TKS: March 2022

Putin's Greetings to Participants in Winter Paralympics Titled We Are To...

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a video address for the participants in the open Russian sports competition, Winter Paralympic Games, We Are Together. Sport.

Putin's Remarks At The Concert Marking The Anniversary Of Crimea’s Reuni...

Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a concert marking eight years since Crimea’s reunification with the Russia, at the Luzhniki Sports Centre in Moscow.

“We, the multi-ethnic nation of the Russian Federation, united by common fate on our land…” These are the first words of our fundamental law, the Russian Constitution. Each word has deep meaning and enormous significance.

On our land, united by common fate. This is what the people of Crimea and Sevastopol must have been thinking as they went to the referendum on March 18, 2014. They lived and continue to live on their land, and they wanted to have a common fate with their historical motherland, Russia. They had every right to it and they achieved their goal. Let’s congratulate them first because it is their holiday. Happy anniversary!

Over these years, Russia has done a great deal to help Crimea and Sevastopol grow. There were things that needed to be done that were not immediately obvious to the unaided eye. These were essential things such as gas and power supply, utility infrastructure, restoring the road network, and construction of new roads, motorways and bridges.

We needed to drag Crimea out of that humiliating position and state that Crimea and Sevastopol had been pushed into when they were part of another state that had only provided leftover financing to these territories.

There is more to it. The fact is we know what needs to be done next, how it needs to be done, and at what cost – and we will fulfil all these plans, absolutely.

These decisions are not even as important as the fact that the residents of Crimea and Sevastopol made the right choice when they put up a firm barrier against neo-Nazis and ultra-nationalists. What was and is still happening on other territories is the best indication that they did the right thing.

People who lived and live in Donbass did not agree with this coup d’état, either. Several punitive military operations were instantly staged against them; they were besieged and subjected to systemic shelling with artillery and bombing by aircraft – and this is actually what is called “genocide.”

The main goal and motive of the military operation that we launched in Donbass and Ukraine is to relieve these people of suffering, of this genocide. At this point, I recall the words from the Holy Scripture: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” And we are seeing how heroically our military are fighting during this operation.

These words come from the Holy Scripture of Christianity, from what is cherished by those who profess this religion. But the bottom line is that this is a universal value for all nations and those of all religions in Russia, and primarily for our people. The best evidence of this is how our fellows are fighting and acting in this operation: shoulder to shoulder, helping and supporting each other. If they have to, they will cover each other with their bodies to protect their comrade from a bullet in the battlefield, as they would to save their brother. It has been a long time since we had such unity.

It so happened that, by sheer coincidence, the start of the operation was same day as the birthday of one of our outstanding military leaders who was canonised – Fedor Ushakov. He did not lose a single battle throughout his brilliant career. He once said that these thunderstorms would glorify Russia. This is how it was in his time; this is how it is today and will always be!

Thank you!

Mexican President Says His Country Is ‘Pacifist,’ Unlike EU

Mexico has delivered a harsh rebuke to the European Parliament after it adopted a resolution condemning the rhetoric of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador regarding journalists.

“Know, Members of the European Parliament, that Mexico is no longer a land of conquest,” said the letter published by the Mexican government on Thursday, referring to the country’s colonial past. The statement, which compared MEPs to “sheep,” has rejected EU criticism of the Central American country’s human rights record.

“No one here is oppressed, freedom of expression and the work of journalists is respected. The state does not violate human rights, like the previous government did, when you, by the way, stayed silent.”

The Central American nation also defended its stance on the Russian attack on Ukraine. “Mexico is a pacifist country that chose non-violence, and we are in favor of dialogue, not war; we don’t send weapons to any country under any circumstances, as you are doing now.”

Many Western countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, and EU member states, imposed a series of sanctions on Russia after it attacked Ukraine on February 24. The US and EU pledged to fund military aid to Kiev, while individual states supplied the country with weapons, such as portable anti-tank missile systems.

By contrast, President Lopez Obrador said this month that Mexico will not impose sanctions on Russia, or send weapons to Ukraine. Lopez Obrador told the Mexican media that he had written the letter himself, accusing the European Parliament of “slander.”

On Tuesday, MEPs adopted a resolution condemning the threats to and deaths of journalists in Mexico. They said that at least six journalists have been killed in the country so far in 2022. The European Parliament also condemned Lopez Obrador personally, urging him to “refrain from issuing any communication, which could stigmatize” media workers and human-rights campaigners.

Lopez Obrador accused some reporters of lying last month and called them “thugs, mercenaries, sellouts,” according to AP. His comments were condemned by the Inter American Press Association.

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.

Le Pen Says Weapons Supplies To Ukraine Pretty Close To Involvement In Conflict

French parliament member, presidential candidate from the National Rally party Marine Le Pen, believes that weapons supplies to Ukraine are pretty close to direct involvement in the conflict.

"Weapons supplies to Kiev are very close to participation in the conflict," Le pen said on the BFM news channel. She declared that France’s secession from the allied NATO command remained one of her main demands.

Asked about her attitude to the sanctions against Russia, she said that she was against the sanctions that would hit the French in the first place.

"As far as proposals for a total embargo on Russian oil and gas are concerned, such a step would have disastrous effects on our consumers," Le Pen warned. "I do not wish to sacrifice the interests of the French, their jobs and the French economy in general for the sake of initiatives that I regard as irresponsible."

She stressed that "the best way to help Ukraine is to achieve peace."

France’s presidential election is to be held in two rounds on April 10 and 24. According to opinion polls, Marine Le Pen, holds second place on the list of presidential candidates after the incumbent, Emmanuel Macron, who is contesting a second term of office.

World-Famous Author Speaks Out Against Russophobia

Best-selling Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho has spoken out against the rise of Russophobia in the wake of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.

The world-famous author of ‘The Alchemist’ and ‘Eleven Minutes’ took to Twitter on Friday to point out that the “Ukraine crisis” has become a “convenient excuse for Russophobia.”

Numerous Russian nationals living abroad have faced widespread abuse since Moscow decided to send troops into its neighboring country in late February in order to “demilitarize” and “denazify” the Kiev government, and to prevent what it called the “genocide” perpetrated by Ukraine against civilians in the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.

Aggressive actions against Russians have gone far beyond offensive comments posted on social media.

The victims, who talked to RT Russian earlier this week, recalled a number of such incidents in recent days. Among other things, they spoke about a swastika allegedly being drawn on an Orthodox church in Iceland, Russian kids brawling with their Norwegian classmates, a Russian woman being denied service at a restaurant in New Zealand, and a musician being fired from a Dutch orchestra because of her origin.

Coelho also faced a lot of heat over his message, as social-media users demanded that he condemn the Russian offensive like many other international celebrities. He was also grilled for the use of the word “crisis,” with his critics insisting he should have called the events in Ukraine “an unprovoked, unjustified war.”

