Moscow warns the UK against provoking a cyber arms race, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday, commenting on UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who said that London will carry out cyberattacks against hostile states that would attempt to harm the United Kingdom - including against Russia.
"We urge our opponents not to lose their heads and not to provoke a new cyber arms race," she said.
"For many years, the idea of a necessity to ramp up offensive means in informational and cyberspace has been introduced in NATO member states’ public conscience, under the pretext of countering threats allegedly coming from our country - not Russia alone, but Russia gets mentioned, probably, more often than any other state," the diplomat noted.
Zakharova underscored that Russia consistently opposed the militarization of the informational space and advocated using the information and communication technologies for peaceful goals only.
"This is our priority. We repeatedly proposed - to our British partners, in particular - to hold bilateral expert consultations. However, London prefers such hostile, aggressive and simply unbalanced statements and groundless outbursts at Russia to constructive specialized contacts," she added.
"Moscow proposes to cooperate on the entire spectrum of international informational security issues instead of resorting to aggressive rhetoric," the diplomat concluded.
On October 7, on his birthday, Vladimir Putin is holding a meeting with the permanent members of the Security Council on the issue of Russia’s internal stability and security.
Taking part in the meeting were Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Anton Vaino, Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Director of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin and Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov.
Putin predicted the European energy crisis of 2021 back in 2010.
You are giving up Russian gas, you do not want to develop nuclear energy ... what are you going to heat with wood ? After all, you will have to go to our Siberia for firewood, ”joked Vladimir Putin at a meeting with German business in 2010. The joke turned out to be prophetic.
Drills to practice new methods of conducting combat operations were central to the Russian-Belarusian strategic exercise Zapad-2021, in which some new weapon systems, such as attack robots, were used for the first time, Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday.
"Central to the exercise were new forms and methods of conducting combat operations with due regard for the special features of current local wars and armed conflicts. Many things were tested in practice," Shoigu said while reviewing the results of the exercise.
In part, he said that for the first time an airborne battalion of the newest BMD-4M combat vehicles was parachuted at night in bad weather.
"Twenty one Ilyushin-76MD military transport planes parachuted 30 combat vehicles of a new generation," Shoigu said.
Military topographers tested the capabilities of the unified software system Kaleidoskop.
"It allowed for creating a 3D image of virtual combat space, thus making it possible to more accurately study the situation and drastically reduce the time commanders need to make decision," Shoigu said.
For effective fire adjustment and also for meeting the needs of reconnaissance groups unmanned aerial vehicles were used on a wide scale.
"A system of putting out of order a swarm of a hypothetical enemy's attack drones at a distance was employed successfully," Shoigu said.
At proving grounds near Kaliningrad attack robotized systems Platforma-M were used for the first time.
"Remote-controlled tracked robots performed quite well in coping with the task of destroying enemy manpower in urban conditions. At the Mulino proving ground reconnaissance and fire support robots Uran-9 and Nerekhta were used in the combat formations of combined arms units," Shoigu said.
"Military command and control bodies practiced operation in the field at five proving grounds in Belarus and nine proving grounds in Russia. The Baltic Fleet's forces were dealing with their combat training tasks in the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland," he added.
In the first nine months of 2021, Gazprom increased its supplies, or should I say transit volumes through Ukraine, by more than eight percent, Vladimir Putin said at a meeting on the development of energy sector on Wednesday.
"I have to say that there has been all kinds of speculation on Ukraine’s gas transit system and deliveries through this country. I would like to reiterate that under the contract we have to pump 40 billion cubic metres of gas through Ukraine’s gas transit system per year. In the first nine months of 2021, Gazprom increased its supplies, or should I say transit volumes through Ukraine, by more than eight percent. We have every right to believe that we will exceed our contractual obligations in terms of gas transit through Ukraine," he added.
Further increasing these volumes does not make economic sense for Gazprom, since costs will also be higher. It is much cheaper to supply gas using the new pipelines, saving us about $3 billion per year for the supply volumes in question.
In addition, Putin informed those who actually care about preserving the environment, instead of just using this as a political weapon, "that the new pipelines that were launched over the past years or are about to become operational can reduce CO2 emissions 5.6 times thanks to their new equipment.
Accordingly, supply volumes go up, while emissions go down. This has to do with the superior characteristics of these pipelines enabling them to pump gas at a higher pressure," he stressed.
"Everyone must know this," Russian President summed up.
The current situation in the European energy market is another vivid example that hasty and moreover politically charged steps are unacceptable in any area, especially in matters of energy supply, the sustainable operation of enterprises, on which the sustainability of businesses and the well-being and quality of life of millions of people directly depend, Vladimir Putin said at a meeting on the development of energy sector on Wednesday.
Putin invited the participants of the meeting to make proposals about what Russia could do to stabilize the global energy market.
"we are ready to work on it and would like this work to be done on a purely commercial basis, taking into account the interests of all parties involved in this process," the head of state said.
