RT News - January 2nd 2023

The city of Donetsk as well as other locations across the Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk (LPR) People’s Republics came under heavy artillery and rocket attacks by Kiev forces overnight, according to local authorities. Six people are wounded after Ukrainian troops shell a hospital in the Lugansk republic, according to local officials, who say Kiev used the US- supplied HIMARS rocket system in the strike. There have also been fatalities. (A and B below)

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A US politician brands NATO chief Stoltenberg a war criminal, who should be tried at the Hague for pumping Ukraine with weapons. (QS: This proxy war against Russia is entirely funded by the citizens of NATO member countries and their allies, without a vote in parliaments or list of .gov objectives since 2014. On a brief scan of manifestos across these countries, I can see no mention of financing or training of personnel or political bodies 2014 - February 2022 in Ukraine in any of them. This is important as it would have influenced the way the public voted in that period)

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Below: A) --- Ukraine kills and injures Donbass civilians – officials
B) --- Ukrainian drone depots destroyed – Moscow
1) --- Record numbers of migrants entered UK by sea in 2022
2) --- Ukraine exacts revenge on Israel at UN – Axios
3) --- New Year festivities marred by racist illumination
4) --- Russia to double yuan share in rainy day fund – Finance Ministry
5) --- Putin gives unusual New Year address
6) --- Up to 500 dying every week because of UK hospital delays – physician
7) --- Inflation in Germany to remain high – survey
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1 Jan, 2023 15:11

A) --- Ukraine kills and injures Donbass civilians – officials
Attacks on residential areas were ramped up amid New Year celebrations

The city of Donetsk as well as other locations across the Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk (LPR) People’s Republics came under heavy artillery and rocket attacks by Kiev forces overnight, according to local authorities. Officials claim the shelling targeted primarily residential areas and continued into the day, with the Ukrainian military using 155mm NATO-caliber artillery and Western-supplied multiple rocket launchers.

Three people, including a three-months-old boy, were injured as a result of shelling in Donetsk’s central district, the city’s mayor Alexey Kulemzin reported on Sunday.

More than 15 civilians were injured in the attacks on the town of Makeevka, a satellite of Donetsk located immediately to northeast of the city. The town has been repeatedly targeted with various weaponry over the past 24-hour period, according to local authorities.

At least six civilians were killed in the Ukrainian attack on a hospital, located at the town of Pervomaysk in the LPR. Deputy head physician of the hospital, Tatyana Kovalyeva, told RIA Novosti the facility was targeted with rocket salvos three times, with intervals of some 30 minutes, in an apparent ‘double-tap’ effort to strike the hospital itself and then first responders.

“At least six people have been killed, and the figure may grow as we’re still searching through debris,” Kovalyeva stated.

The cities of Donbass have been repeatedly subjected to heavy artillery and rocket attacks by Kiev troops amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with more than 1,000 civilians perishing last year in the DPR alone.

Both sides of the ongoing conflict have apparently been very active amid the New Year's Eve celebrations. While Kiev troops shelled settlements across Donbass, the Russian military launched a new large-scale missile barrage across Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday it had targeted drone manufacturing facilities and stockpiles during the latest salvo, disrupting Kiev’s plans to carry out “terrorist attacks” against Russia.
https://www.rt.com/russia/569264-donbass-civilians-ukrainian-shelling/
related: 1 Jan, 2023 12:27

B) --- Ukrainian drone depots destroyed – Moscow

Missiles struck facilities involved in the production of UAVs, the Russian Defense Ministry said

A missile barrage has targeted Ukraine’s ability to launch drones at Russian territory, Moscow’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

The strikes destroyed Ukrainian production facilities involved in manufacturing UAVs used by Kiev to carry out “terrorist attacks” against Russia, according to the ministry.

The Russian attack also targeted locations where action-ready drones were parked, and their launch sites, the statement added.

“The goal of the strike was achieved, Kiev’s plans to carry out terrorist attacks against Russia in the near future have been thwarted,” the ministry said.

The chief of Ukraine’s armed forces Valery Zaluzhny said on Telegram that 20 missiles had been fired at the country on Saturday from Russia’s long-range bombers and ground-based systems. He claimed that 12 of those missiles had been shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.

