⚡️ Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova on the US complicity in the recruitment of US citizens to fight in Ukraine

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💬 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has noted recent reports on US citizens being recruited and transferred to Ukraine, the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic to participate in hostilities, with the complicity of the White House and American intelligence services.

We are referring to the activity of the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, which runs counter to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and involves overt recruitment of fighters to the so-called Foreign Legion of Territorial Defence Forces of Ukraine.

❗️ We regard the US authorities’ complicity in such activities as further proof of Washington not being interested in resolving the Ukrainian crisis.

💬 #Opinion by Maria #Zakharova:

News about Berlin's ongoing pressure on the Telegram messenger app has been leaked to Der Spiegel. According to the information obtained by the magazine, the German criminal police forced the company to hand over users’ personal data under various vague pretexts, as well as to block channels at the request of law enforcement agencies.

I must say that the Germans have been putting up pressure on Telegram for a long time.

👉 https://telegra.ph/Opinion-by-Maria-Zakharova-06-23

And now this “no pressure” has forced the company's management to enter into a nexus dialogue with the German police. Regular consultations are held, and, according to Der Spiegel, the head of Telegram attends them “wearing a hoodie.” As a result, the Germans have forced the messenger app to leak user data to them.

What hypocrites! If you read the coalition agreement between the German parties on forming the government – the main document defining Germany’s internal politics for the next five years – the protection of personal data is high on the government agenda. It says, we promote anonymisation methods, establish legal stability through formalised standards and introduce criminal liability for illegal deanonymisation. The Germans have voted for this believing their government would uphold their rights to privacy and freedom. In reality though, the German justice and law enforcement agencies are giving their citizens less and less freedom online, reinstating the worst traditions of the “police state” (Polizeistaat).

💬 Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova: Speaking about food security, I would like to recall that prices on food products and energy soared since early 2020 due to:

- coronavirus pandemic,
- bad climate conditions
- and, importantly, systemic miscalculations in the financial and economic policy of the Western countries.

This created difficulties in the world markets (higher freight and insurance rates and transport breakdowns). Transport logistics and insurance collapsed due to the pandemic. Unilateral sanctions were imposed on top of all that.

These sanctions introduced by Washington and the EU under its pressure exacerbated the situation to the utmost.

I would even call them not just unilateral sanctions but sanction harassment of our country.

The goal is obvious – to isolate and inflict maximum damage on the Russian economy and Europe.

In turn, we confirm our willingness to continue fulfilling our commitments regarding the export of grain, fertilizer, energy and other critical products.

💬 Opinion by Maria #Zakharova

I have read surprising news: Swedish activists have called for investigation into Greta Thunberg’s link with a Russian NGO directly funded by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

I will gladly help the “Swedish activists.” Below is a list of Greta Thunberg’s links. Were all of them “directly funded by the Russian Foreign Ministry”? Or have the Western regimes grown tired of the girl and the green economy, and this is a sell-out?

At the very least, the Western majors should explain to their citizens why they have decided to reopen the coal-fired power plants, which were shut down to stop using the polluting fossil fuel.

https://telegra.ph/Greta-Thunberg-06-24

🎙 Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova on political repression against dissenters is intensifying in Ukraine:

Kiev is going to introduce the practice of mass requisitioning Ukrainian enterprises from owners who, by the arbitrary decision of the authorities, are recognised as pro-Russia sympathisers. What kind of law, democracy or liberalism are we talking about?

❗️ The policy of forced Ukrainisation and persecution of everything that is Russian continues unabated.

On June 19, the Verkhovna Rada approved draft laws that effectively ban Russian music from being played in the streets of Ukrainian cities, music halls, stadiums and on radio and television.

Books, newspapers and magazines from Russia and Belarus have been banned in Ukraine and cannot be brought in. Russian-speaking writers are removed from world literature courses.

A native of Odessa, Anna Akhmatova wrote, “It’s not scary to die by a bullet, not painful to lose home, and we will protect you, Russian speech, the great Russian word.”

#Opinion by Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova:

💬 What's up with the British government? Why are they so bent on gender and sex issues today?