The European Commission (EC) made a mistake when it curtailed long-term contracts and switched to gas trading on the stock exchange, Vladimir Putin said at a meeting on energy sector development on Wednesday.
"The practice of our European partners has once again confirmed that they make mistakes," he said.
"We spoke with the previous line-up of the European Commission, and all of its activities were aimed at curtailing the so-called long-term contracts. It was aimed at the transition to gas exchange trading. It turns out, and today it has become absolutely obvious, that this policy was wrong," Putin concluded.
He explained that such a policy did not take into account the peculiarities of the gas market due to a large number of uncertainties.
"[As a result] consumers, in particular, fertilizer producers are losing price targets altogether. All this leads to disruptions and, as I said, to an imbalance," Putin went on.
The head of state recalled that now the price of gas in Europe had broken its all-time high.
"Today it is already heading to $2,000 per 1,000 cubic meters - more than a tenfold rise above the average price of last year," Putin concluded.
Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that the price of gas in Europe rose to a new all-time high exceeding $1,900 per 1,000 cubic meters. Later on, in the course of the trading, the gas price dropped below $1,450 per 1,000 cubic meters.
Iran is prepared for prompt resumption of negotiations in Vienna on restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for the Iranian nuclear program, Sergey Lavrov told a news conference following talks with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Wednesday.
"The world community is waiting for the United States to return to the legal space of the nuclear deal and to cancel the illegal restrictions against Iran and against all of its trading and economic partners," he said.
"We regard as hopeless and futile attempts by some countries to link the JCPOA with Tehran's consent to compromise on some issues having nothing to do with the deal," Lavrov stressed.
He pointed out that the situation in the region must be discussed beyond the JCPOA framework collectively at one negotiating table.
"This approach constitutes the basis of Russia's concept of security in the Persian Gulf. This document was made public at the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council. We are calling upon the Iranian and Arab friends to keep moving closer together along the road of mutual discussions and coordination of any issues in response to the existing concerns," he added.
Negotiations have been underway in Vienna since April by Iran and the international quintet (Russia, Britain, Germany, China, and France) on restoring the Iranian nuclear deal to its original form. The sides have been discussing the issue of cancelling US sanctions against Iran, Tehran's compliance with its commitments in the nuclear sphere and the United States' return to the JCPOA.
Representatives from the countries that are parties to the agreement have been also holding separate consultations with US emissaries without Iran taking part. Originally the delegates had hoped to be through with this work at the end of May, and then in the first day of June. On September 21, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the talks on restoring the nuclear deal to the full extent would begin in Vienna within several weeks.
Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, actress Yulia Peresild and film director Klim Shipenko have moved from the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft to the International Space Station, as follows from an online broadcast on the Roscomos website.
They were welcomed by ISS commander Thomas Pesquet and other crewmembers, including Russia's Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov.
The Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle blasted off from Baikonur at 11:55 Moscow time on Tuesday. Automated docking with the ISS failed and the operation had to be performed manually.
The Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft brought to the ISS cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, actress Yulia Peresild and film director Klim Shipenko, who will film scenes for what is to become the world's first full-length movie shot in outer space. It will be a story of a female doctor who agrees to go on a space mission to save a cosmonaut's life.
Fuel markets in Europe are in turmoil and panic because of speculation over climate change and investment cuts, Vladimir Putin highlighted on Tuesday.
"You see what’s going on in Europe, the hysteria and that mess on the markets. Why? Simply because nobody takes it seriously. Some speculate on the issue of climate change, while someone else underestimates something, and yet another one starts cutting back investments in the extractive industries," President Putin said at a cabinet meeting.
The transition to de-carbonization of the economy must be smooth, the head of state said. "We, our country, have all the capabilities of avoiding such mistakes. We are witnessing the result of some unbalanced decisions, unbalanced development and dramatic ups and downs. The European energy market clearly demonstrates this," Putin noted.
Russia celebrate a good holiday, Teacher's Day, Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday, at the meeting with winners and finalists of Russia Teacher of the Year contest.
"I wish all the best to you, to all Russian teachers on this wonderful day. it is always filled with joyful, positive emotions and kind words, the smiles of your pupils, their parents, your colleagues, and sincere feelings of gratitude for your noble work, for your effort, for what you are doing for the country, for its future – everything you do, undoubtedly, directly affects its future, and this contribution cannot be overestimated," Putin added.
To highlight the importance of the teaching profession for Russian society, 2023, when country will be marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Konstantin Ushinsky, the founding father of Russian pedagogy, will be the year of teachers and mentors. This will be the Year of the Teacher.
Russia, just as many other countries, feels all the climate change-related threats and risks, Vladimir Putin said at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
"Climate change is a global problem. Just as many other countries, we see and feel all the threats and risks involved, such as desertification, soil erosion, and thawing permafrost, which constitutes about 60% of our territory," Putin said.
