RT News - March 3rd 2023 LATE

The head of the Wagner Group says Russian forces have essentially surrounded a key stronghold of Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk Republic city of Artyomovsk, also known as Bakhmut. RT reports from the battleground. “The pincers are closing shut,” announced Prigozhin.
He added that previously the Wagner group had been fighting a professional Ukrainian army, but is now instead coming across more and more old men and children. “They are fighting, but life in Bakhmut is short. A day or two,” Prigozhin said. (see A below). Only one road is left available for the Ukrainian troops to leave by. Igor Zhdanov reports from (very very near to) the front lines.
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Amazing bravery under fire: A eleven year old boy puts his life at risk in order to save other children during an attack by a Ukrainian terrorist group in Russia's Bryansk border region. The Kremlin have also commented on Friday that “everyone in the Kremlin and the president are in awe of the heroism of the boy and the man [Uncle Lenya]” and announced that their actions will be officially noted. (Dmitry Peskov)
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Recall that yesterday (2nd March 2023) a group of terrorists attacked the Russian town of Bryansk and killed two people and injured another - see yesterday's and this morning's post https://rumble.com/v2bhwsk-rt-news-march-2nd-2023-late-terrorist-attack-on-bryansk-russia.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=5
https://rumble.com/v2bk6bo-rt-news-march-3rd-2023.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=4 )
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Russia's FSB released video of the car which was attacked at close range by some of the terrorists. It was clear that the occupiers were civilians. **gruesome video - 18 advisory**
Donald Courter reports on who the perpetrators are and what exactly happened.
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The Twitter files latest: Revelations emerge that a US think-tank with associations to George Soros and the US State department accused 40 thousand Twitter accounts of working for one of India’s biggest political parties, despite the list packed with accounts of ordinary Americans with no links at all to India. Runjun Sharma reports. Recall posts on this channel regarding Soros interference in India and elsewhere, recently (17th March) "Economic War Criminal" https://rumble.com/v29xcja-rt-news-february-17-2023-late.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=6 - are think tanks of any use to anyone except those wishing to control and interfere in other people's lives? Raghav Awasthi gives comments.
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USA, Anthony Blinken making it up as he goes along: FM Lavrov says that there were no such discussions about prisoner swaps during the brief meeting he had with Blinken at the G20 FM's conference. Paul Wheelan is currently held in a Russian jail for espionage. (QS - it's amazing how these "officials" can stand there bare faced without even a flinch as they lie to the public. Kirby further compounded the myth though less convincingly). Steve Gill gives comments.
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Africa, Nigerians elections: Peter Obi, the Labour party leader says the election was a fraud and intends to challenge the outcome in court. Poloum David reports.
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Africa, Central Africa Republic: Protests have continued against the west's demands for C.A.R. to cease dealings with Russia.
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China, Future Plans: Setting priorities will be the order of the day as China makes plans for building an open, international economy. Multipolar world. Sun Tianyuan reports.
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RAISINA Dialogue: FM Lavrov attended the dialogue and spoke of the west unilaterally spreading it's interests across the globe for years, including wars based on lies (Iraq). RT spoke to Network 18's Palki Sharma (QS: I don't think related to Runjun) who says open discussion and freedom of speech is essential.Show more

(Provocation, Uncertainty, Turbulence: Lighthouse In The Tempest?)
The Raisina Dialogue is India’s premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. Every year, leaders in politics, business, media, and civil society converge in New Delhi to discuss the state of the world and explore opportunities for cooperation on a wide range of contemporary matters. Interesting website, new to QS https://www.orfonline.org/raisina-dialogue/
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MULTIPOLAR WORLD

