Vladimir Putin recently made comments on the seriousness of global conflicts that can lead to nuclear conflict. Patriots worldwide should pay close attention as the globalists build their dangerous nuclear arsenal.
In stark contrast to attempts in numerous western countries to stifle free speech online, Russian President Vladimir Putin defended Internet freedom during a conference...
A prominent Swedish lawmaker asserts that Hungarian billionaire George Soros's influence on European politics and policies make him "one of the most dangerous men,"
Russia must develop the capability to destroy the US in a single
swift blow if it wants to persuade the Americans to end the nuclear
arms race and return to the negotiating table, military expert
Konstantin Sivkov said.
In order to curb the
aggression from the West, Moscow shouldn’t compete with Washington in
number of nukes, Sibkov wrote in a new article. The president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems believes that an “asymmetrical response” would work much better for Russia, as it is able to produce nuclear weapons with a yield of more than 100 megatons.
If “areas with critically dangerous geophysical conditions in the
US (like the Yellowstone Supervolcano or the San Andreas Fault)” are targeted by those warheads, “such an attack guarantees the destruction of the US as a state and the entire transnational elite,” he said.
The
production of around 40 or 50 such mega-warheads for ICBMs or
extra-long-range torpedoes would make sure that at least a few of them
reach their target no matter how a nuclear conflict between the US and
Russia develops, the expert said.
Such scenario “again makes a large-scale nuclear war irrational and reduces the chances of its breakout to zero,” Sivakov said.
The possession of such weapons by Russia is what would finally make
Washington start talking to Moscow and give up on its sanctions policy
towards Russia, the expert said.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump warned Russia and China that Washington intends to build up its nuclear arsenal until “people come to their senses.”
Trump
reiterated his commitment to unilaterally abandon the landmark
Intermediate Nuclear Forces in Europe (INF) treaty, saying that “Russia has not adhered to the agreement,” neither in form or in spirit.
Moscow decried the US plans, saying that an American withdrawal from the INF would “make the world more dangerous.”
The Russian presidential press-secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said that Trump’s words were “a de facto declaration of intent to launch an arms race,” adding that Russia would act to protect its national interests in view of statements like this.
In
recent years, Moscow and Washington have repeatedly accused each other
of violating the 1988 INF deal. While the US has alleged that Russia has
developed missiles prohibited by the treaty, Russia insists that the
American anti-missile systems deployed in Eastern Europe can actually be
used to launch intermediate-range cruise missiles.
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has hit the
ringleaders responsible for a terrorist attack on a military parade in
Ahvaz on September 22, which killed 30 people and injured over 60. READ
MORE: https://on.rt.com/9fi4
If the US cares as much about the concept of sovereignty as
President Donald Trump claims, it should stop interfering in the affairs
of other countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says.
Statements by top US
officials clearly show which country is actually interfering in the
affairs of other nations, Lavrov said during a press conference on the
sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Friday.
The foreign minister cited Kurt Volker, the US special representative for Ukraine, as an example. “It
would be fine if Volker talked about reconciliation in Ukraine. All he
talks about is how Russia is to blame for everything,” Lavrov said.
“And
then he takes the liberty of saying things like ‘Russian people deserve
freedom’ – that’s the US special representative for Ukraine speaking –
‘And the Ukrainian experience should inspire Russian people.’”
"You can probably figure out from this who is calling for meddling and who isn’t."
If
the US actually took seriously its own statements about countries
worldwide being sovereign, it would be a very welcome development, the
Russian foreign minister stated, reflecting on Trump’s speech at the UN
General Assembly.
“Trump, among other things, stated that he firmly backs the sovereignty of each nation in the world; I strongly support this,” Lavrov said.
A minute-by-minute account of the Il-20 downing shows Israel's
culpability and either its military bosses' lack of appreciation of
relations with Moscow, or their control of commanding officers, the
Russian defense ministry said.
