Maximilian Hess

this is the Dr. Strangelove War Room

Meh this is just the license for the retail stations, not sale of the oversees assets

To those folk saying the latest round of US/Russia talks achieved nothing, delaying the full imposition of US sanctions on Lukoil until April next year is definitely a something.

Can anyone recommend some books on Guinea-Conakry? Preferably ones that aren’t just about Sekou Toure

Lelo Party member Aleko Elisashvili was arrested this morning. According to the MIA, last night Aleko Elisashvili used a hammer to break the window of Tbilisi City Hall’s chancellery, entered the building, poured gasoline on documents, and attempted to set them on fire. 1/

Congrats to @joannalillis.bsky.social on the London launch of Silk Mirage: Through the Looking Glass in Uzbekistan

OFAC clarifies that it is Trump Admin’s policy that it will only approve of sales of Lukoil International’s assets (which Gunvor was willing to pay $22 billion for) if that sale does not see money actually flow to Lukoil while sanctions on Lukoil remain

ofac.treasury.gov/faqs/1224

Cab driver in Zimbabwe started spontaneously telling me about how he hates Russia for what they’ve done to Ukraine #TakeThatThomasFriedman

Off to South Africa, Zimbabwe, E-Swatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia for the next 20 Days. Don't @ me please. :)

Sanctions Swords of Damocles hang over Lukoil International & Serbia's NIS A deal laden with political risks, and precedent potential in Belgrade

Big weeks in sanctions developments, but the fate of Lukoil's proposed sale of its foreign assets to Gunvor and belatedly sanctions-afflicted refiner NIS in Serbia will set major precedents, more from me here: conflictandcredit.substack.com/p/sanctions-...

башня Татлина жив! Но, в Англии

(Tatlin’s tower lives, but in England…)

Quite the geo-economic day in the Caucasus, Russia ships oil to refinery in Georgia for the first time (Georgia didn't have a refinery before)

Kazakh wheat shipped via Azerbaijan to Armenia, a first since USSR's collapse
t.co/31RbvV2HC4

t.co/msA5cowQvx

Five Russians arrested in Georgia over alleged money laundering, crypto scheme The operation reportedly involved the unregulated trade of ‘hundreds of millions of lari’.

Georgian authorities have arrested five Russian nationals involved in a suspected wide-reaching illegal scheme using cryptocurrency.

oc-media.org/five-russian...

ჩხრეკა ჩატარდა ღარიბაშვილის, ლილუაშვილის, ფარცხალაძის საცხოვრებელი სახლებში | TV პირველი ამოღებულია ელექტრონული მოწყობილობები

Georgian government has raided home of ex prosecutor general Partskhaladze (US sanctioned for working with FSB), i former head of the State Security Service Liluashvili & former two time premier Irakli Gharibashvili

Falling out been rumored for a while… but wow

tvpirveli.ge/ka/siaxleebi...

To be fair, Stripe’s publishing arm published a book last year claiming that bubbles are good. I did not find it convincing…

www.stripe.press/boom

To quote a colleague, "Tamerlane would be proud"

Poland captures a GRU agent on terrorist charges. Attacks in Poland, Lithuania and Germany were planned using drones with explosive materials

warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/0,0...

China paves way for renminbi fundraising by Russian energy giants Russian ‘panda bond’ sales would be first since 2017 and reflect deepening ties between Moscow and Beijing

Since Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Putin has had 3 asks of Xi: military & political support for war, a deal on Power of Siberia 2, & unrestricted access to Chinese financial markets. In the last 10 days, he’s gotten close to clinching latter two on.ft.com/3JJUqBD

Kazakhstan denies arrest of foreign minister amid swirling rumors The news about the detention of Kazakhstan's minister of foreign affairs Murat Nurtleu is not true, the ministry says.

And now denied kz.kursiv.media/en/2025-09-0...

Задержаны Мурат Нуртлеу и Гаджи Гаджиев По данным «Орды», задержаны министр иностранных дел Мурат Нуртлеу, бизнесмен Гаджи Гаджиев и несколько высокопоставленных сотрудников КНБ.

Kazakhstan's foreign minister Murat Nurtleu detained alongside Dagestani-Kazakh businessman Gadzhi Gadzhiev orda.kz/zaderzhany-m... unclear if related but Gadzheiv was accused of involvement in journalist Aydos Sadykov's assassination in Ukraine last year rsf.org/en/journalis...

Rare to hear an EU official speak as candidly as Weyand here

“From the Commission’s perspective this was a strategic trade-off, not an economic policy ideal solution"

“There was a risk that the USA, in return, would question the security partnership. That is the realpolitik of the turning point"

Ukraine hits Russian cruise missile carrier near occupied Crimea, intelligence claims Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) hit a Russian Buyan-M-class small missile ship, a carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles, near Russian-occupied Crimea in the Azov Sea on Aug. 28, HUR reported.

⚡️Ukraine hits Russian cruise missile carrier near occupied Crimea, intelligence claims.

Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) hit a Russian Buyan-M-class small missile ship, a carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles, near Russian-occupied Crimea in the Azov Sea on Aug. 28, HUR reported.

The EU Delegation in Kyiv was damaged by today’s Russian strikes on civilian areas.

I strongly condemn these brutal attacks, a clear sign that Russia rejects peace & chooses terror.

Our full solidarity goes to EU staff, their families, & all Ukrainians enduring this aggression.

Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 Delivers First Cargo to China After Year-Long Wait, Signaling Possible Shift in Beijing’s Sanctions Stance A gas carrier in service of Russia’s sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project has docked at a Chinese terminal for the first time, ending more than a year of uncertainty for one of Moscow’s most ambitious ener...

China’s first confirmed purchase of LNG from Russia’s U.S.-sanctioned Arctic 2 LNG site shows Trump’s secondary sanctions threat is weakening in the face of his policy flip-flopping

gcaptain.com/russias-arct...

Doggo enjoying the Holland Park Opera’s practice sessions

U.S. Tariffs Ease With Canada, Mexico Shift America's effective tariff rate ticked down to 16% in July from 17% earlier in the month, Fitch Ratings said, thanks to a surge in tariff-free imports from Canada and Mexico under the USMCA trade pact...

"In June, 81% of 🇨🇦 exports qualified as USMCA-compliant, up from 56% month before. 🇲🇽 saw a similar move, with 77% of shipments clearing the bar versus just 42% in May. .. helped blunt ... tariffs that technically set rates at 35% for Canada and 25% for Mexco."

www.tradingview.com/news/gurufoc...

Almost every year I’ve attended, I’ve noticed at least 2/3rds of all artists exhibiting at the Venice Biennale are based in Berlin

Europe and Ukraine have to change their approach towards Trump or risk ceding more ground to Russia. Read more by @maxhess.bsky.social. buff.ly/0Mchs9j

Thanks for listening!