In his response to the comments, the writer, who has sold millions of books in both Russia and Ukraine, made it clear that he knows a lot more about the two countries than they did.

“I was in Lviv, Kyiv, Odessa, Yalta, Chernobyl (Ukraine). I covered 10,000km by train from Moscow to Vladivostok (Russia). Yes, there is a war: But do not blame ordinary people,” he said.

Earlier this week, Moscow blocked Facebook and Instagram over “extremism” after media reported that Meta, which owns both platforms, allowed “posts on the Ukraine war calling for violence against invading Russians or [for Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s death.”

The international clampdown on Russia has also affected the country’s athletes in numerous disciplines, who were banned from international competitions, and such world famous musicians as Valery Gergiev and Anna Netrebko, who lost their jobs in Germany.

The trend took some ridiculous forms like an Italian university dropping a course on the works of iconic 19th-century writer Fyodor Dostoevsky from its curriculum, and Russian cats and dogs being barred from taking part in exhibitions abroad.

Vucic Says Serbia Will Remain Military Neutral And Will Not Join NATO

Serbia will remain a military neutral state and will not join NATO, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who is running for a second term, said at the election rally of the Serbian Progressive Party in Backa Palanka on Sunday.

"Someone says: "Never say never, maybe we will join NATO someday." But I say: we don't need to join NATO. I think Serbia should remain militarily neutral, protect its military neutrality and develop its army," the Serbian President said.

Vucic noted that during his tenure as president, unlike his rivals in the presidential race, he did not destroy the Serbian army, but strengthened it.

"We are strengthening our army in order to defend our sky, our land, ourselves and never depend on anyone except our people. This is our policy," he stressed.

In the early 2000s, the then pro-Western leadership of Serbia stated that the armament of the army was outdated and unpromising. As part of the reform of the defense system, it was decided to sell military training grounds, barracks and other facilities, and send armored vehicles for remelting. Armored troops (the main tank - T-55) were melted down for several years at the Serbian metallurgical plant Zhelezara Smederevo, which was bought by the American company US Steel. After melting down Serbian armored vehicles, US Steel sold the now-unprofitable steel mill to the Serbian government in January 2012 for the symbolic sum of $1.

In addition, according to the document of the Serbian Defense Ministry dated December 5, 2017, in 2005 it was decided to sell 200 T-55 tanks, 121 M60 armored personnel carriers, 77 M36 self-propelled guns, 88 M38 howitzers (122 mm), 36 anti-aircraft self-propelled artillery installations ZSU-57-2. The sale was carried out after the weapons were registered as secondary raw materials, the document says. Also in 2003, 2005 and 2008, it was decided to destroy 9,218 9M32M (Strela-2) anti-tank missiles and 420 launchers for the Strela-2 system. In 2003, they disposed of 23,000 small arms and 91 guns of 20 mm and 30 mm caliber.

The disposal of weapons was carried out in cooperation with the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency.

Borrell Claims 'Putin Could Expand Military Activities Into A NATO Country'

Europe is struggling between its desire to “support” Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian offensive and its fears that the war could spill over into other countries, the EU’s foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell told CNN Turk on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

“Everyone is trying to strike a difficult balance. On the one hand, we are trying to support Ukraine and, on the other hand, we are trying to prevent a bigger war,” he said.

The top diplomat also alleged that President Vladimir Putin could “expand his military activities” beyond Ukraine, explaining that “nobody should give excuses” to Russia’s leader to do so. Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov cautioned the West against its “mindless handover” of “dangerous arms” to Kiev, warning that his country’s troops could potentially treat convoys carrying them as legitimate military targets.

“It could be against one NATO country or it could be against another,” Borrell continued. “There are serious concerns. Putin will continue to attack and we need to limit the attacks here. We must isolate Russia from the international community, we must support Ukraine.”

He also reiterated the bloc’s support for Ukraine, claiming that the EU has responded “positively” to Kiev’s membership aspirations. Ukraine renewed its push for EU membership amid the conflict, with President Volodymyr Zelensky lodging a formal bid to join the union.

“Yes, we said that Ukraine belongs to the European family. This is an obvious fact, geographically and historically. There are some procedures. We started this process as well,” Borrell stated.

While the bid has been supported by several Eastern European members of the bloc, top EU officials, including Borrell himself, have rejected Kiev’s call for a fast-tracked accession. No fast-track procedure exists and an aspiring member state must meet assorted political and economic conditions to be merely granted an official candidate status.

Russia launched a large-scale offensive against its neighbor in late February, following a seven-year standoff over Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the 2014-15 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 and to bring the years-long conflict in the country’s east to an end.

Moscow 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.

China Hit By Its Biggest Covid-19 Outbreak

China has re-imposed some restrictions in response to its biggest spike in Covid-19 infections in two years.

The country reported nearly 3,400 new cases on Sunday, most of them locally transmitted and around a half of them asymptomatic. On Friday, the number of daily local cases surpassed 1,000 for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan in early 2020. Infections were recorded in at least 19 regions across China.

The authorities re-imposed some restrictions, including the closure of all schools in Shanghai, where students have had to switch to remote learning. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan described the spike as “complicated and severe,” calling for the broadening of the testing program.

Beijing also reacted by sacking several high-ranking officials this week in the northeastern Jilin Province, including the mayor of Jilin City. Zhang Lifeng, the Communist Party secretary and top manager at Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology University, was fired following an outbreak on campus. The state-run Global Times paper said he was dismissed for “negligence and an ineffective response” to the cluster of infections.

Similarly, six officials were fired in the southern coastal Guangdong Province, including a deputy director of the provincial public security department.

Turkey Will Not Join Western Sanctions Against Russia

Turkey will not join the sanctions some Western countries have imposed on Russia over the special operation in Ukraine, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a diplomatic forum in Antalya on Sunday.

"We believe that the sanctions will not resolve the problem," he said when asked about Turkey’s stance regarding sanctions against Russia. "Take the airspace. In accordance with the Montreux Convention we have no power to close it. This is a legal obligation."

In the meantime, NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on the sidelines of the diplomatic forum the alliance expected all its members to impose restrictions on Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 launched a special military operation in Ukraine following a request for assistance from the leaders of the Donbass republics. He said Moscow had no plans for an occupation of Ukrainian territories. The United States, the European Union, Britain and a number of other countries said they were introducing sanctions against Russian legal entities and individuals.

Turkey has repeatedly said it had no intention of joining sanctions against Russia so as not to harm its own economy and to keep the door open to a dialogue with Russia.

