1 May, 2022 13:26

HomeRussia & FSU

Fire breaks out at Russian military site near Ukraine – governor

The head of Belgorod Region says the emergency services have been deployed

A fire broke out on Sunday at a Russian military site in Belgorod Region, which borders Ukraine, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said.

“A fire has occurred on the territory of one of the sites belonging to the Defense Ministry,” the governor wrote on social media. He added that officials were determining the damage and if there were any casualties.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

https://www.rt.com/russia/554817-fire-russian-military-site-ukraine/

1 May, 2022 11:17

Dozens of civilians evacuated from besieged Azovstal plant – Russia

The sprawling steel factory remains the last outpost of Ukrainian resistance in the city of Mariupol

Forty-six civilians were evacuated from residential buildings adjacent to the Azovstal plant in Mariupol on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

A video released by the military on Sunday shows people leaving in buses marked with the ‘Z’ symbol. Ambulances can also be seen.

“On April 30, due to the establishment of a ceasefire and the opening of a humanitarian corridor, two groups of civilians left the residential buildings adjacent to the territory of the Azovstal steel plant,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

It specified that 25 local residents left the site during the day and 21 left later.

“All civilians were provided with accommodation, food and the necessary medical assistance,” the ministry said.

On April 21, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin that Mariupol was fully under Russian control except for the Azovstal plant – the last pocket of resistance. Built in Soviet times, the facility has a massive network of underground tunnels, which has been turned into a fortress by the Ukrainian forces.

Putin called off an assault on the plant and instead offered those entrenched there a chance to surrender. To anyone who lays down arms Russia guaranteed preservation of life and “decent treatment under all international norms.”

The Azov militants and the Ukrainian forces, however, demanded that they be allowed to leave with the assistance of an unnamed “third party” while also keeping their personal weapons. They also maintained that surrender was not an option.

The Russian Defense Ministry earlier claimed that Ukraine was at fault for the failure of previous attempts to set up humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians.

Kiev and Moscow have accused each other of disrupting the evacuation of civilians said to be trapped together with the Ukrainian fighters. During a recent visit to Moscow, UN chief Antonio Guterres told Putin that the organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross were ready to provide assistance in evacuating civilians from Azovstal. After Putin agreed “in principle” to the offer, the UN formed a working group to help the evacuation.

https://www.rt.com/russia/554806-evacuation-azovstal-russia-military/

1 May, 2022 13:21

Ukraine neighbor hosts major NATO wargames

The Polish military claims that the exercises have nothing to do with the situation in the region

Poland is participating in two large-scale multinational drills and is the host nation for one of them, the country’s Defense Ministry revealed on Sunday amid Russia’s allegations that Warsaw is preparing to occupy the western part of Ukraine.

The Defender Europe 2022 (DE22) and Swift Response 2022 (SR22) will be conducted in nine countries including Poland between May 1-27, the Polish ministry said.

“There will be approximately 18,000 participants from over 20 countries training together in both exercises. The portion of the exercises on Polish soil will see some 7,000 troops and 3,000 pieces of equipment,” the statement reads.

Defender Europe is a regularly conducted American-led multinational exercise that aims poised to “build preparedness and interoperability between Allies and partners” of NATO and America. DE22 training will be conducted at several sites in Poland, with Polish soldiers to be joined by personnel from the US, France, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, and UK.

The Swift Response exercise will entail approximately 550 Polish soldiers being deployed to Lithuania and Latvia along with troops from the Czech Republic and a German-Dutch force.

“Joint combined exercises such as these enhance the security of the NATO Eastern Flank through a training in accordance with NATO standards and procedures,” the Defense Ministry emphasized.

It added that the drills also contribute to the allies’ preparedness “to meet new and emerging challenges at the contemporary battlefield in order to deter a potential aggressor.”

The military specifically pointed out that DE22 and SR 22 “are not aimed against any country and are not related to the current geopolitical situation in the region,” in a veiled reference to the ongoing Russian military offensive in Ukraine.

These assurances come as Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin accused Warsaw of preparing to occupy the western part of Ukraine, which Poland considers as “historically belonging” to it. The potential “reunification” of Poland with western Ukraine will come under the guise of deploying a “peacekeeping” mission into the country under the pretext of protecting Kiev from “Russian aggression,” the official alleged. Warsaw denied the claims.

