RT News - January 12th 2023

RT reports from the battleground with fighting raging in the city of Artyomovsk. That's as Russian officials report that the takeover of nearby Soledar in the Donetsk Republic, is not the last point of its advance.
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Rule of Law Debate - United Nations. Vassily Nebenzya is addressing UN. He said alongside other things that "Statements confirm our former western partners ignore their own violations" and "the roots of this difficult situation come from what America has done"
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RT reports from the Artyomovsk front line as Russian troops engage Kiev's forces.
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Never enough: Pres. Vladimir Zelensky scolds the west once again as he insists Ukraine should be given candidate status for EU membership, so that his Country, and his Soldiers, stay motivated. Is Kiev fed up of being a pawn in this proxy war against Russia? Rachel Marsden reports.
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China's foreign minister says no world power should force African countries to pick sides, because the continent needs solidarity, not confrontation. Qin Gang made the comments during a five-nation tour of Africa. Report on trip so far by Ma Ke, from CGTN in Gabon
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Below, via RT website 1) --- Russia's adversaries got their predictions wrong – Putin
2) --- China warns West on Africa
3) --- All US domestic flights grounded after software glitch
4) --- Canada buys ‘high-priority’ gift for Ukraine
5) --- Russia sends high-ranking military representative to closest ally
6) --- Russia reacts to Turkish support of Zelensky’s ‘peace plan’
7) --- EU backs member states seizing Russian assets
8) --- Kremlin comments on major Donbass battle
9) --- UK may become ‘human rights abuser’ – NGO
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11 Jan, 2023 17:32

1) --- Russia's adversaries got their predictions wrong – Putin

Sanctions and international pressure have failed to seriously harm Russia’s economy, President Vladimir Putin has said

None of the gloomy forecasts the West made about Russia’s fate in 2022 have come to pass, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the government on Wednesday as he commented on the West’s failure to disrupt the national economy.

“Nothing that our adversaries predicted has happened to us,” Putin said as he thanked the government for its effective work throughout 2022, which helped Russia withstand international pressure amid unprecedented sanctions imposed by the US and its allies. “In no small way, that was the result of the government’s work,” he added.

The president then said that there’s still much that needs to be done to secure Russia’s “absolutely … sovereign independent development despite all the external pressure and threats.” He highlighted the fact that more efforts should be aimed at supplying the Russian forces involved in the conflict in Ukraine. Russia should also expand the technological capacities of its economy and encourage the creation of new industries and workplaces, he said, while strengthening the financial sector, the agriculture industry and some other economic fields.

Following the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine in late February, the US and its allies in Europe and beyond imposed unprecedented sanctions against Moscow, targeting entire sectors of its economy, including finances and banking as well as aviation and space industries. In December, the EU, along with the G7 countries and Australia, introduced a price cap on Russian seaborne oil, set at $60 per barrel.

Last spring, many Western officials and media outlets predicted that the Russian economy would collapse under the pressure of sanctions and military expenditures, only to admit that Moscow managed to defy all of those predictions. In May, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic admitted that the Western sanctions were not working, as The Economist reported that the Russian economy proved to be “surprisingly resilient” amid high oil and gas revenues.

In August, Bloomberg and the Washington Post reported that the sanctions failed to bring about the economic collapse that Western leaders had hoped for. In December, Putin said that Russia was outperforming many of the G20 nations despite sanctions. Earlier the same month, the Russian Finance Ministry said that oil and gas budget revenues exceeded the full-year target in the first 11 months, bringing an additional $9 billion to Russia’s coffers.
https://www.rt.com/russia/569718-nothing-predicted-russia-economy-happen/
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11 Jan, 2023 18:00

2) --- China warns West on Africa

Beijing insists the continent should be a stage for international cooperation, not great power rivalry

Promoting Beijing’s investment in African development and modernization during his first foreign trip, China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang said on Wednesday that the continent should not become a battleground for rival world powers.

Qin began a five-country tour in Ethiopia on Wednesday, opening the new headquarters of the African Center for Disease Control (CDC), built by Chinese engineers. While in Addis Ababa, he met with the Ethiopian leadership and visited the African Union headquarters. He is scheduled to visit Egypt, Angola, Benin, and Gabon before returning to China.

“Africa should be a big stage for international cooperation, not an arena for competition between major countries,” Qin said at a press conference with AU Commission chair Moussa Faki.

