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🇷🇺 Russia---News & Views

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Putin says nuclear forces 'always' on alert in Victory Day speech
Agence France-Presse . Moscow 09 May, 2024, 23:07

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| — AFP photo

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned his nuclear forces were 'always' on alert and added that Moscow would not tolerate any Western threats, during an address on the annual Victory Day parade.

In a defiant speech on Red Square before thousands of soldiers dressed in ceremonial attire, Putin heaped praise on his army fighting in Ukraine and accused 'Western elites' of fomenting conflicts around the world.

'Russia will do everything to prevent a global clash, but at the same time we will not allow anyone to threaten us. Our strategic forces are always on alert,' Putin told the crowd.

'Dear friends, Russia is now going through a difficult, crucial period. The fate of the Motherland, its future depends on each of us,' he said.

The May 9 parade marks the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II and has become Russia's most important public holiday as Putin puts the country firmly on a combat footing.

Putin has used nuclear rhetoric throughout the conflict but has grown increasingly belligerent since last year, pulling out of a nuclear test ban treaty and a key arms reduction agreement with the United States.

Earlier this week, he ordered the Russian military to hold nuclear drills involving the navy and troops based near Ukraine, raising fears he could use the powerful weapons on the battlefield.

In comments recorded on Tuesday but released by the Kremlin after the parade, Putin vowed to modernise his army's weaponry and said Russia would use whatever foreign parts it could get to make them.

'Modern military technology is changing very fast. If we want to be successful, we always have to be one step ahead,' he said in a meeting with army commanders.

Putin has repeatedly framed the current fight against Ukraine as an existential battle against 'Nazism', a message he reiterated in his address Thursday.

'We bow our heads before the memory of civilians killed by barbaric shelling and terrorist attacks by neo-Nazis,' he said.

'Those on the front line, on the line of contact—are our heroes. We bow before your steadfastness and self-sacrifice, selflessness. All Russia is with you,' he continued.

Russia's border regions including Belgorod have been hit by repeated deadly Ukrainian attacks since the conflict began, including on Thursday when overnight aerial bombardment injured eight people.

Security in the capital was tight ahead of this year's parade, amid repeated Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory and after an Islamic State attack on a concert hall near the capital in March killed dozens.

Other parts of Russia including the western Kursk and Pskov regions cancelled their parades due to security concerns.

The parade featured columns of Russian military equipment, although was notably scaled back compared to past years as Moscow mobilises its resources for the Ukraine front.

'We come to see it every year,' said 44-year-old Yelena Melikhova, who watched the procession of military equipment heading to Red Square.

'It's very touching, very exciting.'

Svetlana Sycheva, 48, who watched the parade said she was filled with 'pride'.

'Even in such difficult times we have the opportunity to rejoice, and to feel the emotions that we have just experienced,' she told AFP.

'We will win' -

Russia often invites representatives from countries it deems 'friendly' to the event, though attendance had dwindled even before it sent troops into Ukraine in early 2022 amid a stand-off with the West.

Nine world leaders attended Thursday's parade—the heads of ex-Soviet republics Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan—as well as the leaders of Cuba, Laos and Guinea-Bissau.

The 71-year-old Putin has ruled Russia since the turn of the century, securing a fresh six-year mandate in March after winning presidential elections devoid of all opposition.

Russia's army held off a much-hyped Ukrainian counter-offensive last year, and it has since made gains on the front lines as Kyiv struggles with ammunition and manpower shortages.

Thursday's festivities come two days after Putin vowed at a lavish inauguration to deliver 'victory' to Russians.

'We are a united and great nation, and together we will overcome all obstacles, realise everything we have planned, and together, we will win,' he said.​
 
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Putin removes defence minister Shoigu
AFPMoscow
Published: 13 May 2024, 11: 27

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Russian president Vladimir Putin shakes hands with former defence minister Sergei Shoigu as they visit the Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots named after Hero of the Soviet Union AK Serov in Krasnodar, Russia 7 March, 2024.Reuters file photo

Russian president Vladimir Putin on Sunday moved to replace defence minister Sergei Shoigu in a major shake-up to Russia's military leadership more than two years into its Ukraine offensive.

