RT News - March 2nd 2023 LATE - Terrorist attack on Bryansk, Russia

Russia, Bryansk Terrorist attacks: Pres. Putin brands Thursday's Ukrainian-linked attacks on Russia's Bryansk region, an act of terror - with Security Services saying explosive devices have been discovered hidden across the area. A Ukrainian group, designated as terrorists by Russia has claimed responsibility for the incident. Its leader was previously tied to neo-Nazi ideology. Two people have been killed and an 11 yr old girl is in hospital wounded. Shelling of Bryansk also occurred; there are no military installations or operations there. In Kursk, one person was killed and another wounded by Kiev shelling in a civilian only region. Rachel and Eunan give more details. Mark Sleboda discusses who are, and the nature of the terrorists

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India/Russia G20 FM's meeting. FM Lavrov praises developing countries for their independent decision-making during a gathering of foreign ministers in India while also criticizing the West for its 'neo-colonial' habits, including sanctions and the manipulation of international law. The joint statement which normally comes from these meetings couldn't be reached. One important consensus reached however was adopting the African Union into the G20 and the need for true multilateralism. Runjun Sharma reports.

European Union: The bloc is set to increase it's weapons producing capabilities (QS: why not, there's precious little else being made in Europe now. Destruction is almost complete.) The effort is supposed to help Ukraine, despite the largest majority of citizens of Europe (and Britain) wanting no more support to Kiev at all, let alone more weapons. Rachel Marsden reports.

W.H.O. : As the World Health Organization calls on the global community to rally support for earthquake-struck Syria Washington appears to be using the tragedy to try and undermine political cooperation in the region. We speak to a geopolitical journalist, who says the US won't be able to put all the blame on the Syrian government anymore. (Not just Washington, British citizens are unable to help or send money either. The first thing to do is lift the illegal sanctions and stop stealing their oil - $billions worth each month) Pres. Assad met several leaders from Arab states, which was really good. Estabo Carillo discusses.

Iran, toxic gas attacks: Across the country, school girls have once again been attacked by a mysterious toxic gas. Yousef Jalali reports.

This morning's post was delayed as I was searching around trying to find out more information. There was a lot of detail in the associated articles, if you missed the post, I haven't had an email notifications to confirm the post so here it is : - https://rumble.com/v2bh44q-rt-news-march-2nd-2023.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=7

I've included relevant info, all I could find out, about the terrorist attacks on posts 11 and on.
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11) P O S T E D E A R L I E R Terrorist attack on Bryansk
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Below, via RT website --- - ---- 1) --- Blinken and Lavrov meet at G20
2) --- Stopping weapons supplies to Ukraine won’t bring peace – Scholz
3) --- Deadly incident at Russian military aircraft plant
4) --- US makes another China-irritating Taiwan move
5) --- Russia accuses West of trying to ‘threaten’ China
6) --- Russia comments on ‘Serb weapons’ in Ukraine
7) --- New sanctions pose no shock to economy – Bank of Russia
8) --- EU country boosts imports of Russian nuclear components – media
9) --- Ex-German chancellor fends off party expulsion attempt over ‘Russia ties’
10) --- Ex-colonial power proclaims end of Africa interference
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2 Mar, 2023 17:12

1) --- Blinken and Lavrov meet at G20

In their first face-to-face encounter in more than a year, the US’ top diplomat asked his Russian counterpart to return to a nuclear treaty

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi on Thursday. Blinken said he urged Russia to return to the New START arms control treaty, but Moscow has already insisted that Washington’s “hybrid war” on Russia makes serious discussions impossible.

The two diplomats met for around ten minutes. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that Blinken “asked for contact” with Lavrov. However, the brief encounter was conducted on the fly and could not be considered “negotiations,” she added.

In his own press conference after the meeting, Blinken said that he reaffirmed the US’ support for Ukraine, raised the possibility of a prisoner exchange for captured American Paul Whelan, and “urged Russia to reverse its irresponsible decision and return to implementing the New START treaty.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law this week to suspend the treaty, which was the last remaining nuclear arms agreement between the US and Russia. The treaty placed limits on the number of deployed missiles, bombers, launchers, and warheads each side could possess, and allowed both countries to inspect each others’ nuclear sites.

