RT News - June 24th 2024 Late

Eight people have died in fire at former research institute outside Moscow. Moscow summons US ambassador over civilian deaths in Sevastopol attack. $1 million each ATACMS filled with cluster bombs used to attack civilian only city on a Sunday public holiday.

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Moscow fire watch https://rumble.com/v53fpb9-fire-rages-at-research-institute-in-moscow-region.html

A priest executed, multiple people killed and a synagogue burnt out. RT assesses the aftermath of the terror attacks in Dagestan. Moscow summons the US ambassador, after a Pentagon supplied missile kills children in a Ukrainian strike on a beach in Crimea. The man who thwarted peace in Ukraine lashes out, at the man who predicted the war. Boris Johnson says Nigel Farage is wrong to suggest NATO provoked Russia into the conflict.
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1) Dagestan attackers identified – investigators 24 Jun, 2024 12:03

Five militants have been “eliminated” following a series of terrorist attacks in southern Russia

Russia’s Investigative Committee has announced that it has established the identities of five militants who were “eliminated” after a series of deadly terrorist attacks in the Republic of Dagestan over the weekend.

The statement comes after several groups of gunmen launched assaults in the Russian republic’s regional capital of Makhachkala and the city of Derbent on Sunday. The groups attacked an Orthodox church, set fire to a Jewish synagogue, and initiated a shootout at a traffic police outpost. According to local health authorities, at least 20 people were killed in the attacks, including over a dozen officers and several civilians, including an Orthodox priest who had his throat slit during the attack on his church. Another 46 people were also injured.

In a statement on its official Telegram channel on Monday, the Investigative Committee said the attackers are believed to have belonged to an organized group. Criminal investigations have been launched under the articles for terrorism and the unlawful possession of firearms, it added.

The department also said five individuals involved in the attacks have been “eliminated” during counterterrorism operations, and that their identities have been confirmed. Investigators did not provide further information as to who the assailants were.

RIA Novosti has reported that one of the eliminated assailants, Ali Zakarigaev, had previously served as chairman of a local branch of the Spravedlivaya Rossiya (A Just Russia) political party. According to party members, he left his position two years ago but remained a member of the group.

Additionally, the regional branch of the United Russia party has also announced the expulsion of the head of Dagestan’s Sergokalinsky district, Magomed Omarov, after media reports cited local security officials as suggesting that his sons were among the attackers. According to unconfirmed reports, Zakarigaev was his nephew.

The committee said it will continue working to establish the identities of other people involved with the attackers. Criminal experts and forensic investigators are also operating to determine all the details of the shootings.

Previously, Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) released footage of its counterterrorism efforts following the attacks, announcing that two militants had been neutralized in the city of Derbent, while three were killed in Makhachkala. In a statement on Monday, the NAC also said it had seized small arms and ammunition on sites where the suspected criminals were operating from.

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2) Moscow summons US ambassador over civilian deaths in Sevastopol attack 24 Jun, 2024 09:45

The Ukrainian strike on the peninsula using US-supplied missiles killed at least four people and injured more than 150

The Russian Foreign Ministry has summoned the US ambassador in Moscow after Ukraine used American-supplied ATACMS missiles in an attack on the Crimean peninsula, resulting in numerous civilian casualties.

In a statement on Monday, the ministry said Ambassador Lynne Tracy had been presented with a demarche in connection with what it called “a new bloody crime by the Kiev regime patronized and armed by Washington,” referring to the Ukrainian shelling of Sevastopol the day before.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian attack occurred around noon local time on Sunday, involving five ATACMS missiles armed with cluster munitions, which are outlawed in more than 100 countries. Officials said four rockets had been destroyed in mid-air, while a fifth was damaged by air defenses, veered off course, and detonated over Sevastopol. Local authorities say the strike killed four people, including two children, and injured more than 150.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian attack occurred around noon local time on Sunday, involving five ATACMS missiles armed with cluster munitions, which are outlawed in more than 100 countries. Officials said four rockets had been destroyed in mid-air, while a fifth was damaged by air defenses, veered off course, and detonated over Sevastopol. Local authorities say the strike killed four people, including two children, and injured more than 150.

Ministry officials emphasized to the ambassador that the United States was “waging a hybrid war against Russia,” and that Washington has become party to the Ukraine conflict by supplying Kiev with modern weapons, including ATACMS missiles with cluster munitions. The ministry also noted that American military specialists were actively engaged in designing the flight mission for ATACMS, which means they “bear the same responsibility for this atrocity as the Kiev regime.”

Tracy was told that the US was “encouraging the pro-Nazi Ukrainian authorities to continue hostilities until the ‘last Ukrainian’” by approving strikes deep inside Russian territory; actions by Washington which “will not go unpunished,” Moscow warned.

