RT News - February 25th 2023 Late

Donbass, Donetsk, Artyomovsk: Breaking news. A reservoir dam has been detonated by Ukraine forces. There are reports of houses being flooded in the near vicinity forcing residents to leave their homes. Roman Kosarev reports.Show more

Africa, Nigerian Election: Polls close in Nigeria as Africa's most-populous nation and largest economy holds elections to choose its next President and lawmakers. RT continues with special coverage. 95 million people have had the opportunity to vote in this election with several official posts, including the Presidential post, being contested. Karabo Letlhatlha reports from Lagos. There have been some irregularities and emotions are riding high and so is the security. Nikki presents what's "to play for" for Nigerian voters.

Russia - sanctions: The EU has now approved it's later round of sanctions, this one is #10. (QS : the sanctions seem to be water off a ducks back for Russia and I'm glad that's true but they're ruining everything in Britain and Europe for us regular citizens) Rachel Marsden reports in depth, also covers French military exercises, the biggest ever.

Germany: Thousands rally in Berlin, calling for peace talks for Ukraine, and condemning their government for arming Kiev. Citizens have decorated a blown-out Russian tank with flowers; it was put there as a "mark of support" for Ukraine. More than ten thousand turned out in the rain and cold. Dominik Reichert reports on the day.

India / Germany: Olaf Scholz is in India visiting Pres. Modi and he couldn't wait to take a swipe at Russia. (QS truly double standards speech and entirely hypocritical - in fact I would go as far as to say it's lies to blame Russia for the food crises in poor countries, see previous posts for details - EU have re-branded the humanitarian food corridor in the black sea as the "solidarity corridor" and have taken 90+% of the shipments intended for Africa and other countries in desperate need. Worse than that, the EU has flooded the market causing local producers not to be able to sell their own goods AND all of those shipments COULD have gone over-land as in every other year. Luckily Pres. Modi knows all about this). At the G20 being held in India the (debtor) western countries have been pressuring India and China to condemn Russia's special operation in Ukraine.
Nikki and Suvrokamal Dutta present and discuss, India is not going to take sides.

Africa, Cameroon "Race of Hope" : Multiple blasts leave at least nineteen athletes wounded at a marathon in western Cameroon with a local separatist group claiming responsibility. Njodzeka Danhatu reports.

U.A.E. The central bank of United Arab Emirates has given a licence to MTS bank to open a branch in Abu Dhabi. MTS is one of the principal companies and banks in Russia, it runs TV and phone networks and serves more than 80 million people in Russia. Chris Emms reports.
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Below, via RT website ----- A) --- Moscow responds to claims of ‘secret’ talks on Ukraine
i) --- Nigeria goes to the polls
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1) --- EU rolls out anniversary anti-Russian sanctions package
1a) --- Washington reveals scope of Russia sanctions
2) --- Ex-Russian president explains how ‘trophy’ weapons are used
2a) --- Russian spy agency reports on NATO arms deliveries to Ukraine
3) --- What Russia's suspension of the New START nuclear treaty means for the world (Fyodor Lukyanov) **IMPORTANT**
4) --- Iran unveils new long-range cruise missile
5) --- Russia remains Germany’s largest coal supplier – Bild
6) --- Canada sanctions Soviet hockey icon
7) --- WHO raises alarm over bird flu
8) --- Crypto platforms in no rush to shun Russia – Politico
9) --- North Korea says US drills amount to ‘declaration of war’
10) --- Biden clarifies position on warplanes for Kiev
11) --- (QS reposting) There’s only one potential ‘scenario’ for Ukraine talks – Russia’s envoy
12) --- Indian PM offers hints to Russia in critical speech (recap)
13) --- Canada's Freedom Convoy crackdown was not the last or the worst one - Rachel Marsden
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25 Feb, 2023 15:00

A) --- Moscow responds to claims of ‘secret’ talks on Ukraine

Switzerland is no longer fit to play a mediation role between the two countries, the Foreign Ministry says

Moscow has rejected claims by Switzerland’s Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis that unannounced talks on resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have been taking place in Geneva.

He told Le Temps on Wednesday that “secret” negotiations between the two sides were underway on Swiss territory. The diplomat described those contacts as “non-high-level,” but stressed that Switzerland was also ready to provide a venue for contacts between top officials from Moscow and Kiev.

When addressed about the issue on Saturday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova referred journalists to a comment made by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky the previous day.

“As far as I know, Russian diplomats, representatives of the administration and government aren’t conducting any negotiations of high or any other levels” with the Ukrainians, Medinsky stated.

Zakharova also rejected the very idea of holding any negotiations on Swiss territory, arguing that “Switzerland, which has joined the West’s illegal unilateral anti-Russian sanctions, in our understanding, is no longer a neutral state and can’t claim any intermediary role in resolving the Ukrainian crisis.”

Switzerland opted to join EU sanctions against Moscow when they were first introduced a few days after the outbreak of the conflict on February 24, 2022. Cassis claimed back then that the Alpine country stood “on the side of Western values” and that its neutrality remained intact despite the “extraordinary” move.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also noted that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky had signed a decree in the fall officially banning him from any dialogue with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Russian and Ukrainian representatives haven’t met at the negotiating table since a high-profile meeting in Istanbul in late March.

Medinsky, who headed the Russian delegation in Turkey’s largest city, spoke of significant progress made during those talks. However, Kiev soon backtracked on all of those agreements, with Moscow suggesting that it had been done under pressure from Zelensky’s Western backers.

