12 Jul, 2022 15:26

Ukraine frees warlord sentenced for torture – media

The leader of the notorious Tornado volunteer battalion has reportedly been released

Ruslan Onishchenko, former commander of the notoriousUkrainian Tornado battalion, whose fighters were convicted of torturing people in Donbass, has reportedly been released from jail and may join the fight against Russia.

Ukraine began selectively releasing inmates who want to serve on the frontline shortly after Moscow attacked the neighboring state in late February.

The now-disbanded Tornado unit was formed in 2014 to fight for Kiev during the conflict in Donbass. Despite the unit’s designation as a volunteer police battalion, former felons were allowed to become members. Onishchenko had three prior convictions before joining the unit.

In 2017, a Kiev court sentenced Onishchenko to 11 years in prison for kidnapping and torture. Several of his fellow fighters also received jail sentences for kidnapping, torture, rape, and looting.

On Monday, Roksolana Khmara, the wife of former MP Stepan Khmara, wrote on Facebook that Onishchenko was released under the guarantees of her and her husband.

Khmara posted a photo of Onishchenko in a Kiev courtroom, while claiming his sentence had been politically motivated.

Newspaper ‘KP v Ukraine’ said that Onishchenko had asked to be allowed to join the fight against Russia.

According to the paper, Onishchenko’s original sentence had been commuted in accordance with a 2015 law that says one day spent in pre-trial detention counts as two days in jail. However, the former commander remained behind bars while awaiting trial for a 2018 prison riot.

“Nearly all of the battalion’s members are now back on the frontline, fighting in various units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” Viktor Pandzhakidze, the ex-spokesman for Tornado, told the paper.

https://www.rt.com/russia/558845-ukraine-tornado-fighter-release/

12 Jul, 2022 14:42

US and UK are ‘shell-game tricksters’ – former Russian president

Washington and London have drawn “useful European idiots” into an economic war against Russia, Dmitry Medvedev claimed

Washington in tandem with London conned EU members “like a couple of shell-game tricksters”by drawing them into the economic war against Moscow, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev claimed, commenting on the weakening of the euro.

On Tuesday, for the first time in 20 years, the US dollar and euro exchange rates reached parity on the Moscow Exchange. This turn of events, according to Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, means that “predictions about the onset of a systemic crisis in the eurozone are beginning to come true.” In his opinion, the fall of the euro demonstrates “who pays in hard currency for the bloody crisis” in Ukraine.

“Washington in tandem with London conned the Europeans like a couple of shell-game tricksters,” the former president wrote on Telegram.

Prior to imposing “crazy restrictions” against Russia, European countries should have calculated “their own monetary and economic problems,” Medvedev claimed, adding that the White House normally weighs its risks much better.

“But the ‘useful European idiots’ suffered much moreat the mercy of the Americans,” the deputy chair of the Security Council stressed.

However, Medvedev does not feel sorry for them since, in his opinion, “the Russophobes from the EU” unleashed “a hybrid war” against Russia and opened “a wide economic front” against it.

The former head of the state said that the transition to new trade payment methods, including the use of national currencies – the Russian ruble, Chinese yuan, Indian rupee and others – would be the best protection against “a rotting euro.” He didn’t rule out the possibility that, in the future, the BRICS countries might come up with a new reserve currency.

“The modern world clearly needs more than the dollar, euro, and pound sterling. For now, $1 = €1. Keep savings in rubles!” Medvedev wrote.

Commenting in mid-June on the economic sanctions against Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin called them “insane and thoughtless.”

Previously, he alleged that European leaders were committing economic “suicide” under pressure from the US.

The EU, however, insists that its members were aware of the grave consequences of anti-Russia sanctions for their own economies.

“But this is the price to pay to protect democracies and international law, and we are taking the necessary steps to address these issues in full solidarity,” the bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said earlier this month.

(Wow he didnt hold back, that was great)

https://www.rt.com/russia/558846-us-uk-eu-sanctions/

12 Jul, 2022 09:28

VIDEO shows aftermath of Novaya Kakhovka shelling by Ukraine

A local official said that five people were killed and at least 80 injured

A video shows the destruction in the city of Novaya Kakhovka in southern Ukraine, which local officials say was shelled by Ukrainian troops on Monday evening.

The city is controlled by Russian forces.

Vladimir Leontyev, the city’s top Russian-appointed official, shared a video showing several destroyed buildings, including a supermarket.

“This is the city center. This is how everything looks [now],” Leontyev said.

Local officials said five people were killed and at least 80 injured in the city on Monday evening, while seven are missing. They claimed that Ukrainian troops used US-delivered HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to attack Novaya Kakhovka. According to their reports, a fertilizer storage depot detonated due to the shelling.