For years, Russia has expressed concern over NATO’s expansion eastwards, which it considers a direct threat to its own security. This factor along with the possibility of Ukraine eventually joining the alliance were named by Moscow as the key reasons for launch of its military offensive.

https://www.rt.com/news/554816-drills-poland-nato-us/

May 1, 2022

Japan mulls classifying its key defense document – media

Tokyo may make parts of its defense guidelines secret in the wake of China, Russia “threats,” Kyodo News says

Japan is considering partially classifying its chief defense document in the wake of “security threats by China and Russia,” Kyodo News reported on Saturday, citing government sources.

Making the National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG), the country’s 10-year military buildup policy, secret would be in line with the mostly classified US National Defense Strategy and would allow Tokyo to be “more specific” in making contingency plans involving North Korea, the sources told the Japanese news agency. The government in Tokyo will review the current defense guidelines, which are publicly available, by the end of the year, focusing on whether Japan can acquire weapons to launch counterstrikes on enemy bases, Kyodo News wrote.

The matter is a sensitive issue, given Japan’s defense-oriented constitution that explicitly renounces war.

“Having a document similar to the [US] National Defense Strategy is requisite,” a lawmaker from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was quoted as saying.

On Wednesday, the LDP proposed revising Japan’s most important defense and diplomacy documents amid what it described as an “increasingly severe” security environment. The lawmakers specifically urged the government to develop “counterstrike capabilities” and consider roughly doubling the defense budget to 2% or more of GDP, Japanese media said.

According to the Japan Times, the party cited Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, and China’s military activities near Taiwan.

The LDP also wants to update the National Security Strategy and the medium-term five-year military buildup program. The proposals have been submitted to the country’s defense minister and prime minister.

In December, Japan approved a hike in military spending, with the defense budget for the fiscal year2022 totaling 5.4 trillion yen ($47.2 billion).

https://www.rt.com/news/554810-japan-secret-defense-strategy/ https://www.rt.com/news/554810-japan-secret-defense-strategy/

1 May, 2022 11:53

HomeRussia & FSU

Germany names conditions for lifting Russia sanctions

A ceasefire in Ukraine would be the first step, but it’s not enough, the German foreign minister says

The Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its military offensive in Ukraine will not be lifted unless Moscow withdraws its troops from the neighboring country, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said.

In an interview with Bild on Sunday, Baerbock explained that “a ceasefire can only be a first step” when it comes to removing the sanctions.

“It is clear to us that the sanctions can only be lifted if Russia withdraws its troops,” she said, adding that “peace on terms dictated by Russia” will not bring security to Ukraine or Europe. “At worst, it would be an invitation to the next war – even closer to our borders.”

Baerbock said the Russian attack on Ukraine has “irretrievably shattered” the peace in Europe, and that “there is no going back” to the times before February 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the “special military operation,” despite earlier assurances from his government that no attack against Ukraine was being planned.

“We can never again rely on Putin’s promises alone,” Baerbock said. She added that the international community has the responsibility to ensure that Ukraine is strong enough to make its own decisions.

“It is Ukrainians who are dying in this war and who are threatened with oppression and tyranny under Russian occupation. No one has the right to dictate to them,” she said.

Since the launch of the military operation in Ukraine, theEU has approved five packages of sanctions against Moscow, and is now considering the sixth. The restrictions, which apply to various sectors of the Russian economy, are viewed by Moscow as “unlawful” and “unjustified.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/554809-germany-russia-sanctions-condition/

1 May, 2022 12:39

Gazprom reveals increase of gas supplies to China

Deliveries to countries outside of the former Soviet Union have dropped by 26.9%, the energy giant says

Russian gas supplies to China have increased by almost 60% in the first four months of 2022compared to the same period last year, Russian energy giant Gazprom announced on Sunday.

The deliveries are made through the Power of Siberia pipeline as part of the contract between Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the company said.

When Russia launched its military operation against Ukraine in late February, Beijing refused to condemn Moscow or take part in the international sanctions, despite threats from Washington.

The energy standoff between Russia and the West has led to gas supplies to countries outside the former Soviet Union dropping by 26.9% since the start of the year. A total of 50.1 billion cubic meters have been delivered over the past four months.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered gas payments from “unfriendly countries,” which include the EU, to be made in rubles from March 31.