RT News - March 13 2022

The Donetsk army says it's gained control over the key town of Volnovakha after intense fighting. Much of the area is in ruins, as residents try to cope with the losses of their loved ones. RT's Maria Finoshina visits a Donetsk Republic town recently claimed by the local people's militia. She takes a look at how residents are trying to return to a peaceful life after eight years of violence from the Ukrainian military. Amid the escalating conflict, NATO gears up for joint military and computer assisted exercises with Georgia, which, like Ukraine, borders Russia and has been striving for membership in the Western military alliance.

Venezuela Is Russia’s Ally, But Is Ready To Sell Oil To US

Venezuelan Minister for Foreign Affairs Felix Plasencia has said Caracas is ready to sell oil to the United States again, while remaining “loyal” to Moscow.

Plascenia told the Turkish Anadolu Agency on Saturday that it would not be a “strange relationship” for Washington and Caracas to work together on oil, as Venezuela had “been doing oil business with the Americans for a long time.”

The minister argued that it would “be good for everyone” if Venezuela’s energy exports to the US get “back on track,” adding that Americans were welcome in the country as long as they “respect the sovereignty” of Venezuela and recognize President Nicolas Maduro as “Venezuela's only and legitimate head of government.”

Plascenia said he hopes that US sanctions against Venezuela that had targeted its oil sector would be lifted.

The minister stressed, however, that Venezuela would remain “loyal allies of the Russian government,” and said the country sees President Vladimir Putin “as a responsible head of government.”

“We respect him as a member of the international community. We believe he will do the best for his people,” Plascenia concluded.

The US broke all relations with Venezuela in 2019 and recognized pro-US opposition leader Juan Guaido as “interim president” instead of Maduro.

Senior US officials traveled to Venezuela last week to meet with Maduro’s government amid Russia’s ongoing offensive in Ukraine. The US government has sanctioned Russia’s oil industry in response to the conflict, causing US gas prices to rise. There have been suggestions that Washington could turn to Venezuela as an alternative supplier of crude, though no deal has been announced as of yet.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE reportedly rejected phone calls with US President Joe Biden to discuss oil in recent weeks.

Yuan Deposits Replace Dollar And Euro In Russian Banks

With Russia now officially cut off from both the US dollar and the euro, the state-owned VTB Bank has offered its clientele the opportunity to open Chinese yuan savings accounts that yield a maximum interest rate of 8%. The country’s second-biggest bank has been hit by the Western sanctions aimed at the total financial isolation of Russia over its war in Ukraine.

“In light of the rising dollar and euro exchange rates, many clients are showing interest in investing in other currencies, and the yuan is one of the most affordable and promising options for investing funds,” the bank said in a statement.

Existing customers are reportedly able to open deposits remotely on VTB Online with a minimum amount of 100 yuan ($16). At VTB branches, they can deposit a minimum of 500 yuan.

According to the bank, the latest offer will be the most profitable alternative to deposits in other foreign currencies. The annual yield on a three-month deposit is 8% in dollars and 7% in euros.

Meanwhile, a six-month ruble deposit currently offers an annual percentage yield of 21%. VTB said that, over the past week, customers had invested over a trillion rubles ($15 billion) in traditional savings products.

Russian financial institutions have been placed under increasing pressure after Ukraine-related sanctions were introduced. The banks have had to turn to China to start using its UnionPay system for credit cards, after Visa and Mastercard announced the suspension of operations in the country.

“Some Russian banks can’t get access to other currencies, so yuan is probably the best other alternative,” Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at the Australia & New Zealand Banking Group, told Bloomberg.

“Still, the easiest way for Russia to raise yuan would be to receive yuan via trades. Russian banks’ clients who are exporters could sell to China and receive renminbi as payment.”

Half Of Russia’s Foreign Exchange Reserves Frozen Due To Sanctions

Half of the gold and foreign exchange reserves of the Bank of Russia have been frozen due to sanctions, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said in an interview with the Rossiya 1 TV channel.

"This is about half of these reserves that we had. We have a total amount of reserves of about $640 bln. Currently we cannot use about $300 billion of these reserves," he said.

The minister added that part of the Russian foreign exchange reserves is in Chinese currency. However, Western countries are now putting pressure on China in order to limit trade with it.

"Of course, there is pressure to limit access to those reserves that we have in yuan. I think that our partnership with China will allow us to maintain the cooperation that we have achieved, and not only to maintain, but also to multiply it in conditions when Western markets are closed," Siluanov said.

The minister reiterated that the debts of countries that were unfriendly to Russia would be paid in rubles.

"But - I repeat once again - the debts that we have to pay to the countries that are unfriendly to the Russian Federation and have made such restrictions on the use of foreign exchange reserves, it is to these countries that we will pay debts in ruble equivalent," he stressed.

Armenia’s Fifth President Sworn In, Takes Office

Armenia’s fifth president, Vaagn Khachaturyan, was sworn in and took office on Sunday at a special session of the National Assembly.

Khachaturian put his hand on a special copy of the Constitution and the 12th Century Gospel to take the oath to be loyal to the Armenian Constitution, stay impartial in performing his duties, be guided by the national interests and spare no effort to strengthen national unity.

The Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II, was the first to congratulate and bless Armenia’s new president. He concluded his statement with a prayer. The ceremony was attended by foreign diplomats, social and public figures, senior clergy and officials. The parliamentary opposition refused to participate.

Khachaturyan was elected president at the parliament’s session on March 3. In the runoff he was supported by 71 legislators. The 2015 constitutional reform introduced parliamentary rule and the president began to be elected by the National Assembly.

Khachaturyan’s predecessor, Armen Sarkisyan, resigned on January 23. He said he lacked the leverage to influence major domestic and foreign policy issues. After that the faction of the ruling party Civil Contract nominated Khachaturyan for the head of state. Earlier, he was high-tech industry minster. In 1992-1996 he held the post of Yerevan’s mayor.

IRGC Claims Responsibility For Missile Attack On Erbil

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, the elite units of the Iranian Armed Forces) claimed responsibility for the missile attack on Erbil, the target of which was Israeli facilities in Iraq, the Iranian agency Young Journalists Club reported on Sunday citing IRGC statement.

"Last night the strategic center of the Zionist conspiracy and evil was targeted by the powerful missiles of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," according to the statement.

It is noted that the missile blow was delivered "following the recent crimes" of Israel.

"Once again, we warn the criminal Zionist regime that the repetition of any evil will face harsh, decisive and destructive responses," the statement says.

On Sunday night, several rockets landed near the US Consulate General in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil. A number of Arab media outlets reported that the strike could have hit Israeli Mossad intelligence facilities. The authorities of Iraqi Kurdistan denied the information that Israeli intelligence centers are located in the province of Erbil.

On March 8, the IRIB Broadcasting Corporation reported that two IRGC officers were killed during an Israeli strike in the Damascus region.

State Duma Speaker Cautions Businesses Against Attempts At Profiteering

Russian State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin believes that private businesses should refrain from attempts at profiteering and try to devise alternative solutions to emerging problems, even at the cost of private gains.