Putin proposed economist Andrey Belousov as Shoigu's replacement, according to a list of the ministerial nominations published by the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament.

The move comes at a key time in the conflict with Russian troops advancing in eastern Ukraine and having just launched a major new ground operation against the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Despite a string of military setbacks in the first year of the campaign -- including the failure to capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and retreats from the Kharkiv and southern Kherson regions -- Putin had stood by Shoigu until now.

That included when Wagner paramilitary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched a bloody insurrection last year calling for Shoigu's removal.

Explaining the timing of the decision, the Kremlin on Sunday said it needed the defence ministry to stay "innovative".

"The defence ministry must be absolutely open to innovation, to the introduction of all advanced ideas, to the creation of conditions for economic competitiveness," state media quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying in a briefing on the appointments.

"The battlefield is won by whoever is more open to innovation," Peskov said. "That is likely why the president has settled on the candidacy of Andrey Belousov," he added.

Belousov, who has no military background, has been one of Putin's most influential economic advisers over the last decade.

UK defence minister Grant Shapps said the Ukraine conflict had left more than 355,000 Russian soldier casualties under Shoigu's watch as well as "mass civilian suffering".

"Russia needs a Defence Minister who would undo that disastrous legacy" and end the conflict, "but all they'll get is another of Putin's puppets," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

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Russian president Vladimir Putin, former defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the Russian Land Forces Oleg Salyukov attend a military parade on Victory Day, which marks the 79th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, 9 May, 2024.Reuters file photo

Siberian retreats

Shoigu, 68, was appointed Russian defence minister in 2012 and has had a decades-long political career of unmatched longevity in post-Soviet Russia. His presence at the centre of power in Moscow predates that of Putin himself.

Prior to Russia launching its full-scale military campaign on Ukraine in February 2022, he was seen as one of Putin's most trusted lieutenants.

The pair were regularly photographed on macho nature retreats in the Siberian wilderness, hunting and fishing together.

In one famous snap from 2017 shared by the Kremlin, they are sitting bare-chested under the sun on a beach by a lake.

On Sunday, Putin simultaneously issued decrees naming Shoigu as the new secretary of the Security Council, replacing his longstanding ally Nikolai Patrushev.

The Kremlin also said Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff, would stay in post overseeing daily military operations in Ukraine.

Along with Shoigu, Gerasimov had been targeted by a hardcore group of influential pro-offensive military bloggers for Moscow's perceived military failures.

Prigozhin, who marched on Moscow calling for the pair's removal, died in an unexplained plane crash weeks after his aborted mutiny.

Key moment

Putin is constitutionally required to name a new set of government ministers -- or reappoint existing ones -- following his victory in a March election devoid of opposition.

Lawmakers in Russia's rubber-stamp parliament need to approve the president's nominations, which they are set to do over the coming days.

The future of Patrushev, an arch-hawk who is sometimes seen as a possible successor to Putin, was unclear.

There was no immediate high-level reaction to the shake-up in Ukraine.

The changes come at a crucial time in the conflict, which had been showing signs of a stalemate for months.

Putin casts the fight against Ukraine as a near-existential battle for his country, calling it just one front of a "hybrid war" between Russia and the West.​
 

Vladimir Putin taps economist to run defence
Replaces Shoigu in unexpected move

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Russian President Vladimir Putin tapped a civilian economist as his surprise new defence minister on Sunday in an attempt to gird Russia for economic war by trying to better utilise the defence budget and harness greater innovation to win in Ukraine. More than two years into the conflict, which has cost both sides heavy casualties, Putin proposed Andrei Belousov, a 65-year-old former deputy prime minister who specialises in economics, to replace his long-term ally, Sergei Shoigu, 68, as defence minister. Putin wants Shoigu, in charge of defence since 2012 and a long-standing friend and ally, to become the secretary of Russia's powerful Security Council, replacing incumbent Nikolai Patrushev, and to also have responsibilities for the military-industrial complex, the Kremlin said. The changes are the most significant Putin has made to the military command since sending tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.​
 

