RT News - November 21st 2022

A Ukrainian military officer posts a disturbing video online showing the apparent torture of a captured Russian soldier. A warning for viewers: you may find the images disturbing. The UN calls for a probe into Ukrainian troops who were filmed allegedly executing Russian prisoners of war. A Western news outlet says it's verified the video, in a rare admission that Ukrainian forces could be committing war crimes. (1 below)

The Cuban leader is in Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin, as the two countries strengthen their economic ties despite the pressure of US-led sanctions. Cuba has been under US sanctions for more than 60 years. Fiorella Benjamin talks of the long and complicated sanctions on Cuba, Russia and other countries.

ATOMEXPO 2022 Nuclear Energy Forum in Sochi is just about to start with attendees from around the world.

The French language is in decline, according to Emmanuel Macron and he wants that to change.

Yandex apps enter Zambia.

Olaf Scholz was at his political party's conference last week and addressed the party and German public with some interesting comments and advice (for Russia) (QueenStreet comment: one of the things he said was "we weren't expecting Russia to cut supplies of gas....") German government in Berlin say that have the energy situation under control but industry chiefs say otherwise.

The German military is facing severe shortages of ammunition (2 below)
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via RT website 20 Nov, 2022 17:32

1) ---- UN tells Ukraine to investigate video showing 'execution' of Russian POWs ----

Kiev says it will examine the clip, in which its servicemen appear to massacre prisoners

The UN’s human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine has called on Kiev to probe a video that apparently shows the country’s troops executing Russian prisoners of war. Moscow has said that killing captives is a “widespread practice” by Ukraine’s armed forces.

The UN body told the Associated Press on Saturday that it “is aware of the video and is looking into it,” adding: “we reiterate our call that all such allegations should be properly and promptly investigated by respective authorities.”

The video itself surfaced on social media earlier this week. In it, a group of captured Russian servicemen are shown surrendering to Ukrainian troops and lying down on the ground, before a second clip shows their bodies lying motionless in pools of blood. Another clip with no sound purportedly shows a Russian soldier emerging from a building and opening fire on the Ukrainians, but it is unclear whether that clip is linked to the alleged execution.

The Russian Ministry of Defense described the video as evidence of “the deliberate and methodical murder” of the soldiers, with the Russian Presidential Human Rights Council calling the incident a “demonstrative and audacious crime.” The council demanded an international investigation, and said that it had notified the UN, Council of Europe, Amnesty International, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

“Of course, Ukrainian authorities will investigate this video,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishina told reporters at a security conference in Canada on Saturday. However, she rushed to claim that it is “very unlikely” that the clips show a deliberate execution.

Russia’s Defense Ministry, however, said that not only does the footage depict the “barbarous killing of Russian prisoners of war,” it shows “a widespread practice of the Ukrainian Armed Forces that is actively supported by the Kiev regime and outright ignored by its Western backers.”

Back in March, another shocking video emerged showing Ukrainian troops shooting captured Russian soldiers in the legs at point-blank range, while other wounded Russians lie on the ground nearby. Countless other videos of Russian troops being mistreated by their Ukrainian captors have also surfaced online in the months since Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine began in late February.
https://www.rt.com/russia/566888-ukraine-investigate-pow-video/
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Via RT website 20 Nov, 2022 17:58

---- German army has €20 billion ammo shortfall – top MP --

The Bundeswehr is also short on personal equipment, parliamentary defense commissioner Eva Hoegl says

The German military is facing severe shortages of ammunition, the Bundestag’s commissioner for the armed forces, Eva Hoegl, warned on Sunday. She also highlighted the lack of certain basic personal equipment needed by the army.

In an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, Hoegl revealed that it would cost the Bundeswehr €20 billion to refill its ammo stocks.

The MP called for the military’s ammo depots to be fully replenished during the current legislative session, claiming that the government had dragged its feet on the topic for years.

“Without munitions, it’s all nothing,” Hoegl concluded.

She also pointed out the sorry state of affairs when it comes to the basic equipment needed by German troops. She cited a case when the nation’s military personnel deployed in Lithuania had to take part in drills without bulletproof vests.

Moreover, according to Hoegl, “with sick, parental and education leaves, many units reach the staffing level of only 60% of what they have on paper.”

The commissioner warned that “without sufficient personnel the best of weapons are of little use.” She predicted that unless the Bundeswehr’s ranks swell significantly, Berlin will have to prioritize and cut corners in its deployments. Hence, with the focus being on national defense, Germany would have to curtail its participation in international missions, Hoegl noted.
In October, Business Insider reported that the German military only had ammunition for one or two days of warfare, citing defense industry and parliamentary sources.

While the problem has existed for years, it was further exacerbated when Germany began providing weapons to Ukraine, the outlet claimed.

However, Berlin still supplied the first unit of its state-of-the-art IRIS-T air defense systems to Kiev last month. Three more units, made up of a command vehicle, a radar vehicle, and a truck-mounted launcher, are expected to arrive in Ukraine in 2023.

Meanwhile, Germany’s own military has yet to receive the ground-based IRIS-T system, a fact that has compelled some politicians to raise concern that the country is arming Ukraine at the expense of its own defense capabilities.
https://www.rt.com/news/566882-german-military-ammo-shortages-revealed/
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