Russia says it will continue to evacuate civilians without Kiev’s approval

The Russian military has vowed to arrange safe passage of civilians from major Ukrainian cities on its own

Russia says it will continue to evacuate civilians without Kiev’s approval

The Russian military has said it will not wait for Kiev to get on board with its proposal for evacuation routes, and will ensure safe passage of civilians from Kiev, Kharkiv, Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities to Russia.

"We officially declare that humanitarian corridors toward the Russian Federation will be opened unilaterally, without any approvals, now daily from 10 a.m. [07:00 GMT], as well as in other directions upon coordination with the Ukrainian side,” Russian Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of the National Defense Management Center told a briefing on Thursday.

He added that the Russian military would “guarantee complete security” for those choosing to leave Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol through exits controlled by the Russian forces.

The military official estimated that Russian forces have so far evacuated some 187,000 people since Russia launched its military offensive in Ukraine on February, 24. Nearly 47,000 of those evacuated are children, Mizintsev claimed. He accused Kiev of stalling the evacuation effort, claiming that the Ukrainian government refused to facilitate the escape of some 7,000 foreigners from the conflict zone which he said were being “held hostage” by Ukranian militants.

"The Ukrainian side practically reacts neither to official nor to unofficial appeals, including those from international partners," Mizintsev said.

Ukraine raises ‘absurd’ demands on corridors to evacuate civilians, Moscow says READ MORE: Ukraine raises ‘absurd’ demands on corridors to evacuate civilians, Moscow says

The official rejected Kiev’s accusations that Moscow had broken the previously announced temporary ceasefire and was blocking humanitarian aid. He insisted that the Russian forces were the ones being shelled by the Ukrainian side near the humanitarian corridors.

Kiev had previously greenlighted only three of the ten Russia-proposed evacuation routes, suggesting three alternatives, which were all approved by Russia. The Russian military claimed that Ukraine came up with “absurd” and “unrealistic” demands for the establishment of other routes. One of the demands, according to Mizintsev, was for the Russian military to demine explosives planted by Ukranian units, and fix a bridge allegedly destroyed by the Ukrainian military themselves.

Moscow attacked its neighbor in late February, following a seven-year standoff over Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, and Russia’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics in Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered protocols had been designed to regularize the status of those regions within the Ukrainian state.

Russia has now demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force

https://www.rt.com/russia/551665-evacuation-route-unilaterally-ceasfire/

Top US spies explain Ukrainian ‘biolabs’

Look at Wray's goofy look at this briefing

Nuland didn't want to get caught lying to the Senate, but these assholes have no problem with it. lt's pretty bad when I believe Russian reports before our own government, but it understandable, given how much they lie all the time.

US intelligence community has pushed back against Russian allegations of “bioweapons” labs operating in Ukraine

Top US spies explain Ukrainian ‘biolabs’

The US Senate Intelligence Committee holds a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, on March 10, 2022. © AP / J. Scott Applewhite

The heads of US intelligence agencies rejected allegations of bioweapons research and development taking place in Ukraine with Washington’s during Senate hearings on Thursday.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Ukraine “operates a little over a dozen,” admitting that the US has “provided assistance” to the facilities at least in the past. Said “assistance” came only “in the context of biosafety”, she claimed, adding that it was “something we have done with a variety of different countries.”

“We do not assess that Ukraine is pursuing either biological weapons or nuclear weapons,” Haines said, dismissing the new allegations as “consistent with long-standing Russian efforts to accuse the United States of sponsoring bioweapons” and a “classic move by the Russians.”

A similar statement was produced during the hearings by the CIA Director and a former US ambassador to Moscow William Burns. The CIA boss flatly accused Russia of possessing biological and chemical weaponry itself, suggesting the new allegations came as a prelude for a “false-flag operations” with the illicit weaponry.

“Unlike Russia, which does have chemical and weapons and has used them, and does do biological weapons research and has for years, Ukraine has neither,” he claimed, adding that Russian “propaganda” gave the American spies “pretty serious concerns.”

The allegations of US-sponsored bioweapons research taking place in secretive laboratories scattered across Ukraine were raised Moscow attacked its neighbor in late February, following a seven-year standoff over Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, and Russia’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics in Donetsk and Lugansk.

The German- and French-brokered protocols had been designed to regularize the status of those regions within the Ukrainian state. Russia has now demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.

On Monday, the commander of the Russian radiological, chemical and biological defense force, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov said the secretive Ukrainian laboratories started hastily destroying the documents and materials they had been working on amid the offensive, including highly pathogenic bacterial and viral agents. Still, Moscow was able to obtain some documents related to the covert research, he claimed.

The official further elaborated on the matter on Thursday, alleging that the US has been directly involved in the research. The laboratories located in Kiev, Odessa and Kharkov have been allegedly working on a project dubbed UP-4, that explored prospects of using migratory birds for spreading pathogens, including the highly contagious H5N1 virus, Kirillov claimed. Some 145 species of birds were studied under the project, with two of them receiving special attention as their routes lay primarily over Russia’s territory.

Over the past few days, multiple top US officials commented on Moscow’s allegations, producing varying degrees of denial. US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, for instance, confirmed that Washington has been involved in efforts to ensure that no “materials” from the biolabs fall into Russia’s hands.

She did not elaborate, however, on the nature of the “biological research facilities” or the degree of the US involvement in their work. Others, including US State Department spokesperson Ned Price and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki opted for flat denial. The latter also accused Moscow of setting the stage for a potential “false flag” attack, adding that “we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine or to create a false flag operation using them.

https://www.rt.com/russia/551661-us-intelligence-ukraine-biolabs/

Macron comments on Ukraine’s EU membership bid

The French president has voiced his opposition to Kiev’s EU membership aspirations amid the ongoing conflict with Russia

Emmanuel Macron has opposed giving any consideration at present to Ukraine’s European Union membership bid. The French president was grilled by reporters on the issue ahead of an EU summit at Versailles on Thursday.

“Can we open an accession procedure for a country at war? I don’t think so,” he stated.

Macron said the EU should send a “strong signal” of solidarity to Ukraine and to the Ukrainians, but cautioned that, “at the same time, we must be vigilant.” Three nations – Georgia and Moldova, along with Ukraine – have recently voiced their desire for membership.

Joining the EU has for decades been one of the main talking points for pro-West Ukrainian politicians, yet little to no actual progress has been achieved along that path. Kiev has renewed its push for membership amid the Russian offensive launched against the country in late February.

Some EU nations want to postpone membership for Ukraine – reports

Moscow has since outlined its goals to “denazify” and “demilitarize” the country, claiming it was the only option left to protect the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, which split from Kiev back in 2014, following the Maidan events. Ukraine has denied harboring plans to reconquer the republics, branding the invasion “unprovoked.”

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky inked a formal EU membership request, calling on the bloc to accept his country as soon as possible. He reinforced his plea in a speech delivered in the European Parliament, during which he urged the 27 member states to show they were “indeed Europeans.”

“Prove that you are with us. Prove that you will not let us go. Prove that you are indeed Europeans and then life will win over death and light will win over darkness,” Zelensky told MEPs, eliciting a standing ovation.

Kiev’s bid received support from a number of Eastern European member states, with the leaders of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic penning an open letter that urged the Council of Europe to “conduct steps to immediately grant Ukraine EU candidate country status and open the process of negotiations.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/551658-macron-ukraine-eu-membership/

>>15834869

the RNC sends these emails out all the time, it's not Trump

>>15834864

you've got to link the sauce please