RT News - January 23rd 2023 Late

South Africa: Russia's FM Sergei Lavrov was in South Africa today to meet with his counterpart there, Mme. Naledi Pandor. South Africa will be taking over the chair of BRICS this year. During a press conference after the meeting Mme. Pandor said Africa must resist the double standard of international conduct directed towards us (Africa), that it's ok for "them to do it but it isn't for us, as a developing country; it's an abuse of international practice" FM Lavrov said "Africa must determine the way for Africa to solve their own problems on their own continent; we share a partnership for accelerated growth and wish South Africa speedy development" They talked more of Africa's independence, addressed relations with Russia and the two foreign ministers will plot a course for co-operation beyond Western influence. Donald Courter reports more from Pretoria. Multipolar world.
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Still in Africa, Janet Yellen's visit to Africa after many years of absence by USA, seems to be nothing more than Russia-bashing and says everything is the fault of a single man, Pres. Putin. Wilcar Dias, an independent Analyst and legal expert reports.
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Ukraine's Security Service launches a corruption investigation into its own Ministry of Defence following accusations of grossly inflating food prices in a recent contract. Caleb Maupin has more details, analysis also from Janus Putkonen.
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India: France says India should substitute French weapons for Russian ones. France is just the latest in a list of other countries all offering the same thing. Marshal M. Matheswaran, former deputy chief of India's integrated defence staff, discusses with Mourad.
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Ukraine - peace talks fraud: Ukraine's main intelligence service admits it used peace talks with Russia to buy time for Kiev on the battlefield but not to find a diplomatic solution. This comes in the wake of Merkel, Hollande and Poroshenko all admitting that 8 years of promising to implement the UN mandated Minsk protocols was also just a sham to buy time to arm and train Ukraine forces.
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USA is proposing a way to "calculate" their national debt which sits at $31.5 trillion. Chris Emms and Mourad discuss the implications.
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Below via RT website A) --- Russia and West on verge of ‘real war’ – Lavrov
B) --- Ukraine storing weapons at nuclear plants – Russia
1) --- Kosovo police open fire on Serbs
2) --- Germany years away from replacing Russian gas – official
3) --- Western ‘theft’ will backfire, Russian tycoon warns
4) ---- Germany is rewriting history to blame Russia for its own bad decisions
5) --- EU nation draws red line for Russia sanctions
6) --- Pegida leader pushes ahead with Koran-defacing spree
7) --- US military probes cancer cases at nuclear missile base
8) --- A top British think tank has revealed Russia’s cyberwarfare dominance over Ukraine – why has Western media ignored its report? (OP-ED)
9) --- Baltic nation expels Russian ambassador
9a) --- Russia expels EU state’s ambassador
10) --- Kremlin comments on peace treaty prospects with Tokyo
11) --- Macron comments on heavy tanks for Ukraine
11a) --- Germany issues update on tanks for Ukraine
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23 Jan, 2023 14:34

A) --- Russia and West on verge of ‘real war’ – Lavrov

The West has long aimed to destroy everything Russian, the FM has said

The current situation in Ukraine shows that the conflict between Russia and the West can no longer be defined as a “hybrid war” but is instead approaching being a real one, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference following a meeting with his South African counterpart, Naledi Pandor, Lavrov also noted that this “almost real” war was something that the West “has been preparing for a long time against Russia.” The minister claimed that Western powers are seeking to destroy everything Russian, from the language to the culture that had existed in Ukraine for centuries, and even forbid people from speaking their native language.

Lavrov went on to point out that such practices have become commonplace throughout Ukraine and that the country’s last two presidents, Pyotr Poroshenko and current leader Vladimir Zelensky, have both turned into “presidents of war” and “Russophobic leaders” after gaining power, despite running their presidential campaigns under the promise of establishing peace.

The minister also recalled that Ukraine has adopted laws that prohibit using the Russian language in education, media, and even in everyday life. “And this is all supported by the West,” Lavrov said, adding that this support extends to neo-Nazi marches with swastikas and symbols of banned Nazi divisions being held across the country.

He also accused the West of turning a blind eye to the fact that Kiev’s forces continue to deliberately choose targets and carry out attacks in such a way as to terrorize the civilian population. “The West knows perfectly well that the Ukrainian regime deliberately bombs cities and towns using Western-supplied weapons,” the minister said.

Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s position that it has not carried out attacks in Ukraine against civilian infrastructure, and that the damage to it is attributable to Kiev’s regular practice of deploying heavy weapons and air defense systems in residential areas.

