Boris Kamchev

BORIS@LUBESNGREASES.COM

Staff Writer - Boris is a staff writer focused on Eastern Europe, Russia and the ex-Soviet lubricant industry. Prior to joining Lubes’n’Greases in 2010, Boris was a Russia-based reporter for several Macedonian news outlets. He had a 16-month stint as a business reporter for The St. Petersburg Times and contributed analyses to an English-language outlet of RIA Novosti, a Russian state news agency. Boris often travels to St. Petersburg, Washington, D.C. and Skopje. Recently, he has also begun a part-time engagement as a foreign correspondent for North Macedonia’s state news agency, MIA.

Recent Articles

Stellantis to Open More Battery Plants in North America

Stellantis to Open More Battery Plants in North America

Stellantis will open more EV battery plants in North America, spurred on by a favorable policy landscape and demand.

Russian Blender to Expand

Russian Blender to Expand

Russian independent lube maker Nordoil plans to expand its lubricant production site near Moscow to help fill the supply …

Europe Lacks Sufficient EV Charging Network

Europe Lacks Sufficient EV Charging Network

Not only are there insufficient electric charging points along the road networks in most European Union countries, but t …

Sanctions Further Restrict Russian Exports

Sanctions Further Restrict Russian Exports

The European Union introduced a new set of sanctions against Russia last week that restricts Russian oil and petroleum p …

Kirei Vows to Make Additives for Russia

Kirei Vows to Make Additives for Russia

Kirei Chemical LLC, an Anglo-Russian company headquartered in London, announced it is building a lubricant additive fact …

Russian Base Oil Exports Decrease

Russian Base Oil Exports Decrease

Russia exported less base oil in June and July, compared to February, as shipments to Europe dwindled under the barrage …

War Disrupts Azerbaijan Market

War Disrupts Azerbaijan Market

Azerbaijan’s finished lubricant imports volume grew more than 60% in the first half of 2022, driven by a growing short …

Gulf Oil Lubricants India Gets Ready for EV Mobility

Gulf Oil Lubricants India Gets Ready for EV Mobility

Gulf Oil Lubricants India, the country’s largest privately owned automotive lube producer, announced it is investing i …

Russia Shifts to Chinese Additive Imports

Russia Shifts to Chinese Additive Imports

The volume of lubricant additives imported into Russia fell more than 70% in March, following the country’s invasion o …

Nynas Launches Rerefined Transformer Oil

Nynas Launches Rerefined Transformer Oil

Nynas AB announced last week that it has started to rerefine used electrical transformer oils at its base oil plant in N …

Russian Market Remains Crucial to Fuchs

Russian Market Remains Crucial to Fuchs

In case anyone interpreted June comments by Fuchs Petrolub SE as indication that it was drawing down its operations in R …

Western Lubricant Additive Makers Exit Russia

Western Lubricant Additive Makers Exit Russia

The Big Four additive suppliers have reportedly exited the Russian market. How might this exodus affect finished lubrica …

Russian Lube Production Close to 2020 Level

Russian Lube Production Close to 2020 Level

Russia produced around 600,000 metric tons of finished lubricants in 2021, a slight increase from the previous year, acc …

California Bans New ICE Vehicle Sales by 2035

California Bans New ICE Vehicle Sales by 2035

Legislators in California have agreed to a ban on sales of internal combustion engines by 2035, a move that State Govern …

Tatneft: Doing Fine Despite Sanctions

Tatneft: Doing Fine Despite Sanctions

Western oil companies and lubricant additive suppliers may have pulled back from Russia, but officials with at least one …

Extra Juice for the North American EVs

Extra Juice for the North American EVs

Juice Americas Inc announced it will start selling its revamped two-in-one electric vehicle charger, J+ Booster 2, the …

Lotos Lube Sales Rose, Base Oils Fell

Lotos Lube Sales Rose, Base Oils Fell

The former Lotos Oil sold 92,927 metric tons of finished lubricants last year, up from the 77,243 tons sold in 2020, by …

Netherlands and Germany Home to Half of EU’s EV Charge Points

Netherlands and Germany Home to Half of EU’s EV Charge Points

Half the electric vehicle charge points in the European Union are in two countries that occupy only 10% of the bloc’s ar …