Russia maintains that it’s ready to look for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, while also noting a lack of any reasonable proposals from either Kiev or Washington.
https://www.rt.com/news/572062-switzerland-zakharova-ukraine-talks/
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i) --- Nigeria goes to the polls

Outgoing Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari leaves office in May

Nigeria has urged international watchdogs not to interfere in its electoral process as Africa’s most populous nation headed to the polls on Saturday to elect a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari, in a contest dominated by concerns about inflation and a rise in shortages of cash and fuel.

A field of 18 candidates were on the ballot to replace Buhari, who will complete his second term as the country’s leader in May. The Labour Party’s Peter Obi, who has made significant inroads in galvanizing the youth vote, is considered a frontrunner, as are Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar from the primary opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Results from the polls, which will also determine lawmakers, governor and state assembly representatives, are expected on Monday.

Voting closed at the country’s 176,606 polling stations at 14:30 local time on Saturday, with the election being conducted under the scrutiny of more than 140,000 observers accredited by Nigeria’s Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) – whose chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said they must respect the country’s electoral process despite previous claims of election fraud.

“I wish to remind observers that there is a code of conduct for election observation,” Yakubu said in advance of the election. “You are by definition, observers, do not interfere with the process or show partisanship. In addition, international observers must be guided by the fact that the election is conducted by and in the federal republic of Nigeria, whose sovereignty must be respected.”

Outgoing president Buhari echoed this request, saying that observers must stay within “the limits of your profession.”

Inflation has surged to its highest point in almost two decades under Buhari’s rule, while a shortage of available cash remains a factor and has led to a currency crisis following a failed strategy designed to swap out old banknotes for new ones – which has led to violence at banks and at cash machines across the country.

The new president will also be tasked with tackling high poverty, energy shortages as well as the issue of rising Islamist insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast. Oil theft and increasing crime statistics are also key concerns in the country, which is Africa’s biggest economy.

Ongoing fuel shortages, occurring in the top oil producer in Africa, have also led to worries that it may not be possible to deploy election monitors to key areas suspected of potential fraud.

More than 93 million people are registered to vote in Nigeria, around 75% of them aged between 18 and 49. In 2019, it was estimated that voter turnout was just 35%
https://www.rt.com/africa/572059-africa-nigeria-presidential-elections/
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25 Feb, 2023 16:36

1) --- EU rolls out anniversary anti-Russian sanctions package

The bloc has marked the one-year anniversary of the Russian military operation in Ukraine with a new round of sanctions

The EU has agreed on its tenth sanctions package against Russia over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the European Council announced on Saturday. The package was adopted a day after the one-year anniversary of the start of Moscow’s special military operation against the country, following intense negotiations between the bloc’s member states.

Announcing the package, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell lauded the bloc’s purported unity in displaying its anti-Russia stance and squarely accused President Vladimir Putin of "escalating this illegal aggression, weaponizing winter, food and hunger."

"We are taking more measures, tackling the banking sector, access to dual-use technology and advanced technologies. We will continue to increase pressure on Russia – and we will do it for as long as needed," Borrell stated.

The new restrictions target assorted dual-use goods, with the bloc expanding its sanctions on another 96 entities allegedly involved in supplying Russia’s military. The new restrictions also include new export bans on assorted goods, namely "electronics, specialized vehicles, machine parts, spare parts for trucks and jet engines, as well as goods for the construction sector."

Apart from that, the bloc banned any Russian nationals from holding any positions in the governing bodies of EU "critical infrastructures and entities," claiming that Moscow’s "influence" in such areas "could jeopardize their well-functioning and ultimately constitute and hazard for the provision of essential services to the European citizens."

The restrictions have once again targeted Russian state-affiliated media, with the EU suspending broadcasting licenses for RT Arabic and Sputnik Arabic. Other departments of the outlets, broadcasting in different languages, have been repeatedly targeted by the bloc.

The anti-Russia sanctions package, for the first time, targets seven Iranian entities, which the EU believes to have been involved in supplying suicide drones to Moscow. Neither Iran or Russia has confirmed such deliveries actually taking place, while no solid evidence to prove the Iranian origins of the drones has ever emerged either.

Having adopted numerous anti-Russia sanctions over the past year, the EU has found it increasingly difficult to find new areas of the Russian economy to target meaningfully, the issue being acknowledged by President of the European Council Charles Michel earlier this week. This week's anniversary sanctions package became the subject of heated debate between member-state diplomats, with Poland reportedly threatening to block it altogether on account of it being too "weak."
https://www.rt.com/news/572066-eu-sanctions-russia-ukraine/
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25 Feb, 2023 08:00

1a) --- Washington reveals scope of Russia sanctions

The restrictions affect over 80% of the country’s banking sector, according to officials

Washington added around 15 additional Russian financial institutions to its sanctions blacklist on February 24, the first anniversary of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine. It broadens the scope of restrictions that already target more than 80% of Russia’s banking sector in asset value, the US Treasury has announced. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1296

According to the department, it has implemented more than 2,500 sanctions since the beginning of the conflict in February 2022.

“Russian banks representing over 80% of total Russian banking sector assets are already subject to US and international sanctions. OFAC today is designating over a dozen financial institutions in Russia, including one of the top ten largest banks by asset value,” the Treasury said in a statement.

It noted that many of the newly sanctioned entities are smaller banks and wealth-management firms allegedly helping previously blacklisted organizations to evade restrictions. They include Credit Bank of Moscow, Lanta Bank, MTS Bank, Bank Saint-Petersburg, Bank Primorye and Uralsib, as well as wealth-management-related entities CONFIDERI and Veles Capital. Overall, the new sanctions target 22 Russian individuals and 83 entities.

The Treasury also noted that, over the past year, Washington had “designated over 200 targets associated with Russian sanctions evasion” in Europe, Africa, and Asia, “including key transshipment jurisdictions in the Middle East, the Eurasian Economic Union, and East Asia.” Sanctions also targeted nearly a fifth of the Belarusian financial sector for its support for neighboring Russia.

Pressured by sanctions, “more than 1,000 foreign companies reportedly have ceased or curtailed their operations in Russia” since the start of the military operation, the Treasury said.

In response to the new sanctions package, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov called the measures “thoughtless.”

“Does anyone really think that this is the way to get our country to abandon its independent policies, to force it off its chosen path towards building a multipolar world based on the principle of indivisible security, on international law and the UN Charter?” he said, according to a post on the embassy’s Facebook page
https://www.rt.com/business/572045-washington-reveals-scope-russia-sanctions/
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25 Feb, 2023 14:03

2) --- Ex-Russian president explains how ‘trophy’ weapons are used

Russia examined Western-supplied arms seized in Ukraine and learned some ‘useful things’, Dmitry Medvedev says

Russian arms makers have carefully studied Western weapons captured during the fighting in Ukraine and used this experience for the benefit of the country’s military, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said.

“Our country’s defense industry is working in such a manner that no large-scale supply of Western weapons to our enemies will be able to assure [Kiev] the advantage on the contact line,” Medvedev, who is now the deputy chair of the Security Council, pointed out in an article published in the Natsyonalnaya Oborona (National Defense) magazine on Saturday.

During the conflict in Ukraine, Russia managed to not only expand the production of military hardware, but also introduce new technologies and improve them, while remaining “on the march,” he pointed out.

“By the way, we’ve also studied enemy weapons, which were captured in the form of trophies and dismantled piece by piece in our military design bureaus,” the official, who is also President Vladimir Putin’s First Deputy in the Military-Industrial Commission, said.

“We’ve learned a lot of useful things for ourselves and turned the enemy’s experience to our own advantage,” Medvedev wrote.

He said that he had visited many production facilities of the military-industrial complex over the past year and saw them “working consistently, without failures” and fully coping with the state order, which has increased multifold amid the conflict.

Russia’s opponents have been “surprised” that Moscow managed to pull this off in such a short time frame, he also pointed out.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said last month that the country’s air defense systems, including Pantsyr-S1, had been upgraded with special software, making them more effective in intercepting missiles fired by US-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers. Military experts suggested that the program was developed after the study of downed HIMARS ammunition.

According to Medvedev, the US has so far supplied more than 40 HIMARS launchers to Ukraine. Moscow has been saying that most of them have already been destroyed, while Kiev denies this.

Russia has long condemned the supply of Western arms to Ukraine, arguing that this only prolongs the fighting without changing its outcome. According to Moscow, such deliveries, as well as intelligence sharing and training provided to Ukrainian troops, have de facto already made the US and its allies parties to the conflict.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572057-medvedev-western-weapons-ukraine/
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20 Feb, 2023 09:41

2a) --- Russian spy agency reports on NATO arms deliveries to Ukraine

More than 400 tanks and 1,500 infantry fighting vehicles have been transferred from the West, the SVR claims

NATO member states have provided Kiev with scores of heavy weapons since December 2021, including 440 tanks and 1,510 infantry fighting vehicles, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said on Monday.

According to officials, Ukraine has also received 1,170 anti-air and 655 artillery systems, as well as 9,800 rockets for mobile multiple rocket launchers. “Most of the military equipment supplied by the West has been destroyed by the Russian forces,” the SVR claimed.

The statement comes a month after Ukraine’s top backers, including the US, Britain and Germany, pledged for the first time to transfer modern main battle tanks, such as Leopard 2. While Washington stated in the past that it had no plans to deliver F-16 fighter jets, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters last week that the US “would welcome” other countries transfering their Soviet-era aircraft to Kiev.

According to the Pentagon, the US provided Ukraine with more than $27.4 billion in security aid between February 24, 2022 and January 20, 2023.

Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, said on Sunday that the bloc was in “urgent war mode.” He added that he would propose using the $3.6 billion from the European Peace Facility to buy more ammunition for Ukraine.

Moscow launched a military operation in Ukraine nearly a year ago, citing the need to protect the people of Donbass and Kiev’s failure to implement the 2014-2015 peace accords. Russia has since warned that tanks and other Western weapons would not change the course of the conflict but would be treated as legitimate targets.

Russian officials have also repeatedly accused Ukraine of using Western-supplied weapons, including HIMARS multiple rocket launchers and M777 howitzers to attack civilians in Donbass.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571764-russian-spy-nato-weapons/
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25 Feb, 2023 13:19

3) --- Fyodor Lukyanov: What Russia's suspension of the New START nuclear treaty means for the world

The Medvedev-Obama era agreement was the last major bilateral security deal remaining between Moscow and Washington, By Fyodor Lukyanov

The suspension of the New START Treaty was the most important news item in President Vladimir Putin’s Annual Address and a key signal to international players. This is understandable, as it affects what is commonly known as “strategic stability,” i.e. the system of peaceful relations between the nuclear powers.

However, if we try to summarize the main point of the speech, it was mostly a call for Russia to concentrate on its domestic affairs and its own development. There were no plans for the global order in the address. And the outside world in general was given a very minor focus, with a demand (to the West) not to interfere in Russian affairs, and remarks (aimed at everyone else) about opening up new markets and logistical corridors for cooperation.

The pattern of relations with the Western world, as outlined in the message, is disengagement on all fronts: economic, political, financial and ethical. And this is the norm, not an anomaly. Because the Ukrainian issue is at the heart of the dispute, on which Russia and the West have diametrically opposed and irreconcilable views. It has taken a violent form and is likely to drag on for a long time. But the goal remains. And the decision on New START should be seen in this context, as should indications that a resumption of nuclear tests is not unthinkable. We shall leave the military side of the matter to the professionals (and we have brilliant specialists in this field), but this decision is primarily a political one. Let us try to look at it in more detail.

The New START Treaty, recently extended for five years (in 2021), is the latest in a series of agreements that began in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s. The final phase of the Cold War was generally a period of maximum confrontation, and the documents on missile defence and strategic arms limitation and reduction provided a framework for mutual deterrence between the nuclear superpowers. The confrontation was officially declared over at the turn of the 1990s when political, economic and ideological relations between Moscow and Washington changed.

At the same time, the strategic element remained, and the existence of reduced, albeit very significant, nuclear capabilities remained the basis for building US-Russia relations. It was obvious against whom these arsenals were being deployed – there were no other targets.

Since the US announced its withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002, the course for dismantling the Cold War failsafe system was generally predetermined. When the New START Treaty was drafted in a brief moment of “reset,” many commentators noted that it was likely to be the last of its kind. Not so much because of the changing nature of contacts between Russia and the US, but because the model of bilateral agreements was ill-suited to the rapidly evolving global reality.

In any case, the area of strategic stability was seen as the last opportunity to maintain a business relationship between Russia and the United States, as the main actors responsible for avoiding nuclear Armageddon. While everything else fell apart, at least here we understood each other.

At some point, however, this became rather illusory. And with the outbreak of an open military confrontation in 2022, maintaining the previous approach proved to be completely impossible. In general, a unique and rather dangerous situation has arisen of an acute military confrontation between two nuclear superpowers, in which one is directly involved and the other indirectly, but no less actively.

What does suspension (judging by the experience of recent decades, the first step towards withdrawal) mean in practice? Naturally, experts immediately recall the pointless and extremely costly arms race of the 1970s and 1980s. But there is hope that this experience will not be repeated. Moreover, there has always been a relatively influential faction in Washington that considered all treaties unfavorable and advocated maximum freedom of arms. But in today’s international system, based as it is on asymmetric relationships and imbalances, the old mantra of parity looks a little outdated.

Vladimir Putin’s statement is a deliberate indication that the conflict in Ukraine and the nuclear factor are on the same level. The mention of nuclear tests is intended to indicate the possible trajectory of further moves by Russia if the NATO and US escalation continues, a desire for which was discussed many times at the recent Munich Security Conference.

The end of the era of bilateral treaties and possibly other agreements of that period (multilateral, but initiated by the USSR and the US) is hardly a cause for rejoicing. Any “clean-up” of the international environment, and agreements by major countries on major issues which strengthen the foundations of political culture, are better than an unrestrained display of instinct. But no agreement is permanent. The old model of relations, based on the Cuban missile crisis, has expired. Whether there will be a new one, we will soon find out.

ANALYSIS by Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs, chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, and research director of the Valdai International Discussion Club.
https://www.rt.com/news/572058-russias-suspension-start-treaty/
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25 Feb, 2023 13:49

4) --- Iran unveils new long-range cruise missile

An Iranian top military commander said the Paveh rocket can hit targets up to 1,650 km (1,025 miles) away

Iran now has in its arsenal a cruise missile with a range of 1,650 km (1,025 miles), a top military commander has claimed. Late last year, Tehran announced it had developed a ballistic missile capable of traveling at hypersonic speeds.

“Our cruise missile with a range of 1,650 km has been added to the missile arsenal of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Amirali Hajizadeh, the head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace force, said on Iranian state TV on Friday.

The broadcast also carried footage purportedly depicting the new Paveh missile.

In November last year, US Defense Department Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh expressed skepticism over whether Iran had succeeded in developing a hypersonic missile.

Back then, Hajizadeh claimed that the missile was capable of penetrating enemy anti-missile defenses and traveling both inside and outside the Earth’s atmosphere.

At present, only a handful of nations, such as the US, China and Russia have the necessary technology to build such advanced rockets.

Iran has been actively developing its missile capabilities since the 1980s. While the US and some European nations have repeatedly voiced concern over the Islamic Republic’s growing military capabilities, with Washington imposing sanctions, Tehran insists its missile program is defensive in nature and is meant as a deterrent against the US and its regional allies, including Israel and Saudi Arabia.
https://www.rt.com/news/572056-iran-long-range-cruise-missile/

QS: also recall post of February 8th 2023 - Iran reveals underground air force base
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25 Feb, 2023 10:50

5) --- Russia remains Germany’s largest coal supplier – Bild

Berlin reportedly bought nearly 30% of its coal imports from the sanctioned country last year

Russia retained its position as Germany’s largest coal supplier last year despite sanctions that banned imports of the fossil fuel from the country in mid-2022, Bild newspaper reported on Saturday, citing data from the German Coal Importers Association (VDKi).

According to the report, Germany bought a total of 44.4 million tons of coal in 2022 – an 8% increase from the year before. While imports of the fossil fuel from Russia plunged by 37% compared to the 2021 figures, the country still delivered roughly 13 million tons to the European nation, representing around 29% of its total imports. Purchases from Germany’s other suppliers grew, but still fell short of Russian volumes.

The US supplied 9.4 million tons, a 32% increase year-on-year, while Colombia became the third-largest supplier with 7.2 million tons, a surge of 210%. Shipments from South Africa also rose dramatically by 278% year-on-year to 3.9 million tons. Australia was the fourth-largest coal supplier with 6.3 million tons.

The EU banned coal imports from Russia on August 10, 2022 as part of a Ukraine-related sanctions package that was announced last April. In 2021, Russia accounted for about 70% of the bloc’s coal imports, with Germany and Poland particularly dependent on the Russian fossil fuel, as much of these countries’ electricity is produced by coal-powered power plants. Taking into account the embargo, it appears that most of the Russian coal was delivered to Germany prior to or shortly after August 10.

Germany has been pushed to boost its coal use in recent months as a result of energy shortages and soaring power prices, which were caused by the reduction in gas supplies coming from Russia in the wake of Western sanctions. This has conflicted with the country’s long-established commitment to fight climate change and abandon ‘dirty’ fuel.

In a bid to ensure energy security, Berlin even ordered the resumption of activity at idle coal mines last September. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the country currently produces more than one third of its electricity from coal-fired plants. The phasing out of coal-fired power plants has been postponed until March 2024.

Earlier this month, VDKi head Alexander Bethe criticized EU and German policies, which seek to abandon coal in favor of cleaner energy, claiming that such plans are too ambitious. He said the notion that Europe will only need coal for another one or two winters is far from reality.

“It is irresponsible to talk about the end of hard coal without having reliable alternatives. First create efficient green technologies, and then give up [coal]. Not the other way around,” Bethe stated.
https://www.rt.com/business/572049-russia-germany-largest-coal-supplier/
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25 Feb, 2023 09:00

6) --- Canada sanctions Soviet hockey icon

Vladislav Tretiak, who is currently a Russian lawmaker, was the first Soviet player to be inducted into the Toronto Hockey Hall of Fame

The Canadian government has imposed sanctions on Russian hockey legend Vladislav Tretiak, who currently serves as a member of Russia’s lower house of parliament. Tretiak became a household name in Canada back in the 1970s during a series of keynote fixtures between the USSR team and the National Hockey League.

On Friday, exactly one year since Russia’s attack on its neighbor, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was “imposing new sanctions on individuals and entities complicit in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.”

Tretiak is among the 122 individuals on the list. Back in 1989, he became the first Soviet player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. As well as holding a seat in the State Duma, Tretiak serves as president of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (FHR).

The Canadian authorities explained in the statement that the punitive measures affected Russian MPs “who have voted in favor of legislation related to the invasion and attempted annexation of four regions of Ukraine.” The statement did not comment on or mention Tretiak’s inclusion specifically.

The Soviet player rose to international fame in the 1970’s when he was the Soviet goalkeeper during multiple games, which pitted amateurs from the USSR against professionals from the NHL. The intense face-off between the Soviet CSKA ice hockey club and the Montreal Canadiens on December 31, 1975, in which Tretiak played, went down in hockey history as one of the greatest games.

Russia’s Ambassador to Canada, Oleg Stepanov, tweeted that the new sanctions were “meaningless,” and a continuation of an approach that has “never worked against Russia” and cannot influence its policies.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572048-canada-sanctions-hockey-icon-tretyak/

Recall the post from January 12th 2023, where Canada "treated" Ukraine to it's own NASAMS air-defence system at a cost of $406 million - it was in addition to other aid Canada had sent that month
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25 Feb, 2023 11:19

7) --- WHO raises alarm over bird flu

The global health watchdog described the situation as “worrying” as news spread of a girl dying in Cambodia after contracting the virus

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning amid a recent uptick in cases of avian flu (H5N1) in Cambodia. Authorities in the Southeast Asian country recently reported that two individuals had contracted the disease, with one eventually succumbing to it.

Speaking to reporters during a virtual briefing on Friday, Dr Sylvie Briand, the WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, described the latest trends in the spread of the virus as “worrying.” She also said the organization was reviewing its global risk assessment.

“WHO takes the risk from this virus seriously and urges heightened vigilance from all countries,” the official noted.

According to Briand, apart from a growing number of cases in birds, a similar situation is being witnessed in mammals, including humans.

On Thursday, Cambodian authorities reported that an 11-year-old girl had died of bird flu, with her father also testing positive. Their contacts are currently being checked.

Commenting on the case, Briand pointed out that it is not yet clear whether there had actually been any human-to-human transmission or if the two individuals had contracted the virus simply due to their “exposure to the same environmental conditions,” that is, close contact with infected birds or other animals.

The WHO representative told journalists that the organization is in close contact with the Cambodian authorities for any updates.

While H5N1 has been around for more than two decades now, a new strain named clade 2.3.4.4b emerged in 2020, leading to record numbers of deaths among wild birds and domestic poultry alike in recent months.

The data gathered so far indicates that the novel subtype does not typically cause significant illness in humans. To date, the WHO knows of a mere half dozen cases, most of them mild.

Earlier this month, the organization ranked the risk posed to humans by H5N1 as low.

Nevertheless, the global health watchdog is ramping up its preparedness efforts already, noting that there are several antivirals available, as well as 20 licensed vaccines, should the situation deteriorate.

According to the WHO, a total of 868 cases of human infection involving various strains of avian flu were reported between January 2003 and January 2023, with 457 of those proving fatal.
https://www.rt.com/news/572052-who-raises-alarm-avian-flu-cambodia/
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25 Feb, 2023 14:07

8) ---Crypto platforms in no rush to shun Russia – Politico

A number of major exchanges reportedly still transact with cards issued by sanctioned Russian lenders

Seychelles-based crypto exchanges Huobi and KuCoin have so far failed to take steps to block Russian banks from their platforms despite sanctions, Politico reported on Saturday, citing blockchain analytics firm Inca.

According to the report, both still allow traders to transact with cards issued by sanctioned Russian banks on their peer-to-peer platforms, including the country’s largest lender Sber Bank. According to Inca CEO Adam Zarazinski, allowing crypto buyers trade with each other using accounts at sanctioned banks is a “direct violation of US and European sanctions with a little bit of a loophole.” Neither Huobi nor KuCoin have so far commented on the report.

US policymakers have long accused the crypto industry of being one of the instruments for sanctioned Russians to bypass restrictions. Inca’s report also pointed to potential vulnerabilities in two other major exchanges, Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency trading platform, and Singapore-based ByBit, which allegedly offer Russians “many ways” to convert Russian rubles into cryptocurrency.

“Many exchanges officially curtailed their operations in Russia due to the imposed sanctions. They claimed to block users from Russia and to prevent them from opening new accounts,” the report states, noting that instead, most of them continued to work with Russian citizens, including allowing them to use the maximum deposit, trading, and withdrawal limits.

Binance slammed the report as “categorically false” in a statement later on Friday.

“Binance is a full-KYC [know your customer] platform and was the first major exchange to implement EU crypto-related sanctions… [It] takes the extraordinary additional step of filtering any forms of communication between users to ensure there is absolutely no potential nexus with Russian entities through any sort of workaround,” Binance’s global head of sanctions Chagri Poyraz was cited as saying.

On Friday, the US Treasury revealed that sanctions target more than 80% of Russia’s banking sector in asset value. It also expanded sanctions against 11 more Russian banks, including Moscow Credit Bank, Uralsib Bank, MTS Bank, Zenit Bank and Bank St. Petersburg. The EU introduced similar measures over the past year, and imposed a sweeping ban on providing crypto services to Russians as part of its eighth round of sanctions, approved in October. Following the move, several major platforms banned access for Russians, including Canadian NFT-marketplace Dapper, Swiss company YouHodler, wallet Cryptopay and Finnish exchange LocalBitcoins.
https://www.rt.com/business/572054-crypto-platforms-russia-sanctions/
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25 Feb, 2023 03:23

9) --- North Korea says US drills amount to ‘declaration of war’

Pyongyang urged Washington to end “hostile” military drills with Seoul and to remove its strategic assets from the region

North Korea has warned that it will soon consider US military action near its borders as a “declaration of war,” issuing a harsh response after American diplomats pressed the United Nations to condemn recent weapons tests by the DPRK.

Senior Foreign Ministry official Kwon Jeong-geun, who oversees US affairs, issued a statement on Friday to “strongly protest” a UN Security Council meeting held earlier this week, where Washington proposed a measure to denounce Pyongyang’s latest ballistic missile launches.

Such a move would be a “clear violation of our state's right to self-defense,” Kwon said, adding “If the UN Security Council sincerely intends to contribute to ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, it will have to condemn acts that escalate military tension, such as the deployment of strategic assets and large-scale joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea.”

The official went on to say those actions have largely been “ignored” by the international community, warning of “strong countermeasures” should North Korea’s concerns continue to go unheeded.

It should be borne in mind that if the US continues its hostile and provocative practices against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea despite our repeated protests and warnings, it could be regarded as a declaration of war.

At the UN meeting on Monday, US envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield scolded the Security Council for its alleged “lack of action” in response to North Korean arms tests, calling it “dangerous” and “worse than shameful.” She pressured the body to adopt a formal ‘presidential statement’ – which does not amount to a legally-binding resolution – to condemn missile launches carried out on Saturday and Monday.

The recent weapons tests prompted several rounds of military exercises by the United States, South Korea and Japan, with Washington and Seoul carrying out combined air drills on Sunday, followed by three-way naval exercises in the Sea of Japan. A tabletop simulation involving South Korean officials was also held in the US capital on Wednesday, during which Pyongyang said it fired off long-range cruise missiles.

The tit-for-tat military action underscores soaring tensions on the Korean Peninsula over the last year, with North Korea carrying a record number of missile tests amid a flurry of joint war games led by the Pentagon. The DPRK has repeatedly condemned the drills as rehearsals for an invasion and argues its missile program is intended for self-defense, while Washington continues to press North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal.
https://www.rt.com/news/572042-north-korea-declaration-war/
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25 Feb, 2023 07:32

10) --- Biden clarifies position on warplanes for Kiev

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky doesn’t need F-16s at the moment, the US leader says

US President Joe Biden has said he’s currently ruling out the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine amid its conflict with Russia.

Biden was asked to comment on increasing calls from Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky for Western-made warplanes to be supplied to Kiev during his interview with ABC on Friday.

“Look, we’re sending him what our seasoned military thinks he needs now. He needs tanks. He needs artillery. He needs air defense, including another HIMARS [multiple rocket launcher,]” the US president said.

Those American weapons are intended to put Ukraine “in a position to be able to make gains this spring and this summer going into the fall,” he explained.

“[Zelensky] doesn’t need F-16s now. There is no basis upon which there is a rationale, according to our military, now, to provide F-16s,” Biden said.

However, he added that Washington has no way of knowing what Kiev might need in “a year, or two, or three from now.”

Interviewer David Muir pressed the president on the issue, asking if he was ruling the supply of jets in the future.

“I am ruling it out, for now,” he responded.

On Saturday, Biden declined to answer questions from reporters about what he told Zelensky regarding F-16s during his visit to Kiev earlier this week. “Well, that’s a private discussion,” he said before boarding his helicopter.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN on Thursday that fighter jets “are not the key capability” the Ukrainian military needs at the moment. “F-16s are a question for the long-term defense of Ukraine and that’s a conversation that President Biden and President Zelensky had,” Sullivan said.

British defense minister Ben Wallace said on Friday that London was also “not going to send our own Typhoon jets in the short term to Ukraine.”

Russia has long decried deliveries of arms to Kiev by the US, EU, UK and others, arguing that they only prolong the fighting without changing its outcome. Those deliveries and other forms of aid provided to Kiev have de facto already made Western nations parties to the conflict, according to Moscow.
https://www.rt.com/news/572047-biden-ukraine-zelensky-jets/

Recall on 20th February, Pres. Biden promised another $500 million for more weapons, rockets, javelin missiles, anti-armor systems and air-surveillance radars and anti-armor weapons.
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24 Feb, 2023 22:13

11) --- (reposting) There’s only one potential ‘scenario’ for Ukraine talks – Russia’s envoy

Addressing the West, Moscow’s ambassador to the UN claimed regaining the country’s trust would “not be easy, if at all possible”

Russia is only willing to discuss a peaceful resolution to reach the goals it had proclaimed for the military operation in Ukraine, Vassily Nebenzia, Moscow’s permanent representative to the UN, said on Friday. The diplomat made the remarks during a meeting of the UN Security Council that marked one year into the ongoing hostilities.

“Russia is ready to negotiate a peaceful realization of the goals of the special military operation, and will not even consider any other scenarios,” Nebenzia stated.

The official goals of the operation, according to Moscow, include the “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine, as well as protecting the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk from Kiev’s onslaught, which has been dragging on since the 2014 Maidan events. Russian incorporated both republics, along with the regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye, after the overwhelming majority of their populations voted in favor of the idea last September.

Nebenzia insisted that Russia never harbored any plans to destroy Ukraine as an independent state. Despite repeated claims by the collective West, a cessation of hostilities by Kiev would only give Ukraine the chance to become a “normal” country again.

“Your slogans should actually sound like this: If Russia stops the hostilities, Ukraine will continue the discrimination and persecution of the Russian-speaking population for those who do not want to break [ties] with Russia, the violation of rights and freedoms and the glorification of Nazi criminals will continue,” the diplomat stated.

If Ukraine stops hostilities, it will get the chance to be reborn as a normal, peaceful, independent state and save many thousands of human lives.

The continuous support of Kiev by the collective West, and the US in particular, only fuels the conflict and further damages their ties with Russia, Nebenzia warned. Fixing ties with Moscow primarily serves Washington’s own best interests, he noted, adding that Russia already doesn’t trust anything the West says.

We no longer believe in your words and regaining our trust will not be easy, if at all possible – not words are important here, but deeds.

“So far, you are only making the situation worse by continuing to pump weaponry into the Kiev regime and help it on the battlefield. And you leave us no other options but to eliminate the threats to Russia emerging from the territory of Ukraine through military means,” the diplomat said.

At the same time, Nebenzia lauded Beijing’s efforts to bring the ongoing conflict to an end, commenting on the 12-point roadmap unveiled by China earlier in the day. The roadmap urged all sides of the conflict to “stay rational and exercise restraint,” while calling upon the international community to encourage all efforts to end the year-long hostilities.

“We welcome sincere efforts on the path towards peace, such as China’s proposal,” Nebenzia stated.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572030-ukraine-russia-talks-scenario/
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25 Feb, 2023 17:19

12) --- Indian PM offers hints to Russia in critical speech (recap)

Does Narendra Modi’s anti-war quote hold a hidden message for Putin?

By Joydeep Sen Gupta, Asia Editor

India was among 32 nations that abstained on Thursday in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) vote on a resolution on “comprehensive, just and lasting peace” in Ukraine in line with the principles of the UN Charter.

But New Delhi’s position on Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine, a conflict that’s just marked its first anniversary, is ambiguous on a global stage.

On one hand, it seems that India wants to weigh in Moscow’s favor and on the other hand, it appears that New Delhi tilts towards the US and the Global North, or the developing economies.

If the UNGA move can be seen as a pro-Russia gambit, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi quote for a promo for the eighth edition of the Raisina Dialogue exposes a duplicitous foreign policy.

Raisina Dialogue, which is modeled along the lines of Shangri-La Dialogue and was started by the Modi regime in 2016, is India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics. The conference is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), an independent think tank owned by Indian billionaire Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani, in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs of India, and will be held from March 2 to 4. Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the conference, where the chief guest will be Europe’s right-wing poster girl and Italian PM, Giorgia Meloni.

What is PM Modi’s quote?
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The promo aims to showcase PM Modi as a pacifist and an anti-war crusader.

It tried to subtly insert a quote in Hindi “aaj ka yug yudh ka nahin,” which loosely translates to “today’s era is not one of war” in the 110-seconds-long ORF video.

Modi had made this remark during the 22nd annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in September 2022, where Russian President Vladimir Putin was also present.

The timing of the quote
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It appears that there is a deliberate attempt to use the quote ahead of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi on March 1 and 2. The quote will certainly attract the attention of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on March 1 to take part in the meet.

By bringing back Modi’s quote, New Delhi appears to be sending a message to President Putin and Moscow to put an end to the “special military operation” in Ukraine.

It also aims to catch Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov’s attention, who will be participating in the G20 meeting and the Raisina Dialogue. Lavrov is being seen as the messenger to get the message delivered to President Putin.

India, which is trying to assert its position as the self-appointed leading voice of the Global South, or of the developing world, finds it an opportune moment to make a nuanced statement. The ratcheting of tension between the US and Russia must end because it is hurting the global economy and, more significantly, developing nations. Many of these poor countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America, unlike India, have not been able to strike a happy balance between Washington and Moscow and are getting squeezed in this proxy war.

India upholds democratic values
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Modi’s words seek to hit home the point that though India will persist with buying Russian crude oil at a discounted rate, despite US pressure, New Delhi will stand by its democratic beliefs.

India seeks to err on the side of caution by being seen with Western democracies and its officials are hosting several American influencers ahead of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting.