Despite the spiraling tensions, Lavrov noted that Moscow remains open to negotiations with Kiev, and warned that those who refuse talks should understand that the longer they are delayed, the harder it will be to find a solution.

The minister also asked the Ukrainian government to explain, perhaps through a third party, how it sees the situation in the country playing out and the possibility of negotiations with Russia.

watch on Rumble 2mins 15 secs https://rumble.com/v26rx06-ukraine-conflict-is-almost-an-actual-war-between-russia-and-west-lavrov.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=4

https://www.rt.com/russia/570357-russia-west-real-war/
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23 Jan, 2023 12:57

B) --- Ukraine storing weapons at nuclear plants – Russia

Kiev is using the facilities as cover for stockpiles of Western-made munitions, Moscow's foreign intelligence chief says

Ukrainian forces are storing Western-supplied missiles and artillery shells in nuclear power plants, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergey Naryshkin said on Monday. He claimed that Kiev has been using the plants as cover for ammunition stockpiles.

“There is credible information that Ukrainian troops are stockpiling the Western-supplied weapons and ammunition on the territory of nuclear power plants,” Naryshkin said, according to a statement on the intelligence service’s website. He added that the armaments include rockets for US-made HIMARS launchers and missiles used by foreign air defense systems, as well as “large-caliber artillery shells.”

According to Naryshkin, several cars loaded with “lethal cargo” were delivered by rail to the Rovno Nuclear Power Plant in western Ukraine during the last week of December alone. “They rely on the calculation that the Russian Armed Forces would not strike nuclear power plants because they realize the danger of a nuclear disaster,” the intelligence chief said.

"... And if another Ukrainian anti-air missile ‘veers off course’, causing large-scale detonation of the stockpiles and the destruction of the nuclear power plant, the tragedy could always be blamed on Moscow...."

Both sides have raised concerns over the safety of power plants since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out in late February. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) deployed a monitoring mission to the Rovno plant last week and promised to station experts in other facilities in Ukraine.

Russia has accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which is Europe’s largest. It is located in the eponymous region which, along with three other former Ukrainian territories, joined Russia following referendums in September.

Kiev denied targeting the facility and claimed that Russia was using the plant as a base and cover for its soldiers. Russian officials said that heavy weapons have never been deployed to the site, and that a select number of armed security personnel were maintaining the safety of the plant, as it is located near the frontline.

watch video report (Rumble) https://rumble.com/v26si1o-ukraine-hides-ammo-depots-near-nuclear-stations-russian-intelligence.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=5

https://www.rt.com/russia/570349-ukraine-stockpiling-ammo-plants/
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23 Jan, 2023 15:43

1) --- Kosovo police open fire on Serbs

Belgrade says ethnic Albanian officers shot up a car and seriously injured a passenger

One ethnic Serb has been hospitalized with a chest wound after ethnic Albanian special police in northern Kosovo opened fire on a civilian vehicle on Monday morning, an official in Belgrade said, protesting the latest attack in the Western-backed breakaway province.

The incident happened around 11:30 local time at a checkpoint between Kosovska Mitrovica and Leposavic, said the Serbian government’s commissioner for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic. He blamed the ethnic Albanian prime minister, Albin Kurti, for the shooting.

“Members of Kurti’s ROSU special forces opened fire on Serbs in a vehicle simply because they refused to be harassed,” Petkovic told reporters in Belgrade. “Kurti’s ROSU has no business in the north of [Kosovo], and this checkpoint was set up illegally to harass the Serbs that use that road daily.”

Miljan Delevic, 37, was transported to the hospital in Kraljevo with injuries. His life is not in danger at the moment, the hospital said. The other man in the car was “miraculously” not injured, according to Petkovic.

Kosovo police said the car had refused to stop at the checkpoint and “struck a police vehicle while moving, directly endangering the lives of police officers,” who opened fire to protect themselves.

The Serb List political party denounced the “brutality of these criminals in uniform” and called it a “continuation of anti-Serb hysteria by the Pristina regime.” Recalling the Christmas Eve attack on Serbs near Strpce, the party quoted the words attributed to US founding statesman Thomas Jefferson: “When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.”

NATO troops took control of Kosovo in 1999, after nearly three months of bombing Serbia on behalf of ethnic Albanian insurgents. The province’s provisional government declared independence in 2008, but Belgrade has resisted US and EU pressure to recognize it, relying on support from Russia and China.

Kurti’s government has repeatedly tried to assert authority over the remaining Serbs in Kosovo, starting at the end of July when he declared their license plates and documents invalid. The impasse was thought to be resolved in late November with an EU-mediated deal, but over the weekend local Serbs reported that Kosovo police were turning them back and refusing to recognize their plates once again.