"We believe that the blame for the Russian Il-20 aircraft tragedy lies entirely with the Israeli Air Force,"
said spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov, before revealing a
detailed account of events leading to the downing of the Russian Il-20
military aircraft on September 17. The plane was shot down by the Syrian
air defense units as Israeli's F-16s effectively used it as a cover
during the attack on its neighbor.
The report featured previously
undisclosed radar data and details of communications between Russian and
Israeli militaries, and concluded that "the military leadership of
Israel either has no appreciation for the level of relations with
Russia, or has no control over individual commands or commanding
officers who understood that their actions would lead to tragedy."
On the evening of
September 17, the Russian Ilyushin IL-20 with 15 crew on board was
circling over the Idlib de-escalation zone on a special reconnaissance
mission, when four Israeli F-16 fighter jets left their country's
airspace and flew over the neutral Mediterranean waters towards the
Syrian coast. The Israeli Air Force gave the Russian side less than a
minute's warning before dropping the precision-guided glide bombs,
leaving virtually no time for any safety maneuvers, Konashenkov said,
calling such actions "a clear violation of the 2015 Russian-Israeli agreements."
Moreover,
the Israeli military failed to provide the location of their jets or
properly specify their targets, claiming they were going to attack
several 'industrial facilities' in northern Syria, close to the Il-20’s
area of operation. The misinformation prompted the Russian Command to
order the recon plane back to the Khmeimim air base. The Israeli jets,
however, instead almost immediately attacked the western Syrian Latakia
province.
"The misleading information provided by the
Israeli officer about the area of strikes did not allow the Russian
Il-20 airplane to move timely to a safe area."
Once
the Syrian air defenses responded to the initial strike, the Israeli
jets switched on radar jamming and pulled back, apparently preparing for
another attack. One of the jets then approached the Syrian coast –and
the Russian plane which at that time was preparing to land– again.
The Israeli pilot must have been well aware of the fact that the Il-20
has a much larger radar cross-section than his F-16, and would become a "preferred target"
for the Syrian air defense units, who use different friend-or-foe
systems with the Russians, Konashenkov said. Thus, for the Syrians, the
reconnaissance plane could appear as a group of Israeli jets.
"The Israeli jets saw the Russian Ilyushin Il-20 and used it as a shield against the anti-aircraft missiles, while they carried on maneuvering in the region," Konashenkov said during the news briefing.
"The actions of the Israeli fighter pilots,
which led to the loss of life of 15 Russian servicemen, either lacked
professionalism or were an act of criminal negligence, to say the least."
Finally,
the Israeli jets carried out their maneuvers in the immediate vicinity
of the Khmeimim air base, which is used both by military and civilian
aircraft, including passenger planes, the ministry's spokesman
emphasized, saying that the reckless actions of the Israeli pilots could
also have posed a threat to any passenger or transport aircraft that
may have happened to be there at that time.
Israel 'crossed the line of civilized relations' with 'ungrateful response'
Israel's
negligent behavior amounts to a flagrant violation of the very spirit
of cooperation between the countries, Konashenkov stated, noting that
Russia has never broken its commitment to the deconfliction agreement –
it has always informed Israel about their missions in advance and has
never used its air defense capabilities against the Israelis, even
though their airstrikes sometimes put the Russian servicemen in danger.
Russia has sent as many as 310 notifications to the Israeli Air Force
Command, while the latter appeared to be reluctant to show the same
level of commitment, notifying only 25 times even though its jets
carried out more than 200 strikes against targets located in Syria over
the past 18 months alone.
"This is an extremely ungrateful
response to all that has been done by the Russian Federation for Israel
and the Israeli people recently," Konashenkov said.
The Russian military supported the Syrian military operation in the Golan Heights to "ensure there were no shelling attacks on Israeli territory" anymore, thus allowing the UN peacekeeping mission to resume patrolling of the contested border between Syria and Israel after "a six-year hiatus."
Russia also managed to secure the withdrawal of all Iran-backed groups from the Golan Heights to a "safe distance for Israel," more than 140 kilometers to the east of Syria, the spokesperson said, adding that this was done at the request of Tel Aviv. "A
total of 1,050 personnel, 24 MLRSs and tactical missiles, as well as
145 pieces of other munitions and military equipment were withdrawn from
the area," Konashenkov told journalists.