Earlier this week, Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, said that “Washington must reconsider its hostile anti-Russian policy” before Moscow would contemplate a return to the agreement. Given that the US has “launched and dragged its European allies into a large-scale hybrid war against Russia,” and insists on inspecting the same Russian bases that its Ukrainian proxies are attacking “with the help of the Pentagon,” the deal would remain suspended.

Antonov also accused the US of violating the treaty long before Russia’s withdrawal, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a day later that Washington’s actions prior to the outbreak of conflict in Ukraine – which included rejecting all of Russia’s security requests – showed that “they were not ready to talk about anything with us.”

The US has also accused Russia of breaching the treaty by preventing American inspectors from traveling to its bases.

Blinken and Lavrov last met in Geneva last January, and spoke by phone in July. Throughout the intervening time, Blinken has maintained that the US will keep up its military support for Ukraine “for as long as it takes,” and Lavrov said in January that a subsequent message he received from Blinken offered no “serious proposals” for resolving the conflict.

The US has for a long time been “in favor of the escalation of conflicts,” Zakharova said on Thursday. “Diplomacy, unfortunately, has been relegated to the background.”
https://www.rt.com/news/572348-blinken-lavrov-meeting-g20/
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2 Mar, 2023 14:55

2) --- Stopping weapons supplies to Ukraine won’t bring peace – Scholz

The German chancellor has attacked critics of Western efforts to arm Kiev

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has insisted that ceasing the flow of Western weapons into Ukraine will not bring about peace. The politician criticized those protesting against the continued influx of arms during a speech in the Bundestag on Thursday.

Scholz praised the solidarity among the European Union, G7, and NATO in their military support of Kiev, boasting that Germany is training the largest number of Ukrainian soldiers among its allies and pledging ongoing support for Kiev.

“One also does not achieve peace when one shouts ‘never again war’ here in Berlin, and at the same time demands that all weapons deliveries must be stopped,” the chancellor stated.

The comments appeared to be a reference to an anti-war protest organized by Die Linke (Left Party) politician Sahra Wagenknecht and author Alice Schwarzer last week. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Berlin, gathering at the Brandenburg Gate to demand the government stop sending weapons to Kiev.

In the same speech, Scholz urged China not to provide arms to Russia and instead use its influence “to push for the withdrawal of Russian troops” from Ukraine. That echoed recent warnings by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has claimed that Beijing is considering supplying Moscow with “lethal aid.”

China has repeatedly denied the accusations. Beijing’s deputy UN ambassador, Dai Bing, told the UN General Assembly in February that “sending weapons will not bring peace.” Last week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning accused the US of hypocrisy, saying Washington is already fueling the fire in Ukraine by “pouring weapons into one side of the conflict, thus prolonging the fight and making peace elusive.”
https://www.rt.com/news/572332-scholz-weapons-supplies-peace/

QS: Recall on Monday German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said "the country’s army isn’t prepared to protect the nation against military aggression." Said it at a meeting with fellow members of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). “We have no armed forces that are capable of defending [the country], that is, capable of defending [it] against an offensive, brutally waged aggressive war,” Pistorius said. (QS - at the time I meant to add a comment but I will now. Who does he think is going to attack Germany? Until very recently Russia has bent over backwards to live as friends with and as trading partners with Germany and the rest of the liberal democracies comprising the EU and Britain. The biggest threat to Britain and Europe are the corrupted and rotten-to-the-core liars posing as .govs who have little concern for the citizens at all. We citizens need to change this system fast, before it's too late.
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2 Mar, 2023 14:54

3) --- Deadly incident at Russian military aircraft plant

A transport plane hull test in the city of Ulyanovsk resulted in several casualties, the manufacturer has said

A test on a new military transport aircraft went awry in Russia on Thursday, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the country’s major state aircraft manufacturer, said. One employee died and several others were injured as a result of the mishap.