Kiev mayor Vitaly Klitschko said one person was killed and 20 others wounded in the strikes. Several people were also injured in the cities of Nikolaev and Khmelnitsky, according to local authorities.

On December 5, Ukraine attempted to hit bases hosting Moscow’s long-range bombers in the Saratov and Ryazan regions, deep inside Russian territory. According to the Defense Ministry, the modified “Soviet-made” jet drones used in the attacks on the Engels and Dyagilevo bases were destroyed by air defenses, but their debris ended up killing three service personnel and “slightly” damaging two aircraft.

A similar strike against the Engels airfield was again attempted by Kiev on December 23. The UAV was also shot down, but three servicemen suffered fatal wounds from the debris. According to Russian officials, no damage was caused to aircraft on the ground.

Throughout the conflict, Ukraine has also employed smaller drones to target Russia’s border regions and Crimea on numerous occasions.
https://www.rt.com/russia/569262-drone-attack-military-strike/
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1 Jan, 2023 20:29

1) --- Record numbers of migrants entered UK by sea in 2022

Successive conservative governments have failed to tackle the surge in illegal immigration

More than 45,000 illegal immigrants entered the UK last year by crossing the English Channel in small boats, according to government figures released on Sunday. Britain has attempted to pay France to stop the crossings, as legal action stymied its plan to deport the migrants to Rwanda.

Two boats carried 90 people across the Channel to the UK on Christmas Day, bringing to 45,756 the total number of migrants to make the journey in 2022, up from 28,395 in 2021. No further crossings were recorded before New Year’s Day, the Ministry of Defence noted on Sunday.

Since crossings first began to rise in 2018, the majority of the migrants came from Iran, Iraq, and a number of other middle-Eastern countries. However, 42% of all arrivals in the second half of 2022 came from Albania, a country that is considered “safe” by the British government.

Britain is currently spending £5.5 million ($6.6 million) every day to house migrants in hotels, although Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said last month that his government would soon house 10,000 in disused holiday parks, student halls, and surplus military sites.

Sunak, as well as his predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, have all promised to reduce the numbers crossing the Channel, but have thus far failed. Johnson’s Home Secretary, Priti Patel, signed a deal in April where Rwanda would take planeloads of migrants while their asylum claims were processed, but legal action by pro-immigration NGOs halted this plan.

Although the High Court ruled the policy lawful in December, legal appeals are ongoing and no flights have left the UK yet. Speaking to the Daily Mail last month, a government spokesperson refused to say whether any deportations would happen in 2023.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced in November that Britain had struck a deal with France where her government would pay the French €72.2 million ($74.5 million) per year to step up patrols on the opposite side of the Channel. However, three such deals have been signed in the past three years, and crossings have still increased annually.

Speaking after the signing of the agreement, Sunak admitted that the deal won’t “magically solve” the issue.
https://www.rt.com/news/569277-uk-record-migrants-channel/
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1 Jan, 2023 14:58

2) --- Ukraine exacts revenge on Israel at UN – Axios

The media outlet claims Kiev refused to oppose a pro-Palestinian resolution after Israel declined to provide weapons to the country

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has made his country’s support for Israel at the UN contingent on the nation providing Kiev with air defense systems, the news website Axios has claimed. After not receiving any firm commitments from newly reinstated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ukrainian representatives allegedly opted not to oppose a recent anti-Israel resolution.

In its report on Saturday, Axios cited unnamed Ukrainian and Israeli officials as saying the two leaders held a phone conversation on Friday. Netanyahu supposedly asked Zelensky to vote against, or at least abstain from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution that called on the International Court of Justice to issue a legal opinion on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.

That conversation was reportedly preceded by Kiev’s refusal to oppose the document during a UN committee vote several weeks ago, according to Axios.

The article claimed that during the phone call, Zelensky made it clear that Ukraine could change its position if Netanyahu pledged military assistance to Kiev amid its conflict with Russia.

While Netanyahu allegedly said he was ready to discuss “Zelensky’s requests in the future,” the Israeli prime minister stopped short of making any firm commitment, Axios reported.