The Russian Defense
Ministry had provided assistance in preserving Jewish sacred places and
graves in the city of Aleppo. Putting Russian Special Forces soldiers'
lives in danger, it also organized the search for the remains of some
Israeli servicemen that died during the past conflicts in an area where
the Syrian forces were combating Islamic State (IS, former ISIS)
terrorists at that time.
"In view of the above, the hostile actions
committed by the Israeli Air Force against the Russian Ilyushin Il-20
aircraft cross the line of civilized relations."
While
Israel said that it mourned the deaths of Russian troops, the IDF
statement following the incident shifted all the blame for the incident
solely on Damascus, and its Iranian and Lebanese allies.
Spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova conducts her weekly press briefing on current foreign affairs in St. Petersburg.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May won’t demand that the EU countries’ leaders slap new sanctions on Russia over the Skripal case at their summit in Salzburg as she understands that this is unrealistic, a source in the European Council told TASS.
"We do not expect that she [May] will ask to introduce new sanctions since she understands that this is unrealistic now, and there is no legal basis for this," the source said on the sidelines of the two-day informal high-level meeting on Thursday.
According to the source, the UK prime minister is expected to ask the EU countries’ leaders to speed up the implementation of the June summit’s decisions, which were made after the discussions on the situation around the Salisbury poisoning. In particular, the EU countries’ heads of state and government agreed to create a new mechanism of introducing sanctions to fight against the use of chemical weapons.
Britain claims that former Russian military intelligence officer convicted in Russia for spying for the UK Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were affected by a nerve gas of the Novichok class in Salisbury, England, on March 4. The British government claimed that Russia was highly likely involved in this incident. Moscow strongly dismissed all speculations on that score, saying that neither the Soviet Union nor Russia had ever had programs for making such agents.
On September 5, the UK prime minister told the British parliament about the secret services’ conclusions regarding the investigation of the March 4, 2018 Salisbury incident. The conclusion suggested that they had become targets of a special operation by agents of the Russian military intelligence service GRU.
Scotland Yard released a package of photos supposedly showing the two Russians who had poisoned the Skripals. The official story made public by the British authorities suggests the two men entered the country 48 hours before the poisoning. They held official Russian passports issued in the names of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov. In an interview with RT, the two men rejected the claims.
After the tragic downing of a Russian military plane on Monday night off
the Syrian coast, the blame game is intensifying between the main
parties, directly or indirectly involved in the incident.
US President Donald Trump has once again criticized Jeff
Sessions, telling The Hill in an exclusive interview that he “doesn’t
have an attorney-general” and that he’s “very disappointed” with
Sessions.
I don’t have an attorney-general. It’s very sad
Trump told Hill.TV in an exclusive interview in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
He went on to say that he “didn’t see” what was coming when he nominated Sessions for the role.
“I’m
so sad over Jeff Sessions because he came to me. He was the first
senator that endorsed me. And he wanted to be attorney-general, and I
didn’t see it,” he said.
In true Trump fashion, he then went on to state that Sessions performed "very poorly" in the nominating process.
...I
mean, he was mixed up and confused, and people that worked with him
for, you know, a long time in the Senate were not nice to him, but he
was giving very confusing answers. Answers that should have been easily
answered. And that was a rough time for him.
Trump
has long expressed his frustration with Sessions for recusing himself
from the Russia investigation in March, after it emerged that he had
held two meetings with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the
presidential race and had not disclosed them to the Senate during his
confirmation hearing.
“He gets in and probably because of the
experience that he had going through the nominating when somebody asked
him the first question about Hillary Clinton or something he said ‘I
recuse myself, I recuse myself,’" Trump said.
“And now it turned out he didn’t have to recuse himself,"
Trump said, referring to the fact that the FBI wrote in a 2017 email to
a Sessions aid that Sessions did not need to reveal contacts with
foreign government officials that were made in the course of his work as
a senator. That email was made public in December.