"Businesses should by all means refrain from making money on the people. They should reconsider approaches and devise solutions capable of eliminating the emerging problems, even at the cost private gains," Volodin said on his Telegram channel on Sunday.

He recalled that in the current situation "some give away their last savings to raise humanitarian aid for Donbass refugees, while others prefer to go abroad to wait for the turmoil to subside, or, while staying inside the country, raise prices their fellow citizens have to pay."

"Those who have been obsessed with profit-seeking all along in the current situation must take care of the people and the country. They must give thought to preserving jobs and expanding production in view of the foreign capitals’ flight from the Russian market," Volodin said.

Sunday’s latest reports from the regions say the prices of diesel fuel and fertilizers have been going down.

"This means we will have essential foods not only this year, but in the future, too," Volodin said, adding that the legislators supported the Ministry of Industry and Trade in its efforts to reduce metal prices.

"The foreign markets’ influence on price hikes has eased. There should follow a reduction in the domestic prices of metals and other goods," Volodin said.

He stressed that "each individual must be aware of one’s responsibility for Russia’s future."

"Our soldiers and officers are giving their lives for the security of Russia and for a chance to have a future. They are saving our citizens and compatriots in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics and in Ukraine from nationalists. During these troubled times we should take a more considerate attitude to each other and to extend a helping hand," Volodin said. He warned that "panic and tensions in society are precisely the aim of Washington’s and NATO’s unprecedented economic war."

Trump Says Situation Around Ukraine May Lead To World War III

The Ukrainian crisis may evolve into World War III, former US president Donald Trump told his supporters in South Carolina.

This could lead, by the way, this could lead to World War III, I see what’s happening," he said in a speech broadcast by the Newsmax channel.

In his opinion, Russia "is not going to stop" in achieving its goals, but the US administration does not have "anybody to talk to" Moscow, in particular to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, but aims to demilitarize and denazify the country. The Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian troops are not targeting Ukrainian cities, but are incapacitating Ukrainian military infrastructure, therefore there are no threats to the civilian population.

Subsequently, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and some other countries announced sanctions against Russian companies and individuals. On March 8, US President Joe Biden signed a decree to prohibit imports of fuel from Russia and new investments into Russia’s energy sector.

More Than 140 Foreign Citizens Evacuated To Crimea From Ukraine

More than 140 citizens of different countries, including the United States, India, Vietnam, Bulgaria, were taken by bus to the Crimean city of Armyansk from the Kherson region of Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

"Today, 141 citizens of foreign states were taken from the Kherson region of Ukraine to the city of Armyansk of the Republic of Crimea from the Kherson region of Ukraine to the city of Armyansk of the Republic of Crimea. Russian military personnel on the central square of the city of Kherson ensured the safe loading of citizens of Turkey, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Vietnam, Greece, India, the USA and the Russian Federation, who may wish to leave the areas special military operation, in buses, and also ensured their safety when moving to the territory of the Russian Federation," the ministry said.

Earlier the armored train of the South military District carried 247 foreign citizens, including 38 children, to Crimea.

"According to the decision of the Russian leadership, on the appeal of foreign countries, the Russian armed forces are carrying out a set of measures to evacuate foreign citizens from areas of a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine," the Defense Ministry stressed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people of the Donbass republics. Putin noted that the suspension of the special operation is possible only if "Kiev ceases hostilities and fulfills the well-known demands of Russia."

As Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated, these conditions include the demilitarization of Ukraine, its denazification and a neutral status. According to him, the list of requirements also includes the recognition of Crimea as a Russian territory. Also the independence of the People republics of Donetsk and Lugansk should be recognized "within the boundaries of the respective regions."

Russian Armed Forces Destroyed 3,687 Ukrainian Military Facilities

During the special operation, the Russian armed forces disabled 3,687 military infrastructure facilities of Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.

"In total, 3,687 military infrastructure facilities of Ukraine were disabled during the operation," he said.

According to him, 99 aircraft, 128 unmanned aerial vehicles, 1,194 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 121 multiple rocket launchers, 443 field artillery pieces and mortars, 991 units of special military vehicles were destroyed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

When clarifying the developments unfolding, the Russian Defense Ministry reassured that Russian troops are not targeting Ukrainian cities, but are limited to surgically striking and incapacitating Ukrainian military infrastructure. There are no threats whatsoever to the civilian population.

US To Provide Ukraine Additional Military Assistance Worth $200 Mln

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken ordered additional providing military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of up to $200 million, in accordance with a memorandum from President Joe Biden.

"This package will include further defensive assistance to help Ukraine meet the armored, airborne, and other threats it is facing," Blinken said in a statement released by the US Department of State.

According to him, "this drawdown will bring the total security assistance provided by the United States to Ukraine to more than $1.2 billion since the beginning of the Administration."

"America and its Allies support their efforts (of Ukraine) to defend their country and protect their fellow citizens, and urge Russia to recognize that force will never defeat Ukraine’s spirit. We are committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and will continue to provide Ukraine the support it needs," Blinken said.

In late February, the US authorities allocated up to $350 million in immediate military assistance to Ukraine. In early March, NBC reported that, as part of this package, the United States delivered several hundred Stinger man-portable air defense systems, as well as Javelin anti-tank missile systems and ammunition to Ukraine.

Russia’s COVID-19 Case Tally Grows By 44,989 Over Past Day To 17,335,186

Russia’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 44,989 over the past day to 17,335,186, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Sunday.

In relative terms, it reached 0.26%.

As many as 3,191 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Russia over the past day, 52.9% fewer than in the previous day. The number of hospitalized patients declined in 78 regions. A day earlier, 6,775 people were rushed to hospitals.

Moscow’s COVID-19 cases surged by 1,437 over the past day versus 1,655 a day earlier, reaching 2,721,335, according to the anti-coronavirus crisis center.

St. Petersburg’s COVID-19 cases increased by 1,923 over the past day versus 2,381 a day earlier, reaching 1,477,137.

Patients' deaths

Russia’s COVID-19 death toll surged by 596 over the past day to 360,811 the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Sunday.

A day earlier 630 COVID-19 deaths were registered.

The average mortality rate went down to 2.08%, according to the crisis center.

Patients' recoveries

Russia’s COVID-19 recoveries rose by 128,629 over the past day, reaching 15,480,407, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Sunday.

A day earlier some 156,851 patients recovered.

Zelensky Admits His Country Will Have To Pay For Western Help

Western countries are helping Ukraine, but Kiev is yet to pay for it, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has said.

"The money allocated by Europe and other nations are spent only on humanitarian aid or weapons. Sometimes we receive weapons directly, but you have to understand that everything has its price," he said. "Whenever the money that we get is mentioned - well, it all came at a cost, it’s not for free."