Pristina’s interior minister, Xhelal Svecla, claimed that Serbia had “entirely violated” the deal by illegally issuing new plates. EU spokesman Peter Stano disagreed, saying that Serbia was only renewing insurance and inspection stickers, which could not be considered a violation.
https://www.rt.com/news/570358-kosovo-serbs-shot-checkpoint/
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23 Jan, 2023 15:44

2) --- Germany years away from replacing Russian gas – official

The country’s floating LNG terminals will reach the necessary capacity no sooner than 2026, the Economy Ministry estimates

Germany is a long way from fully substituting Russian pipeline gas supplies with liquefied natural gas (LNG), estimates by the country’s Economy Ministry show.

According to a document published on the Bundestag website, Germany imported 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Russian natural gas in 2021. The document also shows that Germany’s new Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs), which are currently being installed in a number of ports to allow the import of LNG, may reach a similar capacity no sooner than in 2026.

By 2030, those capacities are projected to increase to 76.5 bcm, or about 80% of total German gas consumption in 2021. However, the ministry notes that even once the terminals go online, the global LNG market may not have enough capacity to cover additional demand, which could push these dates further.

The ministry notes that the country’s gas storage facilities are currently well-filled, and there is no immediate danger of gas shortages. However, it acknowledges that once the stores run dry later this year and the time comes to refill them for the next heating season, Germany may face shortages. According to calculations by the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Germany faces a supply gap of around 30 bcm of gas this year, and the FRSUs are projected to produce less than half of this volume by the end of 2023.

“The truth is, there won’t be enough in the next three to four years of LNG production capacity in the world to meet the growing demand. So the unspoken strategy is that Germany will continue to pay crazy prices and other, less rich countries go empty-handed,” Christian Leye, a Bundestag Left Party representative told Bloomberg.

Germany did manage to reduce its dependence on Russian energy last year by importing LNG through European neighbors and boosting pipeline gas flows from Norway and the Netherlands. However, its gas storages were filled over the summer, when Russian gas still flowed directly to the country. Another problem is the cost of LNG imports, which is estimated to be four times more expensive than Russian pipeline deliveries. Germany may also face supply constraints if the Netherlands goes through with recently announced plans to shut down the Groningen gas field, the region’s largest gas deposit.
https://www.rt.com/business/570346-germany-replacing-russian-gas/
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23 Jan, 2023 16:21

3) --- Western ‘theft’ will backfire, Russian tycoon warns

Vladimir Potanin has argued that nations seizing assets only undermine their own investment climates

Western countries are sawing off the branch they are sitting on by confiscating Russian assets, billionaire businessman Vladimir Potanin believes.

Following the launch of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine in February last year, multiple countries have frozen assets belonging both to the Russian state, and private companies and individuals to the tune of more than $300 billion.

In an interview with Russian media outlet RBK published on Monday, Potanin, the largest shareholder of mining giant Nornickel, said: “The confiscation [of assets] is a covert or overt form of theft,” and destroys “the investment climate of the jurisdiction where this is happening.”

Potanin noted that the countries comprising the ‘collective West’ had based their societies upon respect for private property.

The recent freezing of Russian assets “will backfire on them,” he said, adding that Russia should refrain from mirroring these measures.

He went on to suggest that by exercising respect for property rights, Moscow will be in a stronger moral position when it fights for its frozen assets in the West, and will send the right signals to entrepreneurs at home.

Potanin also warned against nationalizing property left behind in Russia by Western businesses – instead, the authorities need to “give the investment community the opportunity to solve this problem on its own.” He noted that the exodus of Western companies from Russia has allowed local investors to buy up assets at relatively low prices.

Potanin described the Western sanctions as “absolutely destructive and even, apparently, absolutely illegal,” and in his view, what we are seeing right now is the destruction of basic global rules.

The billionaire acknowledged that Western sanctions have put his plans for overseas business expansion on hold and have adversely affected his ability to travel the world, though he has now switched to exploring Russia instead, he added. Potanin nevertheless expressed confidence that the West “will come to their senses” sooner or later.
https://www.rt.com/russia/570359-potanin-west-assets-theft-backfire/
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23 Jan, 2023 15:09

4) ---- Germany is rewriting history to blame Russia for its own bad decisions

Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck complains that “Putin has cut off” Berlin’s gas supplies as he looks for alternatives

( OP-ED by Rachel Marsden, a columnist, political strategist, and host of independently produced talk-shows in French and English.)

