30 Nov, 2022 17:08

HomeRussia & FSU

Moscow names condition for resuming arms control talks with US

Washington must stop arming Kiev first, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman says

Russia sees no possibility of resuming talks with Washington on the cornerstone New START arms control treatywhile the US continues to arm Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

Speaking in a live interview on radio Sputnik, Maria Zakharova said: “The US intends to supply even more weapons to the conflict region, in which the Russian Federation is directly involved. That is, they will supply all these weapons, they will encourage the Kiev regime to cause even more bloodshed, they will allocate money for extremist activities that are carried out under the auspices of these delusional people [in the Ukrainian presidency], and we will sit with them at the same table and discuss issues of mutual security with them, including those in their interest?"

The spokeswoman stressed that Moscow values the New START agreement, as it serves the best interests of both Russia and the US, adding that the necessary conditions must be met before talks can be resumed.

Russian and American diplomats were set to meet in Cairo on Tuesday for a new round of talks on prolonging the deal, set to expire in early 2026. The meeting, however, was called off shortly before it was set to happen, with no new date announced.

“The event is being postponed to a later date,”the Russian Foreign Ministry told RT on Monday. Meanwhile, CNN has quoted the US State Department as saying Washington was ready to hold talks at the earliest possible date, and considered that “resuming nuclear inspections under the New START treaty is a priority.”

New START, signed back in 2010, is effectively the last arms control agreement between the two major nuclear powers following Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty in 2019. The pact limits the number of nuclear warheads that the US and Russia can possess, and restricts the number of deployed silo-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and nuclear bombers. The total number of strategic nuclear delivery vehicles must not exceed 800.

Russia suspended the inspection regime under the treaty back in August, blaming the move on Western sanctions that had prevented Russian inspectors from doing their work in the US and giving Washington an unfair advantage. Moscow said the inspection could resume only when the principles of parity and equality were restored.

https://www.rt.com/russia/567436-new-start-talks-condition/

Its quite ironic & hypocritical to start talks on arms treaty while sending arms to Ukraine to start a war with Russia

30 Nov, 2022 19:16

Russian troops advance in Donbass – Defense Ministry

The military has pushed Ukrainian forces from multiple locations in the region, Moscow claims

The Russian military reported new advances in the north of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) on Wednesday. Multiple locations have been liberated on the outskirts of the town of Bakhmut, a major stronghold held by Ukrainian forces, which has seen intense fighting in recent weeks.

"On the Donetsk axis, the settlements of Belogorovka and Pershe Travnya of the Donetsk People’s Republic were completely liberated during offensive actions [by] Russian troops," the Defense Ministry said in its daily briefing, adding that "up to 50 Ukrainian servicemen, four armored combat vehicles, three self-propelled artillery units and six soft vehicles were destroyed."

The village of Belogorovka is a small settlement located some 20 kilometers northeast of Bakhmut. The second settlement mentioned in the briefing is, presumably, the village of Ozaryanovka, located about 12 kilometers south of the town. It was known by the name Pershe Travnya before 2016, but was then renamed under Kiev's ‘decommunization’ efforts.

Later in the day, the Defense Ministry announced the liberation of Andreevka, a village five kilometers north of Ozaryanovka. The acting head of DPR, Denis Pushilin, said that troops have entered the adjacent village of Kurdyumovka. The settlements are located on an important supply route, crucial for the Ukrainian garrison of Bakhmut, he explained, referring to the town by its pre-‘decommunization’ name – Artemovsk.

"These settlements are extremely important because, after sweeping up Kurdyumovka, where the enemy is still resisting, [the troops] will reach the Artemovsk highway, severing the supply routes of the primary Ukrainian battlegroup," Pushilin told broadcaster Rossiya-24.

https://www.rt.com/russia/567443-bakhmut-donbass-military-advance/

30 Nov, 2022 11:26

Fire at Russian oil depot near Ukrainian border

The blaze spread over 1,800 square meters in Bryansk Region

A huge blaze has broken out at a Russian oil depot on Wednesday morning in the southwestern region of Bryansk, some 70 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. A media report suggests that a drone may have been involved in the incident.

The fire in the Surazh district was reported by regional governor, Aleksandr Bogomaz, on his official Telegram channel at 6:00 am local time. He said that the blaze had spread to an area of 1,800 square meters. Russia’s Emergency Services dispatched over 80 firefighters and equipment, including a fire train, to the scene.

By 9:30 am the fire had been localized and was completely extinguished an hour later. No casualties have been reported.

An unnamed source within Russia’s emergency services told the Izvestiya news outlet that the fire may have been caused by an unidentified explosive munition dropped from a drone. The source claimed that before the fire broke out there were reports of a loud bang.

It’s reported that the five-thousand-ton oil storage facility was completely full at the time of the incident and the blaze later spread to another two nearby reservoirs of a similar capacity.