The US Embassy in Moscow has yet to comment. When asked for its take on the deadly Ukrainian strike, the Pentagon replied that “we have seen the reports and have nothing to say.”

Commenting on potential retaliation on Monday, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov recalled what he described as a “very important” statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which he said Moscow could send its long-range weapons to regions where they could be used to attack countries that provide Ukraine with military support.

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3) EU to bypass Hungarian veto on tapping Russian assets – FT 24 Jun, 2024 09:37

The loophole would facilitate a $50 billion loan for Kiev backed by Russian funds, the outlet reports

The European Union has developed a scheme to use profits from frozen Russian assets to secure a $50 billion loan for Ukraine, which will be used to purchase arms, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing the bloc's top diplomat, Josep Borrell and other sources. The loophole effectively bypasses Hungary’s opposition to legislation that would have allowed the EU to hand over interest accrued on Russian funds to Ukraine.

In an interview with the FT, Borrell said that since Budapest had opposed an EU agreement to transfer revenue to Ukraine, it “should not be part of the decision to use this money.” He added that the bloc’s workaround was “sophisticated as every legal decision, but it flies.”

The West froze around $300 billion in Russian sovereign assets when the Ukraine conflict escalated, trapping around $280 billion in the EU.

Earlier this year, Brussels proposed seizing the interest earned on the assets to acquire weapons for Ukraine. The suggestion faced resistance from Hungary, a vocal critic of the West’s approach to the Ukraine conflict, particularly its arms shipments to Kiev.

Under the US-led initiative, proceeds generated by Russia’s frozen assets from next year will be used to pay off the loan.

The legal loophole allowing the EU to tap Russian assets is likely to suffice in guaranteeing the payout of the loan, the outlet said, citing officials familiar with the matter.

However, Budapest can still block an EU decision to extend sanctions on Russian funds, which has to be renewed every six months by the bloc’s 27 members, the officials added.

To placate Hungary, the EU proposed a deal under which its share of the bloc’s funds would not be used to purchase weapons for Ukraine in exchange for not vetoing other members transferring the revenue to Kiev, according to Borrell.

“We have offered Hungary: your money will not be used to support Ukraine in any means. Not just lethal, but on anything,” Borrell said. The proposal, however, has been rejected by Budapest.

Moscow has denounced the decision to transfer profits from its assets to Ukraine as a blatant and illegal “expropriation.”

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4) Eight dead in fire at former research institute outside Moscow – media 24 Jun, 2024 13:20

Everyone who was trapped in the building is believed to have died, according to sources in the emergency services see video https://rumble.com/v53fpb9-fire-rages-at-research-institute-in-moscow-region.html

A massive fire erupted at a former research facility outside Moscow, the local emergency services have said, adding that a rescue operation is underway as firefighters attempt to extinguish the blaze.

The local authorities have confirmed that at least two people died in the fire. Media reports, however, put the number of deaths at eight or nine. According to sources within the emergency services, two people jumped to their deaths when the fire reached them, while others who were trapped in the building are believed to have been crushed after the ceiling collapsed.

The local branch of the Emergencies Ministry (EMERCOM) said on Monday afternoon that a blaze had broken out in the ‘Platan’ scientific center in the town of Fryazino, some 50km northeast of the Russian capital. Footage circulating on social media shows an eight-story building engulfed in smoke, with a fire raging about mid-way up. Other clips show people inside smashing windows to breathe.

Other footage that emerged later shows a powerful explosion, with plumes of flame shooting out of the structure.

EMERCOM noted that one person had been saved by a first responder, who it said was evacuated via a staircase. It cited preliminary reports as saying that nine people are still inside the building.

Later however, Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov said that two people had died as a result of the fire.

The ministry said the fire had spread from the fifth to the eighth floor, with operations being complicated by high temperatures and smoke. Twenty-four vehicles and 72 first responders are active at the scene, it added.

The Platan facility specializes in the production of lasers and LCD screens, as well as various kinds of lamps. However, a TASS source in law enforcement said that many premises in the center are rented, suggesting that the blaze could have started in one of those areas.

At the same time, the company ‘Ruselectronics’, which is owned by the state Rostec corporation, claimed according to TASS that the burning building has no relation to the Platan center and was transferred to private ownership after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

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5) Russia responds to EU sanctions 24 Jun, 2024 17:34

Moscow has “significantly expanded” its blacklist of the bloc’s officials

Moscow has expanded its travel ban list and vowed a “proper response” to any further unfriendly acts from Brussels, after the EU announced an expansion of unilateral restrictive measures.

