RT News - November 30th 2022 Late

Three have been killed in a suicide bombing in Pakistan and many have been wounded. The deadly blast at the Afgan border comes after the Pakistani Taliban terrorist group called for attacks to take place across the country, following the end of a ceasefire.

Ursula Von Der Leyen (The EU Commission chief) has deleted a twitter video post in which she claimed 100,000 Ukrainian "military officers" have been killed so far in Russia's special operation in Ukraine. That figure is ten times more than the one announced by Ukrainian officials in August. Important report from Rachel Marsden

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister dismisses the very idea of a potential nuclear war, as he comments on global power structures in an exclusive interview to RT.

South Africa: Hundreds of people gather in front of a jail in Pretoria to protest the release of the convicted murderer of a South African anti-apartheid leader. Very important report, including from Karabo Letlhatlha ( said Kara bo Let-at-la - one of the best new reporters on RT)

China's Jiang Zemin has died at age 96.

Palestine: Organisations have called upon the International Criminal Court to act on Israel's policies and have issued warnings. "Justice delayed - justice denied"

Spain: One employee is wounded at a blast at the Ukraine embassy in Madrid.

Brazil: A law to pass "crypto currency" as a legal payment method has been passed.

In the new Russian territories, the complexity of the conflict takes on new military technologies. Report by Murad Gazdiev on the ground in Lugansk. (QS: Braver than me BY 1,000)
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This channel may soon be moving to Odysee due to Rumble being unable to cope with prompt posting of unmonetized general interest posts - it will still be free and available to everyone. I will post updates before this channel is moved over.
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via RT website 30 Nov, 2022 15:56

---- Ex-Russian president mocks EU over deleted claim on Ukrainian losses ----

Dmitry Medvedev claimed that Ursula von der Leyen’s actions betrayed her subservience to the US

Self-censorship from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, after she deleted a tweet which mentioned Ukrainian casualties, is “humiliating”, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.

He added that the climbdown showed the bloc is nothing but a US puppet.

“It is obvious that ‘Aunt Ursula’ was slapped upside the head by her bosses in Washington,” Medvedev said in a post on VK. “Seemed to hurt, too. It looks extremely humiliating.”

... "There is no EU, there is only the 51st [US] state....."

The president of the EU executive body had claimed in a speech that 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died in the fighting so far, along with 20,000 civilians. Soon afterward, however, the tweet about it on von der Leyen’s account vanished. The reference was also removed from the transcript of the speech on the European Commission’s website, and edited out of the video the EC shared on social media again.

The self-censorship was subsequently confirmed, with spokeswoman Dana Spinant saying the number had been an “estimation” from “external sources” and referred to all casualties – those killed and wounded combined. Spinant also thanked everyone who “pointed out the inaccuracy” in von der Leyen’s original speech.

Medvedev served as the president of Russia between 2008 and 2012, and then as prime minister until 2020, when he accepted the post of deputy chairman of the National Security Council.

He has been an outspoken critic of the West since the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. On Tuesday, he said NATO was a “criminal entity” that should repent for its crimes against humanity and be dissolved. Earlier this week, he commented on his Telegram account that the “marriage” between the EU and the US is headed for a divorce due to Washington’s “economic cheating.”
https://www.rt.com/news/567438-medvedev-leyen-ukraine-censorship/
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via RT website 30 Nov, 2022 17:08

---- Moscow names condition for resuming arms control talks with US ----

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Russia suspended the inspection regime under the treaty back in August, blaming the move on Western sanctions that had prevented Russian inspectors from doing their work in the US and giving Washington an unfair advantage. Moscow said the inspection could resume only when the principles of parity and equality were restored.
https://www.rt.com/russia/567436-new-start-talks-condition/
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via RT website 30 Nov, 2022 14:48

---- Russia finalizes ‘LGBTQ propaganda’ ban ----

The bill, which carries heavy fines for violators, will become law after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on it

The Federation Council, Russia’s upper chamber of parliament, supported a bill that imposed a complete ban on LGBTQ, pedophilia, and sex-change ‘propaganda’ in the country on Wednesday.