Putin to visit North Korea for first time in 24 years
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Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday for the first time in 24 years, the two countries said, underscoring Moscow's burgeoning partnership with the nuclear-armed state since the invasion of Ukraine.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un extended an invitation to Putin during a visit to Russia's Far East last September. Putin last visited Pyongyang in July 2000.

Russia and North Korea may sign a partnership agreement during the visit that would include security issues, Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said. He said the deal would not be directed against any other country.

Any agreement would "outline prospects for further cooperation, and will be signed taking into account what has happened between our countries in recent years - in the field of international politics, in the field of economics... including, of course, taking into account security issues."

Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Putin's point man for energy, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, are in the delegation.

After North Korea, Putin will visit Vietnam on June 19-20, the Kremlin said. Both visits had been expected, although the dates had not previously been announced.

Russia has gone out of its way to publicise the renaissance of its relationship with North Korea since the start of the war in Ukraine, causing alarm among the United States and its allies in Europe and Asia.

Washington says North Korea has supplied weapons to Russia to help it fight in Ukraine, though Pyongyang and Moscow haverepeatedly denied this.

For Putin, who says Russia is locked in an existential battle with the West over Ukraine, courting Kim allows him to needle Washington and its Asian allies.

United Nations monitors concluded that at least one ballistic missile fired from Russia at a city in Ukraine in January was made in North Korea. Ukrainian officials say they have counted about 50 such missiles delivered to Russia by North Korea.

"The list of countries willing to welcome Putin is shorter than ever, but for Kim Jong Un, this visit is a victory," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

"Not only does the summit upgrade North Korea's status among countries standing against the US-led international order, it also helps bolster Kim's domestic legitimacy."

South Korea's vice foreign minister, Kim Hong-kyun, discussed Putin's planned visit to the north in an emergency phone call with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on Friday, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

The South Korean ministry expressed concern that the visit would result in more military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, which it said violates UN resolutions.

Russia says it will cooperate with North Korea and develop relations in the manner it chooses and not be told what to do by any country, least of all the United States.

PUTIN AND KIM

The UN Security Council, where Russia wields a veto, imposed sanctions on North Korea after Pyongyang carried out its first nuclear test in 2006. Experts say Pyongyang has since continued the development of nuclear weapons and production of nuclear fissile materials.

In March this year, Russia vetoed the annual renewal of a panel of experts monitoring enforcement of the UN sanctions. South Korea's UN ambassador compared that move to "destroying a CCTV to avoid being caught red-handed" violating the sanctions.

Russia has said that world powers need a new approach to North Korea, accusing the United States and its allies of seeking to "strangle" the reclusive state.

Jenny Town, of the Washington-based 38 North programme studying Korea at the Stimson Center think tank, said Russia's outreach to North Korea is part of efforts to build an alternative to a U.S.-led world order.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.
 

North Korea, Russia sign defence deal
Agence France-Presse . Seoul 19 June, 2024, 23:15

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| AFP photo

Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defence agreement on Wednesday with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, who offered his 'full support' on Ukraine.

The pledge of military cooperation was part of a strategic treaty signed during a summit in Pyongyang, where Putin was making his first visit in 24 years.

'It is really a breakthrough document,' Putin told a news conference in the North Korean capital, adding that it provided, 'among other things, for mutual assistance in case of aggression against one of the parties to this treaty', Russian news agencies said.

The two countries have been allies since North Korea's founding after World War II and have drawn even closer since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 isolated Putin on the global stage.

The United States and its allies have accused North Korea of providing ammunition and missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, and the treaty was certain to fuel concerns of more deliveries.