A former Chinese ambassador to the US, Qin became foreign minister last month. He continued the tradition making Africa the first foreign destination of his tenure, which he noted has continued for 33 years without interruption.

Speaking at the opening of the Africa CDC, he outlined Beijing’s vision for relations with Africa, saying the two will always have a shared future “no matter how the international environment changes.”

“Today, our world, our times and history are changing in ways like never before. The collective rise of developing countries is irreversible,” Qin said, adding that China and Africa should “oppose hegemony, bullying, highhandedness and racial discrimination, and jointly safeguard true multilateralism and promote greater democracy in international relations.”

Qin insisted that Beijing’s policy was based on the principles of “sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and of pursuing the greater good and shared interests.”

China “makes no empty promises, still less presses others against their own will,” he said in the speech at the Africa CDC. “When it is handed over to our African friends, the Africa CDC headquarters will be wholly run and managed by the AU without any interference from China.”

The US and its European allies – many of whom used to be colonial powers in Africa – have long accused China of practicing “debt trap” diplomacy. After the meeting with Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed, Qin announced that China would be writing off a portion of Addis Ababa’s debt.

Last year, Beijing forgave 23 loans to 17 African countries. Ethiopia has borrowed almost $14 billion from China since 2000, and has sought relief since 2021, citing the devastation caused by the conflict in Tigray.
https://www.rt.com/news/569713-china-ethiopia-africa-competition/
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11 Jan, 2023 12:13

3) --- All US domestic flights grounded after software glitch

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reported a failure of the crucial Notice to Air Missions System

A software glitch in the US Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) system, which is used to send essential information to aircraft, has prompted the regulator to halt all further domestic departures in the US.

The issue affected the Notice to Air Missions System (NOTAM) on Wednesday morning, the FAA said in a statement. This is used to communicate crucial data to air traffic control.

The regulator said the mishap was affecting all flights across the US and that its technical staff were performing validation checks and trying to reboot the system, but offered no indication of how long it would take.

https://twitter.com/FAANews/status/1613135903010033665

Later in the day, the agency said it had ordered the suspension of domestic departures for several hours, as the system was gradually restoring functionality. The FAA stated that planes already in the sky were not at risk as a result of the NOTAM outage.

Serious issues with flights were previously reported by US media. FlightAware, a service tracking such events, reported more than 2,500 delays and over 300 cancellations of flights traveling to or from US airports.

Two hours after the initial report, the regulator announced that the ground stop had been lifted.

US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg briefed President Joe Biden about the outage, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. There is “no evidence of a cyberattack at this point,” she added.
https://www.rt.com/news/569697-us-flights-computer-glitch/
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11 Jan, 2023 11:21

4) --- Canada buys ‘high-priority’ gift for Ukraine

In a first, Ottawa will acquire a NASAMS air-defense system from the US to give to Kiev, defense minister has said

Canada will purchase a National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) from the US in order to donate it to Ukraine, Defense Minister Anita Anand announced on Tuesday.

In a statement that came after the meeting of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Joe Biden in Mexico, the Department of National Defense described the move as “a high-priority donation.” This gift is also expected to become “the first Canadian donation of an air defense system to Ukraine,” it added.

The announcement said that this assistance, valued at about $406 million, comes from the additional $500 million in military aid to Kiev announced by Ottawa in mid-November.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky thanked Trudeau “for helping us to protect our sky” with the NASAMS.

The NASAMS system, which can shoot down missiles, drones and warplanes, will enhance Ukraine’s air defense amid Russia’s attack on its military and energy infrastructure, Ottawa said. Moscow intensified its strikes on these Ukrainian facilities in early October in response to recurring sabotage on Russian soil orchestrated by Kiev.

Ukraine is already operating US-supplied NASAMS, with the Pentagon having committed to send eight such systems to Kiev.

However, in mid-November the combat activities of Ukrainian air defenses sent shockwaves across the entire world and reignited fears of WWIII after a Ukrainian missile fell on a Polish village, killing two civilians. These concerns were underpinned by Warsaw initially blaming Moscow for the incident. Later, however, it conceded that the projectile had been launched by Kiev’s forces.