As speculation
continues to swirl on whether Trump will fire Sessions, the president
declined to provide a straightforward answer.
“We’ll see what
happens. A lot of people have asked me to do that. And I guess I study
history, and I say I just want to leave things alone, but it was very
unfair what he did,” he said, referring to his decision to recuse himself from the Russia probe.
We’ll see how it goes with Jeff. I’m very disappointed in Jeff. Very disappointed
The
Tuesday comments aren't the first time that Trump has publicly slammed
Sessions. Earlier this month, he took to Twitter to accuse Sessions of
damaging the chances of Republicans in the November mid-term elections
through Justice Department investigations.
Two long running, Obama era, investigations of two very popular Republican Congressmen were brought to a well publicized charge, just ahead of the Mid-Terms, by the Jeff Sessions Justice Department. Two easy wins now in doubt because there is not enough time. Good job Jeff......
In August, Trump told Fox News that Sessions has allowed Democrats to control the Justice Department and get away with "subversion" of his administration.
“I put in an attorney general that never took control of the Justice Department, Jeff Sessions,” he told the "Fox and Friends" morning program. “It’s sort of an incredible thing.”
Sessions fired back, saying in a statement: “I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in."
In May, the US president admitted that he regrets appointing Sessions as attorney-general.
Rep.Trey Gowdy, “I don’t think so, I think what the President is doing is expressing frustration that Attorney General Sessions should have shared these reasons for recusal before he took the job, not afterward. If I were the President and I picked someone to be the country’s....
....chief law enforcement officer, and they told me later, ‘oh by the way I’m not going to be able to participate in the most important case in the office, I would be frustrated too...and that’s how I read that - Senator Sessions, why didn’t you tell me before I picked you.....
A region in western Ukraine has decided to ban public displays
of pretty much anything in Russian, claiming the move is necessary to
preserve unity in the country. The authors want the ban to go
nationwide.
The Lvov region's legislature voted on Tuesday to impose a moratorium on the "public use of Russian-language cultural products in all forms," with 58 votes in favor, exceeding the 43 necessary.
The "moratorium" is to remain in place until there is "a full de-occupation of Ukrainian territory," practically making it a permanent ban.
In addition to banning Russian songs, films, books and…
whatever else, the lawmakers said they would recommend a similar ban to
the national parliament. They said rooting out the Russian language was
necessary "to protect the Ukrainian information space from hybrid
action by the aggressor-state [Russia] and reverse the consequences of
many years of Russification."
The ban is the latest in a long
string of attacks on the Russian language in Ukraine, where it
continues to be the largest minority language, used by millions in daily
life, despite years of antagonism with Moscow.
Last year, the
government imposed harsh quotas on broadcasters, requiring no less than
75 percent of their content to be in Ukrainian. Dozens of Russian books,
films, and TV series have been banned for things like showing Russian
law enforcement officers in a positive way (therefore, there are no more
Russian crime dramas in Ukraine).
People using Russian may also face harassment in Ukraine. Speaking Russian in the Ukrainian parliament is usually met with angry shouts from "patriotic" MPs and discouragement
from whoever is presiding at the session. One representative last year
was simply barred from ending his speech, even though he was not fluent
enough in Ukrainian to meet to the demands.
There
is also a lot of pressure to abandon the Russian language on the public
level. More outspoken figures like writer Larisa Nitsoy or former MP
Irina Farion regularly share their latest outrage over how schools teach children too much math and physics and too little Ukrainian literature, or say
that speakers of Russian should not have access to education or jobs in
Ukraine. But there are those with less extreme rhetoric working to make
Russian undesirable.
The language issue has been
divisive for Ukrainian society for decades. When the Bolshevik
government attempted to undermine Ukrainian nationalism and separatism
in the wake of the revolution, it added a large portion of historically
Russian land. The integration was not all smooth, especially since
people living in what is now eastern Ukraine were forced
to learn Ukrainian, read the Ukrainian-language press, and otherwise
change their ways. The result of that period of Ukrainization was far
from conclusive.