Moreover, Putin went on to say, Russia's average annual temperature is rising 2.5 times faster than the global one. "Over ten years it has been up by nearly 0.5 degrees. In the Arctic the warming rate is still higher," he recalled.
All this determines Russia's conscious, serious approach to the problem of global warming, Putin added.
Russia diligently complies with all of its obligations and provides support for the corresponding international initiatives and will keep doing so in the future.
"In the first place, this concerns the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement," he explained.
It is too early to assess the future dialogue with Japan following the formation of a new government, Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on Monday.
"It is premature to speak how the newly elected government will influence anything, since it has been just formed, negotiated and approved. Moreover, as Japan’s new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that the parliamentary elections will be held in the near future. As far as I understand, the current team will primarily prepare for these elections," he said.
The Russian foreign minister mentioned that he had experience of cooperation with Kishida, when the latter held the post of Japan’s foreign minister. "We developed quite constructive relations, frank ones. I note that during his work as Japanese foreign minister at the request of the Russian President and the Japanese Prime Minister we established the concept of joint economic activity on the islands of the southern part of Kuril Ridge. We will see how much we can ensure succession in this and other areas of Russian-Japanese cooperation," Lavrov said.
On Monday, Fumio Kishida was elected by both houses of the nation's parliament to become Japan's 100th prime minister by a majority vote. The election of a new prime minister was held because of the expiration of the powers of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga who replaced Shinzo Abe following his sudden resignation last year.
Russia hopes that Turkey will be guided by the principles of respect to Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity it has repeatedly declared, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday after talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry.
"As for the statement by Mr. [Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim] Kalin, I’d rather cite the statement by President [of Turkey Recep Tayyip] Erdogan who has said publicly more than once that Syria is an independent state and that Turkey will fully respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. That is why, in the context of final settlement, we will proceed from the fact that Turkey will stick to this very position," he said, commenting on Kalin’s statement that Turkey had the same right to be present in Syria as Russia and the United States.
Speaking about foreign armed presence in Syria, Lavrov recalled United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254, which reiterates Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. "Under this resolution, only those armed forces that were invited by the legitimate government of Syria, a United Nations member, have the right to be present in that country. Naturally, it applies to US units. By the way, along with the regular army, there are numerous so-called private military companies. This should also be taken into account," he noted.
The crewed spacecraft Soyuz MS-19 carrying cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, actress Yulia Peresild and film director Klim Shipenko has jettisoned the third stage of the Soyuz-2.1a space rocket and begun autonomous flight to the International Space Station, the announcer said at the Baikonur cosmodrome.
The Soyuz-2.1a rocket blasted off from Baikonur at 11:55 Moscow time. It will take two orbits around the Earth (approximately three hours and 17 minutes) to approach the ISS. The docking with the Rassvet module is due at 15:20 Moscow time.
Peresild and Shipenko have been training for the flight since May. They studied space hardware, improved their physical fitness and underwent psychological training. They are going to the ISS to shoot a space drama under the working title Challenge, telling the story of a female doctor who agrees to go into space to save a cosmonaut's life. Taking part in filming the feature film episodes will be Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov.
Peresild and Shipenko will stay in orbit for 12 days to return to the Earth by the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft together with cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, who has been on the ISS since April. Novitsky will get back to the Earth on October 17, while Shkaplerov and Dubrov will spend another 174 days in space.
The Russian crewmembers are to welcome the arrival of crewed spacecraft Soyuz MS-20 with space tourists and Soyuz MS-21 with cosmonauts, cargo spacecraft Progress MS-18, and nodal module Prichal and make three spacewalks to integrate the multi-purpose research module Nauka with the ISS.
One of Shkaplerov's tasks is to test a new composite radiation protection material. As follows from information available on the website of the Russian space corporation Roscosmos, the Russian crew are to make at least 30 experiments in space biology, physiology, materials processing, remote sensing of the Earth and cosmic rays physics.
Gasprom has started filling with gas the first string of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, the pipeline operator said on Monday.
"This string will be gradually filled to build the required inventory and pressure as a prerequisite for the later technical tests," the company said.
"Previously, the first string of the pipeline underwent pre-commissioning activities to assure the pipeline integrity. This included the internal inspection by special devices (pipeline inspection gauges), as well as external visual and instrumental surveys of the pipeline. Nord Stream 2 will inform further technical steps in due time," the gas pipeline operator said.
"Pre-commissioning steps for the second string are ongoing," the pipeline operator added.
The pipeline was "built and independently certified according to applicable technical and industry standards to ensure reliable and safe operations," the Nord Stream 2 AG said.
Russia is interested in building up multifaceted cooperation with Egypt in all spheres, Sergey Lavrov said at a joint press conference following talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
'We welcomed the dialogue between our defence ministries and security councils and noted the positive effects of regular meetings between our foreign and defence ministers in the 2+2 format. we have agreed to make arrangements to hold the next such meeting early next year," Lavrov said.
Despite a certain decline in mutual trade last year, the growth trend resumed early this year. we agree that the restoration of positive growth will be promoted by the full-scale resumption of flights between Russian cities and the Egyptian Red Sea resorts in August 2021.
"We talked about the importance of large joint investment projects, namely the construction of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant and the establishment of a Russian industrial zone in Egypt," Lavrov added.
Both minister talked at length about a number of current issues.
"Our countries are committed to the central role of the UN and to respect for the norms of international law during the settlement of existing crises and conflicts, including in the Middle East and Africa. we have agreed to continue our close interaction on issues on the agenda of the UN and other multilateral forums," Russian minister noted.
Sergey Lavrov and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry discussed the withdrawal of all foreign armed forces from Libya on Monday, the top Russian diplomat told a press conference on Monday.
"We touched upon the issue of the withdrawal from the country of all non-Libyan armed groups and military units. We have a clear position: these steps must be taken in stages and must be synchronized in time in order to avoid the risk of violating the existing balance of forces, owing to which a ceasefire has been maintained in Libya for already over a year," Lavrov told the news conference after the talks.
The top diplomat also stressed the role of Russia and Egypt in preparations for the Libyan national elections scheduled for December 24. According to him, it was emphasized at the talks that "further work towards unified government agencies and work to re-create the unified armed forces is needed." The top diplomats also confirmed the important role of the UN Support Mission in Libya.
Sergey Lavrov met with Foreign Minister of Egypt Sameh Shoukry in Moscow on Manday.
"We meet regularly. I am sincerely grateful for your hospitality in Cairo last April. I hope we will reciprocate it today," Lavrov said.
Ten days ago, they had a brief meeting in New York and managed to discuss current issues regarding the activities of the UN General Assembly.
Ten days ago, they had a brief meeting in New York and managed to discuss current issues regarding the activities of the UN General Assembly. "This was a useful conversation. now we will have an opportunity to discuss in more detail all aspects of our bilateral relations, especially regional and international problems, Lavrov added.
This frequency of Russian-Egyptian contacts reflects the quality of relations sealed in the Treaty on Comprehensive Partnership and Strategic Cooperation that was signed by presidents of both countries and entered into force in January 2021.
"We will also discuss a schedule for our upcoming contacts, including an important mechanism we must create in the near future, notably, the two+two meetings of our defence and foreign ministers," Lavrov concluded.
Moscow appreciate the fact that you have decided to visit the Russian Federation on your first visit abroad in the capacity of Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, Sergey Lavrov said during his opening remarks during talks with Alen Simonyan.
This reflects the high level of Russian-Armenian allied relations.
This reflects the allied nature of our relations and strategic partnership. "I am aware of the packed schedule of your visit, and this highlights the current level of our relations," Lavrov added.
Lavrov expressed hope for the resumption of full-scale parliamentary cooperation in connection with the parliamentary elections held in Russia and the beginning of the work of the new composition of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
The Northern Fleet’s Severodvinsk nuclear-powered submarine has successfully conducted its first test launch of the Tsirkon hypersonic missile in the Barents Sea, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday.
The launch was performed at a hypothetical sea target in the waters of the Barents Sea. According to objective control’s data, the missile’s trajectory matched the set parameters and it hit the hypothetical target," the military agency reported. According to the Defense Ministry, "the trial launch of the Tsirkon missile from the nuclear-powered submarine was deemed successful."
The Tsirkon missile’s launch was conducted from the water surface position.
On September 30, a source in the military-industrial complex told that the first trial launch of the underwater version of the Tsirkon hypersonic missile would be conducted from the Severodvinsk nuclear-powered submarine in October. Depending on the outcome, the second launch from the underwater position at a sea target is being planned for November.
On July 19, it was reported that the Project 22350 lead frigate Admiral Gorshkov had successfully launched the Tsirkon hypersonic missile at a land target at a speed of Mach 7 and at a distance beyond 350 kilometers. According to the military agency, the frigate launched the missile from the waters of the White Sea. The land target was located on the coast of the Barents Sea.
Russia, unlike the United States, is free from ideological biases or taboos in interactions with foreign policy partners, Sergey Lavrov said at the 29th Assembly of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy.
"Unlike the United States, we don’t have ideological biases, ideological taboos in our relations with foreign partners. However, this is actually our advantage - methodological and practical, since it allows us to play an active mediating role in resolving the conflicts that we consider important to keep on the agenda, to maintain contacts with all players without exceptions," the minister said.
Lavrov stressed that Russia will always defend international law, the central role of the United Nations in the global arena. "Multilateral associations with the participation of Russia are playing an increasing role not only in shaping the regional agenda but also in defining global development trends," the Russian Foreign Minister added. According to him, the results of the latest summits of BRICS, CSTO, and SCO clearly show the growing importance of these structures.
All obstacles preventing the certification of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus by the World Health Organization (WHO) have been removed, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said at a briefing in Geneva on Saturday.
Summarizing the results of his meeting with WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus where, among others, the procedure of including Sputnik V in the list of vaccines recommended by the organization for the Emergency Use Listing for fighting the coronavirus infection was discussed, the Russian health minister said: "The position of the Russian Federation on promoting and registering the Russian Sputnik V vaccine was heard. we have completely resolved all issues to date."
'The applicant company involved in certifying the Sputnik V vaccine with the WHO has to sign a number of documents, submit some additional paperwork - this is an administrative procedure after all - and this will be reviewed," he explained. "As of today, all the barriers have been removed. So we do not see today any obstacles for further work. And this was confirmed to us by the WHO Director General," the Russian health minister concluded.
Ghebreyesus thanked the Russian health minister for the visit saying the meeting was constructive. In his Twitter he emphasized that the WHO Emergency Use Listing process for the vaccines against coronavirus was discussed, among others. He thanked Russian health minister for the "visit and constructive meeting," writing "thank you" in Russian.
To date, the WHO has recommended seven vaccines against coronavirus for the Emergency Use Listing. Additionally, 13 other applications are at the various stages of the review process, including the Russian Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona vaccines.
New AUKUS alliance between the US, the UK, and Australia as well as the four-sided dialogue on security between the US, Japan, India, and Australia (Quad) are directed at eroding the long-standing universal formats of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region existing under the auspices of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Sergey Lavrov said at the 29th Assembly of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy on Saturday.
The Russian top diplomat noted, "one of the most fashionable trends today is the so-called Indo-Pacific strategies that are invented by the United States," in particular, AUKUS and Quad.
"All of this follows the line of eroding the universal formats in the Asia-Pacific Region which existed for the past decades under the auspices of ASEAN," he noted.
The minister named "East Asian summits, the ASEAN security forum, meetings of ASEAN defense ministers and partners, the so-called ASEAN+, and a number of other formats based on the principle of consensus among such universal formats.
"All of them involved all key countries of this region without exception, including China, India, Japan, and the Russian Federation on the basis of equality and mutual consideration of interests," he continued.
Georgy Romanov, a descendant of the House of Romanovs, and his wife, Italian citizen Rebecca Bettarini, wed in St. Petersburg’s Saint Isaac’s Cathedral Friday.
According to the Russian Imperial House, this is the first wedding of a House representative to take place in Russia in over 100 years. Romanov and Bettarini — who converted to Orthodox Christianity and was christened Viktoria Romanovna in July 2020 — officially registered their marriage in a Moscow registry office in late September.
The ceremony was attended by several hundred guests from several countries, including Duke Michael of Wuerttemberg, Duke of Anjour Louis Alphonse de Bourbon, the last king of Bulgaria Simeon Borisov von Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Prince Joachim Louis Napoleon Murat, Prince Philipp and Princess Isabelle of Lichtenstein, and others.
Georgy Mikhailovich Romanov is a son and an heir of the Russian Imperial House head Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, the only child of Vladimir Kirillovich Romanov and Duchess Leonida Georgiyevna Bagration of Mukhrani. The legitimacy of Maria Vladimirovna’s title of Grand Duchess is challenged by the other line of descendants of House Romanov, who trace their bloodline to Emperor Nicholas I’s grandson, Grand Duke Nikolay Nikolayevich.
Russia and Belarus, are smart enough to set up a union of two independent, sovereign states that will be even stronger than a single entity. this issue [of losing independence and joining Russia] is not on the agenda at all, Alexander Lukashchenko said in interview with CNN correspondent Matthew Chance on Thursday.
"It is an invention of the collective West as they say here,” the head of state said.
Aleksander Lukashenko stressed that in fact Belarus has long been an outpost of the Belarus-Russia Union State: “We have actually created a common army in the western direction. A joint armed force with the Belarusian army as its core. in the event of a conflict we will receive the support of all Russian military forces deployed in the western direction. we don’t hide it. I am not trying to scare you. I just remind you that this is what we talk about all the time.”
“Therefore, all these speculations that Belarus will be turned into an outpost are unfounded. if necessary, this outpost will be established within a month,” the head of state added.
The approach of the Ukrainian authorities to the settlement of the conflict in Donbass and the protection of human rights and the rights of ethnic minorities continues to be of serious concern to Russia, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department Alexey Zaytsev said on Friday, at the briefing.
The most recent meeting of the Contact Group and its subgroups on the settlement of the crisis in eastern Ukraine took place online on September 28-29. the lack of specific agreements between the parties to the conflict – Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk – came as an unpleasant, but no longer surprising, outcome of these meetings. the Ukrainian negotiators have once again shown an unwillingness to fulfill their obligations under the Minsk agreements.
Kiev’s policy of sabotaging the Minsk Package of Measures is reflected in their legislative activities. earlier, we discussed the draft law On the Principles of State Policy during the Transition Period, which was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada in August and which directly contradicts the Minsk agreements. this draft law was not discussed with Donetsk or Lugansk. there was no mention of the region’s special status or fundamental rights, nor amnesty for its residents. notably, the most recent report released by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on September 23, 2021 said that “the bill does not meet international standards, does not provide a ... focus on the protection of victims.”
Kiev’s contemptuous disregard for Donbass residents is further illustrated by the situation on the line of contact. the data provided by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission testify to new military preparations by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. the engineering work they carried out this summer is categorised as an offensive action under the Ceasefire Reinforcement Measures adopted in July 2020. recently, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny, said that the Ukrainian military could open return fire without the approval of the country’s leadership. he reiterated that Ukrainian sniper groups had arrived at the line of contact. this contradicts the above document’s provisions. as a result, the number of shelling attacks has been up and the number of victims, including civilians, has increased as well. the UN OHCHR report explicitly states that areas outside the Kiev regime’s control account for 77 percent of the fatalities.
Ukraine residing abroad also have to deal with this. Ukrainian consular offices refuse to provide consular services to their citizens from eastern Ukraine and direct them to Russian consulates which is egregious practice for a consular office.
"Of course, Russian diplomats are trying to help them to the best of their ability and legal capacity, since Ukrainians are not strangers to us," Diplomat added.
Kiev’s hostility towards its own citizens can be seen throughout Ukraine where discrimination against the Russian-speaking and ethnic Russian population continues unabated. people are deprived of the opportunity to live in their native linguistic and cultural environment. UN experts point out that despite the presence in the Constitution of Ukraine of guarantees of free development, use and protection of the Russian and other languages of ethnic minorities, the use of the Russian language is practically outlawed in the country, and “internet bullying and calls for violence, as well as threats and intimidation are used against those who express positive opinions about the Russian language or otherwise express views regarded as pro-Russian.”
Residents of Ukraine are increasingly faced with mockery over the memory of their ancestors on the part of neo-Nazis and nationalists, and the distortion of history of the lands that are part of Ukraine today.
'We have repeatedly expressed all the above and other concerns on earlier occasions. however, Kiev ignores us and the recommendations issued by international agencies. we call on Ukraine’s Western curators, primarily the United States and the EU, to pay close attention to the years-long humiliation and destruction of its own population by the Kiev regime and to persuade the Ukrainian authorities to end the fratricidal war in Donbass and the massive human rights violations, including discrimination against ethnic minorities," Zaytsev noted.
Russia are observing with concern the growing tension in Tajik-Afghan ties amid the tough rhetoric of the two countries’ leaders. there have been reports of both sides pulling armed forces towards the common border. according to the information from the Taliban, in Afghanistan’s border province of Takhar alone there are tens of thousands of special forces fighters. Russia calls on Dushanbe and Kabul to search for mutually acceptable options to resolve the situation, Russian diplomat Alexey Zaytsev said on Friday.
Afghanistan is also facing socioeconomic challenges. A decrease in cash turnover has been noted, and the country’s banking sector is paralysed. an overwhelming majority of public sector employees, including the Taliban military personnel, do not receive their salaries. the deplorable state of the national economy has resulted in a sharp rise in prices, while industrial production has declined. "In these conditions, we have taken note of the decision by the US Treasury Department to allow state institutions, international and nongovernmental organisations to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
We view this as a positive signal, especially since the United States bears the bulk of the responsibility for the developments taking place in Afghanistan today. a positive response from the Taliban has already followed," Zaytsev added.
Moscow also note another statement made by Taliban official spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid about the intention to stop drug trafficking from Afghanistan. Russia hopes the Kabul leadership will take active efforts to counter the Afghan drug threat.
Russia noted a statement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in which he blamed Russia for obstructing the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM), Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department Alexey Zaytsev said on Friday, at the briefing.
Moscow consider his statement as yet another attempt to distort reality. since the beginning of this year, when the participants began consultations on coordinating the agenda and modalities of the Warsaw meeting, Russia has clearly outlined its priorities and consistently pursued them during the talks.
Russia insisted on including an item on the need to counter neo-Nazism and the glorification of Nazism on the agenda because of the aggravation of these problems in the OSCE space. in addition, we wanted the meeting in Warsaw to be organised in line with established practice. the equal and non-discriminatory access of all participants, including NGOs, is an indispensable condition for this.
The refusal of Sweden, as the current OSCE Chair, and Western partners to consider Russia’s proposals is perplexing, particularly when they ignore the increase in neo-Nazi activity and the glorification of Nazis and their accomplices. we believe that without a discussion on this important subject the meeting would block monitoring of the deteriorating human rights situation, something Mr Blinken accuses Russia of. 'We would like to emphasise that Russia has done all it can to resolve any problems with regard to holding the Warsaw meeting. In this context, we believe that attempts to cast our position as obstructive are dishonest and harmful to the spirit of partnership and cooperation in the OSCE," Zaytsev stressed.