The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday that it had destroyed an ammunition depot in the city.

https://www.rt.com/russia/558818-southern-ukraine-shelling-aftermath/

12 Jul, 2022 13:12

Russia names UK and US ‘mercenaries’ en-route to Ukraine

Moscow warned the individuals to turn back instead of joining Kiev's forces

The Russian military has published the names of five people who it identified as British and American citizens on their way to join the Ukrainian forces. It warned that they could be captured and tried as mercenaries or even end up dead if they follow through on their plans.

The five individuals werenamed as Colin Scot and Adrian Davis from the UK, and Michael Vujkovic, Andrew Fox, and Oliver Short from the US. The Russian military claimed that all five arrived last Wednesday at a certain location in the city of Zamosc in eastern Poland, around 100km northwest of Lviv, Ukraine.

The Defense Ministry called the place a “staging ground for foreign mercenaries” on their way to Ukraine, and published the address of where it allegedly operates.

“We recommend those citizens to reevaluate their plans and go home with their lives,” the spokesman for the ministry, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, said during a daily update. He added that if the foreigners are captured alive fighting for Ukraine, “the best outcome they can expect is a trial and a maximum-length jail term.”

The ministry claimed that over the past three weeks, 391 foreign fighters have been killed in Ukraine, and 240 others left the country. Meanwhile, 151 new recruits have entered over the same period of time, it said. The report added that combatants from Poland, Georgia, Britain, Romania, and Canada made up the greatest numbers among those killed.

https://www.rt.com/russia/558831-russia-names-foreign-fighters/

11 Jul, 2022 23:06

Kiev uses US-supplied rockets to attack Ukrainian city

The strike on Novaya Kakhovka was carried out with American- supplied weapons, according to the local administration

Huge explosions were reported on Monday evening in Novaya Kakhovka, a city in Ukraine's Kherson Region controlled by Russian forces. Local sources claimed that substantial damage has been caused to civilian buildings, as a top local official branded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a war criminal.

TASS and RIA Novosti sources say that warehouses with saltpeter (a source of nitrogen) were attacked, stating separately that the city's hydroelectric power plant was not damaged, but the nearby market, hospital, and residential buildings were hit.

Vladimir Leontyev, the head of the city’s military-civilian administration, blamed the attack on Ukrainian forces, adding that the strike had been carried out with recently delivered American weapons.

It is a “crime against the civilian population,” he told RIA Novosti. According to Leontyev, dozens of people were injured and hundreds were left homeless.

“Tonight reminds me of the terrible analogies of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which the United States carried out in August 1945. Almost the same thing happened to us today. There are already casualties among the civilian population, there are wounded, hundreds of people were left homeless, dozens of houses were destroyed. Hospitals continue to receive people. Many dozens of people are injured. We are shocked by this bombardment,” he said

The deputy head of the regional administration, Kirill Stremousov, echoed Leontyev's assertion that Ukrainian troops used high-precision American HIMARS rocket launchers.

“The information has already been unequivocally confirmed that a large humanitarian hub was located… a few meters from the missile hit, and a boy with a disability remained on duty there for the night," he outlined.

"This is not some kind of heartbreaking story, it’s actually true. This boy died for sure. But the psychological effect that they want to achieve (in Kiev) as a result of these bombings will not be achieved. This is a crime against the civilian population, first of all,” Leontyev said

“When you give an order to bomb the center of a peaceful city, this is a crime, an obvious crime that has no statute of limitations. This is a real tragedy,” he added, referring to Zelensky.

The Ukrainian authorities reported that a Russian ammunition depot exploded in the city, and claimed that locals would be delighted with the attack, without providing any evidence to support the idea.

“People’s windows are flying out, but they are still happy… Because this means that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are close,” a Ukrainian military servicemember and adviser to the head of Kherson Region, Sergey Khlan, said.

The Ukrainian authorities reported that a Russian ammunition depot exploded in the city.

“People’s windows are flying out, but they are still happy… Because this means that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are close,” a Ukrainian military servicemember and adviser to the head of Kherson Region, Sergey Khlan, said.

Novaya Kakhovka, a regional center, came under Russian control on February 24, the first day of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. Previously, there had not been any information in open sources that there were warehouses with saltpeter in the city.

(Dear God Ukraine is killing the citizens, the leaders of Ukraine are sick denizens from hell, save the citizens and judge the evil now)

https://www.rt.com/russia/558801-ukraine-attacks-city-in-kherson/

12 Jul, 2022 02:14

US extends protections for Venezuelans

The decision could exclude up to 250,000 migrants who came to the United States after March 2021

(Great more terrorists)

The administration of US President Joe Biden has extended temporary legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants who fled their home country,allowing them to legally live and work in the US for another 18 months.