After splitting from the Soviet Union and
becoming an independent state, Ukraine faced similar problems as its
government tried to establish a new national identity for its people.
Over the years, Ukrainian gradually gained ground, but the
change was too slow for the nationalist segment of the nation. And of
course, neighboring Russia was a major influence on culture in Ukraine,
keeping Russian alive.
The 2014 armed coup in Kiev and subsequent
conflict with Russia brought the nationalist agenda to the forefront in
Ukraine. In fact, one of the first acts of the new leadership was to
scrap a language law which guaranteed a special regional status for
Russian. This was a major factor in the pushback that arose in the east
of the country, which led to a rebellion and the current frozen
conflict.
The pursuit of language superiority brought Ukraine into
conflict with other neighbors last year when it passed a new education
law, under which the right of Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, and
Russian minorities to have their children taught in their preferred
language was seriously undermined.
The countries involved were
outraged, with Hungary going as far as pledging to undermine any attempt
by Ukraine to have closer ties with NATO. So far, Bucharest has been
delivering on its threat.
Will Russia-Israel ties suffer after downing of Il-20 military plane off Syrian coast?
Moscow and Tel Aviv had long enjoyed fairly good ties despite
the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East, but they are now at risk as
Russia blames Israel for the downing its warplane off Syrian coast and
the crew's death.
Although the plane was
technically shot down by a Syrian missile, Russia made it clear who it
blames in the tragedy, saying that Israeli pilots used the Russian Il-20
as a cover.
The Middle East historically remained a place of bitter
rivalries. Tension grew increasingly high after the Arab Spring brought
more havoc to an already complex region, riddled with colliding
interests and clashing ambitious of various actors, large and small.
Nevertheless, Russia and Israel had always managed to keep good
relations.
This year alone President Vladimir Putin met
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu three times, and every time
the media didn’t get much details from closed-door discussions. Through
delicate behind-the-scenes diplomacy Moscow maintained a close, working
relations with Israel. The fact that it’s one of US closest allies was
never an issue for Moscow. Russia itself kept developing ties with
Turkey and Iran, Israel’s arch-nemesis, while managing to address
Israel’s concerns too.
For Russia, Israel is not only an important, geopolitical partner with alleged
nuclear capabilities, situated in the heart of the world’s most
turbulent region. It’s also home of about 1.3 million expats from
post-Soviet countries. This large diaspora plays a significant role for
Russia when it tailors its approach to Tel Aviv.
Even the war in Syria, where Israel - in hopes of curbing Iranian influence - supported and armed controversial anti-government militants, didn’t result in a serious crisis in relations with Russia.
Over the course of the conflict, the IDF had conducted numerous airstrikes against targets in Syria and even launched missiles
at Syrian jets. Each attack was strongly condemned by both Syria and
Russia who had been pointing out that any military incursion into the
country without the government’s and UN’s approval is illegal.
But
the raid on Latakia and the collateral damage in a form of a downed
Russian military plane can inflict grave damage on the relations between
the states. Israel stands firmly against the strengthening of the
Turkish or Iranian grip in the region, so its recent actions may be an
attempt to remind everyone that the Syrian crisis has other stakeholders
involved. Especially, since just the day before the tragic incident
with the Russia plane Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep
Tayyp Erdogan reached a settlement on the situation around Idlib, the last militant stronghold beyond the control of the Syrian government.
Missile attack targets several locations in Syrian coastal city of Latakia - state media
Syrian air defenses have engaged missiles targeting the area of
Latakia, a city in the coastal province that is the home of Russia’s
Khmeimim Air Base.
According to the state
SANA news agency, the attack targeted the Technical Industries Agency
headquarters in Latakia, owned by the Syrian military. Reports from the
area refer to “powerful explosions” heard in the city.
Breaking: Syrian air defenses activated in Latakia and Baniyas (Tartous). Reports of Israeli airstrikes
There are no reports of casualties at this time.