The incident took place at the Aviastar plant in the city of Ulyanovsk located in Russia’s Volga region. The plant specializes in the production and maintenance of military and civilian transport aircraft.

At least one staff member at the plant died in the incident, the UAC said in a statement on Telegram, adding that several others were injured, although the exact number was not revealed. At least five people were affected by the accident, Russia’s RIA news agency reported, citing the emergency services.

The reasons for the incident are still “being investigated,” the UAC said. According to RIA, the mishap took place when the hull of an aircraft was being tested for structural integrity. Such tests entail the hull being subjected to excessive pressure, the news agency explained.

Russian media reported that the aircraft in question was an Il-76MD-90A, an overhauled model of a Russian heavy military transport aircraft. The aircraft is capable of transporting loads of up to 60 tons a distance of up to 4,200km.

The Il-76MD-90A is said to have a more powerful engine and more sophisticated onboard equipment and is capable of hauling heavier loads and flying longer distances. The aircraft is designed to be able to transport any heavy equipment used by the Russian Airborne Forces.

The IL-76 aircraft are also regularly used by the Russian Emergencies Ministry. Four such planes were deployed to Türkiye and Syria in the wake of a massive earthquake earlier this year. The aircraft had more than 100 rescue workers on board, as well as an airmobile hospital.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572336-deadly-incident-military-aircraft-plant/
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2 Mar, 2023 16:41

4) --- US makes another China-irritating Taiwan move

The State Department has approved the potential sale of millions of dollars’ worth of F-16 fighter jet missiles and other military equipment to the island

The US State Department has greenlit the proposed sale of $619 million worth of military supplies to Taiwan, including ammunition for F-16 fighter jets, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday.

The deal contains hundreds of High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM) and Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), as well as training missiles, guidance systems, multi-purpose launchers, spare parts, classified software, and other equipment. The principal contractors listed in the deal are Raytheon Missiles & Defense and the Lockheed Martin Corporation.

The Pentagon’s press statement claims that the sale “serves US national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.”

At the same time, it’s noted that the proposed sale of this equipment and support would “not alter the basic military balance in the region” but would serve to bolster Taiwan’s ability to defend its airspace and improve regional security.

A State Department official was quoted by CNN as saying that the deal is “consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act,” as well as Washington’s ‘One China’ policy, and would “contribute to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region.” He added that Taipei would use its own funds for the purchase of the munitions.

Before the deal is finalized, it must pass through Congress, where lawmakers will have 30 days to discuss the sale and decide whether to let it proceed.

Beijing has responded to the deal by saying that it violates the ‘One China’ principle and undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning urged the US to stop arms sales and military contact with Taipei.

The spokesperson also reiterated Beijing’s longstanding claim that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and insisted that Taipei’s “separatist activities” and Washington’s attempts to use the island to “contain China” are the “root cause” of tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
https://www.rt.com/news/572338-us-taiwan-f16-munitions/
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2 Mar, 2023 14:12

5) --- Russia accuses West of trying to ‘threaten’ China

The way some diplomats are behaving raises questions about their “state of mind,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has claimed

The West has abandoned traditional diplomacy in favor of blackmail and coercion, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday, while arguing that it was unreasonable to try to intimidate China on the world stage.

“I have doubts about the state of mind of those who make such threats,” Lavrov stated at a press conference after the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi, India. “You shouldn’t make threats in general. But when someone threatens China, given the current circumstances, I can’t wrap my head around that.”

“It seems that our Western colleagues have long discarded diplomacy and are only engaging in blackmail and threats,” he added.

Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China of “serious consequences” if Beijing decided to supply weapons to Russia. The Chinese Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations, accusing Washington of “spreading false information.”

US-China ties have deteriorated significantly over the years as the counties have been blaming each for tensions in the South China Sea and around Taiwan. Blinken canceled his trip to Beijing last month, after authorities claimed that a high-altitude balloon discovered over US territory was a Chinese spy device. Beijing has insisted that the balloon was a weather research airship that had veered off course.