The Department of Homeland Security announced the move on Monday, with DHS chief Alejandro Mayorkas saying Temporary Protected Status granted last year would be extended by another 18 months for around 343,000 immigrants.

“This action is one of many ways the Biden administration is providing humanitarian support to Venezuelans at home and abroad, together with our regional partners,” Mayorkas said.

However, the renewed legal protections will apply only to those who arrived in the country prior to March 2021, when the last extension was approved by the White House, meaning that up to250,000 Venezuelanswho have migrated since could be turned away.

While Senate Democrats have urged the administration to grant protected status to more recent arrivals, with 22 lawmakers pointing to “deeply troubling conditions” in Venezuela in an open letter published last Friday, a source cited by Reuters said the White House fears that it could “encourage more irregular migration.”

Officials were under a Monday deadline to decide whether the protections would be extended. They were previously set to expire in September, but will now be in place until March 2024.

According to the United Nations, more than 6 million Venezuelans have fled their country due to instability, violence, and lack of opportunity, describing the situation as one of the largest displacement crises in the world. The government in Caracas remains under heavy US sanctions for alleged abuses, though the Biden administration has said it’s considering easing some of the penalties should President Nicolas Maduro agree to meet with opposition figures.

https://www.rt.com/news/558802-venezuela-migrants-protections-extended/

12 Jul, 2022 11:49

Zelensky slams Canada over Russia-bound gas turbine

(Zelensky looks like Castro to me)

Sanction exemptions will only embolden Moscow, the Ukrainian president says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has argued that Canada’s move to return a turbine required for a pipeline transporting Russian gas to Germany will be seen as “weakness” by Moscow.

Zelensky said the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has summoned a Canadian envoy over the “absolutely unacceptable” decision to allow the return of a repaired turbine to Germany. The turbine is required for Nord Stream, the Baltic Sea pipeline that delivers gas from Russia to Germany.

“The decision on the exemption from the sanctions will be viewed in Moscow only as a sign of weakness,” Zelensky argued in a video address published on Tuesday.

“If a terrorist country can claw out such an exemption from the sanctions, what exemptions will it want tomorrow or the day after tomorrow? It is a very dangerous matter.”

“Now, there can be no doubt that Russia will try not just to limit as much as possible, but to completely shut down the supply of gas to Europe at the most acute moment. This is what we need to prepare for,” Zelensky said.

The turbine had been held up in Canada due to sanctions imposed on Moscow in response to its military campaign in Ukraine. Russian state gas giant Gazprom said last month that it was forced to reduce the flow through Nord Stream because the turbine had not been returned on time. The company then suspended the flow completely for 10 days starting Monday, citing planned maintenance.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck argued at the time that Gazprom’s decision to reduce the flow through the Nord Stream was politically motivated. At the same time, he also urged Canada to allow the turbine be shipped to Germany.

“Strong sanctions mean it must hurt and harm Russia and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin more than it does our economy,” Habeck told Bloomberg last week. “Therefore, I ask for understanding that we have to take this turbine excuse away from Putin.”

On Monday, Ottawa greenlighted the return of the turbine. “Canada will grant a time-limited and revocable permit to Siemens Canada to allow the return of repaired Nord Stream 1 turbines to Germany,” Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said.

The US Department of State backed the move, saying that, “in the short term, the turbine will allow Germany and other European countries to replenish their gas reserves, increasing their energy security and resiliency and countering Russia’s efforts to weaponize energy.”

https://www.rt.com/news/558828-zelensky-canada-sanctions-turbine/

12 Jul, 2022 12:38

Germany hopes Russian gas supplies will resume

(They shoulda have listened to Trump)

Berlin is counting on Nord Stream deliveries to restart after scheduled maintenance

German Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck says he hopes for the resumption of Russian natural gas deliveries via the Nord Stream pipeline after its annual 10-day maintenance is complete.

“I have no secret information regarding either the first or the second scenario,” Habeck told ARD broadcaster, as translated by TASS. “The possibility exists.”

According to the minister, serious concerns in Germany over a gas shortage in the upcoming autumn and winter still remain.

“If it’s impossible to get more gas on the market, we just need to reduce our consumption even more,” he said.

On Monday, Russia’s Gazprom suspended the operations of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline due to the planned annual maintenance, which is set to be complete on July 21. In the middle of June, the flow of gas through the major conduit was slashed to 40% of its capacity due to operational challengescaused by the failure to return a serviced turbine on time from Canadadue to the sanctions on Russia.

The Canadian government said it would return the equipment despite criticism and pressure from Ukraine. However, Ottawa has not set a date for shipping the turbine back to Germany.