According to the outlet, the Ukrainian head of state was not satisfied with that response, and instructed his UN envoy not to attend the vote at all. A Ukrainian official claimed the decision was made “in order to give a chance to the relationship with Netanyahu,” the US news outlet claimed.

Netanyahu’s office confirmed to Axios that the phone call took place, but refused to provide details regarding its contents.

The UN resolution was adopted on Friday with the support of 87 countries. A total of 26 nations voted against, and 53 abstained.

In early November, then Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz explained that the country could not supply its Iron Dome air defense system to Ukraine as it did not “have a large enough production base” to satisfy an export market as well as its own needs.

Kiev has repeatedly requested military aid from Israel, with special emphasis on air defense. Ukrainian officials say the weapons would be a great help in the country’s efforts to counter what it believes to be Iranian drones deployed by Moscow.

Both Russia and Iran, for their part, deny such UAVs are being used by Moscow’s troops.
https://www.rt.com/news/569265-ukraine-israel-un-resolution-military-aid/
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1 Jan, 2023 19:55

3) --- New Year festivities marred by racist illumination

Offensive messages have been projected on the side of a bridge in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, amid New Year celebrations

Rotterdam police are searching for unknown perpetrators who displayed offensive, racially charged messages on the Erasmus Bridge in the center of the city amid New Year's festivities.

The offensive display appeared just after the turn of the new year early on Sunday, amid celebrations centered around the bridge. Although the planned fireworks had been canceled due to high winds in the area, a large number of revelers were still present at the site to ‘enjoy’ the messages, while the whole event was also broadcast live on RTL 4.

The offensive messages included the notorious Fourteen Words by the late US white supremacist and convicted domestic terrorist David Lane, widely used by assorted neo-Nazis and white supremacists worldwide, as well as the slogan ‘White Lives Matter.'
https://twitter.com/dutchcorine/status/1609326366859706368
Other messages were in Dutch and appeared to be more Netherlands-specific. The display wished the revelers ‘Happy White 2023,’ using the word "blank," considered to be discriminatory and antiquated, and effectively meaning lack of skin color. Another message read ‘Zwarte Piet did nothing wrong.’ It apparently referred to the recent cancel-culture campaign against a local traditional Christmas character and St. Nicolas sidekick, Black Pete, deemed by the critics to be highly offensive blackface display.

The incident has been strongly condemned by the authorities, with Rotterdam’s deputy mayor Ronald Buijt telling broadcaster RTL that the slogans were "rude and polarizing" whereas the city itself was a place "where everyone is equal."

Local police believe the racially charged messages were displayed on the bridge by a group of perpetrators operating from a boat. "As we now estimate, the images were projected from a boat. The images move quite a bit. It is rather sloppy. We don't think this was done by the organization that normally handles the lighting of the bridge. But of course we are investigating that also," a police spokesperson told RTL.

The organizers of the bridge illumination and fireworks display have strongly denied any involvement, insisting they were not aware of the incident until the following morning. "We had seen texts like ‘happy New Year’ appearing on the bridge in the evening, so we did not pay too much attention to them," a spokesman told the AD newspaper.
https://www.rt.com/news/569275-netherlands-racist-new-year/
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2 Jan, 2023 05:29

4) --- Russia to double yuan share in rainy day fund – Finance Ministry

The balances of the British pound and Japanese yen in the sovereign wealth fund have been reduced to zero

The maximum share of Russia’s National Wealth Fund (NWF) that can be held in Chinese yuan will be doubled to 60% as Moscow further reduces exposure to the currencies of ‘unfriendly’ nations, the Finance Ministry has announced.

The permitted share of gold in the NWF will also be doubled, to 40%, while balances in the British pound and Japanese yen have been reduced to zero, the ministry added.

The fund, which accumulates revenue from oil exports, was created to support the national pension system and to help cover budget deficits when needed. The assets of the fund amounted to $186.5 billion as of December 1.

“The Russian Finance Ministry is continuing its consistent reduction of the share of currencies of ‘unfriendly’ states in the structure of the National Wealth Fund’s assets,” the ministry stated.