In late February, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky requested the EU to let his country join the union immediately. Ukraine’s application for EU membership under the accelerated procedure has been accepted, registered and is being considered, Head of the Office of the Ukrainian President Andrey Yermak said on March 1.

The heads of EU states and governments, who gathered for an informal summit in France’s Versailles, expressed their solidarity with Ukraine in a joint statement, but stopped short of granting the candidate status to Kiev. According to the final statement, EU will keep strengthening its ties with Ukraine, which belongs to the "European family." However, according to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the process of Ukraine’s accession to EU may take months or even years.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that both Russia and the West should provide security guarantees to his country.

"Apart from the Russian Federation, the security guarantees should be provided by other leaders as well," he said in an interview to foreign media on Saturday.

The Ukrainian president said NATO offered no protection to his country.

"What we need now is not words, but security guarantees from countries and unions of countries that are capable of providing them," he said. "We don’t want to wage any more wars."

Zelensky went on to say that Russian-Ukrainian negotiations continue.

"Groups of Ukrainian and Russian negotiators are discussing some matters," he said, adding that his country informed other states about the ongoing talks.

"We have no secrets, we are absolutely frank about this agenda. We informed certain leaders about the questions that are being discussed by the Russian and the Ukrainian sides," Zelensky added.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed that all previously agreed humanitarian corridors were functioning on Saturday, and 12,729 people used them to flee violence-hit areas.

"All previously agreed corridors were functional. We managed to evacuate 12,729 people. Humanitarian cargo for Mariupol will be delivered tomorrow," he said in a video address, posted by the presidential office in its Telegram channel.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian deputy prime minister for issues of reintegration on uncontrolled territories, Irina Vereshchuk, said nine out of 14 humanitarian corridors were operating in the reported period.

"Yesterday we managed to evacuate over 7,000 people, but today their number is slightly less than 13,000," she said. "Of course, this is very, very reassuring," she added.

The deputy premier went on to say that the possibility of opening humanitarian corridors from the Lugansk and Kiev regions on Sunday was being considered.

Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, chief of Russia’s National Defense Management Center, said on Saturday Russia suggested ten humanitarian corridors for March 12 from Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol, whereas Ukraine added one more, towards Zhitomir. "At the same time, not a single humanitarian corridor to the Russian Federation has again been confirmed by Kiev, which once again proves the current government’s indifference to their own people," the general said.

Russian Defense Ministry Published Video Of Special Operation To Protect Population Of Donbass

On your screens is a lightning-fast operation to take control of one of the airfields in Ukraine by Russian forces. First, the landing of airborne units from helicopters, the forward detachments organized all-round defense to meet the main forces, our military department reported. Special attention of commanders when setting tasks to prevent harm to civilians and their property.

And this is footage of the destruction of the warehouse with ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by Russian artillerymen. In the video, the Ukrainian military unloads ammunition from a car. And once the job is done, a high-precision projectile dusts the building.

Well, in the Krasnopol case. They destroyed an infantry fighting vehicle of the Ukrainian forces. The BMP was at an equipped firing position in the Kiev region. A high-precision artillery projectile guided by a laser beam hits exactly on target. It is known that the range of destruction can be up to 25 kilometers.

The real situation in Ukraine on March 12, 2022

The grouping of troops of the Lugansk People's Republic, continuing offensive operations, took control of Surovtsevka, Schedrischevo, Zhitlovka and blocked Rubezhnoe. The advance was 6 kilometers.

https://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12412676@egNews

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, continuing the offensive on a broad front, reached Novodonetskoe, Novomayorskoe and Pavlovka. The advance was 21 kilometers.

On the morning of March 12, high-precision long-range weapons attacked Ukraine's military infrastructure.

The military airfield in Vasylkov and the Main Centre of Radio and Radio-Intelligence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Brovory have been disabled.

During the day, Russian aviation and military air defence shot down 5 unmanned aerial vehicles, including 2 Bayraktar TB-2 and 1 Tochka-U tactical missile.

Operational-tactical and army aviation hit 145 military assets of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Including: 3 anti-aircraft missile systems, 8 command posts and communication centres, 5 ammunition and fuel depots, 78 areas of military equipment concentration.

In total, during the operation, 3,491 objects of the military infrastructure of Ukraine were disabled.

Destroyed: 123 unmanned aerial vehicles, 1,127 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 115 multiple launch rocket systems, 423 field artillery guns and mortars, 934 units of special military vehicles.

Qazaq Air suspends flights to Russia

Kazakh airline Qazaq Air suspends flights to Russia due to lack of insurance coverage in the country, the company announced on Saturday.

"Qazaq Air has received a notification from an insurance company about the failure to provide insurance coverage on the territory of Russia and in its airspace. In view of this situation, the airline is not able to operate flights to Russia until the issue of insurance coverage over the territory of Russia is resolved," the statement said.

On Friday, Kazakh airline Air Astana announced that it was suspending flights to and over Russia due to the termination of insurance coverage for commercial flights to and from the Russian Federation.

Sony Pictures suspends activities in Russia

Sony Pictures announced the suspension of all activities in Russia against the backdrop of events in Ukraine, according to Variety magazine.

"We stand with many businesses around the world who have now paused their business operations in Russia, and in support of the humanitarian efforts currently underway in Ukraine and the surrounding region," Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra wrote in a memo to staff on Friday, Variety reported.

"Two weeks ago, we paused the upcoming theatrical release of ‘Morbius’ in Russia. Since then, we have also halted our planned home entertainment releases, including ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home,’ and any future television distribution deals. And just this morning, Crunchyroll suspended its anime streaming service in Russia," he added.

Russia can protect itself from consequences of sanctions

Russia will work to protect itself from the negative impact of US economic sanctions, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with Channel One.

"Russia is a modern, strong state, confident in its own capabilities, using its potential, being an integral part of the multipolar world," he said, adding "We will work … focusing on avoiding the negative impact of any US sanctions, and there are opportunities for this," he said.

Ryabkov stressed that Western sanctions are not related to a special military operation, the authorities of these countries would have found other reasons to implement their plans without it. "We were preparing for this situation, which we are witnessing now," he added.

По словам замминистра, при «снятии масок» в отношениях со странами Запада России «открыто объявлена экономическая война». Он подчеркнул, что США «беззастенчиво спекулируют на определенных полномочиях», которыми они обладают в финансовой системе.

Putin, Macron, Scholz discuss pending agreements on Russia’s demands on Ukraine

In a phone call on Saturday Russian President Vladimir Putin, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz touched upon the issues related to pending agreements on the implementation of Russia’s demands concerning Ukraine, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"The Russian president spoke in detail about a series of talks held between Russian and Ukrainian representatives via video conference in recent days. In this regard, the three leaders considered some issues related to the agreements, which are being worked out, on implementation of the known Russian demands. It was agreed to continue contacts on the Ukraine-related issues," the statement says.