In the 12-point Ukraine peace roadmap proposed by China last week, Beijing urged all countries to abandon “the Cold War mentality” and work towards a more fair security model for the world.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572326-lavrov-west-china-threats/
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2 Mar, 2023 18:11

6) --- Russia comments on ‘Serb weapons’ in Ukraine

Moscow is “deeply concerned” by reports that NATO members smuggled Serbian-made rockets into Kiev

Claims that Serbian-made ammunition has been delivered to Ukrainian forces are a serious matter, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday, adding that Moscow is reserving judgment until all the facts have been established.

Several media outlets in Russia and Serbia reported over the past week that some 3,500 rockets manufactured at the Krusik factory in Valjevo had made their way to the Ukrainian military.

Asked about this at the daily briefing on Thursday, Zakharova said the reports caused “the deepest concern” in Moscow, and that the ministry was “attentively following” the matter, including the discussions about it in the Serbian parliament.

“This is too serious an issue, with implications on Russian-Serbian relations, to react reflexively,” Zakharova added. “We need to get to the facts.”

According to the news reports, the Krusik weapons works sold the rockets to a Turkish customer, who then sent them to Ukraine via Slovakia. The 122-millimeter projectiles are used with the M-21 Grad multiple rocket launch systems (MLRS), in service with both Russian and Ukrainian forces.

Responding to the reports, Krusik officials insisted that their contracts specified the Turkish end-user could not re-export the rockets without permission, and that the documents allegedly showing the resale to a Canadian company for delivery to Slovakia were falsified.

Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic muddied the waters on Tuesday, however, when he told the parliament that Belgrade had the legal right to export weapons and that if they ended up in the wrong hands, that was a matter of international trade.

“Serbia absolutely does not export weapons to either Ukraine or Russia, but we have the right to sell to all documented and legal end-users,” Vucevic said. “We will not sell weapons to any parties to the war. We do not want our weapons to be used in the war on either side. But we do not want to be false moralists. We produce weapons and military equipment. These are not museum pieces that sit on exhibit, this is something armies put to use.”

Reports of the Krusik deliveries come as the US and the EU are pressuring Belgrade to join their sanctions against Russia, as well as accept their demands to recognize the breakaway province of Kosovo in exchange for a promise of eventual EU membership.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572350-serbia-rockets-ukraine-zakharova/
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2 Mar, 2023 16:02

7) --- New sanctions pose no shock to economy – Bank of Russia

The blacklisting of 14 additional Russian banks by the West poses no systemic risks, as lenders were already prepared, the regulator says

The latest Western sanctions against Russian banks will not cause a shock to the country’s banking system, the head of the Bank of Russia, Elvira Nabiullina, said on Thursday at the regulator’s annual meeting with commercial lenders.

According to Nabiullina, the banks that fell under restrictions earlier have largely adjusted, while other banks had time to prepare for their potential blacklisting by reducing assets that can be blocked by sanctions. They also automatically became eligible for the Bank of Russia support measures that have been created for such situations throughout the previous year.

“The recent addition of new banks to the sanctions list is no longer perceived as a shocking event and does not create systemic risks compared to banks that were previously hit by sanctions,” Nabiullina said, adding that “the acute phase of the crisis has passed.”

She noted, however, that sanctions continue to impact the dynamics of the banking sector and the economy to a certain degree, and the regulator therefore “will continue to take measures that will minimize this impact.” She didn’t specify the measures in question.

The US, the EU, and the UK have imposed sweeping new sanctions against 14 more Russian banks for the anniversary of the start of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine last week. This brought the total number of Russian banks blacklisted by the West to 31, including the country’s largest lender, Sber. The aim of these restrictions is largely to cut them off from international financial operations and freeze their assets, where possible. The US Treasury announced last week that over 80% of Russia’s banking sector in asset value is now subject to Western restrictions.
https://www.rt.com/business/572333-sanctions-no-risk-russia-economy/
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2 Mar, 2023 14:48

8) --- EU country boosts imports of Russian nuclear components – media

Finland spent $35 million last year to buy the necessary equipment from Russia to maintain its atomic power plants

Finland has increased purchases of components from Russia to maintain operation of its nuclear power plants, business daily Kauppalehti reported on Wednesday, citing customs data.