No official reason for the incident has yet been announced, but federal investigators have been dispatched to the area, according to the governor. He also reported that shelling by Kiev forces had caused blackouts in the Suzemsky district, which is just 10 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Russian territories neighboring Ukraine, such as the Bryansk and Belgorod Regions have repeatedly come under attack since Moscow launched its military offensive against its neighbor in late February.

Earlier this month, a Ukrainian drone attacked another oil terminal in Russia’s Oryol Region, some 200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Russian regions neighboring Ukraine were placed on heightened alert last month. The move gives local officials additional authority to ensure security and react rapidly to any emergencies.

https://www.rt.com/russia/567417-russia-diesel-reservoir-fire/

>>17856776

I guess he was getting a lot of negative feedback about arming ukraine against Russia for war, so he’s picking a parent friendly topic.

1 Dec, 2022 02:38

Yellen hints at ‘national security’ probe into Twitter purchase

The senior US official previously said there was “no basis” for an investigation into the $44 billion deal

(Elon is the new Trump, investigations up the wazoo)

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said federal officials could seek to launch a review into billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s recent purchase of Twitter if it were deemed to carry national security risks, backtracking after she downplayed any chance for a probe.

Speaking at an event hosted by the New York Times on Wednesday, Yellen claimedshe had “misspoke” when she said there was “no basis” to investigate Musk or his financesduring an interview earlier this month, now saying the government could take that step after all.

“I’m not going to say specifically what we are looking at. We don’t comment on what’s in progress,” she said, but added the Treasury “does look at transactions that involve foreign investments in the United States to see if they create national security risk.”

While she stopped short of confirming that a probe was underway, Yellen said “if there are such risks it would be appropriate for the Treasury to have a look.”

The secretary’s comments follow earlier reports that the Treasury had already requested approval to begin reviewing Musk’s Twitter deal, though sources told the Washington Post at the time that such actions are “fairly routine” and do not always result in a full-fledged investigation.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden also stated that Musk’s “relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at,” following reports that foreign investors such as Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal now hold significant stakes in Twitter. However, Biden stressed that he was not claiming the billionaire had done anything “inappropriate,” and did not indicate that he was under investigation.

Musk has faced pressure from abroad as well, with the European Commission recently threatening to ban Twitter outright should the platform run afoul of the EU’s digital regulations. According to a Wednesday report in the Financial Times, the bloc has presented Musk with a “checklist of rules” and demanded he submit to an “extensive independent audit” sometime next year, insisting Twitter must continue to “aggressively” police disinformation and hate speech.

The billionaire has repeatedly vowed to make Twitter a bastion of free expression, even suggesting an “amnesty” for previously banned accounts so long as they did not violate the law or post spam. However, critics have argued the more hands-off approach will foster hatred, extremism and misinformation online, with some even urging major platforms like Apple and Google to remove Twitter from their app stores.

https://www.rt.com/news/567450-yellen-twitter-musk-investigation/

29 Nov, 2022 21:11

Ukrainians complain over Starlink price hike

Monthly charges and the price of the dish are set to increase, according to an email customers reportedly received

Ukrainian Starlink users are demanding answers from CEO Elon Musk over a proposed price hike to their satellite internet, according to several tweets posted on Tuesday. Dimko Zhluktenko, the founder of an NGO devoted to supplying the military with Starlink dishes, condemned the $10 price increase described in screenshots circulating on social media as “not cool,” but promised to “find the cost-effective solution.”

Users reported receiving emails from Starlink informing them their monthly service charge would increase from $65 to $75, while the cost of the satellite dish is set to go up from $500 to $700. The new fees are set to take effect on December 29, but “if you do not wish to continue your service, you can cancel at any time,” the message explains.

Another Ukrainian Twitter user, Roman Kyryliuk, demanded to know “what reasons impacted” the price increase, reminding Musk that “the financial situation is not good here.”

Starlink users in Ukraine receive a modest discount compared to their stateside peers, and many of the systems used by the military are paid for by the US government, NATO, NGOs, and other sponsors of Kiev’s war effort. Monthly subscription costs in Ukraine were slashed in August from $100 to $60, though under the new pricing regime, the dishes cost slightly less for American users ($599).

While Musk’s finances are something of a black box due to the privately-held nature of his companies, the world’s richest man complained several months ago that he was having trouble carrying the cost of keeping the Ukrainian military online, calling for the Pentagon to pay its fair share of the costs for the high-tech internet service.

Earlier this month, some 1,300 Starlink terminals in Ukraine allegedly went dark due to overdue bills, according to CNN. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, aware of the looming problem of making ends meet, had asked its UK counterparts for $3.25 million to bridge the gap, but was reportedly turned down.

While Ukrainian users and their supporters clamored for answers from Musk on Tuesday, the newly-minted Twitter owner appeared to be preoccupied trading barbs with Apple and the Western media establishment. On Monday, he revealed that not only had Apple “threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store,” but that the tech behemoth “won’t tell us why.”

https://www.rt.com/news/567396-ukrainians-complain-starlink-cost-musk/