On February 24, Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. Russia demands that Ukraine should be demilitarized and de-Nazified, should have a non-aligned and non-nuclear status, should recognize Crimea as part of Russia and recognize the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.

Russia & US Are Not In Talks On Ukraine

Moscow and Washington are not negotiating or consulting on the Ukrainian issue, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with Channel One.

"There is no consultative negotiation process with the United States on Ukraine," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

Russian MOD Reports Real Humanitarian Situation In Ukraine On March 11, 2022

Official Kiev, as before, continues to reject humanitarian corridors towards Russia, arguing that there are simply no civilians and foreign citizens who want to go to the territory of the Russian Federation.

The results of daily monitoring show the opposite – 23,127 more people have taken refuge in the Russian Federation from the horrors and arbitrariness staged by nationalists in the last 24 hours alone, and there are already 2,619,026 of them from almost 2,000 settlements of Ukraine, Chief of the National Centre for State Defence Control Mikhail Mizintsev reported on on Friday.

Video from a checkpoint on the outskirts of the city of Chernihiv, where Ukrainian nationalists block the exit of a car convoy with civilians from the city along a humanitarian corridor.

Representatives of the nationalists (black uniforms) turn the cars around and return them to the city.

Ukraine's military refuse to use the humanitarian corridor for the civilian population of the city and actually turn the civilian population into hostages, hiding behind them.

Another provocation of nationalists was recorded in Kharkov, where, in order to conceal research on nuclear topics, militants of territorial defence battalions blew up one of the buildings of the Physics and Technology Institute on Akademicheskaya Street. Up to 50 employees of the institution can be under the rubble.

In addition, in the same city, in the basement of an art school on Yesenin Street, militants hide the bodies of civilians killed during a punitive operation against persons who did not support the criminal Kiev regime.

In Sumy, nationalists conduct raids on private households, during which, under threat of physical violence and murder, forcibly seize food, fuel, equipment, as well as personal cars from people.

The variant of evacuation from Volnovakha proposed by the Ukrainian side, due to ignorance of the true situation on the "ground", once again puts official Kiev in an absurd position, since this locality is currently completely controlled by the units of the People's Militia of the Donetsk People's Republic, who are already building a peaceful life in Volnovakha. Appropriate humanitarian measures are being carried out with the population, and none of the residents are going to leave their homes.

About the situation in Mariupol. The city is blocked, all bridges and approaches to the city are destroyed, the main roads are mined by nationalists, and armed men walk through the streets, open fire indiscriminately, thereby forcing the civilian population to stay in their homes.

To date, more than 7,000 from 21 foreign countries remain hostage to Ukrainian neo-Nazis, whom the nationalists continue to hold as "human shield."

1,671 tons of humanitarian cargo have already been delivered to Ukraine, 212 humanitarian actions have been carried out, including 26 actions in Chernigov region, as well as in Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, during which 250 tons of basic necessities, medicines and food were transferred to the civilian population of the liberated areas.

Putin-Lukashenko Summit Amid Sanctions 'A Time Of Opportunity To Strengt...

Now a massive blow is being dealt at the economy. But practice over the past few years shows that wherever the West imposed restrictions on us, we acquired new competences and restored our old skills at new technological levels. And all this is working. We have of course become stronger in this respect, you are right.

This is indeed a time of opportunity when we must strengthen our technological and economic sovereignty, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on Friday.

"We had a premonition of hard times. I have told you over the phone more than once: the Russian Federation, and even more so Belarus, is always under sanctions, which have become more extensive today. However, we are already used to this, pardon my language, beastly Western behaviour. Why beastly? Because it is illegitimate, as they are fond of saying, and runs counter to international agreements and treaties, which they and we have joined, in part. So, once again, the third time round: this is just disgraceful from my point of view. I have already been through this, and you have had enough of it as well," Lukashenko stressed.

"So, this is a time of opportunity. If we find our bearings, believe me, in six months or by the end of the year people will forget this happened, in terms of the economy. And we should not say “we will survive the sanctions” or “we will not survive the sanctions.” Look, we have survived them so many times. We must develop our economy. We can do without them. We have everything we need for normal life and work," he added.

Shoigu Advises Putin To Strengthen Russia's Western Borders In Response To NATO Actions

The General Staff has analysed all the measures taken by the West to beef up their forces near Russia’s western borders, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin at the Security Council on Friday.

"New units are arriving every day, and they are deploying them at a time when absolutely nothing threatens them. Nevertheless, we believe that they want to take advantage of this situation and to saturate the area along the border with forces and resources to the maximum extent, and they will undoubtedly want to preserve this situation for a long time.

Consequently, the General Staff is drafting and has nearly completed a plan for reinforcing Russia’s western borders, including, naturally, with those new modern systems and the deployment of military units to defend our western borders.

We are waiting for your instruction, so that we can report on our proposals at the next Security Council meeting or in any other format, for their subsequent approval" he reported.

"The matter deals with the reinforcement of the Russian Federation’s western borders in view of the NATO countries’ actions in this area and in response to what they are doing. This calls for a separate discussion. I would like to ask you to prepare a report on the issue separately. We will make the decision following its discussion in the near future," Putin replied.

Putin Approves Transfer Of Captured NATO's Weapons To Armed Forces Of DPR And LPR

During a meeting of the Russian Security Council on Friday, President Vladimir Putin approved the proposal of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to transfer all captured NATO weapons, as well as Ukrainian weapons, to the Armed Forces of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics to increase their ability to defend the republics.

Putin, Shoigu Discuss Sending Volunteers To Donbass

Vladimir Putin and Sergei Shoigu discussed the possibility of volunteers participating in the liberation of the DPR and LPR at the Security Council on Friday.

"We receive a huge number of applications from all sorts of volunteers from different countries who would like to come to the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics in order to participate in what they consider to be the liberation movement.

The largest number is from the countries of the Middle East: already more than 16 thousand applications. And here, of course, we consider it right to respond positively to requests, especially since these requests are not for money, but according to the true desire of these people. We know many of them, they helped in the fight against ISIS at the most difficult time, in the last ten years," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

"As for gathering mercenaries from all over the world and sending them to Ukraine. We see that they do not hide (the Western sponsors of Ukraine, the Ukrainian regime) do not hide it, they do it openly, disregarding all the norms of international law.

Therefore, if you see that there are people who want to come and help people living in Donbas on a voluntary basis, especially not for money, well, you need to meet them halfway and help them move to the war zone," Russian President Vladimir Putin answered.

Putin 'Rise In Energy Prices In Europe, US Is Associated With Their Econ...