Purchases surged by 20% in 2022 compared to the previous year and reached a total value of €33 million ($35 million).

The outlet noted that while imports by Teollisuuden Voima, a Finnish nuclear power operator owned by a consortium of companies, were relatively insignificant, the country’s major state-owned energy company Fortum has not disclosed the cost of Russian supplies.

Fortum operates Finland’s first Soviet-designed nuclear power plant, which entered commercial use in 1977. Earlier this month, the Finnish government granted a new operating license for Loviisa NPP until the end of 2050. The plant, comprising two VVER-440 type pressurized water reactors, provides more than 10% of the country’s electricity.

The development comes as some EU countries are calling for sanctions on Russia’s nuclear industry, which has so far gone untouched because it’s essential for the operation of many power plants in the region. According to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, of the 53 reactors under construction as of mid-2022, 20 were being built by Rosatom, 17 of which are located outside Russia.

Earlier this week, Lithuanian president Gitanas Nauseda announced that he would keep pressing the EU to place restrictions on Russia’s nuclear industry and to blacklist the country’s state atomic corporation Rosatom.

Meanwhile, Russian nuclear fuel and technology sales soared last year as imports by EU countries climbed to the highest level in three years, according to recent data.
https://www.rt.com/business/572253-finland-russia-nuclear-componets/
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2 Mar, 2023 15:19

9) --- Ex-German chancellor fends off party expulsion attempt over ‘Russia ties’

Gerhard Schroeder will remain a member of the ruling SPD party, despite controversy over his relationship with Moscow

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will remain a member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), a party committee decided on Thursday. Schroeder forged close ties with Russia during his time in office, and angered the current SPD establishment by meeting with President Vladimir Putin last summer, in the midst of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.

An SPD arbitration committee in Hannover ruled that Schroeder had violated no party rules, and thus could not be expelled, Reuters reported. The ruling upheld a decision by the same committee last August not to revoke Schroeder’s membership over his work for Russian companies, despite more than a dozen local branches of the party demanding his expulsion.

Schroeder served as chancellor from 1998 to 2005, during which he signed off on the construction of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline. Germany’s economy flourished during his tenure, with the country’s industry fueled by cheap Russian gas.

After leaving office, Schroeder worked as a director of Nord Stream AG, the German-Russian consortium responsible for both Nord Stream pipelines, which were destroyed – by the US, according to recent reporting – in September. He also served as a director on the board of Russian oil giant Rosneft, a position that he resigned from last May.

These positions caused friction between Schroeder and the SPD, which has abandoned its long-standing aversion to military intervention under Scholz and sent $2.4 billion worth of military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its military operation last February. While Scholz’s government canceled the certification of Nord Stream 2 immediately before the conflict began, Schroeder continued to push for the pipeline to be put into operation, calling Russian gas “the simplest solution” to the EU’s energy crisis.

Germany’s ruling parties stripped Schroeder of his parliamentary privileges in May, a month after he relinquished his honorary citizenship of Hannover before the city could strip him of it.

Less than a month into the conflict in Ukraine, Schroeder traveled to Moscow to meet with Putin. He insisted afterwards that Russia sought a negotiated solution to the conflict, and that he would keep seeking “opportunities to talk to President Putin” to help make this happen.
https://www.rt.com/news/572337-schroeder-party-member-decision/
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2 Mar, 2023 15:33

10) --- Ex-colonial power proclaims end of Africa interference

France will act as “a neutral interlocutor” and not get involved in the local politics, President Emmanuel Macron has announced

The era of French dominance over its former colonial possessions in Africa is now a thing of the past, President Emmanuel Macron pledged on Thursday. The French leader earlier promised to reduce Paris’ military footprint on the continent, as its relations with a number of countries have recently gone into a tailspin.

Speaking in the West African nation of Gabon on the first day of his tour around the continent, the president claimed that the “age of Francafrique is over.”

