RT News - December 11 2022 : The Weekly

Two people are reported killed and another 10 wounded as Ukrainian artillery fire destroys a restaurant in the city of Melitopol.

Who is Andrii Derkach? First off he was an elected, serving member of Ukraine parliament for 7 terms. He was one of the whistle blowers of the Burisma scandals. He is not Russian. Recall that just a week ago Zelensky removed by decree, money laundering legislation and a week before that Ukraine closed it's FTX account, just days before FTX went bust.

(QS: This case is very close to my heart and I will up a lot more info and video about this matter later. Here are two documents pertaining to the case 1) https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020-07-20-Zentos%20Interview%20with%20Exhibits.pdf and the US announcement of interference in the 2020 elections and charges https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/russian-intelligence-agent-charged-fraud-and-money-laundering-connection-purchase-and) I have so much on this I might make my own video about it. Here's an article I posted earlier https://vk.com/@freedomnews2020-joe-bidens-boy-hunter-money-laundering-british-tied-in-judge) and here is the opening of the case in Britain's serious fraud office https://www.sfo.gov.uk/2014/04/28/money-laundering-investigation-opened/ - which was magically closed by UK .gov Like I said I have a lot on this and will post later. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrii_Derkach (not sure who wrote this, not with abundant citations of claims)

Belgrade prepares to officially inform NATO that it will send troops into the breakaway republic of Kosovo to support ethnic Serbs who have been protesting en masse against the local authorities.

Russian businessman Viktor Boot speaks to RT in his first exclusive interview since being freed from a US prison. He says America is an inherently strong country that has been ravaged by self-serving elites. Mr. Bout's full interview with RT on Rumble here https://rumble.com/v1zzk6w-viktor-bout-back-home-from-imprisonment-rt-exclusive.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=4

Russia reiterates it won't sell oil at below-market prices to Western countries that are trying to artificially limit its value.

RT gets access to Ukrainian army positions taken by Russian forces.

India is Russia's closest partner in bilateral relations and cooperation is growing
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below: Derkach, Sanctions, food shortages and Serbia/Kosovo
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via RT website 8 Dec, 2022 16:10

-----US accuses former Ukrainian MP of money laundering

Andrey Derkach faces a seven-count indictment in relation to the purchase of two condominiums in Beverly Hills, California

The US Justice Department (DoJ) has charged a former member of Ukraine’s parliament, Andrey Derkach, with fraud and money laundering, after he reportedly purchased two properties in California. Derkach was sanctioned by the US in 2020 over claims he leaked the details of phone conversations between Joe Biden and Ukraine’s then-President, Pyotr Poroshenko.

In a press release published on Wednesday, the DoJ stated that Derkach, who it designates as an “active Russian agent” over his alleged “election interference” in the 2020 US presidential race, faces up to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to violate US sanctions, bank-fraud conspiracy, money-laundering conspiracy, and four counts of money laundering.

Derkach has previously denied working for Moscow or interfering in US elections.

Prosecutors claim that since 2013, the former MP and an unnamed accomplice devised a scheme to buy and maintain two “luxury condominiums” in Beverly Hills by using money withdrawn from foreign accounts and intermediaries within the US to conceal his involvement in the purchase. It’s claimed that the former parliamentarian bought one of the properties for himself and the other for his children.

Derkach served multiple parliamentary terms under several Ukrainian party banners, including the ‘Party of Regions,’ which was the largest party in Ukraine until the Maidan coup in 2014. The phone exchanges he allegedly leaked related to investigations into the Ukrainian gas company, Burisma, where Biden’s son Hunter held a lavishly compensated seat on the board.

US intelligence services have yet to publish any factual evidence supporting Derkach’s ties to Moscow, but have said they have “high confidence” he was working at the behest of the Kremlin.

“The conduct of this Kremlin asset, who was sanctioned for trying to poison our democracy, has shown he is ready, willing and capable of exploiting our banking system in order to advance his illicit goals,” stated US Attorney Breon Peace, adding that the US will not be a “safe haven where criminals, oligarchs or sanctioned entities can hide their ill-gotten gains or influence our elections.”

While the DoJ notes that Derkach “remains at large,” Peace vowed that the US will use all the tools at its disposal to prosecute anyone who tries to evade sanctions and abuse the US financial system.
https://www.rt.com/news/567911-us-ukraine-mp-money-laundering/
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via RT website 11 Dec, 2022 08:28

----Sanctions on Russia are backfiring – former Austrian vice-chancellor

Europeans are bearing the brunt of the crisis, while Moscow’s economy is doing fine, Heinz-Christian Strache has said

Western sanctions imposed on Moscow have failed to make a dent in Russia’s economy and ultimately only hurt Europeans, former Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache said on Saturday. He also accused European policymakers of turning a blind eye to the deadly fighting in Donbass, which he said served as a prelude to the current conflict for many years.

Speaking at a pro-neutrality rally in Vienna, which was also a protest against sanctions on Russia, Strache claimed that Austria’s decision to join the restrictions had turned out to be a self-inflicted wound. “Austria has shown Europe how the sanctions are damaging itself,” he said, telling his audience that the measures have caused soaring electricity and gas prices, with more and more people feeling the impact.

“If it goes on like this, next year in March and April we will face mass insolvencies and bankruptcies,” he warned, calling the possibility “damn dangerous.”

If the crisis is exacerbated and more people get desperate, “this could bring a dangerous development in the form of social tensions that we all do not want,” the former vice-chancellor added.