Putin also said Russia 'does not rule out military-technical cooperation with the DPRK in connection with the treaty that was signed today', referring to North Korea by its official name.

Kim called Putin the 'dearest friend of the Korean people' and said his country 'expresses full support and solidarity to the Russian government' over the war in Ukraine, which has triggered rafts of UN sanctions on Moscow.

Putin, in turn, thanked his host Kim — whose country has been under a UN sanctions regime since 2006 over his banned weapons programmes — saying Moscow appreciated the 'consistent and unwavering' support.

Putin said the two heavily sanctioned countries would not tolerate Western 'blackmail' and called for a review of UN sanctions on North Korea.

'The indefinite restrictive regime inspired by the US and its allies at the UN Security Council towards the DPRK should be reviewed,' Putin said.

Putin also said Moscow and Pyongyang were fighting 'US hegemony' together and commended the North for its 'balanced position' on Ukraine.

'Today, we are fighting together against the hegemonism and neo-colonial practices of the United States and its satellites,' he said.

Putin arrived in Pyongyang before dawn on Wednesday and was greeted by Kim on a red carpet at the airport, where the pair embraced and smiled.

They then attended a welcoming ceremony in Kim Il Sung Square, featuring a military band and mass synchronised dancing, after which Putin invited his host to visit Moscow.

The summit, which included a lengthy one-on-one chat between the leaders, was their second meeting in a year.

Kim took his bulletproof train to Russia's Far East in September for a summit with Putin at a spaceport.

Kim said the two countries' ties had now risen 'to a new high of alliance'.

'It is greatly satisfying to conclude a great treaty that befits a changed international situation and the strategic nature of new DPRK-Russia relations,' he said.

Kim also said the new treaty 'fully contributes to maintaining peace and stability in the region'.

Vladimir Tikhonov, professor of Korean Studies at the University of Oslo, said that Russia will now 'largely sabotage the sanctions regime around North Korea, in deed if not in word'.

The new mutual support clause is 'a reminder to Americans that Russia may complicate their lives if they support Ukraine too enthusiastically', he said, pointing to the around 28,000 US troops based in South Korea, a key regional security ally of Washington.

The deal between Moscow and Pyongyang 'may make US military planning on the Korean Peninsula a much more complex affair', Tikhonov said.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.
 

Putin does not rule out sending arms to North Korea
Agence France-Presse . Hanoi 21 June, 2024, 22:59
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Vladimir Putin | File photo

Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he does not rule out Russia sending arms to isolated North Korea in what Washington called an 'incredibly concerning' statement that threatens instability on the divided Korean peninsula.

On a trip to Vietnam following a state visit to Pyongyang where Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defence pact, Putin also warned South Korea not to arm Ukraine.

The Russian president said prospects of Moscow providing weapons to North Korea are repercussions for the West arming Kyiv, which is battling against a Russian invasion now in its third year.

'Those who send these missiles to Ukraine, think that they are not fighting us, but I said, including in Pyongyang, that we then reserve the right to supply weapons to other regions of the world, with regard to our agreements with the DPRK,' Putin said, using the acronym of North Korea's official name.

'I do not rule this one out.'

South Korea on Thursday called Russia's treaty with the North a 'grave concern', with a senior official saying Seoul would 'reconsider' its policy of not sending arms directly to Ukraine.

Putin brushed off the response, saying 'South Korea has nothing to worry about.'

But he warned Seoul not to supply weapons to Kyiv, saying: 'This would be a very big mistake.'

The United States expressed deep unease over Putin's threat to send weapons to Pyongyang, warning such action could destabilise the Korean peninsula.

'It is incredibly concerning,' State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

'It would destabilise the Korean peninsula, potentially, depending on the type of weapons, and might violate UN Security Council resolutions that Russia itself has supported.'

Russia and Vietnam, a close Moscow ally since the Cold War, pledged to deepen ties during Putin's state visit aimed at bolstering alliances.