In its 14th package of sanctions revealed on Monday, the EU blacklisted 69 more individuals and 47 entities, as well as the shipping of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and Russia’s banking payments system.

EU actions are “illegitimate from an international legal point of view, since they are carried out bypassing the UN Security Council,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The measures are “absolutely futile and only undermine the trust of Global Majority states in the EU,” the ministry added.

In response to the EU’s unfriendly steps, Moscow has “significantly expanded” the list of persons banned from entering Russian territory. Among them are members of the European Council, lawmakers of EU member countries and national delegations to the European Parliament.

According to the foreign ministry, the ban has also been extended to bodies, enterprises, and individuals responsible for providing military aid to Ukraine; people involved in attempts to prosecute Russian officials; those advocating for the confiscation of frozen Russian sovereign assets and handing them over to Ukraine; and NGO activists engaging in anti-Russian rhetoric.

The full list of EU subjects affected has yet to be made public.

Brussels has so far sanctioned over 2,200 Russian individuals and entities for alleged “actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.”

The latest sanctions package bans the import of Russian helium and targets operations for re-exporting Russian LNG via the EU. Deliveries of LNG for use within the bloc remain unaffected, however.

The European Council has also announced a ban on the System for Transfer of Financial Messages (SPFS), Russia’s replacement for the Western-controlled SWIFT. EU sanctions have also targeted dozens of companies in China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, and the UAE over their alleged supply of dual-use goods and technologies to Russia.

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6) Scholz admits many Germans are unhappy about Ukraine aid 24 Jun, 2024 07:35

Despite disappointing recent election results, the chancellor insists there is no alternative to arming Kiev

Many Germans are not happy with their country’s support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, which is causing ratings for the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) to plummet in many regions, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has acknowledged.

In an interview with the ARD broadcaster on Sunday, Scholz, whose party recently suffered a major setback in the European parliamentary elections, commented on the fact that the SPD had as little as 7% support in some parts of eastern Germany, which has traditionally been more positively predisposed toward Russia.

“Something is going on there,” the chancellor said, adding that there is “no way around it.”

He acknowledged that the poor support for the SPD stemmed, among other things, from the fact that “many people do not agree with the support for Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia. This is also reflected in the election results,” Scholz stated. “There is no alternative to changing that.”

The chancellor also weighed in on the upcoming state votes in Brandenburg, Thuringia, and Saxony. According to polls, the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is winning the race, although by a small margin, in each of the regions, which are all located in the eastern or central part of the country.

At the same time, Scholz voiced hope that the election won’t result in an AfD member becoming the head of local government, voicing concern that such a development “would be very depressing.” He suggested that despite the AfD’s growing popularity, other parties would still have a parliamentary majority.

Scholz’s SPD won only 14% of the vote in the European parliamentary election earlier this month, the party’s worst showing in decades. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) took first place with 30% of the vote, followed by the AfD with 16%. The electoral map showed a sharp split between voters roughly along the Cold War-era borders between West and East Germany, with the West mostly voting for the CSU and the East for the AfD.

The latter party has consistently opposed weapons deliveries to Ukraine, criticized Western sanctions against Russia as counter to German interests, and called for immediate peace talks. Germany is the largest donor of military aid to Ukraine in Europe, having provided or committed assistance with a value of around €28 billion ($30 billion).

Russia has repeatedly criticized Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, arguing that they only prolong the conflict without changing its outcome.

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7) Russian court seizes $16 million from disgraced oligarchs 24 Jun, 2024 15:14

The funds belonged to former Yukos executives Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev

Moscow’s Meshchansky District Court has ordered the seizure of 1.4 billion rubles ($16 million) from exiled former tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his one-time business partner Platon Lebedev, Russian media reported on Monday.

The suit against Khodorkovsky, Lebedev, and the defunct Siberian Leasing Company was initiated last month by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office. The defendants were accused of failing to pay back restitution to the government for the embezzlement of funds tied to former oil giant Yukos, which they owned.

The court ordered the funds that remain deposited in Trust Bank accounts to be transferred to the Russian authorities, TASS reported.

Representatives of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev reportedly did not appear before the court. Trust Bank and the Federal Bailiff Service raised no objections to the prosecution’s demands.

Khodorkovsky founded the now-defunct Yukos oil company as a result of a controversial auction of state assets following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. It rapidly became one of Russia’s most valuable companies.

In 2003, Khodorkovsky, once the country’s richest man, was arrested and charged with tax evasion and fraud. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison but was released after ten years and ten months, when President Vladimir Putin pardoned him on humanitarian grounds. The former tycoon left Russia shortly after he was freed.

Lebedev, who was named as a co-defendant in the Yukos case, was found guilty of embezzlement, tax evasion, and money laundering. He served nine years in prison and was released in early 2014.

