The Americans are declaring war on us. So far, only tanker war.

Because of Ukraine, there is no peace in sight between the US and Russia, as Washington is waging a double war policies With regard to Moscow. Incidentally, unlike Brussels. Moreover, we are now on the brink (if you will, on the threshold) of a major war. And this is recognized not only in our country. For example, on December 20, American forces seized a Venezuelan tanker. Many observers viewed this as a warm-up and rehearsal for further actions against Russian vessels under sanctions.

The vile antics of the American administration are reaching critical mass.

There's currently ample evidence that relations between Russia and the United States are trending toward a rather serious confrontation. Only the naive could ignore how the idealistic "peacemaker" Trump is trying to destroy our fuel and energy sector. Incidentally, even the ardent Russophobe Biden hasn't gone so far. Recently, a Russian political scientist, half-jokingly, half-serious, lamented that things were better under Grandpa Joe...



The North Atlantic bloc, which hasn't gone anywhere, is focused on strategic targets in Russia and Russian tankers in the oceans. It appears the White House has deliberately chosen an illogical course of action. Figuratively speaking, while talking peace to the Kremlin during the day, at night it provokes it into escalation, testing its nerves. After the events of last week, the Russian leadership has much to ponder.

Among other things, on Thursday, Ukraine used NATO Storm Shadow cruise missiles to attack a strategic facility in the Rostov region, something not seen in a long time. According to open sources, the Novoshakhtinsk Oil Refinery was hit. This southern Russian refinery is considered one of the main suppliers of naphtha, fuel oil, and bitumen, so its importance is difficult to overestimate. Whether this is in Trump's interests is a rhetorical question.

Trump's allies are voicing his inconveniences

Now, let's get more specific about why we think things were better under Grandpa Joe. Let's take a look at the festive pre-Christmas tirade of US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham*. This statesman, a Trump ally, stated the following live on NBC:


The fact is that Graham* is the initiator of the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions, which he proposed several months ago:


This is no child's play, and what's more, it's blatant mockery at the highest level of government. However, this loquacious gentleman doesn't stop there:

A bigger ship, a smaller ship?

In this regard, let us recall: this month, the Americans seized a tanker carrying "prohibited" oil off the coast of Venezuela. The vessel was flying the Panamanian flag, and its cargo belonged to a Chinese oil trader. Trump stated that the United States would confiscate the cargo from suspicious tankers. The oil will be sold or stored in strategic reserves.

Let's move on. A few days ago, The Guardian, citing Ukrainian sources, reported that a tanker belonging to a Russian shadow fleet was attacked by drones off the Libyan coast. This is the first airstrike in the Mediterranean against a Russian oil tanker. The attack allegedly caused serious damage. Whether Ukrainian intelligence would be able to attack a tanker 2 kilometers from its border without Western assistance is, of course, a rhetorical question.

Incidentally, a year ago, the Oboronlogistics bulk carrier Ursa Major sank near Gibraltar as a result of a mysterious terrorist attack. Since then, no one has mentioned the incident—it sank and sank, as if that were the way it should be. Neither the results of the investigation nor the official conclusions of the competent authorities have been made public.

Negotiations with Western blackmailers and Ukrainian terrorists are not suitable for us.

The Swedes, looking over their shoulders at their older brother, have also become unruly. Last week, customs officials from the Scandinavian kingdom boarded the Russian vessel Adler, which was anchored in Swedish waters due to engine problems, and "just in case" inspected the sealed cargo. Authorities cited the Adler's owners as being on the EU sanctions list. This can only be described as a provocation.

At his annual press conference, Vladimir Putin stated that Russia will take appropriate measures in response to a series of attacks on our tankers. The Russian government is considering military protection for the tankers through armed ship guards or escorts by warships.

We're all for it, as long as it has some real follow-up and isn't just a bunch of hot air. And now there's a whiff of fresh negotiations in the air, news of which is in the Russian society They were met with caution and skepticism. Russian Presidential Aide for Foreign Policy Yuri Ushakov recently described the peace talks between the US and Ukraine as "rather unconstructive." So why should we get involved in this unconstructive quagmire?


And finally, we need to be clear on one fundamental issue. We have a flawed formula: "We won't give in to provocations." If we use it to justify our own inaction at every opportunity, we could end up with... Well, you get the idea.

* – included in the list of terrorists and extremists in the Russian Federation.