The Russian leader did not receive as clear a declaration of support in Hanoi as he did in Pyongyang, where he got a rapturous reception. But Vietnamese President To Lam indicated a desire to boost defence cooperation.

Russia has been Vietnam's main arms supplier for decades, but orders have dropped off in recent years as international sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict have intensified.

The two sides said in a joint statement that their defence and security cooperation was 'not directed against any third country' and contributed to 'peace, stability and sustainable development' in the region.

Putin told reporters the talks were constructive and that both sides had 'identical or very close' positions on key international issues.

Putin later held talks with Nguyen Phu Trong, the powerful general secretary of the ruling Communist Party, and laid a wreath at the memorial to independence leader Ho Chi Minh.

Putin's Asia tour came as the United States, Britain and the European Union all announced new sanctions aimed at constraining Russia's war in Ukraine.

The G7 meanwhile agreed to use profits from frozen Russian assets to provide a new $50 billion loan to Kyiv.

Making his first visit to isolated North Korea in 24 years on Wednesday, Putin signed a strategic treaty with leader Kim Jong Un that included a commitment to come to each other's aid if attacked.

Washington and its allies accuse North Korea of supplying ammunition and missiles to Russia for its war, and the new treaty has fuelled fears of more deliveries.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.
 

China, Saudi Arabia top buyers of Russian fuel oil

China and Saudi Arabia were the top destinations for Russian seaborne fuel oil and vacuum gasoil (VGO) exports in July, traders said and LSEG data showed on Friday.

Russian fuel oil and VGO seaborne exports last month rose 7 percent from June to about 4.05 million metric tons, helped by completion of seasonal maintenance on Russian refineries.

Russia's offline primary oil refining capacity for July at 2.5 million tons was below June's level by some 44 percent, according to Reuters calculations based on data from industry sources.

Since the European Union's full embargo on Russian oil products went into effect in February 2023, countries in Asia have been the main destination for Russia's fuel oil and VGO supplies. In July direct fuel oil and VGO shipments from Russian ports to China rose by 18 percent month-on-month to 0.7 million tons.

China imports straight-run fuel oil and VGO for refining feedstock, pooling it with Urals crude oil, according to market sources.

Loadings to Saudi Arabia almost doubled from June to 0.7 million tons, mostly destined for power generation plants during the hot summer season when power consumption is peaking, Reuters calculations and LSEG data show.

Russian fuel oil and VGO supplies to India decreased 7 percent in July to 0.48 million tons, while "dirty" oil product shipments to Fujairah rose to 320,000 tons from 200,000 tons, and to Turkey to 264,00 tons from 95,500 tons.

Fuel oil and VGO exports to South Korea from Russian Pacific ports increased to 118,000 tons from 36,200 tons in June, shipping data showed.

About 295,000 tons of VGO and fuel oil loaded in Russian ports in July went for ship-to-ship loadings near Greece and Malta. Most of those cargoes end up in Asia, market sources have said.​
 

Russia payment hurdles with China partners intensify

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Banknotes of Chinese yuan and Russian rouble are seen amid flags of China and Russia in the illustration. Photo: Reuters/file

Some Russian companies are facing growing delays and rising costs on payments with trading partners in China, leaving transactions worth tens of billions of yuan in limbo, Russian sources with direct knowledge of the issue told Reuters.

Russian companies and officials for a few months have pointed to delays in transactions after Chinese banks tightened compliance following Western threats of secondary sanctions for dealing with Russia. The sources said the problem has intensified this month.

Chinese state banks are shutting down transactions with Russia "en masse" and billions of yuan worth of payments are held up, a source close to the government, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

China is Russia's largest trading partner, accounting for a third of Russia's foreign trade last year and supplying items such as vital industrial equipment and consumer goods that help Russia weather Western sanctions. It also provides a lucrative market for many Russian exports that China relies on, from oil and gas to agricultural products.