Uploaded at approx 19:53 3rd March 2023
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Below via RT website: --- - -- - - A) --- Key Donbass city surrounded – Wagner chief B) --- 3 Mar, 2023 16:52 RT meets Wagner fighters encircling key Donbass city
1) --- Russian boy praised for saving two minors in Ukrainian attack
2) --- Russian nuclear plant guards fired on – official
3) --- Blinken lied about exchange with Lavrov – Moscow
4) --- Russia scolds West over Ukraine grain deal
5) --- Russia has ‘adapted’ to sanctions – finance minister to RT
6) --- US hosts war games for Ukrainian commanders
7) --- EU accused of waging ‘food war’
8) --- Biden’s former ‘disinfo czar’ pleads for donations
9) --- Switzerland reveals German tank deal proposal
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3 Mar, 2023 10:44

A) --- Key Donbass city surrounded – Wagner chief

Yevgeny Prigozhin has called on Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to allow Kiev’s forces retreat from Artyomovsk

The Wagner Private Military Company has de-facto completely surrounded the key city of Artyomovsk, referred to as Bakhmut in Ukraine, the group’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin announced on Friday.

In a video apparently shot on the outskirts of the city, the Wagner chief personally addressed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, telling him that the Donbass city has been encircled and that there is now only one road left out of the city.

“The pincers are closing shut,” announced Prigozhin.

He added that previously the Wagner group had been fighting a professional Ukrainian army, but is now instead coming across more and more old men and children. “They are fighting, but life in Bakhmut is short. A day or two,” Prigozhin said.

The Wagner chief urged the Ukrainian president to allow them to leave the city as the camera pans to what appear to be captured Ukrainian soldiers. Among them is a man with a long gray beard and two very young-looking men.

They also issued a plea to Zelensky, asking him to let them return home to their families and loved ones and not to ignore their request.

The city of Artyomovsk, which has seen some of the heaviest fighting amid Russia’s ongoing military campaign, is part of a 70km Ukrainian defense line created since Kiev initiated the fighting in Donbass in 2014.

In a months-long campaign, Russian forces, primarily Wagner members, have systematically captured settlements around the city and have been surrounding Artyomovsk from the north, south, and east.

Zelensky had long insisted that the strategically vital city would not be surrendered under any circumstances, but he has recently changed his position. After Kiev’s forces suffered heavy losses in the city’s defense, Zelensky recently stated that Artyomovsk would be held only as long as it “remains reasonable” to do so. Kiev’s Western backers have also encouraged the Ukrainian leader to cut his losses and withdraw from the city.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572384-russia-wagner-surrounds-artyomovsk/
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Recall post from 1st March 2023 Zelensky adviser suggests possible retreat from key city - Russia is encircling the strategically important Artyomovsk, and Kiev’s forces are weighing their options, says Alexander Rodnyansky
Ukrainian forces in the embattled city of Artyomovsk may be considering a retreat, an economic adviser to President Vladimir Zelensky claimed in an interview with CNN on Tuesday.

Alexander Rodnyansky stated that Russia is attempting to encircle Artyomovsk (called Bakhmut in Ukraine) by using the best troops from the Wagner private military company. He told CNN’s Isa Soares that Kiev’s forces would retreat or “strategically give up” the city “if they believed the costs of holding it outweigh the benefits.” Rodnyansky added that the Ukrainian military “is obviously going to weigh all the options.”

“So far, they’ve held the city, but, if need be, they will strategically pull back – because we’re not going to sacrifice all of our people just for nothing,” the presidential adviser claimed, arguing that it was ultimately up to the military to decide if and when a withdrawal was required. etc etc https://www.rt.com/russia/572255-ukraine-artyomovsk-strategic-retreat/

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B) --- 3 Mar, 2023 16:52 RT meets Wagner fighters encircling key Donbass city

The contractors say foreign mercenaries previously active in Artyomovsk have seemingly vanished from the front lines

RT’s Igor Zhdanov has spoken to fighters from the Wagner Group who are encircling the Donbass city of Artyomovsk, referred to as Bakhmut in Ukraine. The founder of the private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed on Friday that the city was “practically surrounded” as he urged Ukrainian forces to flee while they still can.

The number of experienced enemy soldiers has already dwindled in the area, the Wagner fighters said, as battered units are apparently being quietly withdrawn by Kiev. They added that foreign mercenaries have likely disappeared from the front lines in the city as well, having previously been active in Artyomovsk.