Syrian media report that a “number of missiles”
have been shot down. Multiple reports from the area speak of an attack
by missiles launched from drones. It is unclear whether only the Syrian
air defense batteries have been engaged, or if the Russian air defenses
around Khmeimim are taking part as well.
Multiple local reports
are accusing Israel of launching the strikes, but there has been no
independent confirmation of that. Another possibility suggested by local
media is that the drone attack was launched by jihadists in Idlib.
#Syria state TV shows the HQs of the Technical Industries Agency in #Lattakia in flames after being targeted by missiles in “an aggression from unknown source” pic.twitter.com/UsOlspySbn
The attack comes just hours after Russia and Turkey negotiated a
partial demilitarization of the Idlib province, which is the last
remaining stronghold of anti-government militants, including the
Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (also known as the Jabhat
Al-Nusra).
Syrians are electing their local councils during first municipal
elections since the start of the lingering seven-year war. Polls have
opened on Sunday shortly after an overnight airstrike hit Damascus
airport.
As many as 6,551 polling
stations opened on Sunday morning with Syrians invited to vote for their
representatives in local councils, state news agency SANA
reported. It said over 40,000 candidates are contesting 18,478 seats.
Polls will be closed at 7.00pm local time, and authorities have said
they took all necessary precautions to keep the ballot boxes safe and
secure.
Today’s local elections, the first to be held since the
conflict broke out in 2011, comes amid continued violence in various
parts of the war-ravaged country. On Saturday night, an airstrike –
purportedly carried out by Israeli jets – hit Damascus international
airport causing several explosions.
Worrying news also come from
Idlib, where the Syrian army braces for its major offensive on the
militants-held stronghold. Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed
chlorine-filled canisters were delivered by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated
fighters to stage a false flag attack that would be used to accuse the
Syrian government of using chemical weapons against its people.
Nevertheless,
efforts to bring lasting peace to Syria still carry on. Recently,
Russia, Turkey and Iran have called on all armed groups in Idlib and
beyond to lay down arms and seek a peaceful transition in the country.
Leaders of the three nations had previously met in Astana in May, where
they agreed to push for negotiations between its government and
opposition groups, which agree to cease hostilities.
The format
brought together representatives of the Syrian government and armed
opposition groups at the negotiating table – something previous efforts
by the international community had failed to do.
Aside from the
diplomatic efforts, Russia it actively engaged in humanitarian
activities in Syria. Russian military personnel have defused thousands
of explosive devices left by terrorists and brought tons of much-needed
aid to Syrian provinces liberated from terrorists.
Syrian Army air defenses have intercepted several “Israeli
missiles” over Damascus International Airport, state news agency SANA
reported, citing a military source.
“Our air defense systems thwarted an Israeli missile aggression,” the source said. A SANA reporter meanwhile reported sounds of explosions in the vicinity of the airport.
An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment on the reported incident, when approached by Reuters, saying “we don't comment on foreign reports.”
The
agency released a short video showing what it says is an anti-aircraft
missile in flight over Damascus. Another video, released by the Syrian
news website Muraselon, supposedly shows an anti-aircraft missile being
launched and then exploding mid-air. Due to the low quality of the
footage it remains unclear if that projectile scored a hit.
Israel
has repeatedly bombed locations in Syria, including military
installations around Damascus. Israeli military rarely comments on
attacks against the neighbor, yet it had previously acknowledged
targeting weapon and munition storage facilities and command centers.
Tel Aviv has asserted that its strikes are aimed to counter the alleged
Iranian military buildup in Syria, while Damascus has condemned such
attacks as aggression against the country.
Peering into the abyss: The Syrian Arab Army is determined to liberate
Idlib and to eliminate the terrorists there. Thus, essentially ending
this international proxy war. The U.S. and its regional allies are dead
set against this. Why is the Trump administration siding with
terrorists?
CrossTalking with Adel Darwish, Afshin Shahi, and Naim Salem.
Moscow is aware of who the people named as suspects in the
Skripal case are, President Vladimir Putin said, adding that these
people are civilians.
Saying that there is “nothing criminal” about the two, Putin also hopes that the people in question will eventually come forward and talk to the media.
