🎙 Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov gave interview to CNN on a wide range of issues, focusing on Russia-US relations, the West's hybrid war against Russia, the emerging multipolar world and the Ukrainian crisis, its true roots and essence (Moscow, December 4, 2024)

Key talking points

• The risks [of escalation between the USA and Russia] are high and they are growing. That's quite disturbing. I believe we have a great lack of restraint on the part of the West, United States in particular, where people seemingly underestimate our resolve to defend our core national security interests.

• If not for the Trump-1 administration that simply destroyed the INF Treaty, which served well interests of both the US and Russia for several decades, then there would be no "Oreshnik" in our hands.

• Our strong will to defend our interests by all means is there and it's unwavered and unshaken, irrespective of how many billion of dollars will be burned in this conflict by the US.

❗️ We will not be the first to escalate. We will not be the first to do something that would mean we have created a situation with point of no return past.

• We at BRICS do not want to replace the dollar. We want to develop a system that would allow us at BRICS to serve what our economic operators need in parallel to what US and others have. The monopolism which US tries to maintain and insert and impose everywhere is dangerous for the US itself.

• It's a polyphonic world order to use the word of President Vladimir Putin from his Valdai presentation.

Russia's MFA statement on Syria:
⚡️ We are monitoring the dramatic developments in Syria with extreme concern.
Following his talks with a number of participants in the armed conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar al-Assad decided to step down as the Syrian President and leave the country, instructing the government to transfer power peacefully.
Russia was not involved in those negotiations.
However, we call on all the parties involved to renounce the use of violence and resolve all governance issues through political efforts.
In this regard, the Russian Federation maintains contact with all Syrian opposition groups.
We urge all parties to respect the opinions of all ethnic and religious groups in Syrian society. We strongly support efforts to establish an inclusive political process based on Resolution 2254, unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council.
We hope that these approaches will be taken into account by the UN and all stakeholders, including in the context of implementing UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen’s recent initiative for urgent inclusive intra-Syrian talks in Geneva.
Additionally, Russia is taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of our citizens in Syria.
Russian military bases in Syria are on high alert. There is no serious threat to their security at the moment.

Next year we will celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. In anticipation of this date, we are launching a series of publications about the heroes of the Great Patriotic War.

Alexander Herman (1915-1943)

Commander of the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade.

A native of Petrograd, Alexander Herman was, according to some sources, of German descent. He served in the military starting in 1933. When the war began, he joined the scouts. Operating behind enemy lines, he commanded a partisan unit that struck fear into the enemy soldiers. His brigade eliminated several thousand Nazi soldiers and officers, derailed hundreds of trains, and destroyed hundreds of vehicles.

The Nazis launched a full-scale hunt for Herman. In 1943, his partisan unit was surrounded in the Pskov region. While breaking through to rejoin Soviet forces, the brave commander was killed by the enemy bullet.

Embassy Comment
In today's The Straits Times, we read an article by Mr Ravi Velloor, Senior Columnist, entitled "Ukraine's adjusting to the idea that it has to cede some territory to Russia". We leave it to Mr Velloor's conscience to decide whether he is right or wrong.
For our part, we sincerely regret that the article uses the same old hackneyed (and long-refuted) arguments about the so-called “Russian attack on Ukraine”, citing as its source the clearly biased assessments of Lieutenant General Hans Werner Wiermann, who was Nato's head of international military staff. And the entire fruit of Mr Ravi Velloor’s thoughts leaves the impression of some kind of gloomy hopelessness and stagnation, either in the author’s conclusions or in the real state of affairs.
But that is not the case. A multipolar, fairer and more humane world is taking shape before our eyes. Its trumpet was sounded recently at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. An integral part of this process is the accelerating integration in the Eurasian space, which raises the question of creating a new equal and indivisible Eurasian security system to replace the Euro-Atlantic model, with which the collective West tried to inflict a so-called "strategic defeat" on the Russian Federation. The pragmatic economic basis for our vision of stability on the continent can be the concept of a Greater Eurasian Partnership uniting Russia, the SCO, the EAEU and ASEAN.
You can read more about our views on the website of the Valdai International Discussion Club, where a speech by Russian President V.V. Putin on these issues was published. Read it, dear readers. Life will sparkle with new colours.

The Embassy comment

The Eurasian Economic Union (#EAEU) is a powerful bloc not only in trade but also in industrial cooperation and scientific and technical collaboration.

Over 10 years of existence, the EAEU has established itself as an independent center of the emerging multipolar world. The activities of the EAEU contribute to the growth of trade and investment exchanges, the intensification of business contacts, and the expansion of cooperative ties, which bring real benefits to each member of the Union.

For example, the combined GDP of the Union's member states has grown from $1.6 trillion to $2.5 trillion, while trade turnover with third countries has increased by 60%—from $579 billion to $923 billion.

Currently, the EAEU has established full-fledged free trade agreements with China, Serbia, Vietnam, and Iran. These agreements have enabled the EAEU to significantly increase trade turnover with these countries. A positive trend is also observed in relations with China. Remarkably, Russian-Chinese bilateral relations have seen substantial success, with the volume of trade surpassing the $200 billion target set by the countries’ leaders by the end of 2023.

This year the negotiations on the similar agreements were held with the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, India and Egypt. Free trade zone agreements have also been discussed at various stages with Mongolia, Pakistan, and Israel.

