Press review: Moscow runs spot check on Pacific Fleet and New START return prospects dim
Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, April 17th

🛢🇷🇺 Russian oil exports back to pre-Special Operation levels despite West's crippling sanctions.

Crude oil and oil products exports were at HIGHEST level in March since April 2020, increasing by 600,000 barrels a day - International Energy Agency (IEA).

Moscow's revenue from oil exports last month stood at $12.7 billion.

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◾CNN denied Kiev's fakes that Ukrainian refugees were forcibly deported to Russia

◾The American television channel CNN showed a report about several citizens of Ukraine who now live in Russia and complain about persecution by the Kyiv regime.

◾ The correspondent drew attention to the fact that the Ukrainian government says that Ukrainians were allegedly forcibly deported to the Russian Federation. But in fact, people say that no one forced them to leave, it was a conscious decision. This information was reported to CNN by Natalya, who moved to the Far East last spring.

◾Valeria, another Ukrainian refugee, told a TV channel representative that they did not want to return and did not even want to think about Ukraine.

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t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses

⚡️ Putin visited Russian troops in Kherson region, Kremlin says

💬 "Vladimir Putin at the staff of the Dnepr grouping of troops in the Kherson Region listened to reports from the commander of the Airborne Troops, Col. Gen. Mikhail Teplinsky, the commander of the Dnepr grouping of troops, Col. Gen. Oleg Makarevich and other military leadership," according to the statement.

📹 Vladimir Putin visited the staff of the Dnepr grouping of troops in the Kherson Region and the Vostok National Guard staff in the Lugansk People's Republic

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russian and Chinese defence ministers hold talks in Moscow

📄 Greetings by Russian Defence Minister General of the Army S.K. Shoigu

📄 Greetings by Minister of National Defence of the People's Republic of China General Li Shangfu

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Press review: Pacific Fleet works out amid Taiwan stir and Beijing to sanction sanctioners
Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, April 18th

Russia Slams West’s ‘Frenzied’ Interference Attempts In Kara-Murza Sentencing

Russia’s top diplomats in the US and UK have hit out at their apparent attempts to “influence the independent judicial system of the Russian Federation” following their reaction to the sentencing of Vladimir Kara-Murza.

The Russian Embassy in Washington slammed "frenzied statements" reacting to the verdict. At the same time, Moscow’s UK Ambassador Andrey Kilin insisted that the British Foreign Ministry’s demands for access to Kara-Murza, because he holds joint British citizenship, is baseless as a Russian citizen.

"It is time for Washington's elites to stop gross systematic interference in our internal affairs and deal with problems at home," the US mission added.

Kara-Murza, a registered “foreign agent” in Russia, was convicted of high treason, cooperating with an “undesirable” organization, and spreading “disinformation” about the armed forces in a Moscow court on Monday.

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⚡️Strong protest expressed to US ambassador over support for Kara-Murza — MFA
"It was also noted that against the background of shameless suppression of dissent in the United States itself attempts to defend an ‘agent of influence’ supervised by Washington and other Western capitals look hypocritical and ridiculous," the Foreign Ministry pointed out

⚡️🇺🇸 On a diplomatic demarche to US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy

On April 18, US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy was summoned to the Foreign Ministry where she received a strong protest in response to the provocative statements in support of Vladimir Kara-Murza who was sentenced for treason and the spread of fakes about the Russian army.

It was emphasised that such actions committed publicly in order to put pressure on the authorities and the court, constitute overt interference in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation. It was also pointed out that attempts to shield their agent of influence, who was under the watchful eye of Washington and other Western capitals, look hypocritical and ridiculous considering the shameless suppression of dissent in the United States.

It was especially noted that any steps by the American side aimed at inciting discord and enmity in Russian society, as well as the use of a diplomatic mission to cover up subversive work, will be severely suppressed.

Employees of the US embassy who violate the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and abuse their status will complete their stay in Moscow ahead of schedule.

⚡️🇨🇦 On a diplomatic demarche to Canadian Ambassador Alison LeClaire

On April 18, Canadian Ambassador to Russia Alison LeClaire was summoned to the Foreign Ministry. She was delivered a strong protest in response to her unacceptable public commentary on the verdict to Vladimir Kara-Murza who was convicted of high treason and spreading fakes about the Russian army.

It was emphasised that such actions, together with a frenzied anti-Russia campaign launched by the official Ottawa, as well as the announcement that “regime change in Russia” is a strategic goal of Canadian foreign policy, are a direct interference in Russia’s internal affairs.

In this context, the ambassador was reminded of the inevitable negative consequences the continuation of the current confrontational course of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration would entail for bilateral relations and for those members of the Canadian embassy staff in Moscow who abuse their diplomatic status.