After the US Treasury in June threatened secondary sanctions on banks in China and other countries for dealing with Russia, Chinese banks started to take a very strict stance on transactions, said a source at one of Russia's leading e-commerce platforms. It sells a wide variety of consumer goods imported from China.

"At that moment, all cross-border payments to China stopped. We found solutions, but it took about three weeks, which is a very long time, trade volumes fell drastically during that time," said the source.

One working solution was to buy gold, move it to Hong Kong and sell it there, depositing cash in a local bank account, the person said.

Sources told Reuters that some Russian businesses have been using chains of intermediaries in third countries to handle their transactions and get around compliance checks run by Chinese banks. As a result, costs to process transactions have risen to as much as 6 percent of transaction payments, from close to zero before, they said.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

"For many small companies, this means a complete shutdown," another source close to the government said.

The Kremlin acknowledged the problem but said that economic cooperation is important for both countries and that solutions will be found.

"With such volumes and in such an unfriendly environment, it is impossible to avoid some problematic situations," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement to Reuters.

"However, the truly partnership spirit of our relations allows us to discuss and resolve current issues constructively," he said.

Transactions with China are not of grave concern to top Russian leadership, however, because payments in priority areas are still proceeding smoothly, and there is political will from both sides, a banking source told Reuters.Bilateral arrangements for large companies, such as Russia's commodity exporters and China's exporters of vital technologies, still work well, whereas smaller companies trading in consumer goods experience problems, sources said.

Russian exporters haven't experienced difficulties in receiving payments for commodities that China imports, such as oil or grain, another source close to the Russian government told Reuters.

Bilateral trade between Russia and China grew by 1.6 percent to $137 billion in the first half of 2024, according to China's official customs data, after hitting a record high $240 billion in 2023.

"Normal trade between China and Russia is consistent with WTO rules and market principles, is not directed against third parties and is not subject to interference or coercion by third parties," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman told Reuters.

"We firmly oppose any illegal unilateral sanctions and "long-arm jurisdiction" and will take all necessary measures to safeguard our legitimate rights and interests," the spokesman added.

Russia's imports from China fell by more than 1 percent to $62 billion in January-July 2024 due to payment problems, according to China's official statistics.

Russia's central bank forecasts the country's total imports from around the world will fall by as much as 3 percent this year.

"Imports will decrease in 2024 due to the strengthening of sanctions barriers related to payments and logistics," the central bank said, although it predicted that the situation would improve in the medium term, according to draft monetary policy guidelines published on Aug. 29.After Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China in May, some local Chinese banks without a global business stepped in to handle bilateral payments. They would be out of the reach of Western sanctions enforcers.

However, sources pointed out that these banks often had outdated IT systems and lacked staff with the necessary skills.

The banking source said that cross-border couriers were shuttling transfer papers across the Russia-China border to get them physically stamped and signed by Chinese bankers.

"Until issues with payments are resolved at the state level, we cannot expect a dynamic inflow of investments from China," said Kirill Babaev, head of the China Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Research co-authored by Babaev and released this month highlights the risks posed to Russia's industrial sector where China has become a leading supplier.

"In today's situation, payment problems with Chinese banks particularly exacerbate this challenge, as there are no other major suppliers of many types of industrial equipment besides China at present," the research paper said.

Large companies in China as well as India are heavily dependent on American and European markets, Dmitry Birichevski, head of the economic department at Russia's foreign ministry, said at a conference in Moscow on Aug. 16.

"And they are being told, 'Guys, if you continue to work with Russia, we will cut off your access to our market and choke off your oxygen supply'," he said.​
 
Russian weapon performance in Ukraine has seriously deflated its military might. We were all surprised and disappointed with what has happened over the last 2 years. In particular all their much hyped modern missile weaponry has been very underwhelming. It's a huge reality check for our military too that if Russian missiles did not perform as per brochure specs, what do we deduce about Chinese weaponry? It's something to ponder over.
 

