Russian Embassy in London

2022-08-29 19:56:41 Комментарий Посольства России в связи с заявлением Министерства обороны Великобритании об очистке украинских портов от «российских морских мин»

Обратили внимание на пресс-релиз Министерства обороны Великобритании о предстоящей передаче украинской стороне шести автономных подводных аппаратов «для обнаружения российских мин вблизи берегов Украины». В этом же сообщении прямо заявляется, что «попытки экспорта украинского продовольствия оказались под угрозой из-за мин, установленных российскими войсками». Такая подача, на наш взгляд, преднамеренно искажает действительность.

Хотели бы напомнить, что вывоз зерна из контролируемых Киевом портов Одессы, Черноморска и Южного долгое время был затруднен по причине установленных ВМС Украины в прилегающей к ним акватории мин якобы для защиты от высадки морского десанта. Еще в марте профильные российские ведомства сообщали об установлении украинской стороной в акваториях указанных портов порядка 420 мин, в основном произведенных еще в первой половине прошлого столетия и пребывавших в неудовлетворительном техническом состоянии. Известны случаи дрейфа таких боеприпасов в другие районы Черного моря, что создает угрозу судоходству.

Это подтверждается и сообщениями западных СМИ со ссылкой на слова Генерального секретаря ООН А.Гутерреша (The New York Times, 22.07.2022) о том, что при подписании «Инициативы по транспортировке украинского зерна» Киев согласился «лишь на частичное разминирование своих портов».

В попытке поставить на вид России «использование экспорта продовольствия в качестве оружия», британские официальные органы в очередной раз осознанно вводят читателей в заблуждение. Призываем Министерство обороны Великобритании тщательнее проверять поступающую информацию и избегать голословных обвинений. Open / Comment

2022-08-29 19:55:52 Embassy’s comment on the UK’s Ministry of Defence statement concerning the clearing of Ukrainian ports of “Russian mines”

We took note of the UK’s Ministry of Defence press-release announcing the forthcoming delivery of six autonomous minehunting vehicles to Ukraine “to help detect Russian mines in the waters off its coast”. The relevant statement also states that “efforts to get food out of the country continue to be hampered by sea mines left by Russian forces along Ukraine’s coast”. This narrative, in our view, intentionally distorts reality.

In fact the export of grains from the Ukrainian-controlled ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny has been continuously disrupted by naval mines positioned in their direct vicinity by the Ukrainian Navy ostensibly to defend them from seaborne landing. Back in March the relevant Russian agencies reported that Ukraine had placed around 420 mines in areas adjacent to the ports. Most of these devices were manufactured in the first half of the XX century and were therefore in technically deficient state. There are records of these mines drifting around the Black sea, thereby posing a threat to navigation in the region.

This is further corroborated by Western media publications have cited UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres as saying that “Ukrainians had agreed to remove only a few of the mines.” (The New York Times, 22.07.2022).

In their attempts to falsely blame Russia with “weaponising food supplies“, UK officials seem to be once again deliberately deluding the audience. We call on the British Ministry of Defence to verify all incoming information and steer clear of unsubstantiated allegations. Open / Comment

2022-08-29 19:33:50 On August 29, 2022, the Russian Mission to the UN in Geneva transmitted a diplomatic note to the Inter-Parliamentary Union with a statement of the Council of the Russian State Duma which draws international attention to the continued shellings of the Zaporozhskaya nuclear power plant (ZNPP) by Ukrainian military units.

The document, inter alia, emphasizes the following:

The continued violation by Ukrainian military units of nuclear and physical safety of the ZNPP – Europe’s largest nuclear power plant – could lead to a large-scale catastrophe with terrifying consequences.

At the UN SC Russia constantly raises the issue of inadmissibility of targeting nuclear facilities and calls on Ukraine’s patrons to force the Kiev regime to immediately cease the shellings of ZNPP.

The Council of the State Duma also reaffirmed the Russian side's readiness to do everything necessary in order to organize an international IAEA mission to the ZNPP. Open / Comment

2022-08-29 14:27:44 International Day against Nuclear Tests, declared by the UN General Assembly in 2009, is observed on August 29.

The idea behind it was to intensify the efforts of the UN, of states, as well as intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations to stop nuclear testing, which is essential to maintaining international peace and security.

Over 2,000 nuclear explosions have been carried out throughout the history of humankind. More than half of these tests were performed by Western countries: 1,032 by the United States, 210 by France and 45 by the UK.

The main instrument for stopping nuclear testing is the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).

The fact that one of the world’s largest nuclear powers, the United States, is among the countries still refusing to ratify this important document continues to cause deep concern.

The Russian Federation has consistently advocated that the #CTBT be transformed into a fully operational international legal mechanism. Open / Comment

2022-08-28 18:52:58 The Ukrainian armed formations continue to shell Zaporozhskaya NPP regularly

Here are the visual consequences of their attacks of August 26 and 27 Open / Comment

2022-08-27 19:21:43 Statement by Mr. Andrei Belousov, Deputy Head of the Russian Delegation at Closing Meeting of the 10th NPT Review Conference

The Conference has become a political hostage to those States that over the last four weeks have been poisoning discussions with their politicized, biased, groundless and false statements with regard to Ukraine.