At the same time, Strache continued, the restrictions have failed to undermine the Russian economy. According to him, “this year, the Russians have doubled [their] business,” raking in $220 billion in revenue.

Strache also stated that Europe had found itself in the current situation because it had been “looking the other way” for many years when it comes to hostilities in Donbass, which started in 2014 after violent riots in Kiev overthrew the democratically-elected president, Viktor Yanukovich.

After Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in late February, Western nations imposed new severe sanctions on Moscow, freezing half its gold and foreign currency reserves and targeting its energy exports.

The restrictions, however, caused energy prices and living costs to surge, prompting numerous protest rallies across Europe.

Earlier this month, hundreds of Italian activists gathered in the center of Milan to protest sending weapons to Ukraine and expanding the sanctions.

In late November, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova insisted that EU policymakers have only themselves to blame for their ongoing energy crunch.
https://www.rt.com/news/568042-russia-sanctions-backfire-europe/
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via RT website 11 Dec, 2022 05:31

-----Dutch food prices soar as economy weakens

Economists no longer expect an “impressive recovery” and blame high inflation for weak performance

Food prices in the Netherlands have jumped by 15.7% in November compared to last year, data shared on Thursday by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) shows.

The consumer price index (CPI) was 9.9% up in November from the same month last year. Experts point out that bread, cereals, meat and dairy products in particular have contributed to the price increase.

According to the European harmonized consumer price index (HICP), services and consumer goods in the country were 11.3% more expensive in November than in the same period in 2021.

In its latest quarterly report released on Monday, Dutch financial services company Rabobank downgraded its estimates of an “impressive recovery” from the Covid pandemic after growth stalled in the third quarter, and has said the country’s economy will “barely” grow in the coming years.

Rabobank economist Nic Vrieselaar noted that the Dutch economy had reached its limits this year and pointed to “staff and equipment shortages everywhere.” Production capacity is also strained by surging energy prices leaving no room for growth, according to the report.

“High inflation and increased rates are putting pressure on consumer and business spending,” he added.

After this year’s expected growth of 4.2% analysts predict weak performance for the Dutch economy, with just a 0.6% advance next year, and are forecasting a 1% GDP increase in 2024.
https://www.rt.com/business/567913-netherlands-economy-forecast-slashed/
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via RT website 7 Dec, 2022 13:00

---------British farmers warn of food supply crisis

The government’s inaction risks further shortages in the country, the NFU warns

Huge price hikes have left Britain’s farmers and growers in a dire situation, which could lead to a food supply crisis across the country, the National Farmers Union (NFU) has warned.

According to its report on Tuesday, fertilizer, feed, fuel, and energy are all now more expensive due to the conflict in Ukraine and the Covid pandemic’s disruption to supply chains. Fertilizer prices have tripled since 2019, on top of a sixfold increase in wholesale gas prices, the NFU said.

The current shortage of eggs could spread to other food products, the union warned. Energy-intensive crops including tomatoes, cucumbers, and pears are reportedly on track for their lowest yields since records began in 1985, as producers leave agriculture in the face of rising costs.

The NFU highlighted that the nation had lost about 7,000 agricultural businesses since 2019.

“The danger is that we produce less and less of our food here, and we become ever more reliant on imports,” NFU president Minette Batters told journalists.

According to the union, £60 million (over $72 million) worth of food went to waste on farms this year as a result of labour shortages.

The NFU urged the government to provide urgent support to struggling farmers and allow 15,000 additional seasonal workers to come from abroad to help pick crops.
https://www.rt.com/business/567814-british-farmers-food-supply-warning/
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via RT website 10 Dec, 2022 19:40

----Serbia to seek troop deployment in Kosovo

As ethnic Albanian forces crack down on the province’s Serb minority, Belgrade expects NATO to ignore its concerns

Serbia will request that its forces be deployed to Kosovo amid an Albanian-led crackdown on the province’s Serb population, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday. Vucic added that he expects Kosovo’s NATO backers to reject the request.

“We will send a request to the KFOR commander to ensure the deployment of members of the army and police of the Republic of Serbia to the territory of Kosovo and Metohija,” said Vucic, referring to the NATO-led Kosovo Force mission in the province.

Under Resolution 1244 of the United Nations Security Council, Serbia has a right to send military and police personnel to Kosovo in certain situations, including in the event that the “peaceful and normal life” of its population there becomes threatened.

Kosovo has been occupied by NATO forces since the bloc intervened to drive Yugoslav troops out of the province in 1999. Given this occupation, and Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008, Vucic said that KFOR will likely reject his request, even though “it is an obligation for KFOR.”

Ethnic Albanian authorities in Kosovo sent hundreds of police officers into the majority-Serb northern district of Kosovska Mitrovica on Thursday, a violation of a 2013 deal between Belgrade and Pristina. Kosovo police seized 42,000 liters of wine from a Serb-run winery in Velika Hoca the same day, and sent riot police units into a kindergarten in Leposavic a day earlier.

The incidents are the latest flare-ups since Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced a ban on Serbian license plates in July, citing a 2013 agreement governing relations between Belgrade and Pristina. Serbia considers the agreement a step towards recognizing Kosovo’s independence, and has not ratified it.

Vucic claimed on Saturday that Kosovo plans to submit an application next week for membership of the European Union. He said that Serbia opposes this plan, as “only sovereign and independent states can request admission,” of which Kosovo is neither. Moreover, five EU countries, including Spain and Greece, do not recognize Kosovo as an independent state.
https://www.rt.com/news/568025-serbia-kosovo-troops/
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