The legislation on the “protection of traditional values” was backed unanimously by all 153 senators present at the session of the chamber, with no abstentions or opposition. Last week, the legislation passed through the State Duma, Russia’s lower chamber of parliament, receiving unanimous support there as well.

The bill, which is now set to become law after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on it, outlaws the respective ‘propaganda’ in books, movies, media, and advertising. The new rules, however, do not apply to video games, as lawmakers agreed this field would require separate legislation. Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media watchdog, will be tasked with monitoring media content for illegal propaganda and blocking offensive material available on the internet.

The legislation is effectively a follow-up to a 2013 law that banned the dissemination of LGBTQ propaganda among children under 18 in the country. The new law, however, universally applies to both minors and adults.

While the bill does not introduce a criminal liability for violators – as well as for repeat offenders – it carries heavy fines for both individuals and organizations who break it. Individuals risk incurring a penalty of 400,000 rubles ($6,600) and corporate entities a penalty of up to five million rubles (around $83,000) for promoting LGBTQ ‘propaganda’. Those promoting pedophilia would face fines twice those amounts. Foreign nationals would face fines of up to 800,000 rubles ($12,000), as well as expulsion from the country.
https://www.rt.com/russia/567434-lgbtq-propaganda-ban-passed/
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via RT website 30 Nov, 2022 15:58

---- Germany wants Russia to pay for higher gas prices ----

Uniper seeks billions in compensation from Gazprom for halted energy supplies

Germany's largest gas importer Uniper said on Wednesday it is seeking billions of euros in compensation from Russia's Gazprom for undelivered natural gas, and has opened an arbitration process.

According to the soon-to-be-nationalized company, replacing Russian supplies has cost it around €11.6 billion ($12.02 billion) so far, with the figure expected to grow until the end of 2024.

“We are claiming recovery of our significant financial damages in these proceedings. It's about gas volumes that were contractually agreed with Gazprom but not delivered and for which we had to procure replacements at extremely high market prices and still have to do so,” said Uniper Chief Executive Klaus-Dieter Maubach.

Russia’s Gazprom Export confirmed that Uniper has initiated arbitration proceedings, saying, however, that it does not recognize the violation of contracts or the legitimacy of the stated claims for damages.

Russia initially attributed the reduction in deliveries with the maintenance of turbines on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which were interrupted due to sanctions imposed by Western countries. A section of the pipeline was subsequently blown up in September, rendering it inoperable.

The German company also announced that it has decided to distance itself as far as possible, legally and in terms of personnel, from its Russian business unit Unipro.

Uniper was brought to the brink of bankruptcy due to surging energy prices and halted gas flows from its main supplier Russia. Earlier this month it reported a staggering €40 billion ($42 billion) net loss through September. The company is now seeking a $53 billion bailout from the German government as part of its nationalization.
https://www.rt.com/business/567432-germany-russia-gas-price-lawsuit/
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via RT website 29 Nov, 2022 21:07

---- EU country urges Ukraine to strike Russia ----

The US-led NATO bloc "should not fear" allowing Kiev to attack Russia freely, Latvia's top diplomat says

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics urged NATO to "allow" Ukraine to use its Western-supplied weaponry for strikes deep into Russian territory. The top diplomat made the remarks in an interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Bucharest on Tuesday.

In particular, the weaponry should be used to attack sites used by Moscow to stage missile strikes against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, Rinkevics suggested.

"We should allow Ukrainians to use weapons to target missile sites or air fields from where those operations are being launched," he said.

While Moscow has repeatedly warned the West against "pumping" Ukraine with assorted weaponry, suggesting such behavior could ultimately result in a direct conflict between the US-led NATO alliance and Russia, Rinkevics brushed off such concerns. The bloc "should not fear" escalation, he said.