Russia calls US actions in Asia ‘destructive’ at ASEAN summit
Agence France-Presse . Vientiane, Laos 12 October, 2024, 01:03

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday called US actions in Asia ‘destructive’, accusing Washington of being behind a ‘militarisation’ of Japan and attempting to turn other countries against Russia and China.

‘The destructive character of US actions in this part of the world is obvious,’ Lavrov told reporters at an East Asia Summit in Laos.

Asked about Japan’s proposal for a NATO-style Asian pact, Lavrov said: ‘Ideas about creating military blocs always carry risks of confrontation that could escalate’.

‘As far as Japan is concerned, we are seriously concerned about its militarisation. The Japanese are obviously being pushed to such a course by the United States,’ he said.

Lavrov also said the US, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia had attempted to make the summit’s final statement ‘deeply politicised’ and it therefore ‘could not be adopted’.

He said Western countries wanted to exploit their ties with ASEAN ‘above all against the interests of Russia and China’.

Meanwhile, a free election in junta-ruled Myanmar is currently ‘impossible to imagine’ a US diplomat said Friday, days after the junta chief doubled down on plans for fresh polls backed by close ally China.

The military seized power in 2021 after making unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud and has since arrested and killed thousands and banned political parties in a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

It has said it will hold fresh polls, likely next year, even as it has lost territory across the country to established ethnic rebel groups and newer ‘People’s Defence Forces’ formed since the coup.

It is currently ‘impossible to imagine conducting a free election’ in Myanmar, United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack told reporters.

Any poll would ‘simply be an election that will return them [the military] to power,’ said Van Schaack, who advises the US government on responses to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

With clashes in almost every region of the country ‘it is hard to imagine even just logistically how one would administer an election, no less do so in a way that is fair,’ she said.

State media said Wednesday that junta chief Min Aung Hlaing ‘clearly reaffirmed’ the military’s plans to hold elections.

The military has pushed back a timetable for fresh polls several times, and in March the top general hinted any vote may not take place nationwide due to the conflict.

Junta officials are currently conducting a national census, which is seen as a pre-requisite to any new polls.

Any vote would not feature Aung San Suu Kyi’s hugely popular National League for Democracy party, which was dissolved by the junta-stacked election commission last year.​
 

Seoul slams Russian move to ratify defence treaty with N Korea
Agence France-Presse . Seoul 25 October, 2024, 22:46

South Korea’s foreign ministry voiced ‘grave concern’ Friday after Russia moved to ratify its defence treaty with North Korea, calling again on Moscow to stop its ‘illegal cooperation’ with Pyongyang.

On Thursday, Russian lawmakers voted unanimously to ratify a defence treaty with North Korea that provides for ‘mutual assistance’ if either party faces aggression.

South Korea and the United States claim thousands of North Korean troops are training in Russia, with Ukraine saying this week that the soldiers have arrived in the ‘combat zone’ in Russia’s Kursk border region.

North Korea and Russia have previously denied the deployment.

Seoul ‘expresses grave concern over Russia’s ratification of the Russia-North Korea treaty amidst the on-going deployment of North Korean troops to Russia,’ the foreign ministry said in a statement.

It added that the South Korean government ‘strongly urges the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops and the cessation of illegal cooperation’.

‘The government will work together with the international community to firmly respond to military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, and take appropriate measures as their military collaboration progresses,’ it said.

On Thursday, South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol called the deployment a ‘provocation that threatens global security beyond the Korean Peninsula and Europe’, after talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

Yoon also said South Korea will ‘review’ its stance on providing weapons to Ukraine in its war with Russia, which the country has long resisted citing longstanding domestic policy.

North Korea has adopted a new national anthem, state media reported Friday, another move that experts suspect will further North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s drive to define his country as entirely separate from, and in conflict to, the South.

North Korea amended its constitution to define the South as a ‘hostile’ state and last week blew up roads and railways that once connected the two countries.​
 
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