Following in the footsteps of his prime minister, British Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace, who recently talked to Vovan and Lexus [prankers], said that MARIA ZAKHAROVA, DEFINITELY A WOMAN, THREATENS EVERY SINGLE WEEK TO DROP NUCLEAR BOMBS ON EVERYONE.

Then, he went on to discuss lunacy, comedy and machismo...

British Secretary of State Wallace, if you do not want to be known worldwide as a complete liar, give at least one example of how and when exactly did I “threaten to drop nuclear bombs on everyone on a weekly basis”.

Since you won’t be able to find a single quote, I accuse you of slander and pushing fake claims.

But most importantly, Mr Wallace recognised an important fact: Russian women are still women to him, and not “people with...” I take this opportunity to say hi to J.K.Rowling: she cannot be a woman nowadays, but at least I can, with Secretary of Defence Wallace’s permission.

🎙 Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s response to a media question on the European Commission’s clarification on Kaliningrad transit

❓ What can you tell us about the European Commission’s explanations, published today, for its decision to lift the cargo transit restrictions to/from the Kaliningrad Region?

💬 Maria #Zakharova: We have been in direct contact with the EU on this issue over the past four weeks. We knew that Brussels was drafting decisions on this.

We are attentively studying the European Commission’s explanations and are analysing them in the context of our priority goal – comprehensive life support for the Kaliningrad Region. The decision that lifts the restrictions on certain types of goods carried by rail is a sign of realism and common sense. That said, we still have some questions on the content of this document.

Obviously, Russian representatives will closely monitor the implementation of these steps by the EU.

⚡️ Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s answer to a media question

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❓ What can you tell us about UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying on July 14 that he was shocked by a rocket fired into the city of Vinnitsa, central Ukraine?

💬 Maria #Zakharova: Indeed, this statement by Antonio Guterres has come to our attention. Here’s what I would like to say.

☝️ According to the Russian Defence Ministry, high-precision Kalibr missiles were used in Vinnitsa targeting a garrison house of officers which at that moment was housing a meeting of the Ukrainian Air Force command with representatives of foreign arms suppliers. The UN is probably aware of that. If not, then we suggest that Mr Guterres ask Ukraine why the Kiev regime is placing military facilities in close proximity to civilian buildings?

Opinion by Maria #Zakharova:

💬 Joe Biden equated the notions of “being Palestinian” and “being Irish American” by saying that their struggle is similar to the struggle of British-suppressed “Irish Catholics.”

How interesting! Is it possible to extrapolate this premise?

“Being Chinese” means fighting Britain’s attempts to pump the country with opium and profit from it.

“Being Indian” means campaigning for independence from its British oppressors through peaceful means.

“Being a native American or Canadian,” means resisting forceful assimilation by the US and Canada and compulsory settlement in reservations.

With this level of empathy, it’s probably not difficult for Joe Biden to imagine what it has meant to be a Russian in Ukraine over the past eight years and now in his home country as well.

What interesting vistas of geopolitical creativity has the US President opened with this comparison!

By the way, we would like to see an official response from the Israeli Cabinet of Ministers to the statement that the Palestinians are the new Irish because if this is true, they are at least entitled to a referendum.

And, of course, we look forward to a draft US resolution in the UN Security Council demanding that Israel stop oppressing the Palestinians.

Or is this just another of Biden’s slip-ups?

🔗 https://t.me/MariaVladimirovnaZakharova/3166

⚡️ Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova

💬 A decision by the "authorities" in Pristina to start applying unjustified discriminatory "rules" on forced re-issuance of personal documents and licence plates for local Serbs from August 1 is another step towards expulsion of the Serbian population from Kosovo and ousting Kosovo Serbian institutions that protect the rights of Serbian residents from the arbitrary actions by Pristina radicals led by "Prime Minister" Albin Kurti. Kosovar leaders know that Serbs will not remain indifferent when it comes to a direct attack on their freedoms, and are deliberately aggravating the situation in order to launch a violent scenario. Of course, Belgrade, which the West wants to further "neutralise" by using Kosovo Albanians, is also on the receiving end of the attack.

❗️ We call on Pristina, as well as the United States and EU behind it, to stop their provocations and to respect the rights of Serbs in Kosovo.