“We used to see mercenaries from various countries, including Georgians and Abkhazians. They were better equipped than the Ukrainian soldiers. Now, we haven’t seen them for a month already. They were surprised when we faced them the last time, we’ve made an advance and now they’re gone,” a Wagner fighter said.

Instead, Wagner contractors said they face conscripts who are elderly or still in their youth.

Not only do they lack combat experience, but some have no previous military service whatsoever, papers recovered from fallen Ukrainian combatants suggest. Footage shared online that has slipped through tight censorship introduced by Kiev shows Ukrainian forces sustaining heavy casualties in grueling combat around the city, commonly referred to as the “Bakhmut meat grinder.”

Artyomovsk has been the scene of some of the most intense fighting during Russia’s military operation, and the city has remained a major stronghold for the Ukrainian military since Kiev initiated the fighting in Donbass in 2014. In recent months, Russian forces, primarily Wagner Group units, have systematically captured settlements around Artyomovsk, closing in from the north, south, and east.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky long insisted that the strategically vital city would not be surrendered under any circumstances, but has recently changed his tune, stating that it would be held only as long as it remains “reasonable” to do so.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572391-wagner-fighters-artyomovsk-mercenaries/
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3 Mar, 2023 13:12

1) --- Russian boy praised for saving two minors in Ukrainian attack

The governor of Bryansk Region has proposed awarding the child a medal ‘For Courage’ for saving the girls, despite having been shot in the chest

A ten-year old boy from Russia’s Bryansk Region is being hailed as a hero after he managed to save the lives of two first-graders during an attack by Ukrainian saboteurs on Thursday.

According to local media reports, Fyodor and two girls, Zlata and Lena, were being driven to school by their neighbor, a 63-year-old man known as Uncle Lenya on the morning of March 2. On their way they encountered a group of armed men.

After realizing that the men were not Russian servicemen the driver attempted to turn the car around and flee, but the Ukrainian operatives opened fire on the vehicle, killing the driver on the spot and wounding Fyodor in the chest.

Despite being shot, Fyodor managed to pull the girls out of the car and escape the scene. “Fedya [Fyodor] told us ‘go to the forest,’” one of the first-graders told the Moskovsky Komsomolets outlet. “I was there, in that car. I saw people in white uniforms and one in green. Fedya showed us where to go and we ran together,” she said.

Fyodor and the girls eventually made it out of the area and were able to catch a ride to the nearby settlement of Novy Ropsk, where the boy was taken to the hospital. Doctors managed to extract a NATO-issue bullet from his chest. Doctors say Fyodor’s condition is stable and that he is expected to make a full recovery.

Bryansk Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz paid a personal visit to Fyodor on Friday and commended him on his bravery. “Despite being so young, he acted like a real man, like a true fighter,” Bogomaz wrote on his Telegram channel. The governor has announced that documents are currently being prepared to award him with a medal ‘For Courage.’

Kremlin spokesperson

The Ukrainian operatives who crossed into Russia’s Bryansk Region on Thursday have since been forced back to Ukrainian territory and hit with a “massive artillery strike,” the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572394-ukraine-bryansk-attack-hero/
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3 Mar, 2023 12:49

2) --- Russian nuclear plant guards fired on – official

The incident reportedly happened as the IAEA rotated personnel at Europe’s biggest atomic facility

Russian security guards came under fire while overseeing the changing of UN observers at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant on Thursday, a senior Russian official has reported. He described the incident as a Ukrainian “provocation.”

Two unarmed security personnel “came under intensive assault rifle fire,” Renat Karchaa, an adviser at Russian national nuclear operator Rosenergoatom, said in an interview on Friday. “Sometime later a Ukrainian machine gun went off. It was targeted fire, and it’s a miracle that our two security staff survived,” he added.

The official claimed that even Ukrainian troops who were accompanying experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) across the frontline seemed surprised by the incident. Karchaa described the event as demonstrating that the situation “is absolutely out of control in this area.”