Russia has repeatedly warned the West against providing Ukraine with weapons. In October, commenting on Washington’s promise to supply Kiev with NASAMS, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov reiterated that this aid “would prolong the conflict and make it more painful for the Ukrainian side,” arguing also that it would “not change the final result” of the hostilities.
https://www.rt.com/news/569695-canada-nasams-donation-ukraine/
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12 Jan, 2023 16:03

5) --- Russia sends high-ranking military representative to closest ally

Moscow’s deputy head of the Ukraine mission has arrived in Belarus on a “working trip”

The Russian Ground Forces commander-in-chief, General Oleg Salyukov, arrived in Belarus on Thursday with a group of Defense Ministry officials on a “working trip,” the ministry said in a Telegram post.

Saluykov visited one of the Belarusian training ranges where Russian troops are stationed, and received updates from unit commanders on operational coordination and joint combat training. The general also inspected the facilities and living conditions of the Russian troops, and spoke with the soldiers, according to the Defense Ministry.

The Russian troops are undergoing an “intensive combat training course” at the Belarusian training ranges, the ministry said, adding that they train both during the day and night. The course involves firing and tactical driving exercises, as well as psychological training and tactical medicine.

Earlier, the Belarusian Defense Ministry also confirmed that a Russian military committee led by Salyukov arrived in Belarus for an inspection. The general inspected the Russian troops stationed in Belarus as part of the joint force and “assessed their readiness to fulfill the tasks… aimed at ensuring security of the Union State [of Russia and Belarus],” a statement published on Telegram read.

The joint force was first formed in early October 2022, with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko citing NATO’s increased military activity at the border. Minsk also accused Kiev of attempted provocations and plans to launch a strike against Belarus, which Ukraine vehemently denied.

The joint force reportedly comprises around 9,000 Russian troops, with 70,000 Belarusian service members making up the bulk of the force.

In December, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said the purpose of the joint force is solely defensive in nature, dismissing rumors about its potential involvement in Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.

The inspection on Thursday comes just a day after Salyukov was made deputy of the new commander of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. The head of the Russian General Staff, Army General Valery Gerasimov, was appointed to lead the effort.
https://www.rt.com/russia/569770-russia-military-representative-closest-ally/
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12 Jan, 2023 13:32

6) --- Russia reacts to Turkish support of Zelensky’s ‘peace plan’

Kiev’s proposal remains unacceptable to Moscow, the Foreign Ministry has said

Türkiye’s stated support of the “so-called peace plan” formulated by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky does not change the fact that Russia considers it unacceptable, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

Zakharova was asked about remarks made by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who stated that his country backed the ten-point proposal for peace in Ukraine promoted by Kiev.

“It is unlikely that Ankara’s support of this project would promote the search for an optimal way towards peace in Ukraine,” she said, citing Russia’s previous rejection of the Ukrainian formula. “I don’t see any sense in any additional comments on it.”

The ‘peace plan’ was presented by Zelensky at the summit of G20 leaders in Bali, Indonesia, in November. It involves a full Russian withdrawal from territories that Kiev considers to be its own and long-term support of Ukraine by international donors.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who represented Russia at the gathering, called Zelensky’s virtual address “militant, Russophobic and aggressive” and dismissed his ten-point agenda as “unrealistic and inadequate.”

The Kremlin called such proposals a non-starter, insisting that if Ukraine wants peace it should take into account “the new realities,” referring to the four former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia last fall, after Crimea did the same in 2014 following a coup in Kiev.

Cavusoglu expressed Türkiye’s positive stance towards Zelensky’s proposition on Tuesday during a press conference in South Africa. He touted Ankara’s role as a mediator between Moscow and Kiev and said his government wanted to see a resolution to the conflict “the sooner the better.”

Zelensky floated the idea of a UN-sponsored ‘Global Peace Summit’ to discuss his ideas, suggesting that it could take place in February 2023. His foreign minister, Dmitry Kuleba, stated that Russia would have to be tried by an “international court” before being allowed at the table.
https://www.rt.com/russia/569751-t%C3%BCrkiye-zelensky-plan-russia/
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12 Jan, 2023 15:18

7) --- EU backs member states seizing Russian assets

An EC spokesman has also called for criminalizing circumventing the bloc’s sanctions against Moscow

The EU supports Estonia’s push to create a legal mechanism for confiscating Russian assets which were frozen as part of Ukraine-related sanctions, European Commission spokesman Christian Wigand said on Thursday as cited by RIA Novosti.

Wigand has also called for criminalizing violations of the sanctions imposed on Moscow, adding that this would speed up the process of seizing frozen Russian assets.

