Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow, October 30, 2024
- North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui’s official visit to Russia
- Sergey Lavrov’s participation in the International Conference on Eurasian Security
- The 16th Russian World Assembly
- Sergey Lavrov’s participation in the Creating the Future International Symposium
- Sergey Lavrov’s participation in the Valdai Discussion Club
- Sergey Lavrov’s working visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan
- Ukraine update
- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's accusations against Russia's Armed Forces regarding strikes on Ukraine's port infrastructure
- The developments in Moldova and Russian-Moldovan relations
- American media’s insinuations on Russia’s biological activities
- International Criminal Court’s annual report
- Europol’s report on the dismantling of an international organised crime group operating along the Belarusian-Polish border
- Parliamentary elections in the Republic of Uzbekistan
- Russian participation in UN World Food Programme projects in Central Asia
- International nomination for the All-Russian Award For Fidelity to Science
- 80 years of the Battle for the Arctic during the Great Patriotic War
- The 70th Anniversary of the Revolution in Algeria
- The 95th birthday anniversary of Yevgeny Primakov
- International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists
- National Unity Day
- Josep Borrell’s statements
- Energy cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan
- Washington’s involvement in Israeli attacks against Iran
- ECHR’s decisions regarding Russia
- The role of US media in the country’s presidential election
- Russia-DPRK contacts
- Russia-China lunar research cooperation
- US presidential hopefuls
- Countering discrimination of Russians and Russian speakers in third countries
- UN Secretary-General’s participation in the Kazan BRICS Summit
- Georgia update
- Russia-DPRK Treaty on a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and sanctions pressure against the DPRK
- Approaches by BRICS countries to settling the crisis in the Middle East
- Mediation efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui’s official visit to Russia
As was agreed during the Russia-DPRK summit in Pyongyang in June, on October 30, Foreign Minister of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Choe Son-hui will travel to Moscow on an official visit to hold strategic consultations with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Details and schedule will be announced additionally.
Sergey Lavrov’s participation in the International Conference on Eurasian Security
As you know, on October 31 – November 1 Minsk is hosting the 2nd International Conference on Eurasian Security. Representatives of the political, expert, and analytical communities from about 40 countries are expected to take part in it. The Russian delegation is led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The conference aims to hold an open and inclusive discussion on the prospects of Eurasian security in the context of chronic military and political contradictions between key players and the almost complete lack of communication between them.
The 16th Russian World Assembly
On November 2−3, Moscow will host the 16th Russian World Assembly, the largest annual event of the Russkiy Mir (Russian World) Foundation, which unites about 300 of the most active and prominent science and culture figures, Russianists, translators, philologists, writers, and journalists who speak Russian, as well as representatives of the Russian diaspora abroad.
Delegates from 20 Russian regions and 78 countries, including all CIS states, are expected to participate. Participants from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East will be widely represented. Despite the unfriendly countries’ official policy, numerous delegates from Europe, Canada and the US will actively participate in the work of the Assembly.
Welcoming remarks to the participants of the Assembly are sent by the highest officials of our country. At the opening ceremony, addresses from President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, and Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko will be read.
The Assembly will be opened by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, and Presidential Advisor Yelena Yampolskaya, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Russkiy Mir Foundation.
The theme of the current Assembly is Spiritual and Moral Values of the Russian World.
The event participants will discuss topical issues of preserving, strengthening, and developing of the Russian-speaking space and tools to promote and support the Russian language across the globe, spiritual and moral values and ideals inherent in the Russian world, as well as the importance of culture in upholding historical truth in the context of the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Victory, and the role of the Russian world in countering destructive neoliberal ideology.
The event will also include the premiere of a new documentary film, The Main Russianist of the Planet, created by the Russkiy Mir TV and Radio Company with the support of the Presidential Grants Fund and the Russkiy Mir Foundation, and dedicated to Lyudmila Verbitskaya, founder of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, an outstanding philologist and public figure.
Sergey Lavrov’s participation in the Creating the Future International Symposium
On November 4, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will participate in the Creating the Future International Symposium.
Scheduled for November 4−6, the symposium is timed to coincide with the opening of the Russia National Centre, as per Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision. The symposium is to demonstrate the intellectual leadership of our country in building an appealing image of the future. Its purpose is also to become a platform for dialogue between representatives of states, businesses, the academic and cultural communities, to discuss scenarios of human development, technological advancements and the social changes they entail. Representatives of 40 countries have confirmed participation to date. They will represent their nations and speak about matters important to them. It is always a pleasure for us to give our foreign guests an opportunity to share their points of view.
It is expected that Sergey Lavrov will address the session The Future of a Multi-Polar World. Some of the topics he will cover in his remarks include modelling contours of the future world, the main trends in global development, multipolarity as the norm of international life, and the role of Russia as one of the main poles of the forming world order.
There is no doubt that the symposium will invoke a wide positive response around the world. The symposium emerged as an answer to the calls from citizens of Russia and other global powers to promote Russian views and opinions in the international context on the most topical issues of modern times.
I am certain that the forum will contribute to developing contacts and expert-led examination of the topics that are now vital for the entire humanity. I have already listed many of them.
Sergey Lavrov’s participation in the Valdai Discussion Club
On November 6 in Sochi, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the 21st Valdai International Discussion Club. The event’s topic is A Lasting Peace and Free Development: Equal Opportunities and Security for All in the 21st Century.
As always, the discussion will bring together leading Russian and foreign experts. The Minister will offer his view of the current situation in the world, comment on major international events and developments, clarify key Russian initiatives in foreign policy, and answer questions.
Sergey Lavrov’s working visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan
On November 6−7, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will pay a working visit to Kazakhstan.
The Minister will hold talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu.
They will focus on preparations for the planned state visit by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In the spirit of Russia-Kazakhstan strategic partnership and alliance, the parties will discuss the bilateral agenda and topical international issues of mutual interest. They will exchange opinions on cooperation within shared integration platforms, mainly the EAEU, CSTO, CIS and the SCO.
During his trip, Sergey Lavrov will also meet with the faculty and students of a higher education institution in Astana.
As always, we will inform you about the course of the Minister’s visit – not only in the form of announcements but also in the form of detailed press releases on the talks held, including with photo and video content. Follow us on the Foreign Ministry’s social media pages and on the official website.
On October 25, 2024, we marked Donetsk People’s Republic’s Flag Day. This celebration has stood as a symbol and testament to the freedom, strong spirit and courage of the people of Donbass since 2014, when they joined Russia in its selfless effort to counter and defeat neo-Nazism, which took root and prospered on Bankovaya Street. Today, the Russian Armed Forces are steadily advancing their positions along the frontline, bringing peace to the liberated communities. The effort to rebuild civilian infrastructure is underway.
We are convinced that DPR’s entire territory will soon be free from Banderites and neo-Nazi ideology. This day will come, and it will happen soon. We believe that sooner or later this will happen in Ukraine too. After all, there is no place on our planet for Nazism or neo-Nazism.
At the same time, this ideology which has taken root on Bankovaya evolved from Nazism, neo-Nazism into what de facto amounts to international terrorism. The Ukrainian Nazis have been relentless in their efforts to terrorise civilians in Russia by shelling them with artillery or targeting them with combat drones on a daily basis.
Between October 22 and 29, 2024, the Belgorod Region was targeted by 410 shells and 210 UAVs, leaving one dead and eight civilians wounded. These incidents damaged 105 residential buildings, including 10 apartment blocks.
One civilian died, 26 were wounded, including two girls, born in 2011 and 2012, and 13 residential buildings were damaged in the DPR over the same period. On October 27, 2024, a civilian bus and a school suffered from drone attacks in Gorlovka. Three people were wounded in these attacks. The Banderites have been targeting civilians and residential buildings with 155 mm artillery systems, which is a NATO standard. They fired over 255 shells, including cluster munitions.
I would like to elaborate on these atrocities, since foreign mercenaries were also involved in them. Russian law enforcement agencies are receiving evidence and testimonies of war crimes perpetrated by Ukrainian fighters and foreign mercenaries in the Kursk Region, as well as in other liberated territories.
Investigative agencies took over 130 fighters belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces into custody after capturing them along the Russian border. They are suspected of taking part in war crimes, including against civilians.
When the Ukrainian Nazis retreated from Borki, a village in the Kursk Region, in late October 2024, they opened fire against the Church of the Holy Sign Painter, and planted mines near its entrance. Why did they do this? Nobody knows. And how was this even possible? What was it, if not an effort to destroy Orthodoxy and Christianity in Ukraine? They recognise it whenever they have no other choice. They claim that this is just an effort to transfer these assets to a fake pseudo church. Did those representing the Ukrainian authorities mine the church entrance for the sake of their own parish goers? What a monstrous thing to do!
According to the Russian military, they targeted a group of six evacuated civilians in Chasov Year who fled the city and were heading towards our troops for protection. The Banderites launched a barrage of fire, killing everyone who tried to flee this area in a merciless manner. All six civilians died. Let me reiterate that these were civilians fleeing from the Banderites.
There is a video circulating online showing people from Ukrainsk, a liberated city, talking about the bloody executions by Ukrainian fighters of locals who refused to leave their homes. Among these victims, they mentioned a woman with a child. They talked about the outrage people suffered there, including the execution of an innocent person in his own home for refusing to take off a St George ribbon.
We have testimonies of Ukrainian fighters shooting at and killing two civilians while intoxicated by narcotic substances during their retreat from Pylnoye in the Kharkov Region. The Ukrainian Nazis also sold psychotropic substances and medicines they had received as humanitarian aid.
The list of crimes committed by the Kiev regime is much longer. I have only provided a few examples. Russia’s investigative agencies are registering all of them. Everyone guilty of them will be called to account in accordance with the law.
Russian courts continue to pass judgement on Ukrainian neo-Nazis and mercenaries for the military crimes they have committed based on evidence collected by the Investigative Committee.
Ukrainian soldier Alexey Khmara has been sentenced to 22 years in a high-security prison for the execution of a civilian in an organised group in Mariupol in March 2022.
Ukrainian fighter Yevgeny Yermolenko has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. His accomplices – Dmitry Pavlovsky and Eduard Petrov – have been sentenced to 24 years each for the mortar shelling of Mirny in the Kalmiussky District of Mariupol in March 2022, which resulted in the death of a civilian.
Swedish mercenary Skillt Kell Mikael has been given a 25-year sentence (in absentia) for fighting with the nationalist Azov Battalion in Ukraine’s war against the militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic in 2014‑2015 and during Ukraine’s special operations against the DPR military and the Russian armed forces in 2022.
French mercenary Demont Kevin Philippe Patrick and Georgian mercenary Rati Burduli have been sentenced to 14 years in prison (in absentia), and Georgian citizen Giorgi Kinoiani was given a 7-year sentence (in absentia). They have been put on the international wanted list.
To date, investigation into 59 criminal cases of mercenaries’ involvement in hostilities on the side of the Ukrainian armed forces has been completed and 27 sentences have been adopted. Once again, these are the sentences adopted for mercenaries.
None of the Ukrainian criminals and their accomplices will avoid punishment.
The representatives of Russia provided facts of the Kiev regime’s inhuman activities at an informal Arria-formula meeting of the UN Security Council on the systematic violations of international humanitarian law by members of the Ukrainian Army in Russia. It was held at Russia’s initiative in New York on October 25, 2024. These reports were delivered by Ambassador at Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Rodion Miroshnik and Chairman of the International Public Tribunal on Ukraine Maxim Grigoryev. A. Zuyev, a resident of the village of Giryi, Belov District of the Kursk Region, who had witnessed the Ukrainian invasion, spoke about the atrocities committed by the Bandera followers.
The speakers provided extensive evidence of the crimes committed by the Ukrainian invaders against civilians, undeniably proving the terrorist and Nazi essence of the Kiev regime.
Ambassador at Large Rodion Miroshnik provided the statistics of the horrifying crimes based on numerous facts. Since January 2024, the Ukrainian Nazis have fired over 70,000 munitions at civilian facilities, injuring 4,733 civilians in the Russian regions, 718 of whom were killed. The Bandera followers deliberately targeted communications, bridges and roads to cut off evacuation routes for the locals, and continue to forcibly detain civilians.
Chairman of the International Public Tribunal on Ukraine Maxim Grigoryev demonstrated the videos of interviews with the victims of atrocities committed by the Ukrainian invaders and foreign mercenaries in the Kursk Region. That information, videos and other documentary materials are clear evidence of the Nazi essence of the contrived atrocities committed by the Ukrainian Nazis, including the shooting of civilians, torture, deliberate drone strikes on residential houses, looting, and the mining of villages and other civilian facilities (like the church I have mentioned just now).
Zuyev spoke about the Ukrainians’ deliberate drone attacks on villagers and social facilities, as a result of which 20 houses were burned. He said that the area around the village was mined to increase the suffering of the villagers. There was no military explanation for that. The damages were essentially punitive. The monsters, who invaded our country and did the same 80 years ago, have become the banner of Ukraine’s terrorist activities.
The speakers emphasised the criminal role of the West, which not only supplies the Kiev regime with weapons and helps it to use them, but also cynically ignores the atrocities Ukraine is committing, which, in fact, makes the West complicit in its crimes. To reiterate, these crimes have no statute of limitations.
The representatives of Western countries present at the meeting had no substantive objections to offer.
Together with eyewitnesses, we will continue to let the international community know the truth about the crimes committed by the Ukrainian armed forces. This truth cannot be hidden or obscured. It will serve as an eternal reminder of how representatives of Western countries, regimes and aggressive blocs disgraced themselves by developing the projects called “the Kiev regime” and “anti-Russia” and putting them into action.
In this context, we have taken note of an October 27 publication in certain US media. It is a story of war crimes against civilians committed by Ukrainian military in the Kursk Region, which cites eyewitness testimony.
Naturally, the West has nothing to refute it. At the same time, slandering and mud flinging continues on their part. Western functionaries continue to rival each other’s Russophobic rhetoric, making groundless accusations against Russia.
Following the outgoing head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, whose false statements we commented on just 10 days ago, representatives of the European Parliament made insinuations about the alleged killings of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia.
The EU parliamentarians, blinded by their hatred of Russia, continue to use tactics from their handbook, which essentially boil down to slandering our country as much as possible and repeating these lies until they appear to be true. They are not interested in the truth; they never notice or comment on the numerous crimes that Kiev neo-Nazis commit against non-combatants or POWs. At the same time, the evidence is literally out there in plain view: videos of torture, executions and reprisals against Russian POWs. They are available on social media and other online resources. Moreover, obtaining the footage in question does not take any digging – the perpetrators of these executions are publishing it themselves. These materials are posted on social media by mercenaries who witnessed or actually participated in the atrocities displayed. They publish this content themselves. Moreover, some of the Western media have provided links to it.
However, Western politicians are not interested in any of this. Their words, actions and thoughts are fully dedicated to one Russophobic goal – to inflict a “strategic defeat” on our country, as they put it. They talk about it openly. It’s their idée fixe.
They will never succeed. Political adventurers of all stripes have been cherishing such plans for centuries, seeking world domination. They wanted our resources and territory. They had to subjugate us or destroy us to have it, but they failed to defeat Russia. They will fail again. This has been proven by history itself.
Angered and frustrated by their failures, they are attacking civilians, targeting the most vulnerable victims – women and children. They are fighting the Russian language as well. We have been highlighting the increasing discrimination against the Russian language. In fact, Ukraine has almost officially declared its extermination. This policy is taking increasingly perverse forms. Taras Kremen, Ukraine’s Commissioner for the “protection” of the Ukrainian language, said in an interview on October 24 that “soft Ukrainisation” has been replaced by an “assertive” one now, which “entails strict control over compliance with the language law in all aspects of Ukrainian society without exception.” Have you heard anyone announce at a human rights forum or humanitarian conference that to protect one language you have to exterminate another? Unless we count the Third Reich, no country has ever adopted this kind of policy. However, this is the ideology that the Kiev regime is promoting in Ukraine. What do you think this means?
It turns out that the earlier ban on using the Russian language anywhere, except households, was a “soft form” of Kiev’s linguistic discrimination policy. Obviously, anyone uttering something in their native language will not just be fined (as before), but they will face more brutal repressive measures. Quite possibly, they will even be incarcerated and subjected to compulsory treatment at the behests of Taras Kremen who unexpectedly discovered his own medical prowess and who called bilingualism “linguistic schizophrenia.” I wonder, does the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau know how his wards are calling bilingual native speakers? He probably does not. Has UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay (who is called on to protect culture in general and to oversee linguistic issues) heard anywhere that, according to the Kiev regime, bilingual children are now diagnosed with linguistic schizophrenia? Does Switzerland (that provides Ukraine with humanitarian aid that supports it in every way) know how bilingual people are called? It probably does not know. Let them read Taras Kremen’s discourses. These are monstrous things. Do you know what is even worse? Taras Kremen himself said that he continues to use the “non-state” language. How can this be explained? If he is suffering from schizophrenia, he should receive treatment, instead of insulting others. On the one hand, this could have been an isolated incident. But this is the Kiev regime’s real state policy. What next?
“Linguistic inspectors”, who will round up imprudent fellow citizens, have started working in some Ukrainian cities already this week. This is an established fact. Have you ever seen such linguistic inspections anywhere? (We are not talking about the Third Reich here.) I know historical examples of how the Americans and others ranted and raged in various parts of the world. But I never heard that they forced people to speak a different language, while occupying any specific country. However, they are now conducting this experiment in Ukraine. I would not be surprised if they start patrolling the streets together with officials from military recruiting centres in order to kill two birds, or Ukraine’s Russian-speaking residents, with one stone. Former Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council Alexey Danilov once said that the Russian language must disappear completely from the Ukrainian territory. No one had any idea how they would do this. Now it is clear that the Kiev regime will be killing these people.
These facts confirm the topicality of the special military operation to de-nazify and demilitarise Ukraine and to eliminate threats emanating from its territory. All of its goals will certainly be achieved.
We have taken note of the press release on the official website of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, wherein accusations are made on behalf of Keir Starmer against the Armed Forces of Russia, alleging strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure in the Black Sea. These actions are purportedly aimed at undermining global food security.
Such unfounded, yet vociferous, outrage from London once again highlights the contrary – the direct involvement of the United Kingdom in supplying arms to the Kiev regime through the Black Sea maritime corridor. Relevant video evidence depicting military cargo at the port of Yuzhny in the Odessa Region has recently been published by the Russian Defence Ministry, rendering any denial of this fact utterly futile.
We perceive this pained reaction from the British authorities as indicative of their true intentions regarding Ukraine, which seem to prioritise the delivery of lethal weapons to the Kiev regime over the security of grain shipments. It appears that Downing Street is not inclined towards resolving the conflict but is instead taking measures that prolong it, thereby extending the suffering of the Ukrainian people.
I would also like to note that these insinuations by the British have been addressed by our Embassy in London.
The developments in Moldova and Russian-Moldovan relations
In a few days, on November 3, the second round of the presidential election will take place in Moldova.
The current election campaign in this country is characterised by an unprecedented level of repression. Moldovan politicians, independent media, opposition figures, public activists, and those who endeavour to uphold the truth are facing repressive measures. Official Chisinau appears disinclined to conceal the utilisation of administrative resources in the organisation of electoral procedures. This occurs amidst extensive intervention by the collective West in the internal affairs of the republic, all under the guise of countering the purported Russian threat.
Nevertheless, even the manipulated outcomes of the so-called referendum revealed that, despite the efforts of official Chisinau to "twist" the results, they have not managed to deceive the people, but only succeeded in altering the outcomes by mere fractions of a percentage. The official results for Maia Sandu and Chisinau were ultimately unsuccessful.
The citizens of Moldova are acutely aware of the situation. They remember their country's illustrious history and its deep-rooted connections with Russia. Despite the current portrayal of our country as an "enemy," with fabricated narratives, the people recall the genuine bonds that unite us. Since the era of Dimitrie Cantemir, Russia has been a trusted friend, playing a significant role in the preservation and development of Moldovan statehood and national identity. Here are the facts.
Following the signing of the Bucharest Peace Treaty in May 1812, the territory between the Dniester and the Prut, namely Bessarabia, became part of the Russian Empire. From that point, a period of revitalisation of the war-torn Moldavian lands commenced. Between 1819 and 1859, the urban population surged from 43,000 to 196,000. The total population increased 7.5 times from 1812 to 1917. According to the first Russian census of 1897, the Bessarabian Province was among the three most populated territories of Russia.
The regional economy experienced positive growth trends: in the first half of the 19th century, the area dedicated to grain crops expanded more than fivefold, from 97,200 dessiatines in 1814 to 516,800 in 1861. There was also rapid development in horticulture, vegetable cultivation, and the production of industrial crops. Between 1819 and 1858, vineyard areas increased from 10,500 to 24,800 dessiatines, with wine production tripling during this period.
Bessarabia’s transport system saw significant development, with railway lengths surpassing 850 km by the early 20th century. In 1917, the Bender locomotive depot housed 253 locomotives, making it the largest on the South-Western Railway.
Significant attention was given to advancing education. A theological seminary was established in Chisinau in 1813, followed by a secular boarding school in 1816. By the 1860s, Bessarabia had 400 schools of various types, educating over 12,000 students. While textbooks and manuals were generally sourced from St Petersburg, some were developed and published locally in Chisinau. These are documented facts and the authentic history of the Moldovan people, not narratives fabricated abroad and promoted through figures like Maia Sandu and others advancing anti-Russian malarkey.
The Soviet era was marked by challenges, but we endured them together. There were also significant achievements during this time, which represented the peak of the republic’s industrial, socio-economic, scientific, cultural, and intellectual potential. The Soviet authorities focused heavily on promoting the national identity of the Moldovans, encouraging the development of folk art, professional arts, and literature. This emphasis on culture had a positive impact on residents’ well-being, which in turn influenced the demographic landscape. From 1940 to 1990, the population of the Moldavian SSR grew by nearly 77 percent, rising from 2.46 million to 4.36 million people. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the foundations laid during the Soviet period sustained Moldova’s economy throughout its years of independence.
Since the country gained its independence, Russia has always been a reliable partner for Moldova and its residents. The peoples of our countries share strong business, cultural, humanitarian, and personal ties. The Moldovan diaspora in Russia is estimated to be between 300,000 and 500,000 people, while over 220,000 Russian citizens reside along the banks of the Dniester. For many Moldovans, Russia remains an attractive destination for education, employment, healthcare, and starting families. Many people from both our nations live together harmoniously. To counter this, they established the regime of Maia Sandu.
We recognise and appreciate this attitude. In light of the anti-Russian campaign initiated by the collective West, we are doing everything we can to ensure that our response to these unfriendly actions does not impact the ordinary citizens of Moldova. Despite Chisinau’s alignment with the economic sanctions imposed against Russia and the “register of damage,” we remain committed to fulfilling our obligations under the gas contract signed in October 2021. This agreement allows Moldova to receive affordable electricity generated at the Cuciurgan Electric Power Station.
The history of Moldova clearly demonstrates that the key to preserving its sovereignty and national identity lies in fostering good-neighbourly relations with our country, grounded in the principles of equality, mutual respect, and shared benefits. This approach aligns with the fundamental interests of our nations, who share deep historical and cultural connections. We support the preservation and enhancement of ties with the friendly Moldovan people.
Can we truly expect that the second round will adhere to democratic norms, considering the events of the past months, weeks, and days? It’s challenging to say. How can we simply overlook or dismiss the repressions faced by those who hold differing opinions, especially when they are targeted with Western funding by individuals who have settled in and are now cloaked in their official status in Chisinau? I would like to wish the Moldovan people strength, courage, and faith in their own abilities, their country, their history, and their identity.
American media’s insinuations on Russia’s biological activities
We have noted fake stories on Russia’s activities in the sphere of biology in the American media.
We regard these attacks as part of the US propaganda campaign to discredit Russia’s activities and initiatives in the field of biological security. Once again Washington is disseminating unfounded claims against Moscow based on speculation about some military-biological programme and thereby violating the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC). These speculations are completely groundless.
We regard these fake stories as an attempt to divert the international community’s attention away from its own untransparent and shady activities in this sensitive sphere carried out in circumvention of the BTWC (primarily in Ukraine). The analysis of the projects carried out in Ukrainian laboratories allows us to conclude that biological weapons components were being developed in the immediate vicinity of Russian territory. Our reasonable questions on this matter still remain unanswered and require solution. We will continue trying to press the US, which is a BTWC depository, to comply with its obligations under the Convention and settle the current situation.
Once again, we would like to stress that Russia’s biological activities are purely peaceful and are carried out in strict accordance with international law, including the BTWC. In particular, this can be proven by the information Russia provides annually as part of the BTWC confidence-building measures.
We will continue to advocate for the immediate strengthening of the Convention, primarily by resuming work on a legally binding Protocol to the BTWC with an effective verification mechanism, which the United States has been blocking since 2001. We will continue to insist on implementing Russian initiatives aimed at strengthening the institutional foundations of the BTWC.
Our proposals to create a mechanism for investigating possible violations of the obligations provided for by the Convention, as well as to improve confidence-building measures by including information on military biological activities abroad by participating states in annual reporting deserve special attention.
International Criminal Court’s annual report
On October 28, 2024, the UN General Assembly reviewed the annual report of the so-called International Criminal Court (ICC).
The report reaffirmed our previous conclusion: this agency has long since become the embodiment of not just double standards and inefficiency, but also monstrous hypocrisy. It has finally and irrevocably lost the right to be called an institution of justice, having turned into Western states’ obedient tool for solving geopolitical problems over the years.
The ICC’s biased and one-sided “justice” is clearly visible in its attitude to the numerous war crimes that NATO countries committed in Afghanistan, Libya, and Iraq. The ICC has always hushed the horrific atrocities of its Western patrons diligently. The number of victims of NATO aggressions was estimated at hundreds of thousands. Many international organisations spoke of millions of civilians killed in Iraq, but not a single sentence was passed and no one requested any arrest warrants.
The ICC has also completely failed to investigate the situations in Libya and Darfur that were once referred to it by the UN Security Council. In Libya, its clumsy fakes were used in an attempt to justify NATO’s unfounded and unprovoked armed aggression against that country. In Darfur, this court’s unlawful attempt to prosecute the current head of state torpedoed the peace process and led to a major crisis in the ICC’s relations with African countries. In the past, the ICC officials’ pathological fixation on Africa even forced the African Union to adopt a strategy for the region’s countries to withdraw from the Rome Statute. It was not fully implemented due to Western pressure, but the ICC’s subsequent trajectory confirmed the decision was correct.
Let me remind you that this pseudo court has the annual budget of $200 million, which is seven times higher than the budget of the main judicial body of the United Nations, the International Court of Justice. Meanwhile, constant complaints about the lack of funds once again demonstrate the complete dysfunction and blatant unprofessionalism of this body. The untransparent mechanism of supposedly voluntary contributions amounting to many millions of dollars is also worth noting, as well as the assistance provided by sending ICC personnel to individual investigations of interest to the collective West. In fact, this pseudo court is nothing more but a smokescreen for custom-made trials paid for and carried out by the United States and its satellites.
Washington's position provides a particularly telling example for understanding the nature of the ICC and the collective West's attitude towards it. The United States is not a signatory to the Rome Statute; however, when convenient, it actively seeks to utilise this body against other nations, offering encouragement and commendation. In other instances, it threatens the ICC and its administration with sanctions, which were indeed imposed following the prosecutor's office of the “court” attempting to address crimes against Palestinians. The United States has enacted legislation prohibiting cooperation with this institution and placing numerous restrictions on interaction therewith. This includes an act still in force today, known among international legal experts as the Hague Invasion Act, which permits the use of any means, including force, to liberate Americans and allies detained by the ICC. This is not the legalisation of banditry, but rather lawlessness masquerading as law. In 2022, the United States provided exemptions to these laws exclusively in the context of the Ukrainian narrative. It is evident that we will never witness similar exemptions for investigations into crimes in Palestine. Conversely, during the recent discussions at the United Nations General Assembly, we were treated to a brazen declaration by the American delegation, purporting that the United States condemns the pressure exerted on the ICC.
The recent episode concerning Ukraine's ratification of the Rome Statute was indeed a theatre of the absurd. The Kiev regime managed to ratify it with the proviso that for seven years the ICC would have no jurisdiction over war crimes “committed by Ukrainian citizens.” There exists only one condition for participation: they shall be part of this organisation without the possibility of being convicted. This is a “top performance.” All of this unfolds amidst an armed conflict in which the military, guerrillas, and mercenaries under the control of the Kiev regime have already committed a plethora of documented war crimes, which we discuss routinely.
Yet, what is most egregious is that these crimes continue to be perpetrated not only within the Ukrainian conflict zone but also on other continents. Africa stands as testament to that.
The West, in effect, has granted its vassal, the Kiev regime, a complete indulgence. Now, any party to an armed conflict might emulate the example set by the Ukrainian authorities by, on one hand, signing the Rome Statute, and on the other, absolving itself from liability thereunder, utilising this pseudo-court as a political weapon against the opposing party. This represents a distorted, perverted notion of legality, reduced to utter absurdity.
Where is the professional international community and legal fraternity directing their attention? It is apparent where the international organisation's focus lies. Anglo-Saxon envoys and “cowboys” have established a firm grip there. They are organised into associations and convene at conferences and events where they purport to discuss the nuances of international law. However, these are not mere nuances but a stark display of lawlessness. Where are those who advocate for combating impunity directing their gaze? This situation transcends mere impunity; it is the legitimisation of it.
The ICC's actions concerning the situation in Palestine have devolved into a theatrical performance. Initially, a British prosecutor proclaimed across media outlets the intention to request arrest warrants for Israel’s leadership. Subsequently, the United Kingdom itself impeded the process by exploiting a loophole in thirty-year-old Palestinian-Israeli agreements, purportedly questioning the ICC's jurisdiction in this matter. Consequently, instead of investigating crimes, The Hague is preoccupied with delineating its own jurisdictional boundaries. The objective is transparent – to create a facade of activity while effectively prolonging the resolution of the issue. It is pertinent to recall that the ICC's Office of the Prosecutor has been investigating the situation in Palestine for nearly a decade, including the recent year during which Gaza has been the focal point of a humanitarian crisis. The ICC's inaction concerning the West and its allies, juxtaposed against its conspicuous urgency towards their adversaries, reaffirms that this institution is divorced from the pursuit of justice.
We must also address the news on the ICC website regarding the initiation of an investigation into its prosecutor, British national Karim Khan, on charges of sexual harassment. It is noteworthy that shortly before the issuance of controversial arrest warrants against Russian leadership, Mr Khan's brother, who was serving a sentence for a similar offence, was released early from a British prison. Such an Addams family, indeed.
Meanwhile, the malformed structure of the Rome Statute positions the prosecutor as the pivotal figure within the ICC. He singularly determines which cases to investigate, at what pace, whom to charge, and the allocation of resources. Absent his involvement, no case can proceed to the judiciary. It is advantageous for the West to have such an individual in this role – a vast field for potential blackmail and manipulation. When a particular decision was required, his brother was released. When control over him was desired, “clouds began to gather” around him. The situation is banal and straightforward.
Allow me to remind you that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that decisions taken by many countries and their representatives within international organisations are coerced by the West through blackmail, threats, and direct pressure. This is an illustration of such tactics in action.
It is perplexing why, in light of these evident realities, many nations of the Global South continue to harbour hopes for the ICC’s positive contribution towards eradicating gross international crimes. The entire history of this institution demonstrates that such hopes are illusory, a chimera. It is not merely an illusion, but something far more sinister.
Indeed, the UN General Assembly, out of inertia, adopted the customary laudatory resolution. Russia voted against it. The wording of the document is completely detached from reality. Even the 17 ICC signatories who refrained from supporting the resolution recognise this, and their numbers have increased over the year.
We call upon all responsible members of the international community to unite in resisting the blackmail and dictates of the collective West, to cast off these shackles, and to embrace genuine freedom. It is a challenging pursuit, but one of great worth. We cannot allow the world to become ensnared by a puppet entity that propagates “crooked justice” rather than true justice.
In light of the Europol press release issued on October 24 regarding the elimination of an international organised crime group on the Belarusian-Polish border, allegedly involving Russians and Belarusians, we would like to highlight the following points.
We believe that preventing and combatting illegal activities, particularly those of a transnational and cross-border nature, is a fundamental responsibility for all 192 parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2000.
At the same time, we observe yet another instance of Russophobic hysteria in the EU’s portrayal of its supposed successes in establishing impenetrable barriers to illegal migration. There is a clear exaggeration of the alleged “Russian connection,” which is unrelated to Europol’s actual objectives. This narrative aligns with the EU’s campaign against hybrid threats that it claims are coming from our country.
In this context, Europol, as a politicised EU institution, serves as another tool for containing Russia, even in areas where such politicisation is harmful and dangerous. We would like to remind you that Europol has a history of political bias, which has significantly intensified in recent years. To serve political interests, unverified information about the circumstances and individuals suspected of involvement in crimes within Europe is disseminated. The objective is clear: to reassure the electorate in EU countries who are concerned about illegal migration and related crime. Moreover, this information tends to follow a predictable pattern, often portraying Russians and Belarusians as the primary perpetrators.
Europol chooses to overlook the significant demand for cheap, often illegal labour in Europe, which is a primary driver of illegal migration flows. The Hague also avoids addressing the underlying causes of migration from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria – countries that have been heavily affected by the cynical foreign policies of the collective West.
It appears that such press releases are intended solely to justify their miscalculations and mistakes, which are framed as political decisions but are, in fact, the root causes of many issues currently plaguing the EU due to its ineffective migration policy.
Parliamentary elections in the Republic of Uzbekistan
On October 27, elections were held for the Legislative Assembly of the Oliy Majlis (parliament) in the Republic of Uzbekistan.
This year’s elections marked the first time the republic employed a mixed electoral system, with 75 seats allocated through party lists and another 75 through single-mandate constituencies. According to the Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan, the overall voter turnout exceeded 74 percent.
We closely observed the election campaign and the voting process. At the invitation of the Uzbek authorities, Russian representatives participated in international observation missions (CIS, SCO, OSCE/ODIHR) as well as in a bilateral format (through the Federal Assembly, the Central Election Commission, and non-governmental organisations).
Based on our evaluations, the elections were transparent, competitive, and fair, conducted in full accordance with Uzbekistan’s updated Constitution and Electoral Code, with no significant violations reported.
The election results reflect the will of the Uzbek people and create an opportunity to further advance the course set by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in building a New Uzbekistan. This is a moment for us to congratulate the people of Uzbekistan.
Russian participation in UN World Food Programme projects in Central Asia
One of the most successful and efficient forms of cooperation between Russia and the UN World Food Programme is implementation of state projects on the development of sustainable school meal systems in the needy countries.
The purpose of such projects is to help the governments of developing countries in setting up own school meal systems. At the initial stage this includes methodological assistance in establishing their own legal framework, as well as logistic aid in creating the necessary infrastructure. I mean equipment for kitchens and lunch halls, school greenhouses and orchards. The final component of this type of project should be the transfer of the school meal programme control and management system from the World Food Programme to local communities and national authorities.
To date, Russia, jointly with the WFP, has implemented a series of such programmes worth over $120 million. Some of them are in the pipeline. The largest and most successful are in Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Since 2013, Russia has contributed more than $28 million to the World Food Programme for a school meal project in Tajikistan. The effectiveness of our donor assistance in this area is evident from the figures. Thanks to Russian financial and expert support, about 450,000 primary school pupils in 2,000 schools in 53 districts of the republic are now provided with hot meals on a regular basis. Fifty-five kitchens and canteens have been renovated in secondary schools and will soon be transferred for the account of the Tajikistan Government and financed from the state budget.
Since 2020, Russia has also been funding projects in Nicaragua, Cuba and Jordan, and starting from 2021, in Cambodia, Laos and Sri Lanka.
In addition, we are supporting the project of food aid to Syria by allocating $4 million to equip school dining halls and kitchens and integrate local farmers into the social insurance system.
In Mozambique the school meal project is being carried out under an innovatory plan – debt in exchange for development. It boils down to a step-by-step conversion over five years of the country's debt to Russia into financing for a World Food Programme project on school meals for a total amount of $40 million.
The Institute of Sectoral Nutrition Autonomous Non-profit Organisation, which proved its high competence and efficiency in the CIS, is the contractor from the Russian side.
International nomination for the All-Russian Award For Fidelity to Science
The 10th anniversary ceremony of awarding the All-Russian Award For Fidelity to Science, aimed at promoting scientific achievements, raising the prestige of scientific activity and the development of professional scientific communication was held on October 28.
It is delightful that this year the prize was awarded for the first time in the category Russian Science for the World (a category named in honour of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky). This enables us to once again highlight the contribution of Russian science to global progress and the importance of international scientific cooperation for the accomplishment of our country's goals as part of the Decade of Science and Technologies.
It is even more encouraging that the first winner in this nomination was our long-standing and reliable partner – the International Festival SCIENCE 0+. This is the largest educational project in the popularisation of science, which has been implemented since 2006 both in Russia and abroad.
The key objectives of the festival are to attract young people to science and technology, to foster interest in research through interactive involvement, and to establish a dialogue between science and society. The traditional audience of such annual festivals are schoolchildren, students and young scientists. Over the entire period of the event, the festivals have attracted more than 20 million visitors.
This year, SCIENCE 0+ International Festivals were held with great success in Belarus and China. Preparations are underway to hold them in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and for the first time in Cuba. We hope for further expansion of their geography.
On our behalf, we will do everything possible to let the educational mission of the SCIENCE 0+ Festival go on in the friendly countries notwithstanding any intrigues, artificial barriers and restrictions the West has somehow placed in our way. We understand well enough how difficult it is. Those (including academics, NGOs), who are overcoming these obstacles deserve all possible praise.
80 years of the Battle for the Arctic during the Great Patriotic War
The Soviet troops launched an offensive in the Murmansk Region and in Northern Karelia on October 7, 1944, in an effort to free their land from Nazi invaders.
This marked the beginning of the Red Army’s Petsamo–Kirkenes offensive. Its objectives included expelling the enemy force from the Soviet Arctic and Far North territories, as well as assisting Norway’s liberation. Carried out by the Karelian Front, it was also supported by the Northern Fleet.
It took three weeks of intense fighting to defeat the occupying enemy troops. Dozens of Soviet and Norwegian communities were liberated by October 29, including Petsamo, Kirkenes, and Neiden. Combat action in the Arctic ended by November 1, with Norwegian resistance fighters making a significant contribution to helping the Soviet troops deliver on their mission.
The Petsamo–Kirkenes offensive entered the annals of the Great Patriotic War as a symbol of heroism and resilience of the Soviet warriors. This is how King Haakon VII of Norway described the USSR’s liberation mission: “The Red Army won the war on the eastern front. It is this victory which paved the way to liberating the Norwegian territory in the north.”
Unfortunately, Norway has firmly established itself as one of the most hostile nations in the way it has been treating Russia lately, and has sought to escalate confrontation in the Arctic. Oslo has been proactively involved in the efforts led by what it calls its main allies to militarise the north and transform it into NATO’s military range instead of preserving this region as a platform for multilateral dialogue. At the same time, Norway has stepped up its efforts to upgrade its own military and has blown its defence spending out of proportion.
The Norwegian authorities have been gradually, and steadily, moving away from their policy of refraining from hosting foreign military bases in time of peace. They have been hard at work laying the groundwork for getting rid of all self-imposed restrictions on holding military exercises with their allies in northern regions in the immediate vicinity of the Russian border.
Norway has long turned into a bridgehead where military personnel from NATO countries can practice and exercise their skills in polar conditions. But who is the enemy they are targeting? They have made no secret out that their target is Russia. Held in Norway’s northern regions in March 2024, the Nordic Response 2024 exercise gathered 20,000 military personnel from 13 countries, including Finland and Sweden. The scenario for this exercise mentioned a state located to the east of Norway invading and occupying part of Finnmark in northern Norway. Who could this possibly be?
As usual, Oslo tends to blame Russia for its own militarist aspirations by casting them in the public space as efforts to ensure stability in the Arctic. The people of Norway may be totally unaware about how they are being used.
We regret to witness the way the Norwegian authorities and experts have been seeking to discredit our shared historical past by blatantly distorting the events involving the liberation from the Nazis of Norway’s northeastern regions by the Red Army in October and November 1944.
We would like to warn them against their unscrupulous attempts to intentionally re-write history while following a politically tainted agenda and their vested, subjective preferences. You need to know history as it actually happened, while these far-fetched historical narratives do nothing but discredit present-day Norwegian authors and cast their professional competence into doubt.
October 25, 2024, marked the 80th anniversary of liberating Kirkenes. On this day, members of Russia’s Consulate General in this city, as well as our compatriots who live in Norway, together with local civil society activists, held a wreath laying ceremony at the monument to the Soviet soldier. They did it despite immense pressure from the local Russia-haters. The Foreign Ministry would like to thank everyone who took part in this event for attending it and honouring the memory of these heroes.
Russia released a stamped envelope to mark this anniversary. It is titled: 80 years of Liberating the Soviet Arctic and Northern Norway as part of the Petsamo–Kirkenes Offensive.
The 70th Anniversary of the Revolution in Algeria
On November 1, Algeria celebrates Revolution Day. On this day in 1954, the Algerian people took up arms to fight for independence. Their struggle came to fruition in 1962, when the Evian Accords were signed, securing peace, and the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria was proclaimed, ending 132 years of French colonial rule. The brutal eight-year war of liberation claimed 1.5 million lives in Algeria.
Today, the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria is a recognised regional leader and an active participant in the African Union, the League of Arab States and other multilateral associations. It is also a major contributor to the African continent’s development, its stability and security.
Algeria is one of the key partners of the Russian Federation. The Declaration on Enhanced Strategic Cooperation between Russia and Algeria, signed in June 2023, is a clear example of this. We value our good relations with this country. We maintain an intensive political dialogue and expand multifaceted mutually beneficial ties on various tracks, including trade, economic, defence, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation.
Ahead of the forthcoming major anniversary, we would like to wish our Algerian friends peace, well-being and prosperity.
The 95th birthday anniversary of Yevgeny Primakov
Another important date for the national diplomacy: October 29 marked the 95th anniversary of the birth of Yevgeny Primakov, an outstanding Russian politician, statesman and public figure who headed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1996-1998.
I think that you are well aware of who Yevgeny Primakov was from numerous monographs and memoirs. It is extremely important to draw upon his legacy, his works, which reveal the etymology of crises in the Middle East, the dynamics and root causes of world conflicts.
Yevgeny Primakov’s life was a vivid example of selfless service to the Fatherland and firm dedication to defending national interests. He played a major role in strengthening the modern Russian statehood, and his name is forever inscribed on the glorious pages of Russian history.
For us, diplomats, it is especially important that Yevgeny Primakov made an invaluable personal contribution to building the conceptual foundations of modern Russia’s foreign policy, such as independence, autonomy, pragmatism and a multi-faceted approach. In the 1990s, when [certain thinkers] tried to insinuate that the “end of history” had come, that the unipolar, American-centred international system was here to stay, Primakov formulated and vigorously promoted multipolarity, a truly pioneering concept at the time. Today, his ideas have been proven valid by the very course of history, the evolution of international affairs. The BRICS Summit that President of Russia Vladimir Putin recently chaired in Kazan was a distinct confirmation of this.
Yevgeny Primakov was a wise leader and a sharp thinker. His supreme professionalism and unquestionable moral authority, combined with proactive consideration for the ministry staff and each rank-and file employee, helped to preserve and enhance the capacity of the national diplomatic service and, ultimately, to effectively implement our country’s foreign policy. The ministry employees keep warm memories of working under his leadership.
Yesterday, ministry employees laid flowers at Primakov’s grave at Novodevichy Cemetery and at the memorial on Smolenskaya Square. We shall continue to cherish Yevgeny Primakov’s memory.
International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists
November 2 will be the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. Observed for the 11th time, it was established as per a resolution of the 68th UN General Assembly session in 2013 to emphasise the importance of this topic. The sad truth is that despite the fact that we now have this official date on our calendars, the situation in terms of ensuring security for media professionals and journalists, and in the media industry in general, or in terms of ensuring imminent accountability for the crimes they suffer deteriorated instead of improving. There are no norms, rules, rights, rule of law or moral principles anymore in this regard.
Over the past year alone, four Russian journalists – Boris Maksudov, Semyon Yeryomin, Valery Kozhin, and Nikita Tsitsagi – died at the hands of the Kiev regime fighters who have made no secret of their terrorist activities. The fact that Yevgeny Poddubny, as well as Alexey Ivlev, an NTV correspondent, survived targeted drone attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, was a miracle. They are literally seeking to hunt down Russian frontline correspondents. The press badges they wear no longer protect them from reprisals. Instead, these badges make them a target. Russian journalists have become the primary targets for those who declared war on freedom, including the freedom of speech. Unfortunately, targeted by the neo-Nazi killers, the Russian journalists have become the primary victims in the fight opposing truth to lies, or peace and freedom to falsehood.
Not only does the Vladimir Zelensky regime refuse to persecute those who perpetrate these terrorist attacks, or condemn them in its political rhetoric, but it has been de facto encouraging these people to carry on with their bloody crimes. Earlier in 2024, we learned about Gonzalo Lira, a US and Chilian journalist who died in Ukrainian captivity. However, it seems that we were the only ones to raise this issue. They tortured and then killed him. Since then, nothing suggested that those responsible for killing this man were held to account, despite the fact that they killed him for his beliefs and for performing his professional duties. On the contrary, even the US and Chilian authorities, whose passports this tortured journalist had, pretended that nothing happened. They did not mention him in any of their reviews or reports, have not issued a single press release on this topic, or held any press conferences, or established a scholarship or award bearing his name. They did not do anything to perpetuate the memory of a person who was a professional journalist at the cost of his life.
Russia has been using all the possible platforms to call on everyone to put an end to the Myrotvorets terrorist platform for many years now. The Kiev regime uses it to identify its ideological opponents and designate its targets, so that it can later cross out those who get killed. And for all these years, advanced democracies – the United States and Canada – have been hosting the servers containing this database. These countries could have demonstrated their commitment to defending journalists and ensuring their safety a long time ago by preventing crimes targeting media professionals. However, this platform has been operating in a continuous and uninterrupted manner.
Meanwhile, the Anglo-Saxon repressive machine focused on taking down and destroying Julian Assange by forcing him to buy his freedom in exchange for confessing to a crime concocted by the distorted American justice system. The Australian told the story of this painful quid-pro-quo in person, speaking into a microphone at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. This is how the West promotes freedom of expression and fights impunity. This is the way it views this topic.
The recent escalation in the Middle East led to an immense human tragedy, leaving tens of thousands of civilians dead, or possibly even more than 100,000, including an unprecedented number of media professionals. There were at least 150 of them killed in Gaza and Lebanon. Just last week, we released a comment on the death of three journalists from Lebanese television networks in an Israeli airstrike targeting the town of Hasbaiyya in southern Lebanon. Is there any reason to expect all this to end? Not at all. On the contrary. Everything points to the fact that those paying lip service to the freedom of speech, pretending to support journalists and ensure their safety will make the media and journalists their primary targets. In fact, they are seeking to eradicate any dissent in all its forms and manifestations, be it using traditional media tools, as well as the new media, blogs, etc.
This stands in contrast to the ideals of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. And there is a simple explanation for that. Those who are supposed to fight impunity for crimes against journalists have become criminals. They use various methods for suppressing any dissent and seek to impose political censorship. In their hypocrisy, Western countries have cast aside all their international commitments to defending the freedom of accessing information by creating an atmosphere of impunity and outrage with their own hands, forgiving themselves, and their subjects, any acts of aggression, terrorism or oppression targeting media outlets and journalists they view as undesirable. They are ready to forgive any kind of crime there is. They can now act as they please.
Washington and its key accomplices have been relying on their citizens working in international human rights agencies, as well as their financial resources to make the international system for ensuring media freedoms unworkable. They silenced everyone, while trampling upon and destroying all institutions which could have raised their voice or scribbled a few lines on social media only a couple of years ago. We do not see that anymore. International officials tasked with responding to any violations targeting the legitimate media rights promptly obey by either remaining silent instead of sounding the alarm or attacking those designated as enemies by the West with their false and treacherous reproaches.
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists will recover its original sense and meaning when all states and non-state actors, such as professional associations, and those in between the two, start living up to their international commitments in full. Otherwise, this day is doomed to becoming a date on the international calendar which is devoid of any meaning, or would stand as a reproach to the international community for completely distorting its original purpose.
On November 4, Russia marks National Unity Day, commemorating the anniversary of the liberation of Moscow from Polish invaders in 1612.
In the early 17th century, the Russian state faced one of the hardest periods in its history, the Time of Troubles, that began after the death of Tsar Feodor I, the last ruler of the Rurik dynasty. Through conspiracies, coups and intervention, rulers and candidates for the Russian throne changed one after another. As a result, by 1610 Polish troops occupied several Russian cities, including Moscow, and most of the territory was under the rule of Polish King Sigizmund the Second.
On November 4, 1612, Kuzma Minin, the head of one of Nizhny Novgorod’s districts, and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, who were at the head of resistance movement, led the troops of people’s militia to liberate Moscow from Polish invaders. The militia consisted of representatives of different social strata, ethnicities and faiths. Liberation of the capital and solidarity of the people served as the powerful driver for the restoration of the Russian state.
In memory of that heroic event, Emperor Alexander I ordered to install a monument to Citizen Minin and Prince Pozharsky on Red Square in 1818. It is an outstanding work by Russian sculptor Ivan Martos and the first monument in Russian history to national heroes rather than rulers or military commanders. Grateful descendants bring flowers to the monument every year on National Unity Day.
National Unity Day has been celebrated since 2005 under federal law. The holiday is a tribute to the glorious past of our Fatherland; it is an important symbol and a reminder of the power of unity and solidarity of the entire multi-ethnic and multi-faith nation during the hardest of times. We celebrate this date with pride and respect for our ancestors.
Unity and accord, loyalty to traditions and moral values are the crucial conditions for Russia’s stable and dynamic development, and citizens’ peaceful life; they symbolise our confidence in the future.
Today, as the collective West is waging a major anti-Russia campaign, these sentiments are more relevant than ever. As President of Russia Vladimir Putin noted, “caring for our Fatherland, and a willingness to stand up for it and defend it has been part of the character of our millions-strong, multi-ethnic people.”
Question: On October 28, chief of European diplomacy Josep Borrell said that, due to the escalation in the Middle East, the conflict in Ukraine is now of secondary importance. “What is happening in the Middle East indicates that we have lost our sense of humanity.” <…> “We no longer talk as much about the war in Ukraine, as if it is over, but no, I assure you, it is not over; it continues with the same intensity,” Josep Borrell said. How would you comment?
Maria Zakharova: Commenting on Josep Borrell’s words is like reading out a diagnosis. We have repeatedly pointed to the wildest double standards of the European Union. In particular, we responded to Josep Borrell’s statements and his comments on the events in and around Ukraine and the developments in the Middle East.
There is one common thing between these two tragedies for the EU: it couldn’t care less about the people. It is not concerned about Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian or other victims just as it is not concerned about the fates of Ukrainians or Russians.
The EU only cares about financial and economic benefits. I could add “of its own countries” but no, not even own countries – of the “beautiful garden” and essentially, the golden billion oriented at the interests of the Anglo-Saxon parent state and nothing else. They care about scoring political points, keeping the European and American defence industry busy, putting together more pro-Western coalitions against these or those geopolitical enemies, which would allow the EU to extend this feeling of being a blossoming garden surrounded by jungles by at least some time. This is exactly what they call a rules-based world order (or should I say, a rule-based order – the rule of dictate, force and violence) under which they strive to subjugate as many countries of the Global South and East as possible.
As for the situation around Ukraine and ending the conflict, these remarks by Josep Borrell could be considered an earnest confession. Indeed, the European Union is doing everything it can to make sure the hostilities do not end but grow in size, depth and intensity. For this purpose, the EU is supplying weapons, funds, training Ukrainian militants, inventing all sorts of legal regulations (or rather anti-regulations) to deport Ukrainian immigrants to the front, creating conditions for recruiting its own citizens to the Ukrainian armed forces, spreading pro-Ukrainian propaganda, and providing a political cover for war crimes and terrorist attacks committed by the Zelensky regime.
It is not in the interests of the current leaders of the collective West and American curators to try and find a speedy political solution to the Ukrainian crisis (as Josep Borrell has admitted several times), as they continue to profit from the deaths of Ukrainians and the destruction of Ukraine, and continue to steal our assets and solve their own problems at other countries’ expense, in keeping with the best traditions of colonialism that is converting into neo-colonialism.
Question: Russia intends to increase its gas supplies to Uzbekistan via the Central Asia - Centre gas pipeline by early 2025. Are there any political and diplomatic problems today that could slow down the development of Russian-Uzbek energy cooperation? If such problems arise in the future, how effectively can we solve them through interaction between the foreign ministries and within the Russian-Uzbek Business Council?
Maria Zakharova: In October 2023, the presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan launched the supply of Russian natural gas to Uzbekistan in transit through Kazakhstan under a two-year contract between Gazprom and UzGasTrade. Today, the supply volume exceeds 5.1 billion cubic meters of gas.
Moveover, Gazprom and Lukoil are successfully implementing several projects to explore gas fields in Uzbekistan.
The parties plan to further promote their cooperation in the gas sector step by step.
There are no problems that could slow down the development of Russian-Uzbek energy cooperation or bilateral relations, with all issues addressed constructively. The topic of energy is included in the agenda of talks both at the highest and high level, between agencies and experts. Cooperation prospects in this sector were discussed during the state visit of President of Russia Vladimir Putin (May 26-28) to Uzbekistan, as well as during the official visit of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin (September 9-10).
In this context, we can say that energy cooperation has a really important place in our bilateral relations. The two countries’ foreign ministries maintain close contacts and provide all necessary political and diplomatic assistance in this sector.
Question: As noted by Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani, the United States is involved in Israel’s attack on Iran and will be held accountable for it. How could you comment on this statement?
Maria Zakharova: It is obvious for us that the Israeli airstrikes on Iran carried out on the night of October 25-26 were coordinated with the United States. Washington and several of its allies did nothing to dissuade (or to stop) Israel from this dangerous undertaking, but, moreover, showed that it had the right to take such a step in various ways. This all happened before your eyes. The US supplies Israel with weapons consistently; in fact, the Westerners have deliberately provoked a new round of escalation in the Middle East. Moreover, as far as we know, the Americans passed on the intelligence information necessary for the strikes to Israel.
These actions, which fail to lead to the essential de-escalation but entail an increase in tension in the region, obviously deserve the condemnation and the most negative assessment. This is mentioned on a regular basis by our envoys to international organisations, particularly by Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Vasily Nebenzya.
Question: On October 22, the European Court of Human Rights handed down a ruling on the Kobaliya v. Russia case, in which it sided with 107 plaintiffs who were recognised as foreign agents in Russia who failed to comply with the law. What can you say about this?
Maria Zakharova: Russia suspended its participation in the Council of Europe on March 16, 2022. Nonetheless, issues related to the European Court of Human Rights and its rulings, which it continues to hand down nonstop with regard to our country, continue to come to us, as if any of them matter.
I want to point out the fact that, for Russia, this body, which we cannot even call a court, if we use this word to imply justice, as well as other Council of Europe bodies involved in the anti-Russian campaign run by the collective West, is a nonentity.
We understand perfectly well what stands behind this. This is part of a campaign to fuel Russophobia politically and through the media. It’s a tool, a full-blown mechanism, and a weapon. It has nothing to do with courts and much less so with justice. The biased lampoons issued under the Council of Europe’s logo have pursued exclusively political goals for a long time now, and everyone knows it.
This organisation lost whatever credibility it had left by choosing a path of open confrontation with our country. Strasbourg seeks to be at the helm of any anti-Russia initiative, including creating pseudo-legal and quasi-judicial bodies at this venue. If they were to address issues within their own organisation, or even issues haunting Ukraine and its government, we could still talk about some degree of objectivity or subjectivity, regardless of our withdrawal from the Council. But what we see here is unmistakably a biased position. Clearly, the Council has no issues to deal with other than Russia. Driven by their ideology to the edge, they’ve entirely forgotten what their own Charter says and what the core principles of the rule of law and democracy are all about. Needless to say, this organisation and we are following different paths.
I’d like to point out that Russian law has set many precedents where the status of a foreign agent was reversed for individuals and legal entities when the grounds for their inclusion in the registry lost their validity. It’s a law that includes assignment and reversal mechanisms alike.
Since the Council of Europe is dealing with non-member countries, it might as well look at the United States. After all, the law on foreign agents originated in that country in 1938. The United States hasn’t repealed that archaic law, even though it sometimes leaves it unused. Americans revived it in 2016 and 2017. Have you ever heard of the United States overturning foreign agent statuses as granted under the infamous Foreign Agents Registration Act? I certainly haven’t.
On the contrary, those who fall under the US “justice” roller often choose to confess any status or any activity imposed on them in order to avoid prosecution for refusal to comply. The system works like a clock. Anyone caught in its cogs, even by a millimetre, will be pulled in whole with no chance to escape being pulverised by this infernal American grinding machine. I won’t cite any examples, since everything is clear as is.
If the United States is outside the remit of the European Court, perhaps the latter could focus on the member European countries which are many.
As a reminder, foreign agent laws have been adopted in many countries, including Britain, Australia, France, Israel, and Canada. The EU itself is exploring the idea of adopting similar legislation. Strict regulations, even stricter than Russia's foreign agent law, allow Westerners to keep in check society, identify carriers of “undesirable” information and “harmful” ideas, and block their activities. Have you heard the Council of Europe ever criticise these laws, the bodies enforcing them, or the bodies overseeing compliance? I certainly haven’t.
Meanwhile, they keep churning out critical attacks directed at Russia, China, and Georgia. Georgia is not being merely blackmailed. Blackmail implies a choice. What we see here offers no choice. It’s an ultimatum to rule out any chance for the people of Georgia to act otherwise than the Westerners want it to under the law on foreign agents. Have you seen the European Court of Human Rights or, more broadly, the Council of Europe denounce itself or those who use its name to blackmail Tbilisi? Of course, not.
We have made an unequivocal choice to disengage entirely from the Council of Europe, which has become irreversibly steeped in Russophobia and discredited itself by sticking to double standards and abandoning legal principles.
I expect this organisation to make many more attempts to interfere in our internal affairs. The Council’s utterly destructive agenda will eventually do more harm to itself than it is doing to us, potentially with a fatal outcome.
Question: With the US election only a week away, there is still no clear front-runner in the race. What is your assessment of the chances of both rivals, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris?
Maria Zakharova: It is up to the American citizens to assess their chances. It is also true that the American people themselves are suffering from the madness that the US domestic and foreign policy system has plunged into. The whole world sees that. The citizens of the United States are the ones being harmed by this new electoral game.
Even the most sacred [American] traditions are being violated. In particular, the one we in Russia find it difficult to comprehend, where media outlets support one or another candidate. One would assume the media should be neutral and objective before and during elections, not politically biased. Even these traditions have come to a standstill in the United States; this happened not because they have realised that they should be objective and refrain from any political or electoral activity, but because they are revolted by what is happening in the US today. Today’s America is an unsavoury mix of rabid rhetoric, mind-boggling fragmentation of society (not even disunity), and attempts on politicians’, presidential candidates,’ lives. The individuals who are supposed to unite society and bring the nation together have proved incapable of dialogue – they cannot even agree among themselves, even within one party, as we see in a number of cases. They show blatant disrespect and disregard for the law. Everyone has forgotten about morality, ethics, or high standards. Freedom of speech becomes commercialised, with endless advertising campaigns, or produces biased media, which practice self-censorship for fear of annoying someone or point fingers at others.
Question: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed at a news conference that North Korean troops had been sent to Russia, in particular to the Kursk Region. On the same day, October 28, DPRK Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui left for Moscow on an official visit. Before her departure, she met with Ambassador of Russia to the DPRK, Alexander Matsegora. This is Choe Son-hui’s third visit to Russia this year. Is this visit related to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine?
Maria Zakharova: A foreign policy dialogue is ongoing between the two friendly neighbouring states. This should not raise anyone’s concerns. Exchange of visits between foreign ministers is common diplomatic practice. Moscow and Pyongyang, in the spirit of high-level agreements and under the fundamental Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, aim to hold regular consultations on the current bilateral agenda and international issues. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui’s visit is a scheduled one.
During their meetings, the foreign ministers of Russia and other friendly countries regularly discuss the bilateral agenda and, naturally, international affairs, including crises around the world.
Question: Russian scientists have discovered unusual crystals in the lunar soil provided by China. In the realm of scientific research, this finding is regarded as a significant breakthrough, with the news published in Russian-language media. How do you evaluate the prospects for Russian-Chinese cooperation in deep space exploration?
Maria Zakharova: I have delved into this topic as well; it is intriguing and exhilarating. Russia-China cooperation in this field has been evolving for decades.
Russia and China hold fundamentally aligned positions advocating for the exclusively peaceful exploration of outer space on an equal and non-discriminatory basis. The highest level of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between our nations fosters the swift advancement of joint scientific research into outer space. In this regard, we place particular emphasis on the implementation of the intergovernmental agreement signed in 2022 concerning the establishment of the International Lunar Research Station.
In February 2022, during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China, our Chinese counterparts handed over to Russia 1.5 grams of lunar soil obtained in 2020 by the Chang'e-5 mission. In March 2023, during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow, Russia reciprocated by handing over to China an equivalent amount of lunar soil obtained in 1970 by the Soviet automated spacecraft Luna 16.
This is a unique form of interaction that has developed in the recent history of our countries, yet it simultaneously encompasses the achievements that Russia, in its exploration of space throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, is seeking to utilise in bilateral exchanges. I am referring to our tangible results in space exploration.
The exchange of lunar soil holds significant scientific interest for researchers from both countries, symbolising profound mutual trust and a high level of cooperation. To date, Russia and China exemplify a model of amicable cooperation in space exploration for the benefit of all humanity.
In the political domain, by advocating for the peaceful exploration of outer space and advancing initiatives on the non-deployment of weapons in space, we demonstrate a unified approach. This embodies the highest spirit of cooperation, allied relations, interaction, and partnership. I am not addressing the legal aspects, but rather how we implement these crucial principles in our engagements on international platforms within the international political arena. In practical endeavours related to outer space, our countries adhere to these principles, with a legal foundation for their relations.
The paramount factor is the spirit that permeates the practical cooperation between Russia and China. It aligns with the highest principles I have mentioned: interaction, partnership, cooperation, and friendship. This is of utmost importance.
Question: In exactly one week’s time, the presidential election will be held in the United States. During his campaign, one of the candidates, Donald Trump, has repeatedly declared his intention to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris’s rhetoric is aimed at the continuation of the conflict. Based on this, which candidate is preferable for Moscow in light of the Ukrainian conflict and its resolution?
Maria Zakharova: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently commented on this topic in his interview with the Argumenty i Fakty newspaper on October 20 this year.
I would also like to draw attention to a similar question addressed by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin at a recent news conference in Kazan.
We extend our gratitude to everyone who, irrespective of their status – whether an official, a civil society representative, or a political figure – speaks or offers options directed towards a peaceful political and diplomatic resolution of the situation surrounding Ukraine. We do so because we have consistently maintained the same stance regarding crises across the globe at different historical moments. In his remarks at the news conference in Kazan, President Vladimir Putin highlighted the distinction between pre-election political rhetoric and the concrete steps that should be the focus.
Once again, we are grateful to all those who advocate for peace and apply such approaches in their personal efforts and initiatives. We value this because it represents normality that, regrettably, many in the West have chosen to forsake in favour of some new “normality,” which is, in fact, an abnormality.
Question: Speaking about Ukraine in the context of the Kazan Summit Declaration, Sergey Lavrov highlighted that the first Article of the UN Charter mandates the respect for human rights without discrimination on the basis of sex, race, language, or religion. The Morozov family fled Latvia specifically to ensure their children could receive education in the Russian language. In your view, what mechanisms does the Russian Federation have at its disposal to address language-based discrimination in the EU countries?
Maria Zakharova: Allow me to refer to those instruments grounded in international law, alongside additional practical options.
We consistently bring to the attention of the international community, including on international platforms, the violations of the rights of the Russian and Russian-speaking population in the Baltic States and other countries, as you accurately quoted from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in the context of the situation in Ukraine. It is imperative for us to make every effort to uphold the rights of the Russian-speaking population. In this regard, we operate on the understanding that the countries and the problems are diverse. There exists not only discrimination but also persecution. There are challenging issues, exceptions to the normal pattern in the form of some extraordinary instances. We employ various options and tools.
When we discuss the Baltics, the situation concerning the violation of the rights of the Russian and Russian-speaking population has already been alarming. Presently, Russophobia has escalated to an unprecedented level.
Meanwhile, the much-vaunted Western and European human rights institutions, instead of safeguarding individuals, are, conversely, indulging in nationalism in all its forms. The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly sided with Riga, reiterating the worn-out theses regarding the Soviet "occupation" and "annexation" of Latvia. In recent years, the Court has passed a series of resolutions in which it found that the complete transition of educational institutions (kindergartens, private and public schools) to instruction in the Latvian language did not violate the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and did not constitute discrimination against the country's Russian-speaking population. Other Baltic countries (I refer to their regimes) are already "rubbing their hands," adopting the Court's conclusions, which are favourable to them, into their "derussification" policies.
In this regard, we have resolved to rely solely on our own efforts and proactive measures. We recognise that the legal mechanisms established in Western Europe or within the European zone by NATO-centric forces have become inoperative. They are either paralysed, dismantled, or manipulated as "tools" to target those in need of assistance.
The Foreign Ministry consistently publishes comprehensive analyses of Russophobia in thematic reports addressing violations of the rights of Russian citizens and compatriots abroad. These issues are duly documented in the respective country sections of the Ministry's annual reports on the Situation with the Glorification of Nazism and the Spread of Neo-Nazism and Other Practices that Contribute to Fuelling Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (the latest of which was published in September 2024). The topic of the infringement by foreign countries on the rights of Russian citizens and compatriots is also included in the first joint report by the foreign ministries of Russia and Belarus on the Human Rights Situation in Certain Countries (released in June 2024).
We are actively utilising these reports in our explanatory outreach among UN member states and OSCE participating states. These documents are disseminated by our foreign missions, forwarded to the relevant offices of international organisations, and special events are organised for the media.
Furthermore, Russia is undertaking assertive actions to hold accountable those countries that violate their international commitments to eradicate all forms of racial discrimination, with the ultimate aim of presenting these claims before the United Nations International Court of Justice.
We have already sent a letter before claim to Latvia through diplomatic channels stating that the country’s authorities fail to comply with the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Russians face open discrimination in Latvia, while Nazism is being openly glorified. Both practices have a systematic nature and are part of the government policy, which is manifested in the disadvantaged status of non-citizens and the ban on the Russian language education. In fact, this language has been purposefully ousted from all aspects of public life in Latvia. Furthermore, anti-Nazi fighters – veterans of the Great Patriotic War – are facing persecution by the authorities, which are trying to erase the historical memory of the fight against Nazism by demolishing monuments to the liberators of Latvia from the Nazi invaders. Finally, Latvian SS veterans hold annual marches, accompanied with the general praise and glorification of Nazi criminals.
To hold Latvia internationally accountable for these violations, the Russian Federation has invoked the formal dispute settlement procedure under Article 22 of the Convention. The Latvian side has been paying no heed to our calls to comply with the Convention and to negotiate a settlement of this dispute. Meanwhile, the offending actions continue. If anything, the situation is worsening. If the pre-trial stage of the procedure fails to produce a result, Latvia will be brought to the UN International Court of Justice, where Ukraine is already a defendant for the genocide of the residents of Donbass.
As for the tools that our compatriots can use to relocate to Russia, they are widely known. One of them is the State Programme to Assist Voluntary Resettlement of Compatriots Living Abroad to the Russian Federation. Furthermore, individuals who live in unfriendly countries (the list of such countries has been approved and published), but share traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, can take advantage of Presidential Executive Order No. 702 of August 19, 2024 On Providing Humanitarian Support to Individuals Sharing Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values. Relevant instructions on the implementation of this Executive Order have been issued to our foreign missions. We will continue to support public organisations and work with civil society and human rights activists on this track.
Separately, we will continue working with lawyers and human rights activists. A list of lawyers has been published and is available on our embassies’ websites. We recommend compatriots to use these lawyers’ services to protect their rights if they face such discrimination abroad.
Question: What would be your comment regarding the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ participation in the Kazan BRICS Summit? What did the summit participants say about the possibility of reforming the United Nations?
Maria Zakharova: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the BRICS Plus/Outreach meeting as a guest speaker. In his remarks, he shared his vision of the UN’s role in the rapidly changing world considering the emergence of a more democratic and fair multipolar world order.
He also shared his assessment regarding the Pact for the Future. Adopted on September 22, 2024, in New York, it sets forth the UN Secretary-General’s vision for reforming the United Nations and the multilateral cooperation framework as a whole. You may also know that Russia and several other countries have voiced their reservations regarding several provisions contained in this instrument by arguing that they are designed to dilute the UN’s intergovernmental operating mode. We also questioned what we view as excessive, totally unnatural and unworkable references to the human rights agenda within the UN, efforts to impose nuclear disarmament without taking into consideration the security factor, and making human rights and gender-related matters an integral part of the development agenda.
President Vladimir Putin had a bilateral meeting with the Secretary-General on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit to discuss, among other things, the situation in Ukraine and in the Middle East, as well as opportunities for facilitating the commercial navigation in the Black Sea.
I believe that it is quite natural to invite representatives from various international organisations, including the United Nations Secretary-General, to attend major international events focusing on peace, development, equality and which are guided by the principles set forth in the UN Charter, especially when these events go beyond regional affairs or a specific international topic, or simply bring together a few countries. I think that this is quite natural. This is the way to develop international relations, and we have been making this point throughout our chairmanship. I believe that the BRICS agenda took centre stage and had all the attention, even if the media did not fail to notice the talks with the UN Secretary-General.
Of course, these developments were marred by efforts by the officials from Bankovaya Street to create an outrageous scandal by presenting all kinds of ultimatums to the UN Secretary-General and telling him where he can or cannