Kremlin Says Reports About Reducing Gas Supplies To EU Amid Sanctions Are ‘Fake Hysteria’

Reports that Russia could allegedly cut gas supplies to Europe in the event of sanctions are an example of "fake hysteria", Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"This is another brilliant example of fake hysteria. Hysteria, which is constructed through various fake and provocative false stories," he said.

Peskov stressed that Russia, even in the most difficult moments of relations with the West, "was a reliable guarantor of Europe's energy security". "In the most difficult moments of confrontation between East and West, Russia flawlessly fulfilled its contractual obligations," he recalled.

When asked if Moscow would continue to behave this way in the event of new sanctions, Peskov confirmed, "Russia has never given anyone a reason to doubt its reliability."

DPR Head Says Ukraine Pull Artillery And Tanks To Donbass

Kiev is actively preparing for a forceful solution to the conflict in Donbass, Head of the DPR Denis Pushilin said on Monday.

The US and UK are recalling their diplomats from Ukraine. Austria and Latvia are also ready for this. At the same time, even the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called such decisions premature. Because of the same mythical threat of military action from Russia, NATO announced today that the Alliance is sending ships and fighters to Eastern Europe.

Earlier, Western media, including The New York Times, citing informed sources in the US administration, wrote that Washington could transfer up to 5,000 military and equipment to the countries of Eastern Europe and the Baltic states. The day before, a new batch arrived in Ukraine - more than 80 tons of weapons, as well as Javelin anti-tank missile systems.

The fact that Kiev is actively preparing for a forceful solution to the conflict in Donbass was reported today in both Luhansk and Donetsk. Ukraine is pulling up artillery and tanks to the line of contact. The head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, spoke about this in an interview with Channel One.

“The concentration of personnel along the line of contact, as well as the pulling up of equipment from Ukraine, causes more concern. There are instructors from the United States and instructors from the UK. Several groups have been transferred over the last period of time, the last group is 40 people, which is now based in the Avdiivka area. Before that, several sabotage groups were deployed, which were aimed specifically at destruction, at the commission of terrorist acts against infrastructure facilities,” he said.

'Blinken's Paradox' History Of Anti-Russian Hysteria

Drawing a parallel with Secretary of State Blinken's favorite hobby, there are only two songs in his repertoire lately, but both have already become hits in America. Here is the first one: “Russia has begun planning military operations in Ukraine. The invasion of Ukraine is unjustified, unforgivable, unacceptable.” And here is the second disc, which seems to be jamming: “The consequences for Russia will be severe! Moscow will face very serious consequences. There will be very serious consequences for Russia.”

It seems to be nothing surprising, because the future Secretary of State studied and took his first steps in politics at the height of the Cold War. But when official Washington considered the Soviet Union an "evil empire" and imposed sanctions, Blinken opposed a confrontation with Moscow.

The main gas pipeline from the Yamal Peninsula through the Volga region and Ukraine was supposed to pump blue fuel to the capitalist countries of Europe, which gave the USSR billions in loans for construction. Germans, British, French, Belgians, Italians and Dutch - potential adversaries for Moscow turned into Western partners. The US was furious.

The United States imposes sanctions on the export of oil and gas technologies to the Soviet Union, then expands them so that Europeans cannot use American developments in Siberia. Europe called the sanctions illegal, and notes of protest flew across the ocean.

At this time, a young lawyer and aspiring apparatchik of the Democratic Party, Blinken, writes the monograph “Ally versus Ally”, in which he argues that American sanctions, first of all, harm the Americans, because they themselves could make good money on the Siberian gas pipeline.

“For American business, the most obvious effect of pipeline sanctions is the loss of Soviet contracts. According to the US government, the sale of oil and gas technologies and equipment to the USSR would bring profit to our companies in the amount of 300 to 600 million dollars," Blinkin writes in his monograph.

An even bigger problem, Blinken believed at the time, was that America, with a whip in its hands, ceased to be a reliable partner for anyone.

“Foreign buyers of American technology have realized that their introduction into production carries a double risk. First, embedded technologies may suddenly become unavailable due to sudden US export bans. And secondly, fearing the same sudden bans, other countries may refuse to import products just because they are made using American technology," he writed.

The conflict with the European home is a direct damage to American interests, but this is not even the main thing. Blinken argued that people on the other side of the Iron Curtain were not afraid of sanctions.

“You can destroy the communist ideology, but Russian patriotism will unite millions of people. For Russians, this is at the level of reflexes - in difficult times to rally under the flag ... Even a successful trade war for the West can be much more dangerous than the peaceful sale of non-strategic technologies to Moscow,” Blinkin writes in his monograph.

As for bilateral relations, Blinken advocated an early end to the Cold War.

“Many Western diplomats have claimed that personal contact with the Russians led them to the idea of seeking a constructive working relationship with the Soviet Union. Similar things can happen to the Soviet elite in contact with the West. In this way, Cold War stereotypes can be erased,” he writed.

It is a paradox, but Blinken himself, once in power, first in the Obama cabinet, and then as head of the State Department under Biden, began to reproduce exactly the same stereotypes on an industrial scale.

More than 30 years have passed, and in the US-Europe tandem, as before, an ally goes against an ally. The USSR is long gone, but the problems of the leaders of the "free world" are still the same. In addition, the leaders themselves have become minor.

It used to be that even Democrats voted for a Republican president, Reagan's support was so great. And on the other side of the Atlantic, Margaret Thatcher and François Mitterrand discussed with him on an equal footing. And when Washington tried to create a special economic secretariat in NATO in order to dictate its will to all Western business, the Europeans immediately blocked the project. But now the US Secretary of State speaks directly about American exceptionalism, while the allies keep quiet.

“The world does not organize itself. When America retreats, one of two things happens. Or another country that does not share our interests and values is trying to take our place. Or no one does, and the world plunges into chaos. In both cases, this is bad for America,” said Anthony Blinken.

This insight probably came to Blinken in the 1990s when he became a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Formally unaffiliated with the state, this organization has been working for almost a century on various forms of exporting American ideology. For example, the architecture of NATO was invented there. Once in this closed club, Blinken automatically got into the personnel reserve of the Democratic Party.

“Ideologically, he always belonged to the so-called group of liberal interventionists - people who, since the Clinton era, believed that it was necessary to overthrow objectionable regimes and establish democratic ones. Blinken, although forced to act on the instructions of his boss, is generally a hardliner," Professor of political science of  Tennessee University Andrey Korobkov said.

  Is it because when the Republicans came to the White House, Blinken waited out, working in lobbying structures? He worked closely with the defense departments, and therefore hardly accidentally advocated the invasion of Iraq and demanded that the most severe measures be applied to Iran. Calling for a military operation in Libya, he went against his boss, Biden. And he supported Trump's opponent, as soon as he wanted to bomb Syria. Blinken is not so much a Democrat as a representative of the Washington "war party", which was bored after the end of the Afghan campaign.

“As soon as the campaign in Afghanistan ended, in America they suddenly started talking about the growing tension in Ukraine and about the Russian invasion. What does it mean? Quite simply, the US foreign policy and defense establishment needed a new conflict. It's a huge business, worth hundreds of billions of dollars. More conflicts, more tension: with Russia, China, Iran. People like Blinken don't want to solve problems, they want tension because it's good for business,” Journalist John Varoli said.

However, Russia is not Iraq, it is not worth straining it too much, otherwise the business may burn out. It's written in Blinken's book as a candidate of law. Maybe Secretary Blinken should reread it?

Zakharova Says West Seeking To Prepare Information Space For Major Provocations

The West is seeking to prepare information space for a series of large-scale provocation, including military ones, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday.

"[Information space] is being prepared, probably, for a range of large-scale provocations and public opinion is being prepared for that. It is very important for the collective West, for NATO, for Britons and Americans to create a corresponding information realm. They cannot act without it," she said in an interview with the Rossiya-1 television channel.

"Why are they doing that? What for? We don’t rule out large-scale information manipulations and provocations in future. We don’t rule out military provocations either," she said.

According to Zakharova, a series of fakes have already been spread via traditional mass media, not at the level of social networks. "Let us remember an article in the New York Times about the alleged evacuation of the Russian embassy in Ukraine. Let us remember a recent Bloomberg publication (that China’s leader had allegedly asked Russia not to invade Ukraine during the Olympic Games), which was refuted by both the Russian foreign ministry and China’s foreign ministry and the Chinese embassy said it yesterday," Zakharova said, adding that another example is the British Foreign Office’s fake about Russia’s alleged plans to change government in Ukraine.

The UK Foreign Office said earlier that Russia’s government is seeking to install a pro-Russian government in Ukraine, with former member of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (parliament) Yevgeny Murayev as its head.

Commenting on this statement, the Russian foreign ministry called on the British colleagues to stop indulging in provocations.

British Founds Future President Of Ukraine In Russian Sanctions Lists

The Russian Foreign Ministry called on British diplomats to "stop spreading nonsense" after claiming that Moscow allegedly plans to bring a pro-Russian politician to power in Kiev. The  Foreign Office even names the name - Yevgeny Muraev, a former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada. True, he himself, as it turned out, did not suspect this. In addition, Muraev, to put it mildly, does not have the best relationship with Moscow.

Did the Ukrainian politician Yevgeny Muraev, speaking about power, know that the West would prophesy for him the presidency in all seriousness? In any case, the statement of the British Foreign Office, published today, was commented by the ex-deputy of the Rada with surprise. More precisely, not a statement, but an exposure of the "insidious plan of the Kremlin."

"We have information that indicates that the Russian government intends to imprison a pro-Russian leader in Kiev, while at the same time considering whether to invade and occupy Ukraine. Former Ukrainian MP Yevheniy Murayev is being considered as a possible candidate," it says in a statement.

Meanwhile, Muraev has been banned from entering Russia for three years now.

“I have been under Russian sanctions since 2018 because of the conflict with Medvedchuk. My family's assets have been seized there. How does the British intelligence services and the Foreign Office combine this with the fact that Russia allegedly wants to appoint me the head of the 'occupation government.'  This is a question for Mr. Bean,"politician said.

British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss, who exposed the "Kremlin's plan," does not explain why Muraev was chosen. Notorious for her ride in a NATO tank near Russian borders, Truss has repeatedly sparkled with belligerent rhetoric against Moscow this week, fueling hysteria about a mythical Russian invasion of Ukraine, which Truss says has already survived (and this is a quote from an Oxford graduate) - “invasions from Mongols to Tatars."

Here is how the Russian Foreign Ministry reacted to the exposure of their British colleagues: “The disinformation spread by the British Foreign Office is another evidence that it is the NATO countries, led by the Anglo-Saxons, who are escalating tensions around Ukraine. We call on the British Foreign Office to stop provocative activities, stop spreading nonsense and concentrate on studying the history of the Tatar-Mongol yoke.”

Earlier, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, did not rule out that more and more provocations should be expected from the West.

"A Bloomberg publication that Chinese President Xi Jinping allegedly asked Russian President Vladimir Putin not to invade Ukraine during the Olympic Games is an operation of US intelligence agencies," she said.

The Chinese embassy in Moscow called these reports lies. Zakharova called it not just a fake, but a US special information operation. 

"We are expecting provocations from the US and the Kiev regime led by them, both informational and, it cannot be ruled out, military ones," she wrote on her Telegram channel. "They may do it, especially since they have a plenty of experience."

Immediately after the publication of the statement of the British Foreign Office about the imaginary plans of the Kremlin, the United States expressed concern. Biden discussed the situation around Ukraine with members of the National Security Council. As reported in the White House, it was about possible measures to contain Moscow and the supply of military assistance to Ukraine, whose army is already concentrating additional forces in the Donbass. This was announced from the territory not controlled by Kiev.

“The enemy placed the Osa complex near the settlement of Dmitrovka. Ukrainian militants prevented the work of OSCE observers in two settlements. Thus, in the areas of the settlements of Artem and Zolotoe, the mobile groups of the battalion, using the Bukovel-AD station, suppressed the signals of the control channels of the UAV mission of the OSCE mission," Officer of the press service of the People's Militia Department of the LPR Alexander Mazeikin said.

Ukraine needs more and more weapons. Official Kiev not only does not hesitate to ask the West for this, taking advantage of the fear that is being pumped up about the Russian threat. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry even called the German ambassador to the carpet, expressing deep disappointment that the FRG did not provide weapons. In addition, Kiev is outraged by the words of the commander-in-chief of the German fleet Schönbach, who dared to deny the likelihood of a Russian invasion.

"No, this is nonsense," he said. 

He also urged Kiev to forget about Crimea. “There is no Crimean peninsula, it will never return. Everything! This is a fact,” said Kai-Ahim Schönbach.

However, Schönbach has already been forced not only to publicly declare that all this is his personal opinion, but also to resign.

Su-35S Fighters Relocate To Belarus As Part Of Check Of Reaction Forces Of Union State

EMD's Su-35S fighters crews relocate to the Republic of Belarus as part of the check of the reaction forces of the Union State on Saturday.

During flight tasks, the crews of the Russian Aerospace Forces will practice flights to the maximum range, landing at Belarusian airfields, as well as joint preparation for re-flights with Belarusian specialists.

The check of the reaction forces of the Union State will take place in two stages.

At the first stage (until February 9), there will be the transfer and creation of groupings of troops (forces) on the territory of the Republic of Belarus as soon as possible, the organization of protection and defence of important state and military facilities, the protection of the State Border in the airspace, the check of the readiness and ability of the air defence forces on duty and means to fulfill the tasks of covering important objects on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

At the second stage of the check, from February 10 to February 20, Union Courage 2022 joint exercise will be held, the purpose of which will be to practice tasks of suppressing and repelling external aggression during a defensive operation, as well as countering terrorism and protecting the interests of the Union State.

During the exercise, measures will be taken to strengthen the protection of the State Border to prevent the penetration of armed groups of militants, to block the channels for the delivery of weapons and ammunition, as well as to search for, block, and destroy illegal armed formations and sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the enemy.

Practical actions of troops (forces) will take place at the Domanovsky, Gozhsky, Obuz-Lesnovsky, Brestsky and Osipovichsky training grounds, as well as certain areas located on the territory of the Republic of Belarus. It is planned to involve Baranovichi, Luninets, Lida and Machulishchi airfields.

The number of participants in the exercise, as well as the number of major weapons systems that fall under the scope of the Vienna Document 2011, do not exceed the parameters determined by it, which are subject to notification.

Joint Naval Exercise CHIRU-2022 Of Warships Of Russia, China And Iran In Gulf of Oman

The CHIRU-2022 joint Russian-Chinese-Iranian naval exercise took place in the Gulf of Oman (the northern part of the Arabian Sea) and in the airspace above it.

The Russian side was represented by a detachment of ships of the Pacific Fleet consisting of the guards cruiser Varyag, the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs and the large sea tanker Boris Butoma. A total of 14 warships and auxiliary vessels were involved in the exercise from three fleets.

In the course of practical actions, the ships of the Russian Navy, together with the Chinese and Iranian Naval Forces, performed artillery firing on a naval target, carried out joint tactical maneuvering, worked out search and rescue tasks at sea.

In the final part of the CHIRU-2022 exercise, the practical skills of the parties in conducting inspection actions and freeing a ship conditionally captured by pirates were improved. In this episode of the exercise, an amphibious helicopter and special units of the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Armed Forces of Iran) were involved.

After the completion of the exercise, the ships of the Pacific Fleet will continue the transition according to the long-distance campaign plan.

A detachment of ships of the Pacific Fleet left Vladivostok for a campaign in December 2021 to solve tasks in the Asia-Pacific region. During this period, the ships conducted a number of private training sessions at sea, visited the Indian port of Cochin and took part in the PASSEX exercise with an Indian Navy ship.

In the future, the ships of the Pacific Fleet will make the transition to the Mediterranean Sea, where, together with the forces of the Northern and Baltic fleets, they will take part in the exercises of the Navy's inter-fleet grouping.

In accordance with the training plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for 2022, a series of naval exercises are held in January-February in all areas of responsibility of the fleets under the general leadership of the Russian Navy Admiral Nikolai Evmenov.

The main focus of the exercises is to work out the actions of the Navy and Aerospace Forces to protect Russian national interests in the world Ocean, as well as to counter military threats to the Russian Federation from sea and ocean directions.

In total, it is planned to involve more than 140 warships and support vessels, more than 60 aircraft, 1,000 units of military equipment, and about 10,000 military personnel to participate in the events.

Lavrov Сalls US State Department Report On 'Kremlin Disinformation' Unreadable And Deceitful

A recent report penned by the US Department of State in the run-up to the Geneva meeting about Russia’s so-called ‘disinformation’ on Ukraine is impossible to comprehend, and Moscow has already expressed its reaction on this score, Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

"These papers, which the [US] Department of State specifically prepared for today’s meeting, are impossible to read," Lavrov said following his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"However, we have a special department, which is led by an official representative of the ministry and which is obliged to carefully scrutinize them," Lavrov noted. "Our reaction to them [the documents] has been already expressed," he concluded.

According to Lavrov, the reader should randomly open any page of the said report to understand that it can't stand up to any criticism.

"It’s a pure lie regarding the most of it [the so-called report]," Russia’s top diplomat stated.

On January 20, the US Department of State released ‘examples’ of Russia’s alleged "disinformation" efforts and its sole evaluation of the role of RT TV and the Sputnik news agency in Russia’s "disinformation and propaganda ecosystem."

According to the Department of State, "the Kremlin creates and spreads disinformation in an attempt to confuse and overwhelm people about Russia’s real actions in Ukraine, Georgia, and elsewhere in Europe," while RT and Sputnik "play a crucial role in how Russia uses disinformation to advance its foreign policy."

Lavrov Says Experience Of Russia West Relations Abounds In Examples Of Unfulfilled Promises

The experience of Russia’s relations with Western countries abounds in examples of their failure to fulfill their promises on European security issues, Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference after his talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday.

"The experience of our communication with Western counterparts on the issues of European security abounds in examples when something was promised but was not fulfilled," Russia’s top diplomat pointed out.

"Our American counterparts, other West Europeans and NATO members are, of course, not good at this [the fulfillment of promises]," Lavrov said.

Lukashenko Warns Against Ukrainian Neo-Nazism

We had no idea that several decades after the end of the Great Patriotic War, thugs with fascist swastikas would march along the central streets of Kiev and other cities, Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday.

Lavrov Participates In Bilateral Meeting With Swiss' Cassis

After Friday talks in Geneva with the US Secretary of State, Sergey Lavrov participate in a bilateral meeting with President of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis.

Zakharova Сlaims US Officials Themselves Do Not Understand What They Are Saying

US officials invariably mention the US education system as one of their achievements. But their statements cast doubts on this claim. They either don’t understand the reality, or don’t know facts or are unable to draw conclusions based on the available facts, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

"It is impossible to accept what our US partners are saying because of their complete disregard for the situation in Belarus, its reality and everything that is taking place around it and on its border. Moreover, they are highlighting a certain political component and are citing “facts” that are not facts at all. It is impossible to go into detail on these issues," she said, answering the agency's Belta question. Zakharova gave an example confirming her point of view.

"The US President held a news conference yesterday. Just take a look at the questions about Ukraine the journalists asked. They said clearly (their words cannot be interpreted in any other way) that Russia is ready to attack Ukraine. They presented this assumption as a hard fact. Moreover, they used it to ask the US President about the US response and possible plans to repel Russia. But this assumption is not a fact. Planted in the US information space through leaks, sources and official statements, this assumption has proliferated, has become a subject for analysis in the media, and is now formulated as a question for the US politicians. There is a difference between reality and assumptions, but assumptions have been repeated so often that they are now presented as reality and facts," she noted. Much of what Washington representatives are saying now is something even their American colleagues find hard to understand.

"The other day, Victoria Nuland mentioned 18 response scenarios in case Russia attacks Ukraine. It looks as if this shocked everyone, including the US State Department, the White House and US security agencies. What 18 scenarios? Where did she get them? Nobody could answer this question when people started asking," she added.

"Such statements are cut from the same cloth," she stressed.

Geneva Lavrov-Blinken Meeting On Security Guarantees

Moscow expects that Friday’s talks in Geneva will help Washington prepare specific responses to all of Russia’s proposals on security guarantees, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"When you called me on the phone and suggested that we should meet so that you could get clarification of our concerns, we thought that it was a fruitful idea because we expect that it [the meeting] will help you prepare specific responses to all of our proposals and put forward your own proposals if you have any," Lavrov noted.

The US-initiated phone call took place on January 18, with Lavrov and Blinken discussing the prospects for contacts in the near future.

On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry released a draft agreement on security guarantees between Russia and the United States and a draft agreement on ensuring the security of Russia and NATO member states. Consultations on the issue took place in Geneva on January 10, followed by a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council in Brussels on January 12 and a session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Permanent Council in Vienna on January 13.

Zakharova 'Space, Policy, Overarching, NATO - What Could Be Wrong?'

On January 17, NATO released a document titled NATO’s Overarching Space Policy. Space, policy, overarching, NATO – what could be wrong? This document sets forth the alliance’s priority objectives and tracks regarding outer space. The average person or anyone lacking professional insight into these matters might not see any threat there. However, an in-depth look into this document reveals that the devil is in the details, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

"This is a biased document. In fact, it is provocative, and is based on the destructive tenets preached by major NATO space powers led by the United States with a view to placing weapons in space, using force or threat of force against the space assets of other countries, and turning outer space into an arena for military confrontation. This is a telling example of how all the assurances of NATO’s peaceful aspirations do not hold water. I would like to pinpoint a small detail, which is not small at all, since we are discussing outer space," dhe added.

This document provides for the possibility of invoking Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty (collective defence) in response to attacks to, from, or within outer space. In fact, this provision gives NATO states the freedom to use kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities in outer space since it will be up to NATO to decide on a case-by-case basis whether something qualifies as an “attack.”

This is obviously yet another attempt to legitimise the use of force in outer space, which runs counter to the internationally approved goal of preventing an arms race in space. It seems that the NATO countries believe such behaviour to be a responsible approach to space.

"NATO’s Overarching Space Policy demonstrates yet again that Russia’s proposals on binding security guarantees are relevant and timely, as are our initiatives, which benefit from wide-ranging support on behalf of like-minded countries, to prevent an arms race in outer space. This is a question of drafting a legally binding instrument banning the deployment of any kind of weapon in outer space, using force or threat of force to, from, or within space, as well as having the UN member states undertake a political commitment that they will not be the first to place weapons in outer space," Zakharova stressed.

Zakharova Greets Russians 'Happy Republic Of Crimea Day'

Marked on January 20, the Republic of Crimea Day was established in 2009 and reaffirmed in 2014 under a law adopted by the Republic of Crimea, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted on Thursday.

"I would like to convey my greetings to all citizens of our country on Republic of Crimea Day. We offer our congratulations to the people living in this Russian region and wish them good health, peace and prosperity within Russia, our united homeland," she added.

This date, as well as the approaching anniversary of the Crimean Spring, gives us a great opportunity to remind everyone that the people living on this peninsula spent more than 20 years fighting for self-determination and justice. They were fighting for the very democracy the West has been preaching, at least in theory, while turning out to be completely oblivious of its commitments and promises in real life. It is in Crimea that we witnessed the ultimate triumph of democracy. This 20-year effort led the people of Crimea back home in 2014. The chronicle of how this popular will and hope gathered momentum among the people of Crimea as they moved toward reunification marks the main milestones of this truly noble cause.

On November 12, 1990, the Crimean Regional Council of People’s Deputies decided at its extraordinary session to hold a referendum on changing the Crimean Region into the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, as it existed until 1945. During the referendum on January 20, 1991 (which is the date for Republic of Crimea Day), more than 93 percent of voters supported recreating the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as an entity within the USSR.

However, Kiev sought to retake the initiative. On February 12, 1991, the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic adopted a law reinstituting the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The corresponding amendments to the 1978 Constitution of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic were adopted just four months later. This distorted the will of Crimeans, but they kept on fighting for their noble cause.

On May 5, 1992, Simferopol adopted the Act of State Independence for the Republic of Crimea, which stipulated the right to elect a president, government and supreme court independently, as well as introduced Crimean citizenship and state languages.

On May 13, 1992, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada recognised the resolutions of the Crimean parliament to promulgate the Act of State Independence and hold a new referendum, as unconstitutional and invalidated them.

On June 14, 1993, Crimea’s Supreme Council created the office of president of the Republic of Crimea. Supported by 72 percent of the voters, Yury Meshkov held this position from February 1994 through March 1995. On March 27, 1994, Crimea held a new referendum with the majority of voters backing the initiatives of the popularly elected president to promote closer integration with Russia.

Ukraine’s Central Election Commission and President called the March 27, 1994, referendum illegal, and in 1995 imposed a constitution on Crimea with both the presidential office and sovereignty missing from it.

The people of Crimea remember all too well how Ukraine trampled upon their rights and freedoms, attacked the Russian language, and sought to artificially impose alien historical views and values, as well as plans to deploy NATO forces, and military exercises openly declaring that Russia was their adversary. Everyone remembers the threats of invasion professed by the Maidan radicals. All this led the people of Crimea to choose, in all solidarity, reunification with Russia in the March 16, 2014, referendum.

"Crimea and Sevastopol have changed over the past few years. I have travelled there many times on work assignments, as well as privately. Crimea has been buzzing with activity. Enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Crimea, inter-ethnic accord is a condition for progress and development. Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean-Tatar are state languages there. Let me remind those who may not know this that Crimea guarantees cultural diversity, equality and mutual enrichment. Isn’t this a great example for the Kiev regime? If Crimea succeeded in this endeavour, Ukraine can also do it. Full steam ahead!" Zakharova stressed.

Zakharova Says West Arms Ukraine's Neo-Nazi Regime

The growth of neo-Nazi sentiment in Ukraine is of no concern to our Western partners or any relevant international organisations, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

"We call on Western countries to stop the aggressive anti-Russia propaganda campaign, to stop fanning the flames of Ukrainian militarisation by dragging it into NATO, and instead use their influence to encourage Kiev to comply with the Minsk agreements and other international obligations,"she added.

Shoigu Chairs Military Acceptance Day In National Centre For State Defence Control

On Thursday, Moscow hosted another Acceptance Day chaired by the General of the Army Sergei Shoigu at the National Centre for State Defence Control, it was dedicated to summing up the implementation of the state defenсe order in the third quarter in terms of arms supplies, military hardware and the construction of military infrastructure facilities.

As the Minister of Defence noted, last year, despite the restrictions associated with the coronavirus infection, reliable and proper work of industrial enterprises and military authorities was organized, and the set pace for the implementation of the state defence order was ensured.

In 2021, the Armed Forces received more than five thousand new and modernized types of weapons, military and special equipment, among them: 900 armored combat vehicles; three modern submarines, including the Knyaz Oleg nuclear submarine armed with Bulava ballistic missiles; 4 surface ships, 10 combat boats, 17 vessels and support boats;151 units of new and modernized aviation equipment, including 77 aircraft, 29 helicopters, 45 complexes with unmanned aerial vehicles; four upgraded Tu-95MS missile carriers; three Bastion coastal missile systems; Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and gun systems; S-400 Triumph and S-350 Vityaz anti-aircraft missile systems.

The re-equipment of the first missile regiment with the Avangard missile system with intercontinental ballistic missiles equipped with hypersonic glide wing units has been completed. A separate aviation regiment was formed, armed with MiG-31I(K) aircraft with the Kinzhal hypersonic missile.

Thus, the equipping of the army and navy with modern weapons has increased to 71.2%, and strategic nuclear forces to 89.1%. The serviceability of military equipment is maintained at 95%.

"I note that it is intensively used and has proven itself well in the course of various combat readiness checks, exercises, training, military applied competitions" Shoigu added.

Regarding the issue of building facilities for the needs of the Armed Forces, the head of the military department said that in 2021, 3030 buildings and structures were built and put into operation.

Priority measures were implemented within the framework of the State Armaments Program.

More than 690 objects of forces and means of nuclear deterrence have been built.

Places have been equipped to accommodate weapons and equipment entering the troops.

In the interests of the Strategic Missile Forces, silo launchers of strategic missile systems were put on combat duty in the Kaluga and Orenburg regions.

Events continue in Novosibirsk, Nizhny Tagil, Irkutsk, Teikovo and other regions.

As part of the deployment of the Unified Space System, the construction of facilities for the Western modernized command post has been completed.

The development of the airfield network, the Navy’s basing system and the infrastructure of the Arctic group continues.

The implementation of measures in the military districts and in the Northern Fleet made it possible to: ensure the placement of personnel and military equipment in the funds of residential and park areas of military camps; improve the material and technical base of educational institutions of the Ministry of Defence; improve the quality of housing conditions and medical services for servicemen and their families.

“All the tasks set for the military construction complex in 2021 have been completed in full,” the Minister of Defence emphasized. “Thus, a systematic approach to the implementation of the planned activities made it possible to ensure the qualitative development of the Armed Forces.”

The event continued with presentations by Deputy Ministers of Defence of the Russian Federation Alexei Krivoruchko and Timur Ivanov.

Summing up, I would like to note that equipping the Armed Forces with the latest models of military equipment makes it possible to ensure the military security of our country and guaranteed protection of its national interests.

"The President of Russia set the task to bring the level of modernity of weapons, military and special equipment to 72.7% by the end of the year. For its implementation, it is necessary to continue the practice of concluding long-term contracts with advanced financing for all major types of weapons, including high-tech weapons," Head of the Military Department said .

The military construction complex is to put into operation 3,000 buildings and structures in key areas of development of the infrastructure of troops (forces) in accordance with the Action Plan of the Ministry of Defence until 2025, the State Armaments Program for 2018-2027 and the state defence order.

Moscow Mayor Reports To Putin On What Is Happening In Capital

Vladimir Putin held a working meeting with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Thursday.

Vladimir Putin is in constant contact with Sergei Sobyanin on various issues, but from time to time, like today, he is interested in how the mayor of the capital sees the overall situation in the metropolis.

A very important objective indicator: there is practically no unemployment in the city, the combination of "remote work" with the traditional form of labor organization gave such a positive result: the level of registered unemployment does not exceed half a percent! And this despite the fact that the population of Moscow is growing rapidly.

In terms of growth rates of key sectors of the economy, Moscow has surpassed the level of the pre-Covid 2019. For example, industrial production grew by 28 percent, and construction by 23 percent! Built 7.7 million square meters of housing, and 8.3 of non-residential property. Investors are filled with optimism: for every ruble invested by the city, there are 3-4 rubles of private investment. Fears that catering and trade will “collapse” due to COVID did not materialize.

The city occupies the highest places in international hospitality ratings, another confirmation of this is this: last year several restaurants received the so-called "Michelin stars", this is an international quality criterion, which means, literally, the following: "it certainly makes sense to come here, the cuisine and the service on the highest level."

The rapidly growing metropolis requires the development of transport infrastructure, as they say, "at a faster pace." Dozens of new metro stations are put into operation every year.

The President personally took part in the opening ceremonies of the stations several times. He is aware that there has never been such a pace of construction in history. Tunneling of the Big Circle Metro Line, 70 kilometers long, has already been completed.

Right now, when Moscow is almost at the highest point of development in its history, the draft application of the city to host Expo 2030 looks more appropriate than ever. Russia has been participating in the World Universal Exhibitions since the middle of the 19th century.

The approximate location of Expo 2030 has been determined, in case Moscow wins against competitors, exhibition pavilions will be built near Vnukovo. The subway and MCD will reach there in the near future, the high-speed Kiev highway and Vnukovo airport will be nearby. In fact, this could become another powerful cluster both in terms of new jobs and in terms of increasing the pace of the city's development.

Raisi Hands Over To Putin Draft Agreement On Strategic Cooperation For 20 Years

Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday that he would like to hear his position concerning the situation around the Iran nuclear deal.

"It is very important for me to know your position on the JCPoA [the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the Iran nuclear deal]," the Russian president said.

Greeting his counterpart and mentioning the points of contact with Tehran, Putin said that as an observer, Iran is an active participant in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). He added that Iran’s relations with the Eurasian Economic Union are developing based on the interim agreement. "We are doing active work to establish a free trade zone between Iran and our assembly," the Russian president added.

The Russian president stated that their talks involve an extended agenda.

"I am very pleased to see you. And at the very beginning of our meeting I would like to ask you to convey my best wishes to the spiritual leader, Mr. Khamenei, upon your return to Tehran," Putin concluded. The two presidents are holding talks in the Grand Kremlin Palace’s St. Catherine Hall, where Putin usually receives foreign visitors. Nevertheless, the epidemiological situation has had an impact on the routine protocol. Putin and Raisi are seated at a large oval table in the middle of the hall, a few meters apart, with only two interpreters beside them.

The Iranian side has handed over to Moscow a draft agreement on strategic cooperation for a 20-year period, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said.

"We handed over to our Russian colleagues a document on strategic cooperation between our countries which can determine prospects for at least 20 years," he said. According to the Iranian president, "the current level of trade and economic relations [between Iran and Russia] is not satisfactory." "We can increase the level of our trade and economic cooperation by several times," he added.

Raisi also noted "the very good experience of cooperation between Iran and Russia in Siberia in combating terrorism." "This experience can create the prerequisites for its expansion and exploitation in other fields. In the present circumstances, it is possible to develop cooperation in the fields of economy, politics, culture, science, technology, defense, and military spheres, as well as security and space issues," the Iranian president pointed out.

"We would like our relations with Russia to be strengthened and comprehensive. These relations won’t be short-term or positional but long-term and strategic," the Iranian head of state noted. In addition, he thanked his Russian counterpart "for facilitating Tehran’s entry into the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization)".

On January 19, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Moscow on his official visit. The meeting with Putin was the first since the Iranian politician took office. On January 20, Raisi is expected to speak at Russia’s State Duma and at the Moscow Cathedral Mosque.

First Units Of Russian Armed Forces Arrive In Belarus To Participate In Belarus To Participate In Union State’s Drills

The first units of the Russian Armed Forces involved in the inspection of the Union State’s response forces have arrived in Belarus, Russia’s Defense Ministry told journalists on Wednesday.

"The first units of the Russian Armed Forces involved in the inspection of the Union State’s response forces have arrived in the Republic of Belarus. The units of the Eastern Military District involved in the inspection of the Union State’s response forces, with regular equipment and weapons, undertook a combined march on their own and by rail to unfamiliar places where training tasks are performed on the territory of the Republic of Belarus," the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the inspection will take place in two stages. At the first stage, by February 9, the redeployment and establishment of groupings of troops on the territory of Belarus will be carried out as soon as possible. "During the second stage, the "Union Resolve 2022" joint exercise will be held from February 10 to 20, when issues of repelling external aggression, as well as countering terrorism and protecting the interests of the Union State will be worked out," the ministry stressed.

According to the defense ministry, during the exercises, activities will be taken to strengthen the state border protection to prevent penetration by militants, to block supply channels for weapons and ammunition, as well as to search for and eliminate illegal armed formations and the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups.

Lavrov Says Russia Hopes France, Germany Will Pressure Zelensky To Make Good On Promises

Our approaches are absolutely substantiated. They are clear and open," he said after talks with German Foreign Minister Analena Baerbock. "We are hoping that, repeated multiple times, these approaches have been heard in Berlin and Paris, because there’s no hope they heard them in Kiev."

"There’s only hope that Berlin and Paris will lean on Mr. Zelensky to make good on what he promised multiple times."

Lavrov stressed Russia would be ready to help to create conditions for implementing the Minsk accords.

He also said Ukraine did nothing to carry out the decisions of the Normandy Format talks among Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France that took place in in Paris in 2019.

"The Normandy Four had a summit in Paris in 2019, we have recalled that today, where difficult talks ended with the formulation and approval by all the participants of the summit of specific steps that the government in Kiev, first of all, has to make," Lavrov said. "Nothing has been done along those lines so far."

Therefore, Russia needs to understand before any further talks what the sides would bring to the table if the talks were to resume in some format, he said. Foreign policy advisors in the Normandy Format countries are now making efforts to that effect, he said.

Zelensky’s office said last week that Kiev was ready for decisions that would be regarded as necessary at the next Normandy Format talks. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in comments about that statement that implementing the existing decisions should be a priority.

Previous Trump's administration previously appointed a special representative for Ukrainian settlement, Lavrov said. The representative worked independently of the Normandy Format and the Contact Group, the minister said.

"He had peculiar views on who has to do what, and these views, honestly, contradicted the content of the Minsk package of measures," Lavrov said. "We have reasons to believe that the current administration views the situation around the Ukrainian settlement in a more realistic way."

"In particular, it acknowledges that the problem of the special status of Donbass needs to be resolved first," the minister said.

As soon as there’s clarity about the powers that should be granted to the governments in Donetsk and Lugansk in accordance with the Minsk accords, Lavrov said, it will be easier to make progress with the other issues. He said Kiev is trying to sidestep the political aspects of the Minsk agreements and focus instead on issues of secondary importance.

Lavrov said Russia will welcome US efforts to help the settlement in Ukraine, as the US has enormous influence over the government in Kiev.

Russia, Belarus To Hold Union Resolve 2022 Drills

Two battalions of air defense systems S-400 and twelve Sukhoi-35 fighter jets will be sent to Belarus from Russia for participation in Union Resolve 2022 exercise to be held next month for testing the readiness of the Union State’s collective reaction force, Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said on Tuesday.

"Within the framework of testing the functioning of the single air defense system of the Union State twelve Sukhoi-35 planes and two battalions of the air defense system S-400, as well as a missile and artillery battalion Pantsir-S will be redeployed to Belarus," Fomin said.

He stressed that the hardware redeployment would take place during the first of the two phases of the readiness checks of the Union State’s collective force. The first phase will last till February 9. Military groups will be redeployed to protect the most endangered routes and key government and military facilities, as well as the Union State’s air border.

Fomin said that "the readiness and ability will be checked of the air defense forces on duty, including the joint command combat air defense center, to provide protection for key facilities in the territory of Belarus.

Alongside this, he said, during this phase the military units delegated by Russia’s Eastern Military Region and Belarusian forces involved will be conducting firing practice and other drills. Tactical exercises will be held at different proving grounds to practice defensive operations and struggle against illegal armed groups, Fomin said.

Russia's Lavrov Meets German's Baerbock In Moscow

Russia would like for relations between Moscow and Berlin to be more constructive and aims to overcome accumulated problems with all new members of the German government, Sergey Lavrov said opening talks with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday.

"Certainly, we would like to see a more constructive state of the Russian-German relations, we aim to overcome the accumulated problems with all members of the new government and are invariably interested in good relations with Germany on the principles of mutual respect, equality, and the consideration of mutual interests," he said.

The Russian top diplomat also noted that he appreciated the opportunity to conduct the talks only several weeks after Germany’s new government was formed and started work.

"I am very grateful to you for the January 10 letter to me in a positive tonality. I would like to particularly stress your statement on the centuries-old and historical links between the people of Russia and Germany as well as on the joint responsibility for the successful development of bilateral relations. I am absolutely of the same mind. I hope that today we will work precisely in this spirit," the Russian foreign minister emphasized.

Berlin sees no alternative to stable relations with Moscow, and the new German government is ready to work on maintaining them, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.

"During my visit, I would like to emphasize how important relations with the Russian Federation are for the new federal government and for me personally. There is no alternative to stable relations between Moscow and Berlin. I would like to continue working on this task, and here I speak on behalf of the entire new federal government," she said during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"It is important for me that today we can calmly discuss a whole range of bilateral and international topics, and devote enough time to them. These are topics where we can improve our relations together, and those where our friendship is experiencing difficulties these days," the German top diplomat added. Baerbock also spotlighted the "deep historical dimension" of German-Russian relations.

"Therefore, today, during my first visit to Moscow, it will be important for me to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The historical depth and the historical pain between our countries are also a task, an assignment for politics in the present and for future generations. This is a mission and a task for reconciliation between nations and peoples," she said.

Lavrov Says US Meddling With B&H’s Affairs, Conniving At Republic Of Srpska’s Demonization

Washington continues to meddle with Bosnia-Herzegovina’s domestic affairs and connive in attempts at demonizing the Republic of Srpska, Sergey Lavrov said on Monday after talks with his visiting Croatian counterpart, Gordan Grlic Radman.

"Active attempts are currently being made to turn Bosnia from a state with two entities and three state-constituting nations enjoying equal rights into a unitary state. And the Republic of Srpska and its leaders are being demonized for these purposes and with the acquiescence of some Western countries, first of all, the United States," he said.

"It is quite telling that despite all its calls for non-interference into the domestic affairs of other countries, the United States has appointed a special envoy for electoral reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We think it quite telling from the point of view of the United States’ approaches to the Western Balkans problems," Lavrov noted.

According to the Russian top diplomat, Moscow sees obvious discrimination of Bosnian Croatians in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the reform of election laws is called to change this situation. This reform needs to be "completed as soon as possible on the basis of the Dayton principles of equality of the three state-constituting nations and two entities."

In a bid to protect the rights of the Croatian national minority in Bosnia-Herzegovina ahead of the general elections in that country in 2022, Croatia’s authorities call on the neighboring country to reform its election laws to grant ethnic Croatians the possibility to elect their representative to the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Lavrov's Response To US Claims That Russia Prepares ‘Provocation’ Against Ukraine

US officials have disseminated a batch of total disinformation about Russia allegedly preparing a provocation in order to justify "the so-called Russian invasion of Ukraine," Lavrov said at a press conference on Monday.

Asked to comment on US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland's statement, that the US has 18 different scenarios in case Russia invades Ukraine Sergey Lavrov joked that "United States has 17 special and intelligence services. Hence, apparently 17 scenarios plus the scenario of the State Department. Maybe they announce a “competition” within themselves."

"Let’s not forget what the American officials said about the very subject of the so-called Russian invasion of Ukraine. For instance, by spreading complete disinformation that we are preparing a provocation all but attacking the Russian-speaking population in Donbass in order to obtain the pretext for that very invasion," he said in response to a question by TASS, pointing out that White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki noted that this had already happened in 2014.

The Russian top diplomat stressed that the current tragedy of modern Ukraine "indeed began in 2014," however, it was not the result of some provocation on the part of Russia but the result of a state coup that was "supported and even to a substantial degree organized" by the US.

"And nowadays, undoubtedly, Ukraine is being externally governed by the US," he went on. "Washington is quite capable of simply forcing the Kiev regime to finally implement the Minsk Accords. This subject was also discussed during the Putin-Biden summit last June in Geneva. There we saw and heard the US’ understanding of the essence of the Minsk Accords. Above all, [it lies] in Donbass’ special status.

And I hope that our American colleagues will occupy themselves with this," the Russian foreign minister added.

Lavrov Decipheres 'NATO's Open Door Policy'

Sergey Lavrov deciphered ["chewed"] for Western partners (who apparently have difficulty reading or fully understanding the document) "NATO's open door policy," which originates from the European Security Charter. Сharter signed at the highest level in 1999 in Istanbul contain three components. Everyone shared them and signed off on them.

So, the first of them, which the West loves talking about now, is the right to freely choose how to ensure one’s own security, including treaties of alliance. After all, these documents say that each state has the right to be neutral. This should not be forgotten, either. Then follows a paragraph that is an inalienable part of this compromise, notably, the agreement binding each state to respect the rights of other countries and not to bolster its own security at the expense of the security of others.

"There is a special stipulation that no single state, group of countries or organisation can be primarily responsible for the maintenance of peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region and cannot view any part of it as a sphere of its influence,"Lavrov noted.

Pocketing the first part of this inseparable package (the right of each state to choose alliances), US and NATO then try to cross out all the rest, without which the first part is invalid.

"We are not bound by this norm (respect for the right to choose alliances) if it is applied in flagrant violation of the other parts of this inseparable package. We have explained this in sufficient detail. Now we are awaiting responses in writing, after which this issue will move to the fore if it becomes clear that it makes sense to resume the talks,"he added.

Lavrov Warns West Went Too Far 'Russia's Patience Has Been Exhausted'

The current timeframe for security talks with the US, NATO is the period when the West went too far. Our patience has been exhausted, Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

"It’s been an accumulation. I am referring to the period after the 1990s when our Western friends carelessly threw out all their promises not to expand NATO, not to move military infrastructure eastward, not to deploy substantial military forces on the territory of the new members. During the five waves of expansion, NATO has come right to our borders. When we formalised our relations with NATO in 1997, Poland was the only candidate for accession. Look at how the situation has changed since then,"he added.

Much has changed, according to the Minister. The real configuration of weapons, military equipment and troops in Europe has changed.

"We are faced with unacceptable demands to return our troops to their barracks on our own territory, while the Americans, Canadians and Brits have permanently deployed their troops in the guise of rotation in the Baltic states and other countries in the North of Europe. Bases are being set up in the Black Sea. The Brits are building bases in Ukraine, in the Sea of Azov area. We are categorically opposed. This approach is unacceptable,"Lavrov noted.

The timeframe that was chosen is the period when the West went too far, let’s be honest. In violations of all its commitments and contrary to common sense, it went for aggravation. The West denounces the use of violence against civilians and human rights abuses. But if bloody coups are staged by people who swear fealty to the West, it simply welcomes them with open arms. This is what happened during the coup in Ukraine when many people were killed, some by provocateurs.

"The US approved the coup (I will put it mildly) which was later perceived by the Europeans as a fait accompli. This case is well-known. Nobody is going to investigate the crimes of Maidan. Nobody is going to look into the crime committed in Odessa on May 2, 2014 when people were burned alive while those who committed this crime posed for photos. This is the support of the new government. Nothing is changing. Look at Poroshenko, Zelensky, all these Right Sector and Azov militants that were considered extremists in America only recently. Now the situation has changed,"Lavrov said.

Lavrov said that Russia does not intend to continue to put up with the existential threat, and is waiting for the promised reciprocal proposals from the West.

"Our patience has been exhausted. We are very patient. You know what they say about how long Russians take to harness their horses? We harness them slowly but then it’s time to ride. Now we are waiting for the coachman over there to give specific answers to our proposals,"Lavrov completes.

Lavrov's Remarks On Activities Of Russia's Diplomacy

The situation in the world is complicated, the conflict potential is growing, Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference following the work of Russian Foreign Ministry.

"The situation has not improved. Everyone understands that. Conflict potential is building up, and our Western colleagues have largely shaped this trend. Their policy consists of undermining the architecture of international relations based on the UN Charter, as well as replacing international law with their own “rules” and imposing them on others to build a new world order. All kinds of international formats have been emerging on matters which have long been on the agenda of universal UN agencies. This creates an overlap. These are narrow formats of like-minded countries who are cast as trail-blazers dictating “much-needed” new approaches to all others. Those refusing to join these initiatives are labelled as reactionary countries seeking to impose a revisionist agenda in international affairs. However, it is the West that currently promotes a revisionist agenda. It is the West that seeks to revise the UN Charter. Russia and other nations who are our allies and strategic partners have been standing up for the UN Charter, its principles, purposes and structure to defend them from revisionist aspirations,"he said.

Lavrov Sums Up Results Of Security Talks With US, NATO

Sergey Lavrov’s press conference was intended to sum up the work of the Foreign Ministry over the past year, however, most of the questions, and this is not surprising, did not concern 2021, but the events of this week, that is, 2022. On January 9-10, negotiations between Russia and the United States were held, on the 12th a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council was held, and yesterday Russia's security guarantees were discussed at the OSCE site. What's next?

"To be frank, of course, everyone understands that the prospects for reaching an agreement depend on the United States. And no matter what we are told about the need to consult with the allies, these are all excuses and attempts to drag out the process,"Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. 

As you know, Russia's key demands - the renunciation of NATO expansion to the east, the non-deployment of strike systems that threaten us near Russian borders, and the return of the military infrastructure of the North Atlantic Alliance to the borders of 1997 - all this the United States refused to discuss. Russia has been waiting for a response list of proposals from the US and NATO for a month now.

"We want to see their position on paper. Article by article, for each of our points in both documents, we want to get a reaction: this is suitable, this is not suitable, if it is not suitable, why. If you need to add something, formulate amendments,"he noted.

Washington supposedly promised to send written considerations to Moscow next week. The future of negotiations depends on what the Americans write, although the US interest in this raises questions.

"Wendy Sherman said that these were not negotiations, but the study of positions. This is very eloquent. We came to these talks with formulated positions, which were handed over to the American side in writing a month before the meeting.     The United States, have not been able to study our proposals for a month. They only limited themselves to questions and verbal explanations,"Lavrov stressed.

NATO has been expanding eastward since the late 1990s, and Russia has already made attempts to stop this process.

"Their answer was revealing 'Dear friends, legally binding guarantees can only be given to members of the North Atlantic Alliance,'"Lavrov said.

NATO is pumping up Ukraine with weapons, building naval bases in the Black and Azov Seas, and regularly practicing nuclear strikes against Russia as part of strategic aviation training flights. Moreover, NATO invites the traditionally neutral Sweden and Finland to join the alliance.

"Such artificial enticement, expansion of this structure, which after the Cold War, after the disappearance of the Warsaw Pact, lost its meaning of existence. Attempts to artificially prolong all this continue,"he added.

Returning to the dialogue on security guarantees. If the US written response turns out to be unacceptable and disrupts the negotiation process, Russia, as is known, is considering the option of a military-technical response to NATO's actions. Lavrov answered the ABС question with Putin's words.

"The answer can be very different, it depends on the proposals that our Russian military and experts will make to him, the President of Russia. End,"he said.

Is there any hope for a positive outcome of the security talks? Is the Minister optimistic or pessimistic? The day before, Lavrov answered these questions at the end of his interview.

“The hopes the young mind nourish,” but we are mature men here. The reality is harsh, and we have to act on it, and the reality is that we have been promised a written response. We will wait for it and then determine what to do next.

As for optimism, there is a saying that goes like this: “Who’s a pessimist? A pessimist is a well-informed optimist,”Lavrov summarizes.

Lavrov Slams OSCE’s Reaction To Kazakhstan's Events As Terrible And Shameful

The way the West, including the OSCE, reacted to the latest events in Kazakhstan was terrible and shameful, Sergey Lavrov said on Channel One’s Great Game program on Thursday.

"Of course, it was a frightful experience to see pogroms, homes set on fire, police officers’ heads cut off, and the way the rioters and terrorists treated journalists. Also, I found it still more fearsome, at least from the standpoint of my professional tasks, to see the way the West reacted to all this, including the reaction of the very same OSCE, which positions itself as one of the key actors in European security affairs. First, that organization reacted to the events in Kazakhstan in a grossly inadequate way, but then eventually tried to call upon one and all for the observance of the rights of journalists, human rights, and so on. It was a real disgrace.

 In such situations the root causes of what has happened must be exposed," Lavrov said.

Lavrov: Russia Will Respond To New 'Arrogant US Sanctions' Depending On Specific Situation

Russia will respond to new US sanctions depending on the specific situation that will arise due to the actions of Washington and its Western allies, Sergey Lavrov told Channel One Russia.

"Of course, we will respond to [new US sanctions]. During their last phone conversation President [of Russia Vladimir] Putin told President [of the US Joe] Biden that if you take this path, you will destroy our relations," the minister said.

"What will it look like? We do not want to scare anyone, we will make our decision depending on the specific situation that will develop as a result of certain actions of the United States and their Western allies," he added.

Lavrov stressed that the US threats to impose sanctions against Russia are arrogant and absurd. "[Threats of sanctions from the US] are so arrogant and absurd, in my opinion, anyone can understand it. The US Congress has taken decisions of this kind more than once, so I do not rule anything out," he said.

The top diplomat stressed that Russia will never use sanctions pressure on the global arena, like the United States does.

"We will never act the way the United States does, for which, over the past, probably, almost 10 years, sanctions have become the main tool of foreign policy, the culture of diplomacy is practically lost, the culture of compromise too. We made our proposals [on security guarantees], because we want to return everything to using negotiation as the way of solving problems," Lavrov said.

Lavrov Says Talks On Security Guarantees With US Met Russia’s Expectations

Talks with the US on security guarantees were consistent with Moscow’s expectations, Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

"[The talks on security guarantees] went as we had expected. I think that we know rather well the American negotiators, we have met with them repeatedly on different occasions," he said.

Moscow knew beforehand what kind of a conversation it would be with the US representatives, and outlined the importance of raising the security issue toughly, of which President Vladimir Putin had spoken earlier. "It was fundamentally important for us to comply with the direct instruction from the president who said that we must very firmly raise these issues, the issues that concern the entire architecture of European security," Lavrov stressed.

The Russian proposals on security guarantees take into regard not only the interests of Moscow, but the guarantees imply ensuring the security of everyone, without infringing on anyone's interests, he stressed.

CSTO Peacekeepers Having Completed Their Mission In Kazakhstan Return Home

Solemn march dedicated to the completion of the operation of the CSTO peacekeepers in Kazakhstan. In the same ranks, the military of all allied countries - Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Belarus and Russia.

The mission was completed so quickly due to the fact that the allies quickly transferred forces to Kazakhstan and, thereby, turned the tide of the fight against terrorists. Now the withdrawal of the contingent, it will take 10 days.

“The difficult period in the life of Kazakhstan has passed. The country is returning to normal life, including thanks to the help and support of all our CSTO member states. [In recent days] it has been demonstrated that the CSTO is a combat-ready organization that is able to ensure the security of our common defense space,"CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas said.

As soon as the president of Kazakhstan asked his CSTO allies to help repel an attack by militants and the threat of external interference, the sky of the republic was almost continuously buzzing from heavy transport workers. More than two thousand peacekeepers and 200 pieces of equipment took up combat duty.

The commander of the peacekeepers, Colonel General Andrei Serdyukov, noted: this joint operation was the first for the CSTO, but our peoples fought as a united front more than once. Both during the Great Patriotic War and in recent history - against international terroris.

“Today, too, the servicemen who stood in a joint formation stood shoulder to shoulder in defense of the fraternal Kazakh people, not allowing criminal and terrorist groups to encroach on the constitutional system and integrity of Kazakhstan. The peacekeeping operation has been successfully completed, the task of the contingent of the CSTO collective peacekeeping forces has been completed, ”said Andrey Serdyukov, commander of the CSTO collective peacekeeping forces.

The CSTO forces have already begun to transfer protected objects to the security forces of Kazakhstan - all this time, the peacekeepers have been engaged in the defense of transport interchanges, communication centers, military warehouses, water utilities and power plants.