Ukraine Latest: US Blacklists Former Gymnast Linked to Putin

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(Bloomberg) — The US sanctioned a number of Russian billionaire tycoons as well as a former Olympic gymnast said to be close to President Vladimir Putin, while the first ship carrying grain from Ukraine under an agreement with Moscow arrived in Turkey.

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Among those targeted by the latest US measures were Andrey Guryev, founder of chemical producer PhosAgro, and Andrey Melnichenko, co-founder of fertilizer producer EuroChem. Former gymnast Alina Kabaeva, head of a pro-Kremlin media group and a former lawmaker, was also blacklisted.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz blamed Russia for a delay in shipping a turbine for Gazprom PJSC’s Nord Stream 1 pipeline that’s at the center of Europe’s gas crisis.

(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)

Key Developments

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On the Ground

The southern port of Mykolaiv and the city of Kharkiv in the northeast were shelled again overnight, local authorities said. In the Donetsk region, Russian forces are concentrating attacks toward Bakhmut to the north of the regional capital, Ukraine’s general staff reported. Russian forces launched two assaults in the northern Kherson region and are continuing to redeploy troops to the south, according to the latest assessment from the Institute for the Study of War.

(All times CET)

Scholz Blames Russia for Turbine Delay (10:30 am)

Speaking at a Siemens Energy AG facility in western Germany, Scholz said there was nothing preventing the Nord Stream turbine, which had been sent to Canada for maintenance work, from being transported to Russia.

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The component was temporarily stranded in Canada because of sanctions, before the government in Ottawa decided to allow it to be shipped to Germany, where it’s since been stuck waiting for go-ahead from Moscow. Gazprom has reduced flows through the Nord Stream pipeline, citing technical issues and missing documents. The most recent reduction leaves it operating at about 20% of capacity.

CME Considering New Wheat Futures (8 am)

CME Group Inc. is considering new wheat futures as traders shy away from the existing Black Sea contract due to Russia’s invasion, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Chicago-based bourse, one of the world’s largest derivative exchanges, has been consulting with traders and brokers on starting a contract for Romanian wheat, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. No final decision has been made and talks may not result in a new product, they said.