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8) Putin’s peace proposal still valid – Kremlin 24 Jun, 2024 16:56

The Russian president has insisted that Moscow is open to resolving the Ukraine conflict through negotiations with Kiev

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s peace proposal for Ukraine remains on the table despite Kiev’s recent missile attack on Sevastopol, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

Ukraine conducted a missile barrage on Russia’s Crimean peninsula on Sunday using US-made ATACMS equipped with cluster munition warheads. While Russian air defenses managed to intercept the missiles, one ended up exploding in the air above the city of Sevastopol, leading to casualties among the civilian population.

According to local health authorities, at least four people were killed in the attack, including two children, and more than 150 others were injured.

Commenting on the incident, Peskov said Moscow is well aware of “who is behind the barbaric missile attack on Sevastopol.” He recalled Putin’s recent statement about Western-supplied “technologically complex missiles,” like the ATACMS used in Sunday’s strike, which he said are not being aimed by Kiev, but by the West, which designates the targets and greenlights the launches.

Nevertheless, Peskov pointed out that Putin’s peace proposal for Ukraine remains valid and stated that the timeframe of this offer remains unchanged.

Earlier this month, the Russian president said that Moscow would be prepared to immediately open peace talks with Kiev if it withdraws all of its troops from Russia’s Donbass, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. Putin also demanded that Ukraine commit to a neutral status and complete the processes of “demilitarization” and “denazification.” The talks would also have to be followed by the lifting of Western sanctions against Russia, the president said.

Kiev and its Western backers have dismissed Putin’s proposal, with Vladimir Zelensky insisting on the withdrawal of Russian troops to the Ukraine’s 1991 borders as a precondition for any peace talks.

Putin has stated that he was not surprised by the West’s rejection of his plan but said he would keep the offer on the table for the time being. He added that negotiations around the withdrawal of Russian forces “will never happen” and suggested that Zelensky was intentionally dragging out the conflict to remain in power.

Meanwhile, Peskov has insisted that Putin’s peace proposal should not be interpreted as an “ultimatum” but rather as a “peace initiative that has been put forward while taking into account the realities on the ground.”

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9) Civilians killed on Sevastopol beach were ‘occupiers’ – top Zelensky aide 24 Jun, 2024 13:51

There cannot be any “peaceful life” in Crimea, Mikhail Podoliak has warned

The four Russian civilians killed by a Ukrainian cluster munitions attack on a Crimean beach were “occupiers,” as are the residents of the region at large, and as such their deaths are justifiable, Vladimir Zelensky’s top aide, Mikhail Podoliak, declared on Monday.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian military fired five US-supplied ATACMS missiles at the Crimean city of Sevastopol on Sunday. Russian air defense systems destroyed four of the projectiles in mid-air, but the fifth was damaged, veered off course, and detonated its cluster warhead over a packed beach, killing five civilians and injuring more than 150. Three of those killed were children.

The Kremlin described the attack as an act of “terrorism,” and argued that the US bears equal responsibility for the deaths. “Cluster munitions in ATACMS missiles cannot be launched without the participation of American specialists and support from US intelligence,” Russia’s envoy to the US, Anatoly Antonov, stated. “It is no coincidence that enemy drones are circling over the Black Sea almost every day.”

In a post to his Telegram channel, Podoliak defended the Ukrainian attack.

“There are not and cannot be any ‘beaches’, ‘tourist zones’ and other fictitious signs of ‘peaceful life’ in Crimea,” he wrote. “Crimea is definitely a foreign territory occupied by Russia, where hostilities are taking place, a full-scale war is ongoing.”

“Crimea is also a large military camp and warehouse, with hundreds of direct military targets, which the Russians cynically try to mask and cover with their own civilians,” he continued, adding that these civilians are considered “occupiers” by Kiev.

Crimea has been considered Russian land since imperial times, and was an autonomous republic within the Soviet Union when it was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR by Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev in 1954 for logistical reasons. The peninsula remained in Ukrainian hands after the fall of the USSR, until its people voted overwhelmingly to join the Russian Federation in 2014. Prior to the 2014 referendum, the Kiev government rejected a number of similar plebiscites during the 1990s.

The US and NATO view Crimea as “illegally annexed” Ukrainian territory, and have demanded that Moscow return the region to Kiev’s control.

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned US ambassador Lynne Tracy on Monday morning to answer for Washington’s role in the attack. According to a statement released by the ministry, Russian officials told Tracy that Sunday’s “bloody atrocity” will “not go unpunished.”

The US Embassy in Moscow has yet to comment. When asked for its take on the deadly Ukrainian strike, the Pentagon replied that “we have seen the reports and have nothing to say.”

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