The transfer location was moved some 300 meters by the UN at the last minute, Karchaa reported, adding that Russian personnel found and disarmed seven booby traps as they walked that distance.

The IAEA mission at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant was due to rotate its staff weeks ago, but managed to do so only at the fourth attempt. The head of the agency, Rafael Grossi, praised the successful transfer, calling the presence of inspectors “indispensable to help reduce the risk of a nuclear accident” amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Karchaa blamed the safety and security department of the UN Technical Secretariat for the delays, saying it repeatedly “invented excuses” for not going ahead with the rotation.

“First they cited intensive fighting in the area, which did not happen. Then there was the non-existent mining by Russia,” he told a TV news program.

UN security officials likely took at face value what they were told by the Ukrainian side, Karchaa stated, alleging that Kiev “actually has no interest in nuclear safety” and is using the situation at the Zaporozhye plant “as a tool of manipulation of public opinion.”

In its statement on the rotation, the IAEA said that a key power line necessary for the site’s safety was recently damaged by “shelling on the other side of the [Dnieper] river.” Karchaa said it is absolutely clear “who is shooting from where.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/572392-iaea-rotation-zaporozhye-plant/
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3 Mar, 2023 10:43

3) --- Blinken lied about exchange with Lavrov – Moscow

The top diplomats did not talk about a former US Marine jailed in Russia, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow has said

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken lied when he claimed that he discussed a jailed American citizen during a brief exchange with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow has insisted.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Blinken revealed that he and Lavrov “spoke briefly” on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in India. Among other things, the American official claimed he had “raised the wrongful detention of Paul Whelan,” a former US Marine currently serving a 16-year prison term in Russia for espionage.

“The United States has put forward a serious proposal. Moscow should accept it,” Blinken added.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denied the claims on Friday, saying she had asked Lavrov about the exchange with Blinken. The top Russian diplomat told her that his American counterpart had not brought up Whelan’s case, with Zakharova describing Blinken’s statement as “lies” and an example of “astounding” behavior by the US government.

Whelan is a Canadian-born former US Marine, who in 2020 was sentenced to a 16-year prison term in Russia for spying. He claimed he was framed while on a trip to the country.

The administration of President Joe Biden has called on Russia to release Whelan, branding his sentence unfair. The proposal to which Blinken referred matches those previously made by Washington to Moscow, State Department spokesperson Ned Price claimed on Thursday.

US officials reportedly tried to include Whelan in a prisoner exchange last year involving American WNBA player Brittney Griner and Russian businessman Viktor Bout, although the two sides ultimately freed just one convict each. Griner was serving a term for a drug crime in Russia, while Bout was imprisoned in the US on gun trafficking charges.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572381-lavrov-blinken-prisoner-exchange/

recall post from yesterday: Blinken and Lavrov meet at G20
In their first face-to-face encounter in more than a year, the US’ top diplomat asked his Russian counterpart to return to a nuclear treaty https://rumble.com/v2bhwsk-rt-news-march-2nd-2023-late-terrorist-attack-on-bryansk-russia.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=3
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2 Mar, 2023 22:15

4) --- Russia scolds West over Ukraine grain deal

The EU hogs grain from the country while blocking half of the agreement, Moscow said

The Black Sea “grain deal” arranged last August is not working as intended, because the grain from Ukraine is not going to the needy countries of Africa and Asia, while the West continues to block all Russian food and fertilizer exports, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.

The arrangement, negotiated by the UN and signed on July 22, 2022 in Istanbul, established a safe corridor for ships bringing corn and wheat from Odessa to countries facing food insecurity. It was also supposed to re-establish the export of grain and fertilizer from Russia, the ministry noted in a statement.

Eight months later, only the first part of the deal has been implemented, and in a way “far from the declared humanitarian goals,” the ministry said. Since August 1 last year, Ukraine has exported over 23 million tons of grain, of which 70% was animal feed. Of that, the EU accounted for 47% and “upper-middle income countries” for another 34%, Moscow said, while only 2.6% is currently going to countries needing food the most.

