flexibility in the peace negotiations. But, at present, it has no interest in abandoning Russia. Their alliance is a way of balancing the US and Nato in the global competition for influence.

The second possible agent of change is a massive armament effort on behalf of Ukraine. This would require Germany, France and Britain to boost already significant arms provisions and to allow their use in a manner that is not constrained by fears of escalation.

However, this scenario also seems unlikely. These three countries lack the domestic political imperative to back Ukraine to victory. And the US, which was overly cautious even under the presidency of Joe Biden, has now left the field of battle.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov held a ⁠phone call on Tuesday with his ⁠Omani counterpart ​Badr Albusaidi ⁠to discuss the ⁠situation around ​Iran, the ⁠Russian Foreign ‌Ministry said.

The ministers urged the ‌earliest possible ‌halt to hostilities and a ⁠return to political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis. Both sides said they ‌were ready, ​including ‌at the ⁠United Nations, to support peaceful, compromise solutions based on international law.

A court in Russia on Tuesday designated a prominent LGBTQ+ rights group as an extremist organization, the latest blow to the country’s beleaguered community that has faced an intensified crackdown in recent years under president Vladimir Putin.

In a hearing that took place behind closed doors, the St. Petersburg City Court banned the Coming Out group as “extremist.” The authorities did not reveal any details of the lawsuit filed last month by Russia’s Justice Ministry and classified as secret.

The group, which now operates from abroad, said it will continue to help LGBTQ+ people in Russia and beyond, and fight for their rights despite the ruling.

“We have been preparing for this development for a long time. We enhanced security, developed sustainable work formats and continue to act responsibly, first and foremost for those who count on us,” Coming Out said in an online statement.

“Today it is especially important not to give into fear and not to be alone. Our community is stronger than any labels, and history has proven that.”

Coming Out is the first LGBTQ+ rights group to be designated since the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that effectively banned any LGBTQ+ activism.

Russia’s LGBTQ+ community has been under legal and public pressure for over a decade, but especially since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine four years ago. Putin has argued that the war in Ukraine is a proxy battle with the West, which he says aims to destroy Russia and its “traditional family values” by pushing for LGBTQ+ rights.

Russia’s state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, has halted construction work at new units of Iran’s nuclear power plant in ⁠the port city of Bushehr because of the U.S.-Israeli air assault on Iran, its chief Alexei Likhachev said on Tuesday.

Likhachev had earlier warned of the ⁠threat posed by ​strikes near Iranian ⁠nuclear facilities, and said explosions could be heard “just kilometres away” from the plant, although the facility itself was not being targeted.