The German town of Brunsbuttel, near Hamburg, received a new floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on Friday, another step in the country’s search to replace the gas supplies it now can’t get from Russia.

Small protests in the vicinity of the port held by locals unhappy with the new facility belied the official fanfare. Meanwhile, wider criticism has been levelled against Berlin’s efforts to boost gas imports by both land and sea, which climate activists believe to be very environmentally unfriendly.

German Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck, of the Green Party, said the new terminal was necessary because “half of the gas supply to Germany stopped, because [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has cut it off. Now the supply has been stopped completely and it will not come back to us.”

Except that’s not how it all went down.

Nearly a year ago, just before the Ukraine conflict turned hot and as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stopped the approval process for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany and into Europe, Habeck was already keen to give Russian gas the boot. He told public radio that the country could go without it. The comment promptly raised eyebrows in the Western press, with Bloomberg, for example, calling the proposition “tricky.”

Habeck’s Greens, and the German government more generally, have long been obsessed with renewables. The Ukraine conflict was merely an excuse to double down. Even the International Energy Agency took note of this back in March 2022. “Progress towards net zero ambitions in Europe will bring down gas use and imports over time,” according to an IEA report.

In April, Habeck said, “We are working actively to become independent on fossil fuels from Russia," and cited “great progress.” Not once, but twice, Habeck publicly declared that he had reduced his shower time, in what had become both a means of saving energy and also of sticking it to Putin, a gesture reminiscent of the folks who pull on escalator handrails thinking that they’re helping move all the people to the top. Habeck said that such measures would “annoy Putin.” Actually, it mostly just annoyed Germans and Europeans.

Habeck appeared alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a meeting of bloc representatives in Versailles on March 8, when she said, “We must become independent from Russian oil, coal and gas.” Habeck echoed the sentiment: “All the German government’s, the country’s, efforts are going toward reducing this dependency as quickly as possible and then using the energy policy room for maneuver we have gained, including in security policy terms.”

The EU also imposed several rounds of sanctions targeting Russia’s financial system and banks, which included cutting some of the country’s biggest banks off from the SWIFT payment system. In light of the sanctions, Moscow requested payment for gas in rubles. The EU Commission subsequently set about trying to issue guidelines for countries to keep paying for Russian gas without violating the bloc’s own sanctions or paying in rubles.

By July, as Nord Stream, the gas lifeline representing one of Europe’s last hopes for Russian gas, was shut down for maintenance, Habeck was begging Canada to release a part for the pipeline that was caught up in the West’s own sanctions. Then, in September, both the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were mysteriously blown up. Berlin still remains tight-lipped on the findings of its investigation.

With dwindling options for gas as a result of European shenanigans, Germany has scrambled for alternatives. “With the help of these three power stations we will get back at least a quarter of what we lost,” Habeck said last week on NDR TV in reference to new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals. But who’s the primary beneficiary of that? For years, Washington has been pressuring Germany to divorce itself from the cheap Russian gas that powered it and the EU – and allowed the bloc to compete economically with the US. This pressure included measures such as sanctions against Nord Stream 2 as it approached completion. But squeezing out Russian gas has long been a US priority, as evidenced by the ‘Protect European Energy Security Act’ introduced by the US Congress in 2019. Did it not strike European leaders as odd that Washington was so “concerned” about its use of Russian gas, or how Washington benefits from sticking its nose into the matter?

One could argue that the US is just acting like a concerned friend. The kind of friend who tells you that they don’t like your current dating partner, encourages you to break up, and then makes their move on you the minute you split.

Biden put the moves on Europe early. He visited Brussels back in March and promised to supply Europe with LNG. But Europe apparently didn’t know that the new partner would be the kind that takes you on a date and then sticks you with the bill. French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly complained that US LNG exported to Europe costs two to four times the US domestic price. But who cares about the fine print, right?

Unfortunately, an overt focus on ideology – both green and anti-Russian – has made the EU’s economic engine, Germany, so tunnel-visioned and lacking in foresight that it’s now resorting to firing up the (t)rusty ol’ coal plants and extending the lives of nuclear facilities marked to be shuttered. Habeck promoting them as the future of energy security – you know, at least until they can find something better – is like the guy who went crawling back to his ex while continuing to openly fantasize about supermodels.

"The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT."
https://www.rt.com/news/570348-robert-habeck-complains-putin-gas/
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23 Jan, 2023 14:40

5) --- EU nation draws red line for Russia sanctions

Budapest would oppose any attempt to block its nuclear cooperation with Moscow, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said

Cooperation with Russia on nuclear energy is essential for Hungary and Budapest would oppose any proposal to introduce sanctions on the partnership, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has pledged.