⚡️🇬🇧 On UK ambassador to Russia Deborah Bronnert being summoned to the Foreign Ministry

On April 18, UK Ambassador to Russia Deborah Bronnert was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where she was delivered a strong protest in response to her overtly inappropriate remarks and other provocative statements made by UK Foreign Ministry leaders after the Moscow City Court sentenced Russian Federation citizen Vladimir Kara-Murza on charges of high treason and spreading fakes about the Russian army.

⚠️ It was pointed out to Deborah Bronnert that calls by foreign diplomats to annul the verdict of the Russian court was regarded as gross interference in the internal affairs of Russia. It was emphasised that such disrespectful behaviour indicated London’s clear violation of the fundamental principles of diplomatic communication enshrined in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and is at variance with the status of the British diplomatic mission in Moscow.

Ms Bonnert was reminded that according to the Federal Law No. 62-FZ On Citizenship of the Russian Federation of May 31, 2002, a citizen of the Russian Federation who is also a citizen of another country is considered by the Russian Federation as only a citizen of the Russian Federation, except in cases provided for by international treaties of the Russian Federation, or by federal law. There is no corresponding agreement between Russia and the UK, thus the references made by the British to Vladimir Kara-Murza’s British citizenship are null and void under Russian law.

☝️ It was also emphasised that the attempts by British officials to lecture Russia on human rights issues are considered absolutely unacceptable, especially since London’s cynical and dismissive attitude towards the human rights dossier is well known to the world community.

❗️ ANNA News appealed to the UN Secretary General

The "grain deal" concluded in July last year has been criticized more than once for the fact that instead of the stated goal of saving developing countries from hunger, it was reduced to commercial supplies of Ukrainian agricultural products to developed countries. Under the cover of the agreement, the Ukrainian regime also tried to illegally trade Western weapons.

The RYBAR 's team confirmed (https://t.me/rybar/45902 ) facts: the UN and Ukraine are not just sabotaging the deal, but also "poisoning" Russian representatives in every possible way with the help of foreign media.

We support Rybar's initiative and today addressed an official journalistic request to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Read the main points of our appeal below.

Mr. Guterres!

Eight months ago, a grain agreement was signed in Istanbul, one of the signatories of which was the United Nations. However, the declared goals of the transaction have not yet been achieved.

African States do not receive the promised grain, which is fraught with an aggravation of the food crisis in developing countries. The export of Russian fertilizers was also disrupted. This crime against the citizens of African countries is due to bureaucratic obstacles that are being repaired by United Nations staff.

Please inform:

▪️ What actions are currently being taken to overcome the food crisis?

▪️ What steps is the UN taking to extend the deal after May 18?

What personnel and administrative decisions will you personally take to punish UN employees who sabotage the delivery of grain and fertilizers to Africa?

No official response has been received yet. But we expect that the UN secretariat respects the rights of journalists and will not violate the Declaration on the Basic Principles concerning the Contribution of the Media to Strengthening Peace and International Understanding.

We urge our fellow journalists to join us and send questions about the grain deal to the UN (to the following addresses admin@jcc-secretariat.org and palla@un.org ). The crimes of bureaucrats should not be hushed up!

🌾🚫A number of EU states have begun blocking imports of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products in an attempt to mitigate the threat faced by local farmers due to their domestic markets being flooded with supplies. RT explores concerns over Ukrainian grain and what the measures could mean for global food security. https://clck.ru/34B9Y7

🌾🇺🇳As soon as the "grain deal deadline" clearly appeared on the horizon the Ukrainians have referred to the purpose of this very "grain deal". And not only in Kiev, but adding to the statement "guarantor states" like France, Spain, the States

They say that we have shipped 30 thousand tons of grain from Ukraine to starving Yemeni citizens under the Grain From Ukraine program, and therefore we fully fulfill our part of the deal, not like the Russians blocking bulk carriers on the way to Odessa. For comparison: during the week Odessa shipped up to 700 thousand tons as part of the "deal"

The argument looks as cheap as possible if you read further than the first line of the release of the Kiev Ministry of Agriculture: out of almost 28 million tons of agricultural products, the poorest countries received only 800 thousand tons, with an income below average of less than 4.5 million tons

That is, in six months of the "deal", the "saviors from hunger" shipped 18% of agricultural products to the poor and the poorest countries. But for their sake, the "deal" was started!

"The United States aims to develop a universal genetically engineered biological weapon capable of infecting not only people, but animals as well as agricultural crops. Its use involves, among other things, the goal of inflicting large-scale and irreparable economic damage on the enemy," the commission wrote in its final report.