The measure was adopted after harsh sanctions were placed on Moscow amid the conflict in Ukraine.

The EU initially rejected Moscow’s new rules, calling them “blackmail,” but the European Commission recently said there could be ways to pay for Russian gas in rubles without violating the sanctions.

Some counties, however, have still refused to switch to rubles,causing Gazprom to cut off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria in late April.

https://www.rt.com/news/554811-gazprom-china-eu-ukraine/

1 May, 2022 13:26

HomeRussia & FSU

Update, Fire breaks out at Russian military site near Ukraine – governor

The head of Belgorod Region says the emergency services have been deployed

A fire broke out on Sunday at a Russian military site in Belgorod Region, which borders Ukraine, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said.

“A fire has occurred on the territory of one of the sites belonging to the Defense Ministry,” the governor wrote on social media. He added that officials were determining the damage and if there were any casualties. Gladkov later added that a civilian was lightly injured.

Photos and videos posted on social media purportedly show a large cloud of smoke in the area.

The governor said the emergency services have been deployed to the site. The Defense Ministry has not yet commented on the matter.

On Wednesday, a fire broke out at a weapons depot in Belgorod Region.

https://www.rt.com/russia/554817-fire-russian-military-site-ukraine/

1 May, 2022 09:55

Pelosi makes surprise visit to Kiev

The US will be there for Ukraine until the fight with Russia is “done,” the House speaker vowed

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has paid a surprise visit to Kiev to personally reassure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of Washington’s support amid the conflict with Russia, it was revealed on Sunday.

Zelensky shared a video on Twitter in which he is seen greeting Pelosi and other US lawmakers outside the presidential palace in the Ukrainian capital.

The highest-ranking US official to come to Kiev since the start of the fighting, Pelosi was accompanied by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern and Rep. Jason Crow. The House speaker is formally second in line to the presidency after the vice president.

The sides then held brief talks, during which Zelensky reiterated the need for continued US military support.

Pelosi told the Ukrainian leader that the US lawmakers were visiting Kiev “to say thank you for your fight for freedom.”

“Your fight is a fight for everyone. Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done,” she promised.

Zelensky also used the opportunity to award Pelosi with the Order of Princess Olga, the third grade, a Ukrainian civil decoration bestowed upon women for personal merits in politics, science, culture and humanitarian areas.

The House speaker’s office said in a statement that getting together with the Ukrainian president was “an extraordinary honor.” The trip was aimed at sending “an unmistakable and resounding message to the entire world: America stands firmly with Ukraine,” the statement read.

The US delegation subsequently headed to Ukraine’s neighbor and ally Poland for talks with the country’s president, Andrzej Duda, and other top officials.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin were in Kiev a week ago with a visit having a similar aim of providing reassurance to Ukraine.

Following the trip, Austin openly acknowledged that, by helping the Ukrainian government, the US was trying to see “Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.”

(These people are stupid, the more they attack Russia, Russia gets more determined and stronger)

Washington has committed $4.3 billion to Kiev in military support since 2021, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday, also revealing that the US had begun training Ukrainian troops in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

Zelensky has received several high-profile officials in Kiev during the conflict, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and leaders of other European nations.

Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, following Kiev's failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow's eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered Minsk Protocol was designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.

The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join NATO. 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/news/554799-pelosi-surprise-visit-kiev/

1 May, 2022 09:41

Russian ruble proves resilient to external shocks

The ruble has shown the second biggest gains against the greenback among emerging market currencies in 2022

The Russian ruble has recorded the second biggest gains among emerging market currencies against the US dollar this year.

Over the first four months of the year, the Russian currency reportedlygained 6.2% against the greenback, while the Brazilian real, the leader of the rating, surged over 14% against the dollar.

The Colombian peso has shown an increase of 2.5%, while the South African rand and Mexican peso rose against the dollar by 1.2% and 0.9% respectively.

The Turkish lira dropped by 9.7% against the greenback, the Argentine peso fell by 10.8%, and the Egyptian pound saw a major decline of 14.9%. The Indian rupee and Thai baht fell by 2.3% and 2.7% respectively.

The performance of the ruble is attributed to the flow of export earnings over the first months of 2022, according to Iskander Lutsko of Moscow broker ITI Capital, who also said daily revenue was hovering around at least $1.7 billion during the last two months.