Meanwhile, there has been “close to zero” progress in unblocking the delivery of Russian grain or fertilizer, badly needed elsewhere. Kiev has continued to block the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline “for purely political reasons,” resulting in a shortage of 2.5 million tons of raw material that could produce 7 million tons of fertilizer and feed 200 million people, the ministry said.

The US and its allies have said their sanctions do not include Russian food and fertilizer – but they have banned all Russian ships from docking in their ports or accessing insurance and brokerage service, imposing a total blockade on commercial shipping in effect, if not in name.

“It’s time to stop playing the food card. The lion’s share of grain from Ukraine goes to the European Union as fodder at dumping prices, and not to the poorest countries,” the ministry noted. “Russian agricultural exports are being blatantly hindered, no matter how much the Europeans and Americans, who are used to telling lies, try to convince everyone otherwise.”

As an example, the ministry said that 262,000 tons of Russian fertilizer has been blocked in the Dutch and Baltic state ports for months. Moscow has offered the fertilizer to African countries absolutely free of charge, yet only one shipment of 20,000 tons, destined for Malawi, has managed to depart so far.

Russia is working on its own to organize deliveries to Africa, since the UN process is plagued by such difficulties and delays, the ministry added.

Moscow is therefore forced to conclude that the grain deal “does not work,” identifying the main problem as “sabotage by Western countries” of the Russia-UN memorandum.

“It is obvious that Americans and Europeans do not care about the needs of countries in need, nor about the efforts of the UN, which they have long and persistently tried to turn into a tool for serving their political goals,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572359-ukraine-grain-deal-sabotage/
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3 Mar, 2023 16:18

5) --- Russia has ‘adapted’ to sanctions – finance minister to RT

The West has been left ‘disappointed’ by Russia’s resilience to the punitive measures, most of which have backfired, Anton Siluanov says

Responsible economic policy has allowed Russia to keep its economy afloat and in many ways improve its performance throughout the past year despite the unprecedented sanctions pressure, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov claimed in an interview with RT on Friday.

According to Siluanov, the measures taken by the Russian government to offset the impact of the Ukraine-related Western sanctions have “disappointed” those who predicted a double-digit GDP drop, high inflation, and a sharp decline in the incomes of Russian citizens. Siluanov noted that the country’s economy dipped by only 2.1% in 2022, which is even less than the decline of 2.7% in the pandemic-marred 2020.

Inflation was also kept under control, Siluanov said, registering at just under 12% by the end of the year. Real disposable incomes decreased by about 1% for the year, but were showing positive dynamics by the year’s end. This was thanks to government measures taken to help individuals and business owners, ranging from hikes to the minimum wage to various support programs for industries and businesses.

“All of this made it possible to minimize the financial consequences of high inflation, which the country faced in the first half of last year…” Siluanov summarized. He noted that the positive year-end results were also achieved due to the "responsible macroeconomic policy" conducted in recent years.

“We had balanced spending and budget deficit policies thanks to the budget rule. Russia also has a low national debt, which at the beginning of this year was 15.1% of GDP… which gives us maneuverability in terms of operations on the financial market and allows us to borrow to cover future budget expenditures. We also created an independent system of financial transactions [and] our own system of transmitting financial messages. Therefore, all decisions of the West to disconnect Russian banks from SWIFT, as well as Visa and Mastercard systems, have absolutely no impact on our domestic operations and payments… All of this has generally created the basis for financial stability,” he explained.

Siluanov noted that sanctions have backfired, leaving Western countries to “suffer from their own restrictions” imposed on Russia.

“Sanctions are harmful. And they are harmful not only to Russia, but also to those who impose these restrictions, as well as to global trade as a whole… When one imposes restrictions, it is impossible not to feel their impact on oneself.”

Russia, meanwhile, is in no way intimidated by sanctions, he noted.

Russia is learning and working under the new conditions. Moreover, while responding to new challenges, we began to actively invest in our own products, which we used to acquire abroad. Last year was not an easy one for our country’s economy... Nevertheless, Russia has already adapted... Despite the bans on the export of our commodities and non-commodities, we have found new markets. If you look, for example, at the volume of our hydrocarbon production last year, not only did it not shrink, but it grew,” he stated.