“The currency structure of the NWF has become better adapted to the challenges facing the Russian Federation in the current macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions,” it stressed.

The head of the ministry, Anton Siluanov, said earlier that “among the currencies of friendly countries, the yuan has the characteristics of a reserve currency and sufficient liquidity on our domestic foreign exchange market to the greatest extent.”

The yuan has been squeezing out the US dollar in trade on the Moscow Exchange, according to Yury Denisov, the head of the bourse. He said recently that yuan-ruble trading volumes would surpass dollar-ruble trading volumes in 2023 as financial links between Moscow and Beijing continue to strengthen.
https://www.rt.com/business/569172-russia-yuan-share-fund/
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31 Dec, 2022 19:50

5) --- Putin gives unusual New Year address

Russia’s president has broken years-long tradition, addressing the nation from a military HQ

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his traditional New Year's Eve address on Saturday, speaking to the nation about the challenges the country has faced over the past year and the achievements it has made. The address venue differed drastically from the traditional Kremlin courtyard stand-up shots of the president, with Putin this year recording the annual message at the Southern Military District HQ. During his visit, he also met with top military brass and gave state awards to distinguished soldiers.

The unusually long address primarily revolved around the ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, the large-scale conflict which broke out late in February. The dramatic events have shown that Russia, "our multi-ethnic country has demonstrated its courage and dignity, as it always has during times of trouble," he said, praising the country’s military and common citizens alike.

"Russian soldiers, militia and volunteers are fighting for our homeland, for truth and justice, to ensure peace and security for Russia. All of them are heroes to us. Their burden is the heaviest today. With all of my heart, I wish a Happy New Year to all participants of the special military operation," the president said.

While the outgoing year has been "full of worries and anxiety" and many "tough, but necessary decisions" have been made, the country has made "critical steps towards achieving Russia’s full sovereignty and a vital consolidation of our society," the president said.

"This was a year of pivotal and fateful events that set the foundation of our common future and our true independence. This is what we are fighting for today. We are protecting our people in our historic lands, new constituent territories of the Russian Federation," the president stated, referring to the four formerly-Ukrainian regions, incorporated into Russia after September referendums.

Not only Russia but the whole world experienced a "significant change" over the past year, Putin said, adding that the efforts to harm Russia made by the collective West, which has been backing Ukraine in the ongoing conflict, have largely failed. The ongoing conflict has been "inspiring for other nations as they aspire to forge an equitable and multipolar world," the president noted.

"Russia has been living under sanctions since the events in Crimea in 2014. Yet this year, an all-out sanctions war has been declared against us. The masterminds behind it expected our industrial, financial and transportation sectors to collapse. This didn’t happen," Putin stressed.
Watch Pres. Putin's new year speech right here on Rumble https://rumble.com/v23bmwe-putin-delivers-new-year-2023-speech.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=4

https://rumble.com/v23bmwe-putin-delivers-new-year-2023-speech.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=4
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1 Jan, 2023 17:10

6) --- Up to 500 dying every week because of UK hospital delays – physician

Britain’s National Health Service is currently grappling with the effects of strikes and a severe flu outbreak

Delays in British emergency departments could be causing between 300 and 500 deaths each week, Royal College of Emergency Medicine President Dr Adrian Boyle has told Times Radio.

According to data from NHS England, 37,837 patients waited more than 12 hours to be admitted to emergency departments in November, up from 10,646 in November 2021. Although figures for December have yet to be released, Boyle told the Times that he’d be “amazed” if they weren’t the worst on record.

“What we’re seeing now in terms of these long waits is being associated with increased mortality, and we think somewhere between 300-500 people are dying as a consequence of delays and problems with urgent and emergency care each week,” he said, in remarks quoted by multiple British media outlets on Sunday.
“We need to actually get a grip of this,” he continued. “We need to increase our capacity within our hospitals, we need to make sure that there are alternative ways so that people aren’t all just funneled into the ambulance service and emergency department.”

While hospitals are typically more crowded in winter, this season saw strikes by nurses and ambulance staff in December, and a virulent outbreak of influenza in recent weeks. According to NHS data, 3,746 people per day were hospitalized with the flu in the week leading up to Christmas, up from 2,088 per day a week earlier.

While cases of Covd-19 remain low throughout the UK, staff absences due to the virus were up more than 47% in December compared to November
https://www.rt.com/news/569273-hns-delays-deaths-uk/
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1 Jan, 2023 07:08

7) --- Inflation in Germany to remain high – survey

Interest rate hikes came too late to stop a price surge in the short term, German industry groups say

German consumers should not expect price spikes to subside in the coming months, the Federation of German Industries (BDI) said in a survey of major industry groups, published by Reuters on December 30.

According to the report, inflation is likely to remain high throughout the next year, and the 2% target rate set by the European Central bank (ECB) may not be reached until at least 2025.

“A return to a level of 2% is likely to take longer and can only be achieved by the middle of the decade, if monetary policy takes effect,” BDI President Siegfried Russwurm said. He noted that more measures by the ECB aiming to stem inflation would cause a further drop in investment activity.

Over the summer, the ECB abandoned its long-standing zero interest rate policy and hiked the key rate in several steps to the current 2.5%.

“Inflation started rising before the energy crisis and will continue for the time being. We have to assume that [it] will remain above the reasonable ECB target of 2% for some time,” Peter Adrian, head of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), said. According to him, the ECB began its interest rate hikes too late, which means it must now raise them at an accelerated pace.

“This makes corporate financing more difficult and is an additional burdening factor for businesses.”

Germany's annual inflation rate slowed slightly in November, to 11.3% from 11.6% in October. However, according to the Secretary General of the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts and Small Businesses (ZDH), Holger Schwannecke, “a noticeable slowdown in price increases is probably not to be expected until summer 2023, but even then the price level will remain high.”
https://www.rt.com/business/569190-german-inflation-remains-high/
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1 Jan, 2023 07:54

8) --- North Korean leader orders new ICBM and larger nuclear arsenal

Pyongyang needs “overwhelming military power” to protect its sovereignty, Kim Jong-un says

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for the country to develop a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and boost its nuclear arsenal amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, state-run media reported.

Pyongyang requires “overwhelming military power” to defend itself as Washington and “our undoubted enemy” Seoul try to “isolate and stifle” North Korea with US nuclear assets deployed in South Korean territory, Kim said on Sunday, according to the state-run KCNA news agency.

During a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), the country’s leader insisted that a new ICBM capable of a “quick nuclear counter-strike” must be developed by North Korea.

Kim stressed the importance of “mass-producing tactical nuclear weapons,” saying “an exponential increase of the country’s nuclear arsenal” would be the “main orientation” of North Korea’s defense strategy in 2023, KCNA reported.

Pyongyang is also planning to launch its first military satellite “at the earliest date possible,” and this is in the final stages of development, the agency added.

On Saturday, Kim praised the country’s defense industry for delivering 30 new 600mm super-large multiple rocket launchers to the military. He described the nuclear-capable system as the country’s “core offensive weapon,” which can strike anywhere in South Korea with surprise and precision launches.

“We have declared our resolute will to respond with nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation,” he warned, as quoted by KCNA.

North Korea carried out a record number of missile tests in 2022, some of which involved ICBMs, according to calculations by Western media outlets. And it has already fired a short-range ballistic missile off its east coast in the early hours of the new year. Washington and Seoul have claimed that the North is gearing up for its nuclear test since 2017.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol warned on Sunday that North Korea would continue with its nuclear and missile provocations, insisting that Seoul’s military should respond to such moves with clear retaliation, according to his office.

On Monday, Pyongyang sent five drones into South Korean territory, with Seoul responding by flying three UAVs into North Korean airspace. South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup told parliament on Wednesday that President Yoon had ordered him to come up with a tit-for-tat response “even if that means risking escalation.”

Tensions have been on the rise between the two neighbors since Yoon came to power in May and declared a “peace through strength” policy, which is based on further boosting military ties with the US. In late December, Seoul announced an increase in joint drills with the Americans, with 20 such exercises planned for the first half of 2023 alone.
https://www.rt.com/news/569254-kim-korea-icbm-nuclear/
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