“As a result, in April, the growth of ruble accelerated, exceeding 18%, moreover, the Russian currency is the only one in the world that has strengthened against the dollar in a month,” Lutsko said, as quoted by RIA Novosti.

He added that the dollar index surged over 5% in April, hitting a 20-year high, as US Treasury yields rose ahead of a new Fed rate hike cycle in early May.

The ruble dropped to historic lows of around 150 to the dollar amid the introduction of sanctions on Moscow in response to its military operation in Ukraine, but has since nearly doubled in value.

https://www.rt.com/business/554798-ruble-strong-major-gainers-dollar/

1 May, 2022 08:47

Finland prepares to live without Russian gas – media

Imports reportedly could stop on May 21 as the country has refused to pay in rubles

The Finnish government and companies across the country are preparing for the end of Russian natural gas supplies, which could happen in less than three weeks, Helsingin Sanomat (HS) reported on Saturday.

According to the outlet’s sources, Russian energy giant Gazprom has set a deadline of May 20 for Helsinki to come up with a final response on whether the country will pay for gas in rubles.

The new payment mechanism for “hostile countries” was announced in March by Russian President Vladimir Putin in response to the sanctions imposed by Western states on Moscow over its military offensive on Ukraine. On April 28, Finnish Minister of European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen, commenting on the demands, said Finland would not agree to “this blackmail” and that its energy company, Gasum, would stick to the previous agreements with Russia.

“We are not going to pay in rubles. It is up to the companies to implement this in their own contractual framework with the Russian partner,” she said.

HS reports that the flow of Russian gas to Finland and “for much of Europe” – as the deadline is the same for many countries – might stop on May 21.

Unlike Central and Eastern European nations, Finland’s dependence on Russian gas is relatively small. Gas accounted for only about 5% of total energy consumption last year, and households that rely on gas were protected by emergency measures. Businesses, however, especially chemical and woodworking companies, which use gas as a raw material, not as a source of energy, could find themselves in a more vulnerable position, according to HS. They have been preparing for the worst-case scenario for some time.

Fuel refinery Neste, whose Porvoo refinery is one of the country’s largest gas users, has been testing the replacement of natural gas with propane. According to Neste CEO Peter Vanacker, the company is “increasingly confident” that it will be able to manage a supply cut-off.

In April, the European Commission said there could be ways to pay for Russian gas in rubles without violating sanctions. Regardless, some Western countries have refused to do so, saying they don’t want to “fund Putin’s war.”

In late April, Gazprom announced the halt of gas exports to Poland and Bulgaria after both countries refused to pay in rubles. However, according to Gazprom spokesperson Sergey Kupriyanov, Warsaw continues to buy Russian gas via reverse flows.

Several days ago, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said anumber of European companies that import natural gas from Russia have agreed to Moscow’s payment scheme, but they prefer not to talk about it openly.

Russia had previously supplied gas via pipelines to a total of 23 European countries.

https://www.rt.com/russia/554801-finland-russia-gas-supplies/

30 Apr, 2022 23:58

Bill Gates discusses cooperation with Pakistani general

Islamabad reiterates its commitment to Gates’ public-health initiatives in the second call this week

(While the world punishes Russia for saving people from genocide, mass Genocider Bill Gates makes more deals to kills millions more. No wonder they had to oust the last leader, he probably wouldn’t agree to Gates genocide! )

The influential chief of the Pakistani Army, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, has held a phone conversation with billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, reassuring him that Islamabad is committed to working with the Microsoft co-founder’s foundation on eradicating polio and other global health initiatives.

In an exchange that took place on Friday, Gates praised the Pakistan Army for “supporting the country's polio drive and ensuring proper reach and coverage,” while Bajwa said, “credit goes to all involved in the process,” according to a Saturday statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations.

Gates also commended Pakistan’s efforts in battling the Covid-19 pandemic; Bajwa again attributed it to a “true national response” by multiple agencies. The army chief applauded Gates’ global health efforts, and reportedly assured the philanthropist of “continued cooperation.”

On Tuesday, thenewly elected prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, also held a phone conversation with the billionaire philanthropist, receiving reassurances that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) will continue supporting Pakistan’s government to help ensure that no child is at risk of being paralyzed by polio.

The country had gone more than a year without a single new polio case – a feat that Gates hailed after traveling to Islamabad to meet with then-Prime Minister Imran Khan in February – but in April, officials confirmed two new infections in 15 months.