Siluanov noted that in fact the process of reorienting the Russian market towards self-sufficiency started back in 2014, when the country first faced Western sanctions over the reunification with Crimea.

“We have already been through all this. For example, before 2014, the shelves in our stores were mainly filled with imported food items, but now they are ours. The same will happen with industrial goods. It just takes more time. We hope that the measures that were taken in 2022 and are being taken now will make it possible to finally stabilize the macroeconomic and financial situation this year. We can see that so far everything is going according to plan,” he concluded.
https://www.rt.com/business/572400-russian-economy-adapted-sanctions/
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3 Mar, 2023 16:52

6) --- US hosts war games for Ukrainian commanders

Kiev's military officers took part in multi-day table-top exercises, General Mark Milley has announced

A number of Ukrainian military personnel have taken part in tactical exercises hosted by the US at a war-gaming facility in Germany this week, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, announced on Thursday.

The table-top exercises, attended by dozens of Ukrainian officers at a US Army base in Wiesbaden, were meant to help Kiev’s commanders prepare for the next phase in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Milley said. He declined, however, to share any details about specific potential battlefield scenarios examined during the drills.

“No one is sitting there telling the Ukrainians, go left or go right or do this or do that. That is not the job of the international community,” Milley explained. “All we’re doing is setting up the framework and the mechanics to allow the Ukrainians to self-learn, to learn against a situation, or various scenarios.”

The news comes as Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has been signaling a major counteroffensive with the intent of trying to seize control of Russia’s Crimean peninsula. Last week, he announced that new units were being formed specifically for the task, with servicemen undergoing training abroad.

Zelensky and other top officials in Kiev have repeatedly pledged to capture former Ukrainian territories from Russia. Specifically, this refers to Crimea, which broke away from Ukraine 2014 and joined Russia after holding a public referendum, and the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson, which were also incorporated into Russia after referendums last September.

Moscow, meanwhile, has repeatedly warned Kiev against plotting an assault on Crimea. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has stated that an attack on the peninsula would be interpreted as a direct attack on Russia itself and would be “met with inevitable retaliation using weapons of any kind.”
https://www.rt.com/news/572413-us-ukraine-war-games/
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3 Mar, 2023 15:32

7) --- EU accused of waging ‘food war’

Brussels is trying to change Western “dietary values” by declaring insects fit for human consumption, a Polish official has said

The EU is conducting a “food war” with the aim of undermining traditional Western dietary habits, according to Polish Deputy Agriculture Minister Krzysztof Cieciora. The remarks came after a European Commission ruling in January approved the use of house crickets in food.

Appearing on Poland’s Radio Lodz on Friday, Cieciora alleged that EU officials “are trying to change trends,” and argued that their recent decision represented “a battle” and “a food war.”

“Overturning dietary values in the West is becoming a serious element of discussion,” insisted Cieciora, who also predicted an aggressive campaign to promote newly introduced ingredients across the bloc.

According to the minister, Warsaw does not agree “to these alternatives” or to being told by the EU “what and how much we should eat.”

While the Polish government is not planning to ban foodstuffs made from insects, it is determined to “protect traditional food values and the freedom of choice,” Cieciora explained.

In January, the EU’s executive arm officially allowed food companies to use partially defatted and powdered house crickets as well as the larvae of the Alphitobius diaperinus mealworm for human consumption.

The commission cited the scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority, which in August 2021 concluded that “frozen and dried formulations from whole house crickets” are “safe under the proposed uses and use levels.”

The EU authorities also established a procedure for preparing insects, with adult crickets first having to undergo a 24-hour fasting period so that they “discard their bowel content.” They are then frozen, washed, thermally processed, have their oil extracted, and are ground into powder.

On the completion of these stages, the resulting powder can be used in cereal bars, biscuits, pizza, pasta-based products, and whey powder, provided that these are appropriately labeled.

