EU Unveils 18th Sanctions Package as UK Targets Russian Spies Over Mariupol Theatre Bombing
Brussels drops oil price cap to $47.60, cracks down on Russia’s shadow fleet, while UK blacklists GRU officers linked to war crimes & poison plots. NATO warns Moscow: cyberattacks won’t go unanswered
The European Union has approved its latest sanctions package, the 18th since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine over three years ago, including a key price cap on Russian oil exports. Details of the oil price cap were not immediately disclosed, but Reuters quoted a diplomats as saying the sanctions package will lower the G7's price cap for Russian crude oil from the current $60 per barrel to $47.6 per barrel. The cap will be dynamically adjusted to ensure the global price of oil does not fall more than 15 percent below the average long-term market price. Companies involved in moving Russian oil -- including shipping companies, insurers, firms providing technical assistance, as well as financing and brokerage services -- at above-cap prices could be hit with sanctions. The sanctions also include a ban on transactions with Nord Stream gas pipelines and the targeting of more shadow ships that are part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," vessels believed to be circumventing EU sanctions by carrying mainly Russian oil. While no Russian gas currently flows through the two Nordstream Baltic Sea underwater pipelines that connect Russia with Germany, the move to ban transactions using it aims to prevent the potential resumption of such supplies. Agreement on the sanctions package came at the last minute after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico withdrew his country's threat to veto the move over concerns about the impact measures targeting Russian oil and gas would have on his country. Fico said late on July 17 that he was withdrawing his threat after receiving guarantees that it would get help if it experienced shortages or sharp spikes in prices and transit fees, as well as any damage claims from Russia's Gazprom. Slovakia has an energy import agreement with Russia that runs until 2034 - RFE/RL
The U.K., meanwhile, imposed sanctions on units of Russia’s military intelligence service, GRU. Also added to the list were 18 officers the U.K. said helped to plan a bomb attack on a theatre in southern Ukraine in 2022 and to target the family of a former Russian spy who was later poisoned with a nerve agent. Hundreds of civilians sheltering in the theatre in Mariupol were killed in March 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. “GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilize Europe, undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens,” U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. NATO also condemned Russia’s cyberattacks, saying in a statement that “we will respond to these at a time and in a manner of our choosing, in accordance with international law, and in coordination with our international partners including the EU.” - AP
As noted above, dozens of Russian spies have been sanctioned by the UK government - including those responsible for striking the Mariupol theatre and for targeting Yulia Skripal five years before her attempted murder in Salisbury. Read more about them here in this Sky News report, Unmasked: The 18 Russian spies who mounted series of attacks on UK
The Health Ministry in Gaza says an “unprecedented” number of starving Palestinians are pouring into hospitals across the besieged territory. As the daily death toll in Gaza continues to mount, with at least 35 people killed in Israeli attacks today, Hamas’s military wing says its fighters are ready for a lengthy battle. Meanwhile, fighting has resumed between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes in the southern Syrian province of Suwayda, a day after Syrian troops pulled out of the area - Al Jazeera
Israel has demolished thousands of buildings across Gaza since it withdrew from a ceasefire with Hamas in March, with entire towns and suburbs - once home to tens of thousands of people - levelled in the past few weeks. Satellite images show massive amounts of destruction in several areas which Israel's military command claims to have under "operational control". Large swathes of it have been caused by planned demolitions, both to already damaged buildings and ones that appeared largely intact. Verified footage shows large explosions unleashing plumes of dust and debris, as Israeli forces carry out controlled demolitions on tower blocks, schools and other infrastructure. Multiple legal experts told BBC Verify that Israel may have committed war crimes under the Geneva Convention, which largely prohibits the destruction of infrastructure by an occupying power. An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said it operated in accordance with international law; that Hamas concealed "military assets" in civilian areas, and that the "destruction of property is only performed when an imperative military necessity is demanded" - BBC
Supermarkets in Belgium will be allowed to stay open one hour later, until 9 p.m., and operate seven days a week, according to multiple local news reports. Currently, supermarkets, clothing and electronics stores must close at least one day per week and cannot operate after 8 p.m. (or 9 p.m. on Fridays). The Belgian government is expected to officially amend these rules on Friday, De Morgen reported. A relaxation of store regulations was agreed when the current governing coalition was formed in January. Shopkeepers will now have more flexibility to choose their work hours, but will not be required to stay open until 9 p.m. or on Sundays - Politico
Super Mama, Super Scandal: Ukraine Prosecutor Faces Dismissal After TV Boast Triggers Corruption Probe
A popular Ukrainian reality TV show has sparked a political firestorm. Oleksandr Maleyev, a senior prosecutor, is facing dismissal after his wife and ex-wife appeared on STB’s Super Mama, flaunting the family’s lavish lifestyle and unorthodox co-parenting — revelations that prompted a formal corruption investigation.
Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) uncovered that Maleyev failed to declare major sources of income and expenses, including rent for a luxury home in Bucha — reportedly located on a protected nature reserve his own department oversees — and a U.S. birth trip for his second wife. His ex-wife also disclosed during filming that Maleyev pays her rent and child support, which also went undeclared.
Altogether, Maleyev’s omissions added up to over 3.8 million hryvnias (almost US$91,172) — more than 500 times the legal threshold for financial misreporting. The Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of Prosecutors has now filed for his dismissal.
While Maleyev’s wife Anna hit back on social media claiming envy was behind the “fake PR,” the scandal highlights the brazenness with which some officials treat asset declarations. Investigative outlets like RFE/RL’s Schemes have long reported on a pattern of under-reporting wealth by public servants who often register assets under relatives’ names.
In a separate case this month, anti-corruption authorities uncovered a land official in Kyiv’s Brovarsky District with unexplained assets worth over $334,500, and a village head in Vyshhorod City who concealed nearly $100,000.
The Maleyev saga offers a reality check on Ukraine’s uphill battle to curb elite corruption — and the curious role that reality TV can play in exposing it.
There’s a new twist in the viral Coldplay concert scandal -- the company behind the CEO busted in an alleged affair says a supposed statement from Andy Byron that's gone viral is totally fake. Byron’s company, Astronomer tells TMZ the statement floating around on social media -- purportedly written by Andy himself to address the alleged affair -- is “not a real statement.” The faux statement was posted late Thursday after the now-infamous video went viral, showing CEO Andy hugging Astronomer's HR chief Kristin Cabot during Wednesday night's Coldplay concert in Boston. The alleged couple ended up on the big screen, and both of them immediately tried to hide when they realized they were on full display. Frontman Chris Martin even made a remark about them possibly having an affair. The clip, originally posted by a concertgoer, racked up millions of views, and Internet sleuths started digging into both execs' online profiles and discovered they're both married ... to other people. Neither has commented on all the unconfirmed online chatter, which is why the supposed statement from Andy circulated so quickly. The phony document even featured a quote from Coldplay's song, "Fix You." We asked the company rep if Andy plans to issue an official statement about the controversy -- like, for real -- but they have not responded - TMZ