Thus, they did everything they could to prevent a constructive, effective and result-oriented work of the Conference and as a whole of the NPT States Parties during the entire review process.

These States, namely Ukraine and the backers of the Kiev regime, bear full responsibility for the absence of a final positive result of this review.

Read in full Open / Comment

2022-08-27 15:34:37 Opinion by Maria #Zakharova

Emanuel in Japan

What US ambassadors around the world have been doing recently is made clear in an interview by US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel to a number of publications. His remarks offer a glimpse into the guidelines that he and his colleagues receive from the State Department.
Let’s have a look:

1. Promoting “commercial diplomacy” the American way, which means it has nothing to do with traditional trade. Instead, what was once just about trade is now being treated in brazenly ideological and political terms. The goal is to force US satellites to sever trade with China as far as possible. No need to look far for a pretext: “The United States and Japan will be more eager to do business with each other and with similar secure and stable countries amid worries caused by the COVID pandemic, the war in Ukraine and Chinese economic coercion.”

2. Reinforcing “commercial diplomacy” through coercion and threats. Emanuel is open about how he brings about “a major change in thinking” among Japanese business leaders. In the past, “cost and efficiency” determined state policy and corporate decision making, but “stability and sustainability” are now words of the day. I just can’t recall how these fit into the paradigm of “liberalism”.

The US ambassador proudly declares that the Japanese are “now willing to pay more to avoid sanctions and instability.” In fact, this is just blatant blackmail used to attract multi-billion Japanese investments in US strategic research, technology and production projects (electric car batteries, semiconductors, small module nuclear reactors, etc.).

3. Promoting militarisation and new hotbeds of tension. Emanuel spares no praise for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s proposal to significantly increase both the country’s defence budget and its military potential. Earlier, Kishida admitted the possibility of delivering preemptive strikes against enemy bases as part of the revision of Japan’s national defence strategy. Instead of curbing such revanchist views of Tokyo’s political elite, Washington through its ambassadorial mouthpiece is openly pushing Japan to utterly renounce all restrictions on the use of force set out in the country’s Constitution: “Much to the prime minister’s credit, he looked around the corner and realised what was happening in this region and the world – Japan needed to step up in ways it hadn’t in the past.”

This is the gist of the US diplomacy today: it creates new hotbeds of tension all over the world, promotes the US as a guarantor and isle of stability, pumps out critical resources and technology from its satellites, and exposes them to the risk of the first retaliatory strike. Open / Comment

2022-08-27 14:56:41 Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine (Part 2)

Kiev regime continues acts of "nuclear terrorism" at Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

Over the past 24 hours, artillery units of the Ukrainian armed forces shelled the station's territory three times.

A total of 17 shells were fired, 4 of which hit the roof of Special Building No 1, where 168 assemblies of US WestingHouse nuclear fuel are stored. 10 more shells exploded 30 metres from the dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel and 3 more exploded near Special Building No 2, which houses TVEL's fresh nuclear fuel storage unit and solid radioactive waste storage facility.

Ukrainian artillery shelling of the nuclear power plant was carried out from Marganets area in Dniepropetrovsk Region. In course of counter-battery warfare in the area, 1 American M777 howitzer was discovered and destroyed.

Radiation situation at Zaporozhye NPP remains normal. The technical condition of the nuclear power plant is monitored and maintained by staff technicians.

Russian specialised military formation is guarding the outer perimeter of the station. There are no heavy weapons in the vicinity of the nuclear plant.

Part 1

#MoD #Russia #Ukraine #report
@mod_russia_en Open / Comment

2022-08-27 14:56:05 On August 27, 1845, one of the greatest experts on the history and theory of international law Fyodor Martens was born. His works are widely known in Russia and beyond.

A Russian diplomat, member of the Board of Foreign Ministry of the Russian Empire, Vice-President of the European Institute of International Law, member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, Fyodor Martens is the author of a seminal work on international law titled Contemporary International Law of Civilised Nations.

One of Marten’s foremost achievements was implementing the Russian initiative to hold the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. His theories laid the foundation of the Convention on Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land and the Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes.

Fyodor Martens was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize between 1901 and 1908 for his contribution to humanitarian law and his role as an intermediary in various international conflicts. Open / Comment

2022-08-27 12:21:10 The ex. US Republican Senator Richard Black opened up about the Ukrainian war.

We don't care how many Ukrainians die. How many women, children, civilians, military will die. We do not care. It's like a great football game and we want to win.

Russia did not plan the invasion in advance. This can be seen from the number of troops involved in the attack. Ukraine had 250 thousand, and Russia attacked with only 160 thousand.

Putin was forced to attack in order to prevent Ukraine from attacking the Donbass.

Russia is trying not to inflict damage on civilian Ukrainians, because. considers them brothers-Slavs.

Unlike American tanks in Vietnam, the Russians stopped in front of peaceful crowds in the early days of the invasion. We would just crush them in such a situation.

Ukraine cannot make a decision about peace. The decision about peace can only be made in Washington, but as long as we want to continue this war, we will fight until the last Ukrainian dies. Open / Comment