Last month, the owner of a restaurant chain in the Italian city of Turin told the press he was planning to sell loaves of bread enriched with cricket powder. Another Italian company already produces crackers made with the same ingredient.

While insects form part of traditional cuisines in some Asian countries, their use as food is still relatively novel to Europe.

Proponents tout insects as an affordable source of animal protein whose production entails a far lower level of greenhouse gasses emissions compared to traditional cattle farming.
https://www.rt.com/news/572407-polish-deputy-minister-eu-insects-food/
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(recall post from November 2022 Germany may face a meat shortage and a subsequent surge in prices within the next four to six months, Die Welt reported this week, citing the German Meat Industry Association (VDF). “In four, five, six months we will have gaps on the shelves,” Hubert Kelliger, the head of group sales at meat marketer Westfleisch and a VDF board member, told the news outlet.

According to Kelliger, the worst shortages are expected in the supply of pork. He says Berlin insists on reducing the number of livestock by half in order to protect the climate. However, experts say this would lead to mass shutdowns of meat-producing companies, which in turn would result in a 40% increase in the price of meat. https://www.rt.com/business/566815-german-producers-meat-shortages/

QS I have the perfect solution for this: Let the politicians and those in the employ of .govs, NGOs, green agenda workers inclusing Agenda 2030 and local councils across our "liberal democracies - some 20% of workforce, eat the bugs, crawlers and everything else. They can pig out all day long. 20% of the problem solved in one fell swoop. Recall also that (whichever country in NATO) blowing up of Nord Stream 2 released more methane than anyone can even measure accurately - a disaster which could be seen from space https://cphpost.dk/2023-02-27/news/nord-stream-explosions-severely-impacted-maritime-life-report/
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3 Mar, 2023 15:05

8) --- Biden’s former ‘disinfo czar’ pleads for donations

Nina Jankowicz, who briefly led the Disinformation Governance Board, is raising money to sue Fox News

Nina Jankowicz, who briefly served as head of the Biden administration’s Disinformation Governance Board, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to sue Fox News for portraying her as “an unhinged, partisan fascist.” Ridiculed as a modern-day “Ministry of Truth,” the board was disbanded last August.

Jankowicz launched her GoFundMe campaign on Thursday, and is asking the public for $100,000 to “hold Fox News accountable for its lies.” The conservative network, she said, broadcast “baseless claims that the board was a nationwide, Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth’ and I was ‘President Biden’s chief censor’.”

“Congressional Republicans and the right-wing media characterized me as an unhinged, partisan, unserious, dangerous fascist,” she continued, claiming that she resigned from the board last May due to this “smear campaign.”

Jankowicz resigned one day after the board, which was under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), was paused. Announced in late April, the board was instantly met with a wave of criticism, with conservative lawmakers and pundits viewing it a blatant attempt by the Biden administration to formalize the censorship of social media.

Whistleblower documents provided to Republican senators last June showed that the board “planned to coordinate efforts to leverage ties with social media platforms to enable the removal of user content.”

Personal attacks on Jankowicz focused on her own role in allegedly spreading partisan disinformation. She called the New York Post’s October 2020 scoop on Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop a “Trump campaign product,” and proposed that Big Tech platforms censor claims that Covid-19 leaked from a Chinese lab. The laptop has since been declared genuine by multiple investigations, and the lab-leak theory has been given credence by the US Department of Energy and the FBI.

The board would have streamlined the administration’s existing censorship missions, which according to files released by Twitter CEO Elon Musk involved intelligence agencies and State Department-funded entities. They also covered like-minded NGOs instructing Twitter’s prior management to restrict critical content on Covid-19, the conflict in Ukraine, and “racial justice protests,” while banning accounts under the false pretext of them being linked to Russia, China, and other states.

