Putin revealed a ‘little secret’: Russia can gasify entire Croatian regions

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday at a meeting with participants of the World Student Youth Meeting in Sochi that Russia is ready to participate in the gasification of Croatian regions, which would improve air quality.

As reported by Russian portals, Putin, responding at an informal meeting to a question from a Croatian student about the content of discussions with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, stated that he could reveal a “little secret of the conversation,” which had not been officially reported.

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– When we touched on the topic of the poor ecological situation in certain Croatian regions, I told the president that Russia can gasify entire Croatian regions, of course, if Croatia is interested in that, said Putin.

The Russian leader added, as reported by the portals, that for the purpose of air purification, Russia can finance the gasification program or supply additional quantities of gas.

As he explained, this would free some regions of Croatia from excessive coal consumption, which harms the ecology.

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Russian influence on air quality in Croatia is mainly associated with emissions of harmful gases from the oil refinery in Brod in Bosnia and Herzegovina, owned by Russian Zarubezhneft, which is why the residents of Slavonski Brod and its surroundings suffer.

The government accepted a protocol in October that provides for the connection of that refinery to the gas transport system of the Republic of Croatia, which, when realized, should significantly improve air quality in Slavonski Brod and its surroundings, and reduce health risks. Gas for the operation of the refinery would be supplied from Croatia by repurposing the current product pipeline Slobodnica-Brod into a direct gas pipeline.