Latvia, along with other Baltic states, has been among the most vocal supporters of Kiev in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The country’s top officials have repeatedly toured Kiev to show their support, with the latest visit coming over the weekend when Rinkevics, alongside his colleagues from Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland met Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.

In recent weeks, Russia has repeatedly launched massive cruise missiles and suicide-drone salvos against Ukraine’s electrical grid and military installations. The attacks followed a blast that damaged the Kerch Bridge that links mainland Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. Blame for the incident has been placed squarely by Moscow on Ukraine and its foreign supporters, namely the UK, and described as a "terror attack." Kiev and London, however, have each denied their involvement.
https://www.rt.com/russia/567394-latvia-ukraine-nato-weapons/
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via RT website 30 Nov, 2022 13:50

---- Explosion at Ukrainian embassy in Madrid ----

One employee injured in blast allegedly caused by letter bomb

An employee at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid was injured on Wednesday after a letter he was handling exploded, Reuters reports, citing Spanish police. The staff member has reportedly suffered only light injuries and has attended hospital.

The blast occurred at 1:17 pm local time and was reported to Spanish authorities by the embassy itself, according to Europe Press. Local law enforcement have now cordoned off the area around the building as canine units are working on the scene. Anti-terrorist protocols have also been activated throughout the city, the outlet reports.

A Spanish government official has told local media that an investigation into the incident has been opened by the National Police and that the embassy worker, who is believed to be a Ukrainian national, has only suffered a minor injury to the finger of his right hand.

Telemadrid reports that police sources have indicated that the envelope was addressed to the Ukrainian ambassador and contained a small homemade explosive that was not picked up by the embassy’s security services.

Ukraine's embassy to Spain has yet to release an official statement on the incident.
https://www.rt.com/news/567430-embassy-explosion-madrid-ukraine/
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via RT website 30 Nov, 2022 11:25

---- Russia announces arms-spending hike ----

Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that increasing expenditure in 2023 will ensure the military is combat ready

Russia is on track to spend nearly 50% more on defense next year than in 2022, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has revealed. He explained that the hike will help ensure a 97%-combat-readiness rate for weaponry and hardware.

Meanwhile, in late September, Vedomosti media outlet, citing government documents, claimed that Moscow spent 4,679 trillion rubles ($77 billion) on defense in 2022. According to journalists’ estimates at the time, the figure was expected to further rise next year and reach some five trillion rubles. The article also claimed the upward trend would continue into 2024.

Speaking at the Defense Ministry’s collegium on Wednesday, Shoigu called on Russian arms manufacturers to “retain the maximum production capacity” and ensure “ahead-of-time deliveries to the military.”

He also stressed the need for continued modernization of weapons, so that state-of-the-art models can be sent to the battlefield in Ukraine.

According to Shoigu, special emphasis should be placed on artillery and missile systems, as well as the use of drones to enhance the weapons’ effectiveness.

“As a result of the special military operation and the partial mobilization, requirements have increased with respect to the state [defense] order on all levels of control and implementation,” the minister noted.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, which had been brokered by Germany and France and envisaged the granting of special status within the Ukrainian state to the Donetsk and Lugansk Republics. The Kremlin also accused Ukraine of discriminating against the Russian-speaking ethnic minority.

The former Ukraine territories of Kherson and Zaporozhye, seized by Russian forces, as well as the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, were incorporated into Russia in early October. This was preceded by referendums held in those territories, where, according to local authorities, most voters favored joining Russia.

In late September, nearly seven months into Moscow’s ‘special military operation,’ Putin declared ‘partial mobilization’ in the country.

Commenting on its results, Shoigu said on Wednesday that more than 300,000 reservists have been trained in Russia and Belarus over the past two months with the help of 3,000 instructors.

The minister also revealed that over 8,000 crews had been prepared for tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, artillery systems, air defense as well as drone and electronic warfare units.
https://www.rt.com/russia/567416-russia-defense-spending-hike/
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