Alexander Lukashenko has refuted statements by Poland’s leadership that the Belarusian side is facilitating the increased flow of refugees to the West in an interview with CNN on Thursday.
The Belarusian leader also sharply reacted to CNN correspondent Matthew Chance’s remark that, according to the Polish authorities, the refugees are drugged and delivered to the border by force.
"This is madness. Everything that the Polish government does is insanity. You are saying that we are feeding drugs to people? Present the facts! If there are such facts, I will bear the responsibility," the Belarusian president said. "One has to sort things out. Why don’t you want to sort out what is happening on the border? We are ready for it," he noted.
Lukashenko reiterated that the migrants are heading to Europe not only via Belarus but following other routes as well. "So many people are dying there in the hundreds. By crossing the Mediterranean Sea thousands of people get into the EU. In exactly the same way they went through Belarus. They are not coming to us - they are coming to you. Because you invited them there. Why did you invite them there?" the head of state inquired. "Why now you are not admitting people who are fleeing war in those countries you devastated? Had they been coming to Belarus and wanted to remain while we expelled them to Poland or Lithuania, you would have objected. Yet now there are no such people who want to stay in Belarus and I am throwing them out," the Belarusian leader said.
Since August, almost 10,000 migrants have attempted to illegally cross the Belarusian-Polish border. Some 1,200 illegal migrants have been detained and housed at guarded centers in Poland. The Polish authorities pin the blame on the Belarusian leadership which, according to Warsaw, allegedly transports the migrants to Belarus and then ships them to the border with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia in order to provoke the migration crisis in Europe.
At the end of May, Lukashenko stated that his country served as a barrier on the path of human trafficking to neighboring countries, however, considering the West’s political pressure, Minsk may think twice about continuing to block the flow.
Russia is willing to help Kazakhstan restore its population of Turanian tigers, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at a plenary session of the 17th Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum.
"We will be glad to support [this project] both at the government and expert levels. Our specialists, who have accumulated very good experience in recent years, will definitely be interested in it," Putin noted.
During the forum, the Russian leader showed interest in the report on plans to restore the population of tigers delivered by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Ecology, Geology, and Natural Resources Serikkali Brekeshev. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev explained that the last time Turanian tigers were seen in modern Kazakhstan was in the 1930s, then the animals disappeared. "Currently, we are developing a global project to restore the population of the tigers. We invite Russian specialists to take part in this exciting project," the Kazakh president stated.
Commenting on how the population can be repopulated, Tokayev suggested that biologists would take Russian tigers as the basis for further research. In response, Putin recalled Russia’s experience in restoring the populations of some animals such as the Caucasian leopard and the Siberian snow leopard.
"It’s certainly a challenging task. The specialists from other countries are helping us, we also have the status of UNESCO and other international organizations. And, of course, Russia’s support will be essential here," the Kazakh president concluded.
Group-IB founder Ilya Sachkov, arrested over charges of treason, worked for foreign intelligence and handed them classified information on cybersecurity, according to the investigation.
According to the source, Sachkov could have been "employed" by intelligence agencies of several countries, but they will not be named in the interest of the investigation.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) military counter-intelligence has joined the investigation.
Earlier, the media reported that searches happened in Group-IB offices. The company’s press service said it is unaware of the reasons for the investigative measures.
A court arrested Sachkov until November 27. he denies the charges of high treason inflicting reputational and national damage to Russia’s interests. He also denies that he collaborated with foreign intelligence services, source said.
The case materials are classified and no further details are available.
In 2016, Sachkov was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. he is an associate professor of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University IT Security Department, and a member of Russian State Duma and Foreign Ministry expert committee.
Saying goodbye to Recep Tayyip Erdogan after three hours of talks on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin advised he should use Russia's Sputnik for his next booster jab and boasted of high antibody levels.
Vladimir Putin delivers remarks on unique technologies for nuclear space energy, ground infrastructure, rocket launches, as well as on the creation of a Russian service orbital station at a meeting on development of the space industry, on Wednesday.
In the past few years, Russia have made considerable progress in developing unique technology for the nuclear space power industry. By expert estimates, Russia is six to seven years ahead of its rivals, ahead of the rest of the world.
"This is a very good foundation, and we must use this advantage, support breakthrough scientific research in cosmonautics and expedite the practical introduction of advanced technological solutions. We will discuss specific steps for this today," Putin said.
Russia leads in space launches. Last year, 17 carrier rockets were successfully launched and 15 carrier rockets have followed suit recently, this year.
"To maintain the lead in this area we must focus on high reliability in our domestic hardware – in both launching manned flights and delivering payloads into orbit. Finally, we must master the next generation of carrier rockets that meet all the requirements of our customers both domestically and in the international market, President noted.
Russian specialists are working on the idea of creating a Russian service orbital station.
"Under the current agreements, the ISS will complete its flight in 2024. Although this term can be extended, we must look beyond the horizon of this decade, consider new challenges in the exploration of deep space and also our national plans for developing infrastructure and exploring our own vast territories, including the Arctic zone," Putin added.
The presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have finished their talks in Sochi. The talks began at approximately 13:30 Moscow time and lasted about three hours.
The two leaders discussed the agenda in the economic sector and in international relations. In particular, Putin pointed to the successful cooperation of the two countries on the situation in Syria and Libya. He also focused on the work of the center to control the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the Russian leader, this cooperation "is a strong guarantee" of stability in the region.
Also, energy was on the agenda. Putin thanked Erdogan for his stance on the construction of TurkStream, owing to which Ankara feels safe amid the difficulties on the European gas market. The Turkish leader, for his part, touched upon the issue of a joint project - the construction of the first Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the country, whose first power unit may be unveiled already next year.
This face-to-face meeting was the first for the two presidents in the past year-and-a-half. Their previous meeting was in March 2020, at the Kremlin, when Erdogan also paid a working visit to Russia. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, subsequent talks were held either over the phone or via a video link, in bilateral or multilateral formats.
"In this video, fragments with translators have been cut out, so do not pay attention to the sudden movements of the leaders," TKS warned.
The presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have finished their talks in Sochi.
The two leaders discussed the agenda in the economic sector and in international relations. In particular, Putin pointed to the successful cooperation of the two countries on the situation in Syria and Libya. He also focused on the work of the center to control the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to the Russian leader, this cooperation "is a strong guarantee" of stability in the region.
Also, energy was on the agenda. Putin thanked Erdogan for his stance on the construction of TurkStream, owing to which Ankara feels safe amid the difficulties on the European gas market. The Turkish leader, for his part, touched upon the issue of a joint project - the construction of the first Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the country, whose first power unit may be unveiled already next year.
This face-to-face meeting was the first for the two presidents in the past year-and-a-half. Their previous meeting was in March 2020, at the Kremlin, when Erdogan also paid a working visit to Russia. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, subsequent talks were held either over the phone or via a video link, in bilateral or multilateral formats.
The Kremlin called Ukraine's hysterical reaction to the deal, which was concluded by Hungary and the Russian Gazprom.
As the press secretary of the president Dmitry Peskov noted, firstly, we are talking about long-term agreements guaranteeing Hungary and its consumers reliable supplies of blue fuel. Moreover, in accordance with the norms of international trade. And, secondly, this issue concerns bilateral relations between Moscow and Budapest. So to say that the deal is allegedly directed against Kiev, Peskov noted, is at least inappropriate. The discontent of the Kiev authorities, in fact, was caused by the fact that Russian blue fuel will be supplied to Hungary bypassing Ukraine - through the Turkish Stream and gas pipelines of South-Eastern Europe, in total up to 4.5 billion cubic meters per year. Kiev considers this a blow to bilateral relations and threatens Budapest with retaliation. The Ambassador of Ukraine was summoned to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry after such statements. Later, by the way, according to media reports, a similar invitation - only in Kiev - was received by the head of the Hungarian diplomatic mission. However, in Budapest they say openly: the main thing that guided the deal with Gazprom was national interests. And Ukraine's reaction is, in fact, a violation of Hungary's sovereignty.
Support for families with children remains the focus of the Russian government, Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday at the meeting on economic issues.
"Of course, we remain focused – as we have repeatedly said, I would like to emphasise this once again – on supporting families with children. This year, I have suggested several new measures on this score, including an allowance for expectant mothers in need, childcare sick leave payments for children of up to eight years equal to an average wage, as well as an allowance for a child aged between 8 and 17, who is brought up by a single parent, or if a low-income family is entitled to alimony by a court decision. The allocations for these payments have also been included in the new budget," Putin said.
Putin stressed that the Russian government should create an integrated support system for families with children over the next few years.
"I would like to stress it once again: we have repeatedly discussed this. Generally, the rate of what should be done is quite clear and, of course, we will have to do this starting from the moment a mother-to-be is expecting her baby right up to after her child graduates from school," Putin added.
The behavior of Russia’s macroeconomic indicators will always be in the Kremlin’s spotlight given the instability shaking up the global economy, Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday when opening a meeting on economic issues.
"The situation in the global economy, as we are well aware, still remains unstable, turbulent, and we therefore agreed that the movement of macroeconomic indicators will permanently be the focus of our attention - our special attention," the head of state pledged.
Putin clarified that this was vital both during the adoption of the budget law and during its implementation, "to make timely, prompt adjustments and refinements to economic, infrastructural and social development programs, and launch extra measures to support the population if possible," the president said.
The current meeting is the final one on the topic of reviewing the federal budget draft for 2022 and the planned period of 2023-2024, Putin noted. The government "accomplished a lot" when preparing this document, the leader noted.
"We have already considered the projection of Russia’s socio-economic development for the near future. Based on this forecast, plans are made for the income and expenditure part of the budget and the key parameters of the country’s main financial document are determined," Putin added.