(So Zelensky wants Germany to suffer without gas)

https://www.rt.com/business/558829-germany-resumption-russian-gas/

12 Jul, 2022 08:31

Biden asks Senate to ratify new NATO expansion

Finland and Sweden meet all the requirements and “will be net contributors to the Alliance,” the US president says

US President Joe Biden submitted the protocols on the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO to the Senate on Monday, asking lawmakers to fast-track the ratification process.

In a written message, the president said the two Nordic countries meet all of the requirements to join the alliance. Sweden and Finland “will be net contributors to the Alliance, in both capabilities and resources, and they share critically important values with the United States,” he argued, adding that their membership will help further Washington’s priorities within NATO.

Biden called on senators to ratify Sweden and Finland’s membership bids as soon as possible. “I ask the Senate to continue working with my Administration in advancing a strong and free Europe by providing its prompt advice and consent to ratification of the Protocols,” he wrote. “We are encouraging all Allies to act expeditiously in their own ratification processes as well, given current global considerations.”

In mid-May, Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO amid the Ukraine conflict, thereby breaking with decades-long traditions of neutrality. While most members welcomed the bids, they were stonewalled by Turkey, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing Sweden and Finland of promoting terrorism and supporting Kurdish militants.

Ankara later withdrew its objections after Sweden and Finland promised to respond to Turkey’s extradition requests, remove export controls, and end support for groups that Ankara views as terrorist.

In early July, NATO members signed the accession protocols, which are due to be ratified by lawmakers from all nations that are part of the alliance.

https://www.rt.com/news/558807-biden-senate-ratify-nato/

Zelensky wants $5 Billion a month.

Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergey Marchenko, in an interview with Corriere della Sera on Monday, confirmed that EU members are at odds over how they should support Ukraine, and that some of them believe €9 billion is too much.

Marchenko also said that while Ukraine needs €5 billion ($5.05 billion) every month, Kiev has been receiving much less so far. These comments come after he announced in mid-May that Ukraine may have to resort to “painful” measures to save the economy amid the conflict with Russia. At the time, he warned that the government might have to raise taxes, cut spending, and nationalize certain businesses.

https://www.rt.com/russia/558825-loan-eu-ukraine-approved/

12 Jul, 2022 15:59

Syringe attacks puzzle European authorities

(New pandemic incoming?)

After a wave of assaults in France, the disturbing phenomenon has spread to Spain

Revelers at the Festival of San Fermin in Pamplona, Spain have reported being stuck with syringes in crowded public places. Little is known about the substances they’ve been injected with, but one curious detail in victim testimony may link the attacks with a spate of similar syringe assaults in France.

As crowds gathered in Pamplona to watch daredevils run with the bulls over the weekend, a more sinister threat was lurking on the sidelines. Four young people – three females and a male – told police that they felt a pinching sensation before being overcome with dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and cold sweats.

All four were taken to the hospital by their friends, El Mundo reported on Tuesday. None were separated from their friends, none suffered sexual abuse, and no toxic substances were found in samples from the victims.

While the national authorities have opened an investigation, police don’t know who carried out the attacks or why. “There is nothing concrete and nothing clear at the moment,” a police source told El Mundo. “We need more time.”

However, all four victims told police that they remembered “a group of young French people” beside them at the time of the attacks.

Two weeks earlier, the authorities in France detained and charged multiple suspects for allegedly pricking people with syringes at nightclubs and concerts. The victims were mostly young women, and 1,004 of them filed formal complaints since January, the Associated Press reported.

In the cases that resulted in charges, medical testing revealed no signs of harmful substances in the victims. They displayed similar symptoms to those in Spain, and had visible signs of injection, including puncture marks and bruises.

Police found syringes and drugs in the belongings of at least two suspects, but toxicology reports have failed to show that these drugs were injected into the victims. However, unless tests were carried out immediately, the presence of GHB – a powerful anesthetic known as a ‘date rape’ drug – could have gone unnoticed, as it leaves the bloodstream within 12 hours.

“We didn’t find any drugs or substances or objective proof which attest to … administration of a substance with wrongful or criminal intent. What we fear the most is people contracting HIV, hepatitis or any infectious disease,” a doctor working with multiple victims in the French city of Nancy told NPR last month.

“There aren’t any similarities between the cases. The only thing similar is that people are being injected with a needle in a festive context in different places in France,” a police official added.

A rise in syringe attacks was also noted by the UK authorities last October, while scattered cases have been reported in Belgium and the Netherlands.

https://www.rt.com/news/558852-syringe-attack-spain-france/

>>16724371

He’s an idiot, they do it just before he goes to Saudi Arabia and ME