Russia says it will take retaliatory action against Lithuania that will have a “serious negative impact” following the Baltic state’s ban on the transit of freight to Kaliningrad.
Moscow is preparing to hit back after the government in Vilnius halted the movement of EU-sanctioned goods to the Russian territory sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic coast.
Shipments of coal, metals, construction materials and advanced technology, accounting for around 50 per cent of all goods imported into Kaliningrad, will no longer reach the enclave by rail through Lithuania in a move that threatens to strangle the territory.
One of President Vladimir Putin's top allies on Tuesday gave warning to Lithuania that the Kremlin would respond in such a way that the citizens of the Nato and EU member would feel the pain.
Nikolai Patrushev, a former KGB spy who is now the secretary of Russia's Security Council, said Lithuania's “hostile” actions showed that Russia could not trust the West.
“Russia will certainly respond to such hostile actions,” Mr Patrushev told state news agency RIA. “Appropriate measures are being worked out in an interdepartmental format and will be taken in the near future. Their consequences will have a serious negative impact on the population of Lithuania.”
Kaliningrad, formerly the port of Koenigsberg, capital of East Prussia, was captured from Nazi Germany by the Red Army in April 1945 and ceded to the Soviet Union after the Second World War. About 490,000 people live there.
Lithuania announced the ban on Monday, saying it was an implementation of EU sanctions unveiled by the bloc after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned the EU's ambassador to Moscow, Markus Ederer, over the situation.
“Lithuania is not taking unilateral measures — it is implementing EU sanctions,” Mr Ederer was quoted as saying by RIA.
The battle for the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine continued to shift in Russia’s favour on Tuesday as invading forces pushed deeper into the heartland of coal mines and factories. Russian forces claimed to have captured the frontline village of Toshkivka near the twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, the site of fierce fighting for weeks.
“As of today, according to our information, Toshkivka is controlled entirely by the Russians,” Roman Vlasenko, the head of the Severodonetsk district, told Ukrainian television. He said the battle for Donbas was “now in full swing”.
Toshkivka, with a pre-war population of around 5,000 people, is about 25 kilometres south of Severodonetsk, the flashpoint city where there has been street-to-street fighting in recent weeks.
“The entirety of the Luhansk region is now the epicentre of fighting between Ukraine and the Russian army,” he said.
Meanwhile, a former national security adviser to Donald Trump says the UK is taking a stronger role than that of the US in the West’s collective response to the invasion of Ukraine.
John Bolton, who served in the Trump administration from 2018 to 2019, is expected to say that Brexit has afforded Britain the opportunity to take on a “fully independent role” in Nato.
He is to make the remarks on Tuesday at the launch of a report on Britain’s role in the world after it left the EU.
He will claim that the UK is no longer constrained by the “smoothie-making, decision-making process” of the bloc.
On the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he will say: “Britain has taken a leading role in the West’s efforts to defeat this aggression and to make the point to would-be aggressors around the world.
“In many respects, I say with some envy, taking a stronger and more effective view than the USA.”
The British military on Tuesday said Ukrainian forces had reported their first successful use of western-donated Harpoon anti-ship missiles against Russia.
“The target of the attack was almost certainly the Russian naval tug Spasatel Vasily Bekh, which was delivering weapons and personnel to Snake Island in the north-western Black Sea,” the UK’s Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update on Twitter.
“The destruction of the Russian vessel on a resupply mission demonstrates the difficulty Russia faces when attempting to support their forces occupying Snake Island.”
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The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
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Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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