Russia

Even as the EU keeps buying Russian gas, it has now targeted Indian refineries and flagged ships carrying Russian oil. India has hit back, calling out the West’s double standards and asserting its right to secure energy for 140 crore people.

In the 18th package of the sanctions announced today, the EU targets Russian oil exports, including refining of Russian oil in other countries. This includes “the biggest Rosneft refinery in India,” and the Indian flag registry.

In the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the US has extended its support to Ukraine by providing the Patriot air defense system which is a powerful tool that can detect and intercept incoming missiles. The close alliance between these two nations has triggered discomfort among other countries

While Europe sanctions Russian crude, it imports refined fuel via India, whose strategic autonomy is labelled duplicity by Britain. Meanwhile, London shelters economic offenders wanted in India, citing human rights to delay justice.

The director and editor-in-chief of Russia's Sputnik were arrested after the searches in their office in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Docial media accounts especially from the terror state began to promote false news regarding a confidential National Security Advisor (NSA)-level meeting between China, Iran, Russia and Pakistan under the SCO framework, alleging that India was not invited for the same and portrayed it as a diplomatic victory for Islamabad.

India’s tilt towards acquiring Russian Su-57E over American F-35, is not a matter of mere procurement choice, rather, it is shaped by decades of trust in Moscow’s defence partnership and key offer of technology transfer against the US delivery delays and disregard for strategic defence autonomy of the importer nation.

Indian govt is reportedly actively considering Russia’s proposal of supplying the Sukhoi Su-57 fifth generation aircraft and make the same in India.

While a strong response from Russia to the Ukrainian offensive is almost certain, what is even more certain is the end of hopes of any ceasefire between Russian and a NATO-backed Ukraine in the near future.

Ukraine smuggled hundreds of drones into Russia, hide them in wooden cabins loaded on trucks, got the trucks driven to the airbases, and remotely launched the drones. The trucks then self-destructed.