“Sometimes I have the feeling that mentalities are not evolving at the same pace as we do … I see that France is still attributed intentions that it doesn’t have,” Macron added, portraying Paris as “a neutral interlocutor.”

According to the French president, his country acts in this capacity both in Gabon and elsewhere. Paris “speaks to everyone and its role is not to interfere in exchanges of domestic policy,” he stated.

Having said that, he went on to address concerns voiced by the Gabonese opposition, who saw his visit as a way of supporting President Ali Bongo. “I did not come to invest in anyone. I only came to show my friendship and my consideration to a country and a brotherly people,” Macron insisted.

The president’s remarks came after earlier this week he said that Africa would see a “noticeable reduction” in France’s military presence. According to Macron, however, these policies should not be viewed as “a withdrawal or a disengagement” but rather as “adapting an arrangement” with French allies.

In recent months, France has experienced several diplomatic setbacks in the region. On Tuesday, Burkina Faso officially scrapped the military assistance agreement with Paris, showing its troops the door. The move came amid a popular perception in the West African country that French troops are unable to protect locals from radical Islamists.

In August 2022, France also withdrew its troops from Mali after massive protests erupted against the presence of the former colonial power. At the time, the local government also accused the French forces of training militant groups on their land.
https://www.rt.com/news/572330-gabon-macron-francafrique-over/
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11) P O S T E D E A R L I E R Terrorist attack on Bryansk
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2 Mar, 2023 09:52

A) --- Russian forces eliminating Ukrainian saboteurs that violated border – FSB

The Bryansk region governor earlier said at least one man had been killed by a group of attackers

Russian forces are conducting an operation against a group of Ukrainian saboteurs that intruded across the border into Bryansk region, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday.

In a statement, the service said that “the FSB and the attached forces of the Russian Ministry of Defense are taking measures to destroy armed Ukrainian nationalists who violated the state border” in the Klimovsky district of Bryansk region.

Earlier in the day, Aleksandr Bogomaz, the region's governor, said that a group of Ukrainian operatives had launched a raid into the area and that the group attacked a moving car, killing one person and injuring a ten-year-old child.

Some media reports suggested that the saboteurs also had taken several local residents hostage, a claim that has not been confirmed by local authorities.

Russia’s regions bordering Ukraine have been repeatedly attacked by Kiev's forces in recent months. On Thursday, Kursk governor Roman Starovoit wrote in a Telegram post that Ukrainian troops had shelled a local village. Kursk officials confirmed that one person was killed in the attack.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572314-russian-forces-eliminate-ukrainian-saboteurs/
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2 Mar, 2023 08:38

Russian governor reports Ukrainian attack on border villages
A few dozen ‘saboteurs’ have allegedly targeted two settlements near the countries’ shared frontier
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A group of Ukrainian operatives has launched a raid across the border in Russia’s Bryansk Region, local governor Aleksandr Bogomaz claimed on Thursday. Fighting is reportedly ongoing in two border villages, Lyubechane and Sushany, which are about 20km apart. There is also unconfirmed information about deaths and injuries.

Writing on Telegram, Bogomaz stated that “today a sabotage-reconnaissance group intruded from Ukraine."

“Saboteurs fired at a moving car. As a result of the attack, one local resident was killed, with a ten-year-old child wounded,” he added. The child has been taken to hospital, the official said.

Russian forces “are taking all the necessary measures to eliminate the saboteur group,” Bogomaz added, without providing details on how many apparently Ukrainian personnel had taken part in the alleged attack.

The group is said to have attacked a school bus, a claim which has not been verified. Other unconfirmed reports indicated that the children were rescued by eyewitnesses. A passing car picked up three children, including a wounded boy who was shot in the back, reports claimed.

Unconfirmed reports on social media suggested that the region has been attacked by two Ukrainian groups with a combined strength of 50, who took an unspecified number of residents hostage in the village of Sushany. It was also reported that security forces are confronting the attackers.