US assistant secretary for energy Geoffrey Pyatt was in town last weekend. On February 20, Modi met a group of US Senators led by Democrat Chuck Schumer, and discussed his “shared vision” with US President Joe Biden to elevate the bilateral relationship.

India First
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Does the Modi quote reinforce the argument that New Delhi is speaking with a forked tongue?

Indian foreign policy mandarins disagree with that notion. They maintain that this is a sign of the changing times, where an “India First” foreign policy is the need of the hour. New Delhi decides for itself, and its independent foreign policy cannot be subject to any kind of coercions.

India, which is home to one-fifth of the world’s population, deserves the right to form and hold its own position and to weigh its own interests in a multipolar world.

RECAP
https://www.rt.com/india/572068-message-putin-modi-quote/
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25 Feb, 2023 17:09 ------- OP-ED

13) --- Canada's Freedom Convoy crackdown was not the last or the worst one - Rachel Marsden

The report on the government’s use of the Emergencies Act against Covid-19 protesters says it was fair and effective. So expect more like it

The final report on the Canadian government’s use of the Emergencies Act amid last year’s country-wide trucker protests against Covid-19 vaccine mandates is in, and it’s largely a roadmap for greater government control.

Former Canadian Liberal Party top advisor turned justice, Paul Rouleau, has issued the Public Order Emergency Commission’s report, which concludes that the government was indeed justified in using the measure, which included the ability to block bank accounts of not just the protesters but also those who donated to them. There are reasonable limits to free expression, Rouleau points out.

I guess this guy hasn’t been around downtown Vancouver during the Stanley Cup playoffs when the Vancouver Canucks lose a critical game. The unrest that broke out in 1994 and 2011 left hundreds injured and millions worth of property damage, but no federal emergency was declared. And let’s face it – the rioters’ lives were impacted a lot less by the results of the playoffs than by Trudeau’s Covid jab mandates. Guess it was just shrugged off as angry hockey fans who would ultimately calm down once the catalyst – the loss – dissipated. No threat to those in power and their forays into authoritarianism.

The head of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Services (CSIS), David Vigneault, underscored during the inquiry that he didn’t consider the Freedom Convoy to be a threat. “Mr. Vigneault stated that at no point did the service assess that the protests in Ottawa or elsewhere [those referred to as the "Freedom Convoy" and related protests and blockades in January-February 2022] constituted a threat to security of Canada as defined by section 2 of the CSIS Act and that CSIS cannot investigate actively constituting lawful protest,” according to an inquiry document. But Rouleau insists that the protests were “unlawful”, referencing the term several times in the report.

Rouleau also says that blocking participants’ bank accounts based on lists provided by the federal police to banking institutions was a tactic used by Trudeau’s government to entice protesters to desist. “The asset-freezing regime had two main purposes: first, discouraging people from remaining at the site of unlawful protests; and second, preventing further financial support from reaching convoy protests,” reads the report. “Seeking to prevent any funds from supporting the illegal protests was, in my view, a reasonable measure in the circumstances,” Rouleau concluded, while praising the “overall effectiveness” of the “powerful tool” in “bringing the emergency to a safe and speedy resolution”.

Great, just what we need – a newly rubber-stamped tool for government to “discourage participation and incentivize protesters to leave,” as Rouleau puts it. He adds, “I am satisfied that it played a meaningful role in shrinking the footprint of the protests, and in doing so, made a meaningful contribution to resolving the Public Order Emergency.” Sounds like Rouleau and the asset freeze should just get a room already and leave the rest of us to lament another nail being hammered into the coffin of Western democracy.

Incidentally, CSIS Director Vigneault also told the inquiry that there were no foreign actors engaged in funding the protests, running contrary to suggestions in the Canadian state-backed press that Russia could be behind the movement. This includes former Bank of Canada and Bank of England chief Mark Carney’s now debunked suggestion that “Foreign funders of an insurrection interfered in our domestic affairs from the start. Canadian authorities should take every step within the law to identify and thoroughly punish them. The involvement of foreign governments and any officials connected to them should be identified, exposed, and addressed.”

Another striking aspect of the Rouleau report is his focus on “disinformation” as a contributing factor to the protests. “During the COVID-19 Pandemic, foreign state actors had significant success spreading false information about COVID-19, public health measures, and vaccines, done as a means to sow mistrust in democratic governments,” Rouleau wrote, disregarding the military-grade propaganda operation ran by the government itself. The Canadian military deployed tools honed during the war in Afghanistan to influence and shape public opinion around Covid – a fact that had already been widely publicized by Convoy protesters when they took to the streets.

Rouleau’s implication that the establishment was the voice of truth and science during the pandemic and that contradictory information could only be fake news risks opening the door to greater control and censorship of both online and traditional media in favor of establishment narratives. In whitewashing Trudeau’s authoritarian overreach, the final verdict on this crackdown effectively encourages more of the same.

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

Rachel Marsden is a columnist, political strategist, and host of independently produced talk-shows in French and English.
https://www.rt.com/news/571913-freedom-convoy-canada-covid19/

Read also some of Trudeau's comments https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/what-if-the-worst-had-happened-trudeau-explains-why-he-invoked-emergencies-act-when-he-did-1.6168260

also this (Mark Carney was "govenor" or Bank of England) https://www.theglobeandmail.com/amp/opinion/article-mark-carney-end-freedom-convoy-ottawa-state-of-emergency/ - he suggested there were "foreign actors" involved in the protests.

also this "Military campaign to influence public opinion continued after defence chief shut it down" https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/psychological-warfare-influence-campaign-canadian-armed-forces-1.6079084
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