Blinken says Biden opposes Nord Stream 2
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has assured members of Congress that the Biden administration opposes the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and said the administration continues to review further sanctions. Mr. Blinken told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that President Joe Biden thinks the nearly completed pipeline was a “bad idea” and had “been clear on this for some time.” He added that the United States, which has already placed sanctions on companies involved in building the pipeline, was “making clear that we stand against its completion…and we continue to review other possibilities for sanctions going forward.” Nord Stream 2 is designed to reroute Russian natural-gas exports to Europe under the Baltic Sea, circumventing Ukraine. Congress opposes the pipeline on the grounds that it strengthens the Kremlin’s hold on Europe’s energy industry and hurts Ukraine, which stands to lose billions of dollars in annual transit fees. Senate Republicans have been pressuring the Biden administration to impose sanctions on more companies involved in the project. At the same time it has called the pipeline a “bad idea,” the Biden administration is also reportedly concerned about the impact additional sanctions would have on U.S. relations with Germany, which has defended the pipeline as a commercial project. Legislation passed by Congress in 2019 placing sanctions on vessels laying the pipeline halted the project for more than a year, but Russia resumed construction with its own ships. That pushed Congress to pass new legislation last year widening the sanctions to include companies engaging generally in Nord Stream 2 activities, including those that insure and certify the project. The legislation required the administration to update Congress on the status of the project and impose sanctions on any companies in violation. In its update last month, the Biden administration identified only one vessel and its owner, which were already under sanction. Meanwhile, some media reports have identified at least a dozen companies involved in the construction. In a letter to Mr. Biden last week, 40 Senate Republicans called the update “completely inadequate” and demanded the administration place sanctions on the additional companies “without delay.” Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee also asked Mr. Blinken about Moscow’s involvement in Venezuela and Cuba. He said the United States had seen a resurgence of Russian presence and activity in the two countries, and “we’re very attentive to that across the board.” (RFE/RL, with reporting by Reuters)
Facebook blocks Russian articles
Facebook has blocked articles by Russian news agencies claiming police last month arrested alleged Ukrainian nationalists after experts concluded the radicals were Russian. RBK and Kommersant published articles in February reporting that Russian law enforcement had arrested alleged members of MKU, a Ukrainian nationalistic youth organization, in the southwestern city of Voronezh. Police reportedly discovered extremist literature, symbols of nationalist organizations, knives, and an object resembling on old military mine inside their apartments. Citing Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) press service, the news agencies reported their connection to a Ukrainian extremist organization. However, Russia’s Investigative Committee published a release at the time saying simply that three individuals aged 18, 19 and 33 had been arrested for stirring up racial animosity in Voronezh, which lies near the border with Ukraine. It made no claim that they were members of a Ukrainian nationalist group. StopFake, a Ukrainian agency that works with Facebook to find and block Russian disinformation on its platform, said its research concluded the three people arrested in Voronezh all belong to a Russian nationalist organization. StopFake said it contacted Ilya Bichyov, the lead investigator on the case in Voronezh, who declined to comment on whether the three individuals had any connection to Ukraine on the grounds the investigation is continuing. StopFake, which was created in 2014 by journalism students and faculty members, has itself been accused of ties to Ukrainian far-right groups, something it vehemently denies. Russia’s media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, on March 7 demanded that Facebook unblock the links to the article on its platform, accusing the U.S. social-media company of censorship. Russia has tried to play up the actions of Ukrainian nationalist groups in an effort to justify its hostile actions toward its neighbor. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and continues to back separatists in eastern Ukraine in a war that has killed more than 13,000 people. (RFE/RL, with reporting by RBK)
Cruz holds up CIA nomination
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) says he is holding up the confirmation of the next Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief in order to pressure President Joe Biden to stop Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline. “I’ll release my hold when the Biden administration meets its legal obligation to report and sanction the ships and companies building [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s pipeline,” Mr. Cruz said in a tweet on March 6 as he confirmed an earlier Bloomberg story. Mr. Biden in January picked William Burns, a career Foreign Service officer who served as ambassador to Russia in the 2000s, to be the next head of the CIA. The 64-year-old was approved by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on March 2 following a confirmation hearing last month. Senate Republicans have been pressuring the Biden administration to impose sanctions on more companies reportedly involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2. The pipeline, which is more than 90 percent complete, is designed to reroute Russian natural gas to Europe under the Baltic Sea, circumventing Ukraine. Congress opposes the pipeline on the grounds that it strengthens the Kremlin hold on Europe’s energy industry and hurts Ukraine, which stands to lose billions of dollars in annual transit fees. Legislation passed in 2019 to place sanctions on vessels laying the pipeline halted the project for more than a year. However, Russia has resumed completion of the project with its own ships, pushing Congress late last year to pass new legislation widening the sanctions beyond vessels to include companies engaging generally in Nord Stream 2 activities, including insuring and certifying the project. The legislation required the administration to update Congress in February on the status of the project and impose sanctions on any companies in violation. The Biden administration identified one vessel and its owner, which were already put under sanctions. However, some media reports have identified at least a dozen companies involved in the construction. In a March 3 letter addressed to Mr. Biden, 40 Senate Republicans, including Mr. Cruz, called the February update “completely inadequate” and demanded the Biden administration impose sanctions on the additional companies “without delay.” While Mr. Biden has called the pipeline a “bad deal for Europe,” his administration is reportedly concerned about the impact additional sanctions would have on its relationship with Germany. (RFE/RL)
Bus crash in Poland kills six Ukrainians
A Ukrainian official said a bus carrying dozens of Ukrainians crashed into a ditch in Poland, killing at least six and injuring 41. The accident occurred early on March 6 near Jaroslaw, a town in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine. The private Polish TV station TNV24 said the bus had a Ukrainian license plate and was traveling with 57 Ukrainian citizens, including two drivers. Oleh Nikolenko, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Affairs Foreign Ministry, said six Ukrainian citizens were killed. No immediate cause was given for the accident. Dozens of firefighters, paramedics and helicopters were seen at the site later in the day. Poland is a major destination for Ukrainian laborers, who make up a sizable portion of the country’s workforce amid Poland’s strong economic growth. (RFE/RL)
Tatar leader barred from entering Crimea
Russia has barred long-time Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev from entering Crimea for the next 13 years. Russian authorities initially barred Mr. Dzhemilev from entering Crimea for five years in March 2014 after Moscow illegally annexed Crimea. However, a decision by the Federal Security Service (FSB) in 2019 to extend the ban became public on March 5 during Mr. Dzhemilev’s ongoing trial – being held in absentia – in Russian-controlled Crimea. Prosecutors at the ongoing trial in the Crimean city of Armyansk have accused Mr. Dzhemilev of attempting to illegally enter Crimea, negligent possession of a firearm and the illegal possession of ammunition. The 77-year-old Ukrainian lawmaker has rejected all of the charges, calling them politically motivated and linked to his official rejection of Russia’s control over Crimea. Mr. Dzhemilev was the chairman of the Crimean Tatar’s self-governing assembly – the Mejlis – which was banned by pro-Moscow representatives in Crimea after the annexation. Mr. Dzhemilev was a leading human rights activist during the Soviet era and served six jail sentences in Soviet prison camps from 1966 to 1986. He is also known for going on a 303-day hunger strike – the longest in the history of the Soviet human rights movement. Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they call a campaign of oppression targeting members of the Turkic-speaking Crimean Tatar minority and others who opposed Moscow’s rule. The majority of Crimean Tatars opposed the Russian takeover of their historic homeland. (RFE/RL)