There has been no official confirmation of the claims, although Bogomaz claimed that Kiev had earlier staged a drone attack on Sushany.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572307-ukrainian-saboteurs-stage-attack-russian-territory/
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2 Mar, 2023 09:08

Russian regions come under mortar fire from Ukraine
Kiev’s forces have carried out artillery and mortar strikes against civilian buildings in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions, officials report

Villages in the Russian regions of Kursk and Bryansk came under heavy artillery fire from Kiev’s forces, the governors of the two regions neighboring Ukraine reported on Thursday morning. The attacks have damaged several residential buildings and civilian structures. Several people have reportedly been killed or injured.

Kursk governor Roman Starovoit wrote in a Telegram post that Kiev’s troops had shelled the village of Tetkino, which is on the Russian-Ukrainan border. At 11:17am local time he reported that the attack was still ongoing and that Russian forces were returning fire.

He also noted that there had been casualties from the attack and that emergency services had been dispatched to the area. Kursk officials have since confirmed that one person was killed and another was injured in the attack on Tetkino.

At the same time, Bryansk governor Aleksandr Bogomaz reported that the villages of Sushany and Lomakovka were also attacked using mortars and drones, which damaged several residential buildings. No casualties have so far been reported there, according to the governor.

While the shelling was taking place, a group of Ukrainians launched a raid in Bryansk region, attacking a vehicle and reportedly killing at least one person and injuring a ten-year-old child, according to Bogomaz. He added that Russian forces were taking all required measures to eliminate the saboteur group.

Russian regions bordering Ukraine have repeatedly come under attack from Kiev’s artillery and drones since Moscow launched its military operation in the country one year ago. The strikes have targeted energy infrastructure and residential areas, destroying civilian buildings and leading to a number of civilian casualties.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572310-russian-regions-artillery-fire/
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2 Mar, 2023 12:36

B) --- Putin condemns ‘terrorist attack’

Gunmen attacked civilians after crossing the border, the Russian president said

President Vladimir Putin has described as a “terrorist attack” an incident in Russia’s Bryansk Region that involved Ukrainian saboteurs. The statement came after the regional governor and national security service reported a cross-border raid targeting two settlements earlier on Thursday.

Gunmen “infiltrated the border area and opened fire at civilians. They could see the vehicle was civilian, that civilians were inside, children… and opened fire,” the Russian leader said.

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, earlier told journalists that “measures are being taken to destroy these terrorists.” He added that Moscow will continue “to draw the attention of the global public to the terrorist attacks that these people conduct.”

Russian officials accused Kiev of using terrorist tactics after a powerful explosion at the Crimean Bridge in October killed three civilians and damaged the structure. Putin said at the time that it was the latest Ukrainian attack against crucial Russian infrastructure. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) accused Ukrainian military intelligence of executing the bombing.

Another high-profile incident which Russian investigators pinned on the Ukrainian government was the August assassination of Darya Dugina, whose car was blown up near Moscow. Dugina was a political activist and the daughter of philosopher Aleksandr Dugin, whom Western media have described as a prominent Russian nationalist.

Putin mentioned Dugina on Thursday and said that people like the ones who carried out her murder were also responsible for the latest raid. The leader identified them as “neo-Nazis and terrorists” as he praised Russian troops for defending the country from them.

Bryansk Region Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz claimed that “a sabotage-reconnaissance group intruded from Ukraine” earlier in the day and targeted two villages. He said the infiltrators fired at a moving car, killing a local resident.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572321-kremlin-bryansk-region-raid/
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2 Mar, 2023 08:41

Nikolay Patrushev spoke in Cuba, which is another country subject to US economic restrictions

Nikolay Patrushev, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, met with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana on Wednesday. They discussed ways to counter foreign meddling, with both nations now living under sweeping US sanctions.

During his trip, Patrushev spoke about measures against the “destructive activities” of NGOs and so-called “color revolutions,” according to a statement from the Security Council. In this context, the term “color revolution” describes a Western-backed coup.

The two sides also spoke about cooperation against drug and human trafficking, as well as other forms of organized crime.

Patrushev also met with Cuban Interior Minister Lazaro Alberto Alvarez Casas and former President Raul Castro.

The Russian security chief also visited Venezuela on Tuesday, where he had a meeting with President Nicolas Maduro and spoke about “unprecedented pressure” by the US on Moscow’s partners.

A Russian ally since the Soviet times, Cuba has refused to condemn Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine and blamed the US for provoking the hostilities. “We denounce the sanctions against Russia and the sources of the current conflict… make no mistake, Russia is not responsible,” Diaz-Canel said in November during his meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Diaz-Canel argued that both countries were subjected to Washington’s “unjust” economic restrictions. The island nation has been living under a US trade embargo since 1962.

Diaz-Canel called the expansion of NATO closer to Russian borders “unacceptable.”

Moscow has maintained that the US-led bloc’s military infrastructure near its western border is a threat. Russian officials have cited the growing military ties between Ukraine and NATO members as one of the key reasons for the conflict.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572306-russia-cuba-color-revolutions/
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2 Mar, 2023 00:22

2) --- NBC journalist added to Ukrainian ‘kill list’

The notorious ‘Mirotvorets’ database labeled Keir Simmons a pro-Russian “propagandist” for reporting from Crimea

NBC News correspondent Keir Simmons has been placed on the Ukrainian state-linked ‘Mirotvorets’ (Peacemaker) blacklist for “crimes” against the country. The government in Kiev has also announced it was investigating the British journalist after he filed a report from Crimea on Tuesday.

“Visiting the temporarily occupied Crimea from the territory of the Russian Federation is a violation of the legislation of Ukraine,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on Wednesday. Violators are subject to legal liability, such as being “banned from entering Ukraine for such actions,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Mirotvorets website has published a photo of Simmons and his personal details, accusing the reporter of “violating Ukraine’s sovereignty,” participating in Russian propaganda, and “attempted legalization of the occupation.”

Simmons traveled to the Crimean peninsula by train from Moscow, across the Kerch Bridge, which he described as having been “blown up in a strategic and symbolic blow” to Russia last October, but is “now fully restored.”

He then tuned in to an NBC newscast live from Sevastopol, claiming it was “the closest any US news crew has got to the Russian Black Sea Fleet in many, many years.” Speaking with NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, Simmons expressed doubt about US officials’ hopes that Crimea would be “demilitarized” or taken by Ukrainian troops.

Simmons also insinuated that Russia has somehow intimidated local residents, even though they explicitly told him otherwise.
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https://twitter.com/KanekoaTheGreat/status/1631046414926225408
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The US government has not yet commented on Ukraine targeting a journalist from a major corporate outlet. Neither has the UK, even though Simmons is a British national.

Mirotvorets, which claims to be based in “Warsaw, Poland and Langley, Virginia” – the headquarters of the CIA – is a notorious website that posts private information of individuals labeled enemies of Ukraine without any process or trial. It was established in August 2014, as Kiev launched its “anti-terrorist operation” against civilians in Donbass, and allegedly maintains ties with Ukrainian and Western security services.

“This kill list is maintained by the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior, which lists an address in Langley, Virginia, has an IP in Brussels,” said American political activist Jackson Hinkle, who was also added to the database on Wednesday. Hinkle noted that Mirotvorets celebrated last year’s assassination of Russian journalist Darya Dugina, which US intelligence has reportedly blamed on sections of the Ukrainian government.

Several prominent people were killed after the site declared them public enemies, including writer and historian Oles Buzina and politician Oleg Kalashnikov. Western media outlets mostly ignored its existence until 2016, when Mirotvorets targeted dozens of journalists and human right activists for daring to operate in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. The move drew condemnation from the OSCE, which declared it “simply unacceptable for journalists to be threatened for what they say or write.”

More recently, Mirotvorets has targeted Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, retired US diplomat Henry Kissinger, and rock musician Roger Waters, for deviating from the official narratives about the conflict. The US and its allies have continued to send weapons and money to Ukraine, claiming Kiev is fighting for “democracy” and “freedom.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/572294-ukraine-kill-list-journalist/

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