With regard to the countries that are taking hostile steps towards our country and our economy, we are well aware that they are calling on their citizens to tighten their belts, to dress warmer and are pointing to the sanctions that they are imposing on us as the reason for the deterioration of the situation in their respective countries. This is very strange, especially since we are meeting our commitments, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

Once again, I want to emphasise that we are respecting all our commitments regarding energy supplies. Deputy Prime Minister [Alexander] Novak talked about this a couple of days ago. Everything that we are supposed to supply, we are supplying to our core consumers in Europe and other regions of the world in full; even the Ukrainian gas transit system is filled to 100 percent under our contracts. This may be surprising, but it is true. We are doing all this. Prices are increasing in these countries, but not because of us. This is the result of their own miscalculations, so they cannot blame us for that.

The same goes for higher oil and petroleum product prices in the United States. They announced that they were shutting down imports of Russian oil to the US market. Prices there are high, and inflation rates are unprecedentedly high, too, probably an all-time high. Still, they are trying to blame us for the consequences of their own mistakes.

This is obvious to the analysts, because Russian oil distribution to the US does not exceed 3 percent. This is a negligible amount, but their prices are up. We have absolutely nothing to do with that. And even the ban on Russian oil imports has absolutely nothing to do with it. They are simply hiding behind these decisions in order to once again deceive their own people. They are already trying to reach agreements with countries they imposed illegitimate restrictions on at some point before. They are now ready to make peace with Iran and sign all the documents right away, and with Venezuela as well. They went to Venezuela to have talks. But of course, they should not have imposed these illegitimate sanctions in the first place.

The same will happen in relations with our country, I have no doubt. However, along with our partners – the ones who do not recognise these illegal actions – we will certainly find a solution to all the problems they are trying to create for us.

PM Mishustin Reports To Putin On Measures To Minimise Consequences Of Sanctions On Russian Economy

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin briefed President Vladimir Putin on measures to minimize the consequences of sanctions on the Russian economy and citizens during a virtual Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Informational Provocation About Alleged 'Strike' By Russian Aircraft On On Mariupol Hospital

Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov dwell separately on the informational provocation of Kiev regime about alleged “strike” by Russian aircraft on Mariupol hospital No. 3.

"First of all, I note that the Russian Defence Ministry yesterday established cease-fire for safe evacuation of civilians in the city.

Russian aviation had no missions of hitting targets on the ground in the Mariupol area," he said.

The analysis of the statements of representatives of Kiev nationalist regime and photos from the hospital, leaves no doubt.

The "air strike” that took place is a completely directed provocation to maintain the anti-Russian stir among the Western audience.

"We have repeatedly stated earlier that the medical institutions of Mariupol, including Hospital No. 3, stopped their full-time work at the end of February. All staff and patients dispersed by the nationalists.

The hospital building, due to its favorable tactical location close to the city center, was re-equipped into a stronghold of the Azov National Battalion.

This is reported by residents of the city, who moved both to the areas controlled by Kiev and controlled by the Donetsk People's Republic," Konashenkov noted.

Photos of the hospital grounds contain evidence of two separate staged explosions near the hospital. An underground explosion and another of minor power, aimed at the hospital building.

The nature of the external and internal damage to the building can mislead non-professional audience of Europe and the United States. For whom this was made.

But not experts. Comparing to staged explosion of the Ukrainian Nazis, even less power high-explosive aviation bomb would destroy the outer walls of the building.

"I emphasize that all these and other war crimes in Mariupol are committed by nationalist locked in the city. We have repeatedly warned that as the ring shrinks, the number of Nazi provocations will increase. There is no way for them to escape.

These are the Nazis of the Azov battalion who had been eliminating the civilian population in Donetsk and Lugansk republics for eight years," he stated.

In recent days, attacks by Ukrainian nationalists and mercenaries who arrived in Ukraine from the United States, Great Britain and Europe on Russian medics and special medical vehicles have become more frequent.

The Nazis deliberately ambush ambulances with a red cross symbol.

Snipers fire from long distances at medics evacuating wounded Russian servicemen in combat areas. Even at medics providing assistance to local residents in settlements.

All this once again confirms the Nazi essence of the Kiev regime, which calls for the killing of any Russians without exception, in violation of international humanitarian law.

"We warn again, the best thing that awaits foreign mercenaries detained in combat areas is criminal prosecution," General stressed.

Russian Defence Ministry's Report On Situation In Ukraine 03 10 22

2,998 Ukrainian military facilities were destroyed as a result of strikes, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported on Thursday.

The grouping of troops of Lugansk People's Republic, continuing offensive operations, took control of Maryanovka, Lazarevka, Lesnoe.

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation advanced to a depth of 10 kilometers and took control of Stepnoe, Krapivnitskoe, Maly Kremechik, Novopetrikovka and Yalynskoe.

During the day, operational-tactical aviation hit 68 assets, including: 2 assets of the control system of the Ukrainian armed forces, 12 CSS assets, 3 Osa anti-aircraft missile systems.

Russian air defence systems destroyed 1 MiG-29, 3 Bayraktar TB-2 unmanned aerial vehicles and 1 Tochka-U tactical missile.

In total, since the beginning of the operation, the losses of the security agencies of Ukraine amounted to: 98 aircraft, 110 unmanned aerial vehicles, 144 anti-aircraft missile defence systems, 88 radar posts, 1,007 tanks and other armored vehicles, 109 multiple launch rocket systems, 374 field artillery and mortars, 793 special military vehicles.

Units of People's Militia of DPR advanced 1 kilometer inside Mariupol from the northern direction.

Russian Defense Ministry Continues To Expose Pentagon's Military Biological Research In Ukraine

The Russian Defence Ministry continues to study materials on the implementation of military biological programs of the United States and its NATO allies on the territory of Ukraine, Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Force Igor Kirillov said on Thursday. https://disk.yandex.ru/d/62hsNB8kC7MXPQ

The information received from various sources confirms the leading role of the US Defence Threat Reduction Agency in financing and conducting military biological research on the territory of Ukraine.

Details of the UP-4 project became known, which was implemented with the participation of laboratories in Kiev, Kharkov and Odessa and was designed for the period up to 2020.

Its purpose was to study the possibility of the spread of particularly dangerous infections through migrating birds, including highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza, the mortality rate of which reaches 50 percent for humans, as well as Newcastle disease.

Due to the fact that Ukraine has a unique geographical location where transcontinental migration routes intersect, 145 biological species were studied within the framework of this project. At the same time, at least two species of migratory birds were identified, whose routes pass mainly through the territory of Russia. At the same time, information about migration routes passing through the countries of Eastern Europe was summarized.

Of all the methods developed in the United States to destabilize the epidemiological situation, this is one of the most reckless and irresponsible, since it does not allow to control the further development of the situation. This is confirmed by the course of the pandemic of a new coronavirus infection, the occurrence and features of which raise many questions.

In addition, the R-781 project is interesting, where bats are considered as carriers of potential biological weapons agents.

