Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of carrying out an attack on a Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, which exploded and sank in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya. The Arctic Metagaz, carrying 61,000 tonnes of LNG, was struck on Tuesday night approximately 150 miles (240km) from the Libyan coast. Russia’s transport ministry claimed the vessel was hit by Ukrainian drones launched from Libya. Ukraine has not commented on the incident.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones damaged civilian sites in the south-western Russian region of Saratov, according to regional governor Roman Busgarin. Airports in Saratov and other southern and central regions were closed late on Wednesday and early on Thursday, with three injuries reported.
The ongoing energy crisis in the Middle East may provide an economic boost to Russia, potentially offsetting strains from its war in Ukraine. Disruption in the Middle East could push buyers towards Russian energy, while a possible slowdown in western arms supplies to Ukraine due to US military action in Iran could further benefit Russia.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that trilateral talks with Washington and Moscow on ending the war in Ukraine would resume once the situation in Iran and the Middle East permits. He also spoke with the king of Bahrain and the crown prince of Kuwait about the Middle East conflict on Wednesday.
Ukraine has announced it will boycott the opening ceremony of the Paralympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy, on Friday in protest at the participation of Russian athletes. They will be joined by the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Poland. Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from the 2022 Winter Paralympics but competed as neutrals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