“I
want to address them [the suspects]... [I hope] they contact the media.
I hope they appear and tell everything about themselves,” he said, addressing the audience during the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in the Russian city of Vladivostok.
Earlier in September, UK prosecutors named two
Russians they suspect of poisoning Sergei Skripal and his daughter in
Salisbury this March. According to London, their names are Alexander
Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov. Russia denies any involvement and accuses
Britain of spinning the case to stir anti-Russian sentiment.
Beyond identifying them as Russian nationals, the prosecutors gave no indication as to who the men are.
After
London again blamed Russia, implying that officials at the highest
levels of power could be responsible for the poisoning, Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov rebuffed the allegations. “Neither
Russia’s top leadership nor those with lower ranks, and [Russian]
officials, have had anything to do with the events in Salisbury,” he said at that time.
The
Kremlin spokesman added that Putin didn’t personally speak to the two
individuals identified by the British authorities as suspects in the
case. Russian law enforcement has not made any moves to prosecute them,
Peskov said.
According to the investigators, the suspects who
arrived in Britain from Moscow left traces of the poison used in the
attack in the hotel room they stayed in. They were also caught on CCTV
cameras in Salisbury twice, including on the day of the attack, and
traveled back directly to the Russian capital.
This
trail of evidence from the supposedly highly-trained perpetrators casts
doubt over Moscow’s involvement, according to a number of security
experts. “It seems very strange that these people have absolutely
left what seems to be a very reckless and clear trail of evidence, which
almost seems to be designed, or at least would almost inevitably lead
to, the conclusions that the police and the authorities have come to
today, in other words that Russia were to blame,” Charles Shoebridge, a security expert and former British military officer, told RT.
Annie
Machon, a former MI5 intelligence officer, said the inquiry into the
case has effectively turned into a trial by media, based on “bits of evidence that may look pretty compelling but will never be tested in a real court of law.”
London
also insists that a counterfeit Nina Ricci perfume box was used as
container and delivery device for the chemical used in the poisoning. It
was later found by Charlie Rowley in the town of Amesbury, not far from
Salisbury. They also claim that the noxious agent was in a bottle that
had been altered to make it “perfect cover for smuggling the weapon
into the country and a perfect delivery method for the attack against
the Skripal’s front door.”
Reacting to the prosecutors’
statement, Russian envoy to the UN Vasily Nebenzya joked that the nerve
agent attack has so far had only one benefactor – Nina Ricci.
As US threatens sanctions over S-400 purchase India's dollar holdings decline even as total reserves grow
The world's second biggest gold consumer continues to replenish
its bullion reserves, a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) report shows. At the
same time, New Delhi is slowly but surely reducing its share of US debt bonds.
The annual report from the Indian financial regulator reveals that
the country followed other BRICS partners in adding physical gold to its
foreign exchange reserves. The RBI reportedly bought 8.46 metric tons
of gold during the last fiscal year ending in March. As of the end of June, the country’s central bank held 566.23 metric tons of gold against 557.77 metric tons a year ago. The RBI purchased gold for the first time in nearly a decade. The regulator acquired 200 metric tons of the precious metal in 2009 shortly after the global financial crisis.
According to the RBI, India’s international reserves rose by five percent from June 2017 to June 2018 in comparison to the 6.3 percent growth seen in the same period in the previous year.
“Diversification of India's Foreign Currency Assets
continued during the year with attention being ascribed to risk
management, including cybersecurity risk. The gold portfolio has also
been activated,” the report added.
Meanwhile, the country’s share of US sovereign debt saw a gradual decline from $157 billion in March to $148.9 billion by May, according to the latest US Treasury report.
Eliminating US sovereign bonds has recently become a trend among
major holders. According to the latest statistics, Russia dumped 84
percent of its holdings during 2018, while Turkey’s share of US
Treasuries fell by 42 percent during the first half of the current year.
At the same time, Japan and China, the biggest holders of the US papers also reduced their shares, albeit insignificantly.
Liberteon