Pakistan’s parliament elected Sharif as prime minister last month,after Khan was oustedin a no-confidence motion.

Khan had claimed that his cabinet was overthrown in a plot arranged by the US and thatPakistan was being handed over to an “imported government led by crooks.”

Pakistan has fought an uphill battle to inoculate children against polio,in part due to anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. Militants have targeted public health workers and the police that protect them to disrupt vaccination drives. A female worker administering polio shots in northwestern Pakistan was shot and killed in March.

https://www.rt.com/news/554793-pakistan-bill-gates-polio/

 30 Apr, 2022 20:11

Ukrainian strike on Donetsk market was a terrorist act

When artillery hit a busy public space in Donetsk, it brought flashbacks of attacks in Gaza and Syria

Eva Bartlett

Eva Bartlett is a Canadian independent journalist.

If the Donetsk marketplace that was hit by rocket artillery on Thursday had been in a city controlled by Kiev, the names and faces of the five civilians killed would be on all major news sites. But because it was another Ukrainian attack on civilians in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the deaths and 23 additional civilians injured will almost certainly go unreported, as has the been the norm during the regime’s eight years of the Donbass and Western media’s eight years of ignoring the attacks.

According to the DPR's Healthcare Ministry, “The strike at the Tekstilschik neighbourhood in the Kirovsky district killed four people on the spot. One patient died in an ambulance during the transportation.”

With another journalist, I went in a taxi to the bombed markets. Two of the dead still lay at the site when we arrived, splayed on the ground. The other bodies had already been removed, but traces of their blood remained on the ground, doors nearby were riddled with shrapnel holes and debris from the strike was all around.

Presumably, rescue workers dealt with the injured first and didn’t prioritize retrieving all the dead as further Ukrainian strikes were possible. I saw this during my experience in Gaza, where Israeli's waited for people to come to the scene of their attack, then bombed again.

According to Gennady Andreevich, a local employee of the district's safety commission, at 11:40 am Grad missiles struck two different nearby markets: the vegetable and clothing market where the bodies lay, and a household chemicals and building materials market across and down the street. The latter was far more damaged, stalls completely burnt out, but no one was killed there.

Gennady walked with us to the vegetable market, speaking about previous Ukrainian attacks–which have been happening since 2014. More recent shellings hit near a gas station outside the market, at a residential building beyond the market, and in his own market administrative building, killing two colleagues.

He noted that at this time of day the market would have been filled with people, and that Ukraine knows very well what it is firing at.

“They know there is a market here and that from 10am to 1pm there are many people here,” Gennady said as we walked past shops.

This is a completely civilian area, no military installations.

Who else attacks markets and public spaces?

Striking crowded markets and streets at a busy time of the day is something terrorists in Syria did for years, to the silence of Western media. It is something Israel has also done for a long time, hitting residential and public areas of Gaza–one of the most densely inhabited places on earth.

During the 2009 war on Gaza, Israel bombed crowded mosques, hospitals, and buildings housing displaced Palestinians. One of the more notable incidents was when Tel Aviv targeted a UN-run school in Jabaliya sheltering nearly 1,500 people. At least 40 were killed. Another horrific attack on a crowded place was in the Zeitoun district, after Israeli soldiers forced at gunpoint nearly 100 of the extended Samouni family into one home and later bombed it, killing 48 members of the clan…. (a lot more examples in article)

Western Media won't report on this; Western politicians won't condemn this; virtue signallers won't speak about this. And when you actually go and document it, they will silence you relentlessly….

Since my observations and photos, as well as Gennady's testimony, will still not be proof enough, in my video I also included footage taken by a local who was in the market when it was bombed and filmed the immediate aftermath. Gennady himself showed photos on his phone of firefighters dousing the flames, and scenes of the wounded and dead, clearly surrounded by new bomb debris.

But this is what we've come to today: Ukraine, often using weapons acquired from the West, can continue to bomb busy civilian areas of the Donbass republics, killing still more civilians, and not only do the hypocrites of the West so keen to accuse Russia of war crimes (which they can never prove and often contradict themselves over), but media and troll farms work in lockstep to gaslight the public and whitewash Ukraine's war crimes.

https://www.rt.com/russia/554744-donetsk-market-strike-terrorism/