“We will never accept a single decision that would limit nuclear cooperation with Russia, no matter how small, because it would put our national energy security at risk,” the top diplomat said on Monday during a press conference in Brussels. The official was speaking to the media after a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Szijjarto noted that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, who attended the event virtually, “demanded that the Russian nuclear sector be sanctioned.” Some member states support the idea, according to Szijjarto, but Hungary would not accept it.

The Paks nuclear power plant accounts for half of the electricity generated in Hungary and covers a third of its domestic demand, the minister reminded everyone. If anti-Russian sanctions were to stall plans to expand the facility, the country’s energy supply for the following decades would not be guaranteed, he added.

The plant, which is the only of its kind in the country, was commissioned in the early 1980s and uses Soviet nuclear technology. Hungary wants to more than double its capacity with two new reactors, built by Russia.

Szijjarto said he had informed the European Commission about Budapest’s uncompromising position. The measures that the body would include in the 10th package of anti-Russian sanctions are yet to be shared with national governments, possibly as soon as the second half of this week, he revealed.

Hungary hopes the new restrictions would not make the EU “rush further into the dead end” the minister added. Szijjarto reiterated his government’s assessment that the sanctions have been a failure because they failed to stop the conflict in Ukraine and hurt those who imposed them more than they did Russia.
https://www.rt.com/news/570354-hungary-nuclear-cooperation-russia/
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23 Jan, 2023 16:22

6) --- Pegida leader pushes ahead with Koran-defacing spree

Edwin Wagensveld was not arrested after agreeing not to burn the Islamic holy book

Edwin Wagensveld, head of the anti-Islam group Pegida, tore up a copy of the Koran in front of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands on Sunday in The Hague, echoing a recent stunt outside the Turkish embassy in Sweden that outraged the majority-Muslim nation.

Wagensveld, who has been arrested for similar demonstrations in the past, avoided arrest this time by cooperating with a police instruction not to actually burn the Muslim holy book as he had planned to do. He also stomped on a second Koran and the torn pages from the first.

Authorities confirmed to local news outlet Regio15 that the far-right figure was left alone because he had kept to preexisting agreements with the city.

Wagensveld’s previous efforts to protest the “Islamicization” of Europe in The Hague were scuttled before they started, with police moving in to arrest him to prevent a planned Koran-burning. He was also arrested in Rotterdam for “insulting the faith” after he was heard insulting the Muslim Prophet Muhammad and the religion itself using a megaphone, though he was not prosecuted after it was determined he had not committed a crime.

Earlier this week, Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan burned a Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Sweden, delivering an anti-Islam monologue with police permission and protection. While Swedish authorities cited the country’s constitutional backing for freedom of expression to justify allowing the Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party leader’s provocative actions, the stunt outraged Türkiye.

Turkish media reported that its Foreign Ministry had summoned the Swedish ambassador to warn him against allowing what it called “clearly a hate crime” to go ahead, saying that he was unwilling to accept “democratic rights” as justification for “insults to sacred values.” A Swedish flag was burned outside the country’s embassy in Ankara in retaliation.

Paludan’s stunt may have jeopardized Sweden’s chances at NATO membership, for which it needs Türkiye’s approval. Ankara has for months urged Sweden to take a harsher approach toward groups and individuals it regards as terrorists and their “propaganda.” The government was already upset over a recent protest in which a pro-Kurdish group burned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in effigy.
https://www.rt.com/news/570366-pegida-tears-koran-netherlands-turkiye/
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23 Jan, 2023 15:33

7) --- US military probes cancer cases at nuclear missile base

A number of officers who had worked at the site ended up being diagnosed with lymphoma, one of whom has died

The US military is probing nine blood cancer cases among officers who worked decades ago at Malmstrom Air Force Base, a major nuclear missile site in the state of Montana. The investigation was first reported by AP on Monday and confirmed by Pentagon officials.

All of the afflicted officers had been serving at the silos of the base, home to some 150 Minuteman III nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles, as many as 25 years ago. The diagnosis in each case was non-Hodgkin lymphoma, while one of the officers has succumbed to the illness.

“There are indications of a possible association between [this] cancer and missile combat crew service at Malmstrom AFB,” Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Sebeck said in the slides presented at a military briefing earlier in January and cited by the news agency.

“Missileers have always been concerned about known hazards, such as exposure to chemicals, asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, lead and other hazardous material in the work environment,” he stated.

The “disproportionate number of missileers presenting with cancer, specifically lymphoma” was particularly concerning, Sebeck added. The issue is important to the Space Force because as many as 455 former missileers are now serving with the Space Force, including four individuals diagnosed with lymphoma.

Reached by AP for comment, Sebeck declined to elaborate further on the probe, noting only that the slides were “predecisional.” Meanwhile, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek confirmed that “senior leaders are aware of the concerns raised about the possible association of cancer related to missile combat crew members at Malmstrom AFB."

“The information in this briefing has been shared with the Department of the Air Force surgeon general and our medical professionals are working to gather data and understand more,” she added.

Given that only some 400 officers are believed to work with siloed missiles at the base at any one time, the rates of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in them appear to be way above what is registered in the general population. According to the American Cancer Society, the illness afflicts only some 19 people out of every 100,000 across the US annually.
https://www.rt.com/news/570351-us-military-base-cancer/
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23 Jan, 2023 08:21

8) --- A top British think tank has revealed Russia’s cyberwarfare dominance over Ukraine – why has Western media ignored its report? (OP-ED)

The UK’s Royal United Services Institute admits Kiev has been completely overwhelmed by Moscow, despite having the best NATO tech - By Felix Livshitz

On November 30, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), an elite military think tank, and lobby group, with deep ties to the UK government, published a landmark report entitled 'Preliminary Lessons in Conventional Warfighting from Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: February–July 2022'. While desperate to portray the operation as a failure, even the normally Russophobic RUSI can’t ignore Moscow’s total cyberwarfare dominance over Kiev.

Complete superiority

Buried in the document is a long section on the electronic warfare aspect of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It found that within weeks of February 24, Moscow’s forces quickly established total dominance in this sphere by deploying extensive jamming infrastructure. Once achieved, Kiev’s most sophisticated cyber systems were not only totally confused, but absolutely crippled.

Before the attack, Ukraine had for some years been receiving the best Western reconnaissance and strike drones – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) – IMF debt could buy.

These systems, RUSI states, were envisioned to be “critical to competitiveness” in a hypothetical future battlefield, by providing “situational awareness and target acquisition” second to none. However, as it turned out, the “attrition rates” of these high-tech drones were “extremely high” from February to July due to Russian electronic warfare prowess, and thy were destroyed completely at around 90%.

“The average life expectancy of a quadcopter remained around three flights. The average life expectancy of a fixed-wing UAV was around six flights … even when UAVs survived, this did not mean that they were successful in carrying out their missions,” the report records. “UAVs could fail to achieve their missions because the requirements to get them in place … prevented timely target acquisition before the enemy displaced. Many missions failed to find targets because there was no target at the specified location.”

A “more common” means of “mission failure” was “disruption of a UAV under control through electronic warfare, the dazzling of its sensors or the denial of its navigational systems from determining the accurate location of a target.”

“In other instances, the Russians successfully struck the ground control stations of the UAV. In aggregate, only around a third of UAV missions can be said to have been successful.”

Russia’s dominance in electronic warfare had further damaging implications for the precision weapons shipped to Ukraine from London, Washington, and other Western backers too. Moscow’s cyber divisions effectively “defeated” most of the precision weapons used by Kiev.

RUSI is a prominent and highly influential firm, and its publications typically generate enormous media interest – when these reports paint Russia in an overwhelmingly negative light, and talk up the need for Moscow to be countered through highly aggressive political, diplomatic, intelligence and military postures, that is.

Unheeded prophecies

Aside from a single article in America’s Forbes magazine, this assessment has remained unacknowledged by any mainstream journalist or pundit for well over a month. It is not the first time a RUSI report has mysteriously received no recognition in recent memory. In late January, the think tank published an assessment of the value of Western arms shipments to Kiev.

It concluded there was little point in sending vehicles or weaponry of any kind to Ukraine, in the event fighting broke out with Russia, due to Moscow’s “operational art,” military doctrine, and “strategic thinking.” These long-held philosophies mean that the Kremlin and its armed forces chiefs consider battle an extension of diplomacy, and therefore leverage “superiority in long-range fires to achieve decisive effects against an opponent, which could in turn achieve strategic results.”

Among the “strategic results” sought is a battlefield where “massed ground formations in direct confrontations” are not deployed. Instead, by “inflicting enough damage to alter an opponent’s course of action, or signal that Russia’s intent is genuine, Russian strategic goals can be achieved without conflict.”

This would be secured by using long-range missiles in a “non-contact” military engagement – “the minimum level of force necessary to promote Russia’s regional goals and limit the need to deploy ground forces.” In other words, exactly what has unfolded over the course of the past year.

“Armoured vehicles, short-range anti-tank weapons and air defence systems can only be useful in one scenario, one which is likely to be preceded by a harrowing and extensive period of non-contact warfare designed to prevent the Ukrainian armed forces from operating effectively at all,” RUSI forecast. “Their use will only be possible once all initiative has been lost and the situation is unlikely to be turning in Ukraine’s favour.”

The report’s conclusion was that the weaponry the West had sent and planned to send to Ukraine “does nothing to improve Ukraine’s odds of deterring Russia, or even defending against a Russian invasion once it has begun,” and any attempt to arm Kiev was “not likely” to defend “Ukraine’s sovereignty.”

Those who follow the progress of the Russia-Ukraine conflict not through the lens of mainstream media reporting, but more balanced information sources, will have seen this prophesy play out in real-time since February 24.

"The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT."

https://www.rt.com/news/570203-british-scientists-russias-total-dominance/
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23 Jan, 2023 14:33

9) --- Baltic nation expels Russian ambassador

Envoys from both Moscow and Tallinn have been ordered to leave within weeks by their respective hosts

Estonia has ordered the Russian ambassador to depart the country, its foreign ministry has announced, just hours after Russia told Tallinn’s resident diplomat to leave Moscow.

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Margus Laidre on Monday, and informed him that he must depart by February 7. Tallinn has said the Kremlin’s envoy must leave at the same time.

“Estonia takes note of today’s decision by Russia to reduce diplomatic presence to the level of charge d’affaires,” Estonia’s diplomatic service wrote on Twitter.

“We stand by the principle of parity in relations with Russia, which means that the Russian Amb[assador] will leave at the same time as the Estonian Amb[assador] to Russia.”

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said that “Russia’s steps will not deter us from providing continued support to Ukraine.”

This month, the Estonian authorities told Moscow to drastically cut the personnel working in the Russian Embassy in Tallinn by February 1. Russian officials later said the move had disrupted the mission’s consular services.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that it would reduce the level of bilateral ties.

“Tallinn has elevated total Russophobia and the cultivation of hostilities towards our country to the level of state policy,” the ministry said in a statement, accusing Estonia of “deliberately destroying” relations between the states.

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said on Monday that his country would downgrade ties with Moscow as well. “Due to the ongoing brutal Russian aggression against Ukraine and in solidarity with Estonia, Latvia will lower [the] level of diplomatic relations with Russia effective February 24, demanding Russia to act accordingly,” the diplomat announced on Twitter.
https://www.rt.com/russia/570353-estonia-responds-diplomatic-ties/
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23 Jan, 2023 10:37

9a) --- Russia expels EU state’s ambassador

Moscow has accused Estonia of making “total Russophobia” its official policy

Russia has downgraded diplomatic ties with Estonia and ordered its ambassador, Margus Laidre, to leave Moscow by February 7. The move comes after the Baltic state demanded that Russia reduces staff at its embassy in Tallinn.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that “the Estonian leadership has been deliberately destroying the whole complex of [bilateral] relations.”

“Tallinn has elevated total Russophobia and the cultivation of hostilities towards our country to the level of state policy,” the statement read.

This month, the Estonian authorities told Russia to drastically reduce the personnel in its embassy in Tallinn by February 1. “Considering that the personnel of the Russian embassy is not working on improving Estonian-Russian relations in the middle of an aggressive war, we believe that the current size of the Russian mission is unjustified,” Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said at the time.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the demand to slash its diplomatic staff in Tallinn. “It is not a secret that Estonia is one of the countries that are most hostile to Russia,” she said at the time.

The Russian Embassy in Tallinn said last week that the actions of the Estonian authorities prevented it from functioning normally and had led to “disruptions in consular services.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/570338-russia-estonian-envoy-ties/
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23 Jan, 2023 14:12

10) --- Kremlin comments on peace treaty prospects with Tokyo

Japan is an “unfriendly nation”, which leaves no chance for formally ending the decades-old war dispute, a spokesman said

Despite a statement by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that his country would continue to pursue a formal peace treaty with Russia, in reality there is no chance for such an outcome at the moment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has assessed.

Japan is among “unfriendly nations” targeting Russia with sanctions and “does not show any constructive attitude” by acting the way it does, the Russian official told journalists on Monday.

“In essence, there is no meaningful dialogue at the moment. Under these conditions, de facto” there is no potential for securing a peace treaty between the two nations, he added.

Kishida mentioned relations with Russia earlier in the day in a speech before the Japanese parliament, in which he outlined his cabinet’s priorities for domestic and foreign policies. He said the government would “continue to adhere to its policy of resolving the territorial issue [with Russia] and concluding a peace treaty.”

Russia and Japan have been technically at war with each other for almost eight decades. Tokyo disputes Russian sovereignty over four of the islands in the Kuril Archipelago that the Soviet Union captured during the WWII hostilities. Moscow conditioned the USSR’s declaration of war against Japan in August 1945 on an agreement by other Allies that the Kuril Islands would be ceded to it, once Imperial Japan was defeated.

In the San Francisco Treaty of 1951, Japan relinquished its claims on Kuril Islands, but it later claimed that the four disputed land masses, which Tokyo calls the “northern territories,” were never part of the archipelago.

The issue remained unresolved after the USSR collapsed, though Moscow offered some compromises, such as simplified visa issuance for separated Japanese families and joint economic development.

In 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tokyo could deploy military assets threatening Russia, should it have control over the disputed islands, and that it was a major concern for Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned the situation during a press conference last week. A few years ago, his department offered to formulate a comprehensive peace treaty, which would have sidestepped the territorial dispute and set the framework for its eventual resolution, he stated. The Japanese side rejected the idea, the minister added.
https://www.rt.com/russia/570350-japan-russia-peace-treaty/
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23 Jan, 2023 05:32

11) --- Macron comments on heavy tanks for Ukraine

Paris is cautious of “escalating” the conflict, the French leader has said

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed their continued “unwavering support” for Ukraine for “as long as it takes” in a joint press conference on Sunday, but both said that any decision on supplying heavier arms must be reached jointly by all “friends” of Kiev.

Macron said that “nothing is excluded” when asked about the possibility of sending Leclerc main battle tanks to Kiev, and confirmed he had “asked the Defense Ministry to work on it.” However, any final decision would have to be a “collective” call based on several considerations, he noted, according to AFP.

France does not want the move to “weaken our own defense capabilities,” and at the same time is cautious of “escalating” the conflict. Another concern is to provide only “real and effective support” in the form of weaponry that Ukrainian forces can actually use on the battlefield without months or years of training.

Scholz dodged a similar question about Leopards, saying vaguely that Germany “will continue to act according to the concrete situation” and in close coordination with “important friends and allies.”

“Germany is doing a lot, too… We have constantly expanded our deliveries with very effective weapons that are already available today,” the chancellor said.

Last week, Politico reported that Paris was considering deliveries of Leclerc tanks in an effort to provide a joint framework to overcome Germany’s reluctance. Amid reports that Berlin was unwilling to send its tanks unless the US made a similar move, a US lawmaker proposed giving Ukraine a single Abrams tank to leave Berlin with no excuses for further delays.

Calls for Germany to supply Kiev with Leopards grew louder after the UK confirmed earlier this month that it would send 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine. Poland also announced that it would transfer a company of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, but the re-export of these tanks must be greenlit by Germany. On Sunday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock hinted that Berlin “would not stand in the way” if Poland makes the move. Baerbock noted that Warsaw has not yet reached out to Berlin on the matter.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that the “importance of such supplies in terms of their ability to change something” on the battlefield should not be exaggerated.
https://www.rt.com/news/570325-macron-leclerc-tanks-ukraine/
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22 Jan, 2023 22:22

11a) --- Germany issues update on tanks for Ukraine

Berlin will not object if Warsaw supplies Leopards to Kiev, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said

Germany will not block Poland from sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Sunday in an interview with French broadcaster LCI.

Asked what Berlin plans to do, should Poland send the tanks from its inventory to Ukraine without German approval, the minister said Berlin would not object but would go ahead and greenlight the move. Baerbock noted that Warsaw has not yet reached out to Berlin on the matter.

“For the moment the question has not been asked, but if we were asked, we would not stand in the way,” she stated. “We know how important these tanks are and this is why we are discussing this now with our partners.”

Baerbock’s words signal an apparent change of heart, as Berlin has been reluctant to supply German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev – and has not authorized other nations to do so. At a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group on Friday, Germany reiterated its unwillingness to send these types of tanks.

Earlier this month, Berlin explicitly warned countries that operate Leopards that any deliveries of the tanks to Ukraine without German authorization would be “illegal.”

This stance angered fellow NATO and EU member Poland. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki threatened to create a “smaller coalition” to facilitate deliveries of the German-made tanks. The PM also urged Berlin not to “weaken or sabotage the activities of other countries.”
https://www.rt.com/news/570320-germany-poland-leopard-tanks/
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