“We have repeatedly stressed that criminalizing [the] circumvention of sanctions will help to confiscate assets that are being hidden,” he told journalists when asked about the EU’s reaction to Estonia’s plans.
https://www.rt.com/business/569753-eu-estonia-russia-assets-seizure/
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The EC outlined a proposal to harmonize criminal offenses and penalties for the violation of the bloc’s restrictive measures in December. The draft is expected to be discussed by the European Parliament and the Council soon.

“This is part of our efforts to direct such funds for the reconstruction of Ukraine […] Of course, it will be good if the EU member states take steps in this direction,” Wigand said.

According to the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit, frozen assets in Russian-owned accounts in the country amount to nearly €20 million ($21.5 million).

The EC is expected to shape an all-EU agreement on how to deal with the billions of frozen Russian central bank reserves along with the assets owned by sanctioned Russian citizens and businesses
https://www.rt.com/business/569753-eu-estonia-russia-assets-seizure/
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12 Jan, 2023 15:05

8) --- Kremlin comments on major Donbass battle

“Gigantic” efforts have been devoted to seizing the mining town of Soledar, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

Russia will continue its Donbass offensive, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, after the country’s Defense Ministry reported that airborne troops had blocked the Ukrainian-held mining city of Soledar. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the private Russian military company Wagner Group, later confirmed that his soldiers had completely seized the city.

“Truly gigantic work has been done,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He described the fighting as “absolutely selfless, heroic actions not only in Soledar, but in many other areas where offensives are taking place.”

Peskov said the Russian advances would continue. “It is not the time to stop and celebrate. The main work still lies ahead of us.”

The fierce battle for Soledar, a city with a pre-conflict population of around 10,000, has been raging for several months. Prigozhin said in a statement to the media on Tuesday that his soldiers had managed to seize the “entire territory” of Soledar. He added the next day that Wagner fighters had begun clearing the city’s vast underground tunnel network.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in its daily briefing on Wednesday that Russian airborne troops had blocked Soledar from the north and the south, while “assault units are fighting inside the city.”

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and the country’s general staff, meanwhile, claimed on Wednesday evening that the battle for Soledar was ongoing and the Donbass frontline was “still holding.”

Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine in late February, citing the need to defend the people of Donbass. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, together with two other former Ukrainian territories – Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions – became part of Russia after holding referendums in September 2022. Crimea joined the Russian Federation shortly after the 2014 coup in Kiev.
https://www.rt.com/russia/569756-kremlin-soledar-offensive-continue/
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12 Jan, 2023 16:58

9) --- UK may become ‘human rights abuser’ – NGO

Human Rights Watch condemned a slew of laws targeting illegal immigrants and protesters

The UK could become known as a “human rights abuser,” should it not reverse a series of controversial laws, a new report from Human Rights Watch warns. The NGO criticized Britain’s treatment of illegal immigrants, protesters, welfare recipients, and ethnic minorities, among others.

The organization’s yearly report hammered the British government for an agreement allowing migrants to be flown to Rwanda while their asylum claims are being processed, and for enforcing its own laws against illegal immigration, which activists say it shouldn’t be allowed to do.

Britain’s conservative leaders were also condemned for restricting the right to protest, for demanding that voters show identification, and for limiting judicial review of decisions in immigration and social security cases. Furthermore, the country’s police force, healthcare system, and sporting organizations were accused of “institutional racism.”

The government was further condemned for capping welfare benefits during a period of record food and energy costs, and for allowing a pandemic-era ban on evictions to lapse, triggering a rise in homelessness.

“When you come to the UK, you look at the very worrying trend we are seeing,” HRW Executive Director Tirana Hassan said. “A slew of legislation was passed last year where fundamental human rights are being challenged.”

The UK has a “very short window” to abandon these legal and policy decisions, she continued, warning that it would otherwise join “the countries listed as human rights abusers rather than human rights protectors.”

Founded as the explicitly anti-Soviet ‘Helsinki Watch’ in the late 1970s, Human Rights Watch has since rebranded and expanded its focus to the entire world. However, it remains anti-Russian and anti-Chinese in its leanings, with its 2022 report on the UK praising the British government for accusing Beijing of human rights abuses and sanctioning Moscow in response to the conflict in Ukraine.

Between 2010 and 2020, HRW received $100 million in funding from liberal megadonor and pro-immigration lobbyist George Soros, who described it as “one of the most effective organizations I support.”
https://www.rt.com/news/569769-uk-human-rights-abuse/
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