Four months after it was first announced, the DHS permanently disbanded the board last August. However, leaked documents show that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), an agency within the DHS, is still engaged in combating so-called “disinformation,” including by instructing Facebook and Instagram to censor certain anti-establishment messages and narratives.
https://www.rt.com/news/572405-disinformation-board-jankowicz-crowdfunding/
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https://nypost.com/2022/05/19/ex-disinformation-board-chief-nina-jankowicz-breaks-silence/
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3 Mar, 2023 14:40

9) --- Switzerland reveals German tank deal proposal

Berlin wants to purchase decommissioned Leopard 2s while donating some of its own stock to Kiev

Germany has asked Switzerland to sell decommissioned Leopard 2 main battle tanks back to their manufacturer Rheinmetall, so Berlin can replenish its stocks after donating its own tanks to Ukraine, Swiss authorities said on Friday. The German-made heavy tanks were originally acquired by Bern in the 1980s.

Lorenz Frischknecht, spokesman of the Swiss Federal Department of Defense, confirmed the request to Swiss newspaper Blick, which first reported the story on Friday. “From the army’s point of view, it would be possible in principle to dispense with a limited number of battle tanks, minus those necessary for Switzerland’s own needs,” Frischknecht said.

According to Blick, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Economy Minister Robert Habeck formally proposed the plan to buy back 96 tanks in a letter to Viola Amherd, the top Swiss defense official, on February 23. They were said to have promised that the combat vehicles in question would not be sent to Ukraine. The newspaper noted that the Alpine country needs 34 of the decommissioned tanks for its own defense.

Frischknecht was quoted as saying that the army has begun to study the issue. The final decision will be up to the Federal Assembly, the country’s parliament. Arne Collatz, the spokesman for the German Defense Ministry, confirmed to reporters that Berlin was interested in the Swiss tanks, but the exact number has not yet been decided.

Although Germany and other NATO members pledged to deliver Leopard 2s to Ukraine, some European countries have since reportedly struggled to find available vehicles in their stocks. Pistorius said last month that he was “a bit shocked” that some partners “didn’t do anything” on the matter.

Switzerland, which follows a centuries-old policy of neutrality, has been reluctant to allow the re-export of its weapons to conflict zones.

The Swiss government has previously refused to greenlight the transfer of two Swiss-made 35mm anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine from Spain and around 20 Piranha III armored vehicles from Denmark. In February, the security committee of the upper house of the Swiss parliament turned down a proposal to return 30 retired Leopard tanks to Germany, citing the need to maintain a strategic reserve.

Moscow has maintained that foreign arms will not change the course of the Ukraine conflict and will be treated as legitimate targets by Russian forces.
https://www.rt.com/news/572396-germany-wants-swiss-tanks/

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3 Mar, 2023 14:44

Nobel Prize winner sentenced to 10 years

Ales Belyatsky was accused of smuggling cash and fomenting civil unrest in Belarus

A Belarusian court has sentenced Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Belyatsky to 10 years in prison on cash smuggling and breach of public order charges.

Friday’s sentence came as part of a major case against members of the Vesna (Spring) human rights center. In addition to the 60-year-old Belyatsky, lengthy terms were imposed on three other activists. All of the accused deny any wrongdoing.

According to Belarusian prosecutors, members of the human rights group cashed out hundreds of thousands of dollars in Lithuania between 2016 and 2021, after receiving the money from various foreign organizations. The funds were then moved across the border without being declared, the prosecution insisted.

The defendants were also said to have aided participants in anti-government protests in Belarus between 2020 and 2021, while financing the unrest “under the guise of human rights and charity activities.” At the time, thousands of Belarusian citizens took to the streets to protest against incumbent leader Alexander Lukashenko’s victory in the presidential election.

As well as serving 10 years in a high-security prison colony, Belyatsky was ordered to pay a fine of 185,000 Belarusian rubles ($73,000).

Belyatsky has served time in prison in the past. In 2011, he was sentenced to four and a half years on tax evasion charges after allegedly storing money in foreign banks. The activist insisted that the funds in question did not belong to him.

Belyatsky was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last October, along with the Russian and Ukrainian human rights groups Memorial and the Center for Civil Liberties. The Nobel Committee said that the laureates had “for many years promoted the right to criticize power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens.”

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