The aggressor country russia has lost influence in the Balkans after the US sanctions on russian oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft. The US restrictions have undermined the basis of moscow's power in a region where the West and East have been fighting for influence for centuries.
This is discussed in a Bloomberg article.
"The core of Russia’s influence is built upon energy domination through oil and gas, remains of the Soviet times that weren’t broken for years. Much of this is now gone. These are the last breaths, which is why they cause so much anxiety,” the agency quoted Ruslan Stefanov, chief economist at the Center for the Study of Democracy in Sofia, as saying.
Russia has deep roots in its ties with Bulgaria, which was able to gain independence from the Ottoman Empire following the Russo-Turkish War in the second half of the 19th century. The country was also a close ally of the Soviet Union, earning it the nickname "the 16th Republic." In recent years, relations between Sofia and moscow have been built more on lucrative business interests than on history.
Despite all this, it took the Bulgarian parliament several hours to pass a bill authorizing the confiscation of Neftohim, the largest oil refinery bought by Lukoil several decades ago. The decision was made after the US rejected Gunvor as a potential buyer of Lukoil's international assets.
Russia is also losing its energy influence in Serbia, where the government is considering buying out the russian stakes in Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS). NIS is the country's only refinery, supplying about 80% of the country's gasoline and diesel needs.
President Aleksandar Vučić wants to avoid nationalization of NIS, but he needs to convince the US of his intentions to get rid of Gazprom to avoid sanctions that could harm his country.
Potential buyers from the US, Europe and the Persian Gulf have already expressed interest in buying Lukoil's foreign assets.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on November 14, Reuters wrote, citing sources, that the American private company Carlyle is studying the possibility of buying Lukoil's foreign assets.
And on November 17, it became known that the American energy company Chevron also plans to buy Lukoil's foreign assets.
Yesterday, November 19, Reuters reported that Finland will close the gas stations of the Teboil chain, which belongs to Lukoil, due to US sanctions.
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