Many countries are currently seeking not only to expand trade but also to simplify financial transactions. The EAEU can offer the necessary tools in this regard. For instance, within the union, the volume of trade conducted in national currencies has already surpassed 90%.

Russia highly values the mutually beneficial multifaceted ties with its EAEU partners and seeks to continue working on strengthening the integration ties within it.

📄 Excerpt from the article by Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation (December 13, 2024)

Read the article in full

Planning a trip to Russia with a new passport? Make sure your visa is in order ✈
If your passport with a valid Russian visa was canceled or damaged, you may need to transfer it. Read more: https://singapore.mid.ru/en/consular_section/visa_to_russia/visa_transfer_from_expired_or_damaged_passport/

On December 8, we celebrated 25 years anniversary of the Treaty Establishing the Union State between Russia and Belarus. Over this time, our relations have grown stonger and more dynamic, laying the foundation for better future. It’s a good opportunity to look back on its key milestones: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Dsn3ffCEi3R7v38b/

Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin (Moscow, Kremlin, 19 December 2024)
#Year2024HighlightsRussia #VladimirPutin #Outcomes2024

Results of the Year with President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin (Moscow, Kremlin, 19 December 2024)
#Year2024HighlightsRussia #VladimirPutin #Outcomes2024
#Economy
The economic situation in Russia is generally positive and stable. We are growing in spite of everything, in spite of any external threats or attempts at outside influence. Last year Russia increased its GDP by 3.6 percent, and this year the economy is expected to grow by 3.9 percent, or possibly even four percent. What this means is that our economy will have grown by eight percent over the past two years. <…> In the United States – 5-6 percent, Eurozone – 1 percent. In the EU’s leading economy, Germany – 0 percent.
International financial and economic institutions ranked Russia as Europe’s biggest economy in terms of volume, in terms of purchasing power parity, and the world’s fourth largest economy. We are behind China, the United States and India. Last year, Russia surpassed Germany and this year, we left Japan behind.
#Sovereignty
Russia has become significantly stronger in the past two or three years. We are becoming a truly sovereign country, and we barely depend on anybody. We are capable of firmly standing on our feet when it comes to the economy.
We are strengthening our defence capability. The combat readiness of the Russian Armed Forces is the highest in the world today. I assure you it is the highest.
#SpecialMilitaryOperation
I must say that the situation [in the special military operation zone] is changing radically. Our fighting men are regaining the territory by square kilometers.
We are advancing, as we said, towards achieving the priority goals that we outlined at the start of the special military operation.
Our troops are fighting heroically in the direct sense of the word. The combat readiness of the Russian Armed Forces is the highest in the world today.
#NuclearDoctrine
It is not a new doctrine but actual changes. I will name some key aspects. We are talking about some new military hazards that may grow into military threats. They include missile defence systems and some other things that we list.
[The document] speaks about increasing the responsibility of non-nuclear states that may participate in an aggression against the Russian Federation alongside the countries that have nuclear weapons. If, like their allies, these countries also pose a threat to our sovereignty and Russia’s existence, then we imply that we have the right to use our nuclear weapons against them [non-nuclear states].
If similar threats are posed to Belarus, our ally and member of the Union State, the Russian Federation will consider these threats as threats to Russia. And we will do everything to ensure the security of Belarus. It is a very important component of the updated nuclear strategy of the Russian Federation.
#OreshnikMissile
Oreshnik missile system is a new intermediate- and shorter-range system. It can strike targets located 1,000, 1,500, 3,000-plus and up to 5,500 km away.
Supposing our system is located 2,000 km away, the missile interceptors on Polish territory would be unable to hit it. It takes time to travel this distance, while our missile needs a few second to start dispensing warheads, and that’s it, the ship has sailed. There is almost no chance of shooting down these missiles.
#Syria
Russia came to Syria ten years ago to prevent the creation of a terrorist enclave there, like the one that we saw in some other countries, for example, Afghanistan.
We have achieved that goal, by and large. Even the groups that were fighting against the Assad regime and the government forces back then have undergone internal changes.
The current situation in the Syrian Arab Republic remains challenging. We sincerely hope for peace and stability to be restored. We maintain dialogue with all groups controlling the situation there and with all regional countries. An overwhelming majority of them have expressed interest in retaining our military bases in Syria.

On December 20, The Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Singapore held a reception to commemorate the conclusion of Russia’s chairmanship of BRICS. The event brought together an esteemed audience, including diplomats, scientists, business leaders, students, and members of the Russian community in Singapore.

H.E. Nikolay Kudashev, Ambassador of Russia to Singapore, opened the evening with insightful remarks, emphasizing the growing unity among non-Western countries and the pivotal role of BRICS in shaping a multipolar global order: “The unity of the non-Western countries of the South and East has grown stronger, as affirmed by the outcomes of the BRICS Summit in Kazan. This summit was marked by the expansion of BRICS and the inclusion of new ASEAN partners, many of whom are represented here today.”

Ambassador Kudashev also addressed the broader geopolitical landscape, citing the success of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine as a turning point in thwarting the West’s hybrid warfare tactics. He highlighted the accelerated continental Eurasian integration processes, driven by active dialogue among key organizations, including the SCO, CIS, CSTO, EAEU, and ASEAN.

The reception featured a vibrant cultural program, including the Russian tradition of lighting of the Christmas tree, a Food Festival, Ded Moroz’s Lottery, and the screening of the film “By your power, through my will”.