Among the priorities identified are the study of bacterial and viral pathogens that can be transmitted from bats to humans: pathogens of plague, leptospirosis, brucellosis, as well as coronaviruses and filoviruses.

It is noteworthy that the research is carried out in close proximity to the borders of Russia – in the areas of the Black Sea coast and the Caucasus.

The project is being implemented with the involvement of not only Ukrainian, but also Georgian biological laboratories controlled by the Pentagon in cooperation with the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the US Geological Survey.

The analyzed materials on the UP-8 project, aimed at studying the Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever virus and hantaviruses in Ukraine, clearly refute the US public statement that only Ukrainian scientists work in the Pentagon biolabs in Ukraine without the intervention of American biologists. One of the documents confirms that all serious high-risk studies are conducted under the direct supervision of specialists from the United States.

The payroll of Ukrainian contractors clearly demonstrates how they are financed. It has been confirmed that the US Department of Defence paid the money for research participation directly, without the involvement of intermediaries. The extremely modest pay, by US standards, is noteworthy. This indicates a low estimation of the professionalism of Ukrainian specialists and the neglect of their American colleagues.

In addition, the studied materials contain proposals for the expansion of the US military-biological program in Ukraine. Thus, there was evidence of the continuation of completed biological projects UP-2, UP-9, UP-10, aimed at studying the pathogens of anthrax and African swine fever.

The Pentagon is also interested in insect vectors capable of spreading dangerous infectious diseases. The analysis of the obtained materials confirms the transfer of more than 140 containers with ectoparasites of bats - fleas and ticks from the biolab in Kharkov abroad.

Significantly, similar research was carried out in the 1940s on the development of biological weapons components by the Japanese unit 731, whose members later fled to the US to escape prosecution for war crimes.

At the same time, available documents confirm numerous cases of transferring biological samples of Ukrainian citizens abroad. For example, 350 cryocontainers with blood serum samples were transferred from the Public Health Centre of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to the reference laboratory for infectious diseases of the Australian Doherty Institute under the pretext of determining antibody titers.

Another example is the German-funded project No. 68727 EN on the study of Congo-Crimean haemorrhagic fever pathogens and hantaviruses. As part of this project, one thousand blood serum samples of citizens from different regions of Ukraine belonging exclusively to the Slavic ethnic group were donated to the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (Hamburg).

It is highly likely that one of the objectives of the US and its allies is to create bioagents capable of selectively targeting different ethnic populations.

During a hearing of the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on 8 March, Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland reported on the presence of bioweapons in Ukraine where biosecurity research had been conducted. She expressed concern about the possibility of these bio-laboratories and the materials there being taken over by the Russian Armed Forces.

According to available information, the Americans have already managed to evacuate most of the documentation, including databases, biomaterials and equipment from laboratories in Kiev, Kharkov and Odessa to the Lvov Research Institute of Epidemiology and Hygiene and the US Consulate in Lvov. The possibility of transferring part of the collection to Poland has not been excluded.

In fact, with her statement, Nuland indirectly confirmed the Pentagon's military-biological program in Ukraine in circumvention of existing international agreements.

Russia Responds To Statements By Briton Truss, Dane Frederiksen On 'Volunteers' Fighting In Ukraine

Any armed activity against Russian military personnel will be cut short immediately, and the armed groups of foreign mercenaries and “volunteers” will be eliminated, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

During a news conference on March 1, 2022, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen said that the Danish citizens who wish to volunteer for such activities would not be subject to criminal persecution. You see, the Ukrainian embassies are not only and not so much appealing to Ukrainian citizens who are living in foreign countries, but directly to the citizens of these countries. The Danish Prime Minister’s Russophobic statements are wide open to criticism and are reminiscent of the recruiting of Danish “volunteers” to SS units Danish Legion (Free Corps Denmark), Wiking and Nordland, which committed atrocities in the Soviet Union during WWII. Everyone knows what happened to them.

Such irresponsible statements have also been made by UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who said on February 27, 2022, that it was up to people to make their own decisions on joining the hostilities in Ukraine. The goal of such statements is obvious. On the one hand, they want to justify the participation of private military companies in the developments in Ukraine. "I know that UK officials don’t like to answer questions, but now is a good opportunity to ask them: Can you tell us about the participation of your private miliary companies and agencies in developments in Ukraine in 2022, a year ago and during the past 15 years? Or you will say that these are private companies, and the UK government has no connection to them? But you have no connection to the “volunteers” either, so why speak about them now? On the other hand, they will use the inevitable destruction of these “volunteers” to whip up anti-Russia hysteria and Russophobia in the UK," Zakharova noted.

"I have a big request to the countries and their governments, foreign ministers and other officials who are promoting and support the idea of recruiting “volunteers” for the war against Russia on Ukrainian territory: Please, don’t call Moscow later to help you find out what happened to your citizens. We will answer in your own words: They made their own decision, and you helped them make it," she stated.

Judging by the reaction in the UK, Liz Truss’s cynical attempt to score political points on blood has shocked even her colleagues in the Conservative Party, who walked back from her. On February 28, 2022, the UK government issued a statement saying that British citizens are not recommended to go to Ukraine and that their participation in fighting or assistance to combatants in that country could amount to committing a criminal offence under British anti-terrorist laws. Disavowing Liz Truss’s statements has become a new tradition in the UK.

"We would like to tell our foreign partners once again that we do not bear any responsibility for the lives of your citizens who decided to take part in illegal military activities in Ukraine. I will not list the documents you have violated by declaring your support for such actions, the documents you have signed. I will certainly find them, but not today, because this would take too long. Any armed activity against Russian military personnel will be cut short immediately, and the armed groups of foreign mercenaries and “volunteers” will be eliminated," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman stated.

Russia’s Efforts To Ensure Safety Of Nuclear Facilities In Ukraine

As part of the special operation of the Russian Armed Forces, control was taken of the Chernobylskaya and Zaporozhskaya nuclear power plants and the adjacent areas, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

This measure was only taken to prevent Ukrainian nationalist or other terrorist groups, or foreign mercenaries from taking advantage of the current situation in the country to carry out nuclear provocations; such risks are real.

The situation at the Chernobylskaya and Zaporozhskaya nuclear power plants is being monitored jointly by Ukrainian specialists and the Russian military. Background radiation at both nuclear power plants is normal.

The Zaporozhskaya nuclear power plant is operating in normal mode, so civilians living in the adjacent areas are not exposed to risk.

As a country that has a developed nuclear power industry, Russia is fully conscious of the potential risks to nuclear infrastructure and we are doing our best to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities.

We are outraged by the behaviour of the Kiev authorities, who are spreading disinformation about the Russian military’s actions with respect to Ukrainian nuclear power plants. This is information warfare. We will disavow all of it.