This development is yet another evidence of the failure of the EU mediation mission. It is also an illustration of the place Serbia will enjoy in the European Union, which is inviting Belgrade to accept the de facto disenfranchisement of its compatriots.

💬 Opinion by Maria #Zakharova

China’s Foreign Ministry has summoned US Ambassador Nicholas Burns overnight.

He is the very same ambassador who took the floor just a month ago at the World Peace Forum in Beijing in the presence of our Ambassador Andrey Denisov to accuse Russia of violating all possible international norms and failing to respect the sovereignty of other countries.

This is the very same ambassador who adopted an ultimatum-like tone, as he demanded that China stop supporting ‘the war in Ukraine’ or relaying ‘Russian propaganda.’

He is also the ambassador who is now keeping an embarrassed silence, unable as he is to find a justification for the brash and insolent stunt mounted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, which could well undermine regional stability and security.

After all, he understands that by staging this provocation the United States once again demonstrated its disdain for the rights of other nations. How can the Americans lecture others about the need to respect international law if Washington itself violates the obligations it has towards Beijing?

It is telling that the US Embassy in the People’s Republic of China switched from its proactive communications policy to silent mode and has not issued a single release over the past two days.

How so?

The American diplomats have literally swallowed their tongues and huddled up in a corner. It is obvious that they are afraid of the righteous wrath of Chinese society. And they should be. The hard-working people of China do not deserve such treatment.

#Opinion by Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova:

💬 The US Department of State’s reaction to Darya Dugina’s assassination and the evidence of Ukraine’s involvement provided by Russia discredit the United States’ human rights protection efforts.

Washington has no moral right (or, needless to say, any legal grounds) to judge the human rights situation in remote parts of the world since the murder of a journalist does not even receive a comment from this perspective, apparently so important to US officials. They simply ignored the fact that the incident involved a public figure.

https://t.me/MariaVladimirovnaZakharova/3529

🔴 #LIVE: #Briefing by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova on topical foreign policy issues

🔗 https://www.ruptly.tv/en/events/202208310700-LIVE11723-Russian-MFA-spokesperson-Zakharova-holds-weekly-briefing-

🔗 https://mid.ru/en/press_service/video/

🎙 Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova on the illegal activities of the #OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.

💬 While giving credit to many rank-and-file employees of the SMM, including Russian citizens, we have to state that the leadership of this OSCE field presence primarily served the interests of Kiev’s Western backers.

The Mission concealed war crimes committed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and discredited the defenders of Donetsk and Lugansk.

The activities of the SMM were often not only biased but also illegal. Documented cases of its systematic cooperation with foreign secret services began to be revealed with the liberation of territories in Donbass. Some Western observers even recruited local residents as agents.

❗️ It was established that some observers gave information from their security cameras to the Ukrainian military for targeting purposes and tracking the movements of equipment and the positions of local LPR and DPR forces. The mission covered up evidence of fortification works by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and collected sensitive information for Western intelligence services.

☝️ These shortcomings in the work of the SMM, whose mandate expired on April 1, 2022, require a comprehensive analysis. The double standards and general bias in its work that made them possible require honest, open discussion and must be rectified

#Opinion by Maria #Zakharova

📄 Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper: “US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland expressed a belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin chose not to resort to the use of nuclear weapons in the war against Ukraine because of harsh warnings from other states... According to Nuland, after abandoning nuclear escalation, Russia “has switched to fundamentally different tactics by launching attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure,” which, she added, “are unacceptable.”

💬 Ukrainskaya Pravda, citing Victoria Nuland, brings to mind a 6️⃣9️⃣, a combination that could actually describe the years-long relations between the American ultra-liberals and the Kiev regime.

Now let’s get to the point. Victoria Nuland has succeeded in defeating herself once again: first, controlled media and think tanks hyped up the threat of nuclear war coming from Russia, and now they are making attempts to shift the blame onto someone else by claiming that allegedly a nuclear Armageddon did not occur due to “harsh warnings” while ignoring the fact that no-one on this side of the border actually planned to unleash one. We have repeatedly confirmed Russia’s stance on preventing a nuclear war, in particular, in a recent statement which was specifically translated into English for those working in the US Department of State.

As to the “unacceptability of strikes on the energy infrastructure,” Nuland is in no position to lecture the world: only the USA and NATO jointly have destroyed more energy networks than the USA alone. Then-spokesperson for NATO Jamie Shea admitted this during the bombing of Yugoslavia, which I have written about just recently.

Interestingly, in 1994, US Air Force Major Thomas Griffith presented his thesis entitled Strategic Attack of National Electrical Systems – it would appear that he was already preparing for the Yugoslavian events back then.

#Opinion by Maria #Zakharova

💬 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia Tanja Fajon: “We have to take care of the rules of international law and truly respect it, rather than change it when countries select a path of disrespect towards international law. Russia preferred the latter. This means that there are countries which respect the rules and countries which respect their national interests, which extend beyond the rules. This is what happens and we have to take the World Order into account.”

Yes, this has not worked out very well. As a matter of fact, it has truly turned out that there are countries “changing international law, choosing a path of disrespect towards it.” A brief insight for the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia 👇

Let us recall the position of the Ljubljana officials regarding the invasion of the Coalition of the Willing in Iraq.

Prior to the intervention by the United States and its vassals, Slovenia had a pro-American stance accusing Saddam Hussein’s regime of posing a threat to the international community. In particular, in February 2003, Ljubljana, alongside other Eastern European countries, signed a declaration backing Washington’s position several hours after the famous test tube demonstration by Colin Powell in the UN Security Council. US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld claimed that Slovenia had joined the US coalition (which was later disputed by the official Ljubljana).

Following the bombing of Iraq, the Slovenian government issued an official statement expressing its regret over the start of hostilities. Prime Minister Anton Rop promised that Slovenian servicemen would not be taking part in the war.

At the same time, in 2006, these Slovenian military personnel took part in the so-called NATO Training Mission in Iraq. This decision did not resonate with the country’s population and later the military personnel were withdrawn. According to the Mission’s reports, Ljubljana also provided AK-47 rifles, helmets and funds.

In addition to that, Slovenian military personnel have been part of the US antiterrorist coalition in Syria and Iraq since 2016 (Operation Inherent Resolve against the Islamic State).

So, are we to understand that these are rightful changes in international law?

https://t.me/MariaVladimirovnaZakharova/4625

Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova:

The Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, Kirill Budanov, admitted that his agency's special operations forces made three attacks aimed at seizing the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, all of which were repelled by Russian forces.

💬 Budanov's confession should serve as a wake-up call for the UN, whose representatives had been claiming for months that they could not to determine where the attacks on the station were coming from.

Budanov's confession should also snap the NATO countries’ populations out of the hypnotic trance created by NATO regimes, which had led their people to believe that Russia posed a threat to nuclear facilities and was threatening to use nuclear weapons.

The Foreign Ministry has repeatedly (1, 2, 3) stated that Zelensky's regime has been using the nuclear power plant as a dirty nuclear weapon to blackmail Europeans. Russia has provided evidence on all relevant platforms to prove the shelling of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant by Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Everything we've said will continue to be corroborated by the facts in the future.

Russian MFA Spokesperson Maria #Zakharova:

💬Anti-government riots started on Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) ten years ago, on November 21, 2013. They triggered the current disaster in #Ukraine and, at the same time, took it to the point of no return.

In November 2013, the #West and the radical neo-#Nazi Ukrainian opposition went all-out to finally change Ukraine’s multi-vector course and put its economy and politics into the #neocolonialist Western coordinate system.

❓It is appropriate to ask today what #Euromaidan events have given Ukraine?

⚡️Ukraine has lost its state independence. It is on the Western colonialists’ payroll who now determine its domestic and foreign policy.

Read in full: https://mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/1915908/

#NoStatuteOfLimitations

💬 #Zakharova: At the end of October, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas met with a member of the local opposition to discuss plans for organising anti-government rallies.

☝️ Such actions amount to nothing less than gross interference in internal affairs.

Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova:

❗️ The US air strikes in #Yemen are the latest example of the Anglo-Saxons’ distortion of UN Security Council resolutions and total disregard for international law, aimed at escalating the situation in the region to achieve their destructive objectives.

Further detail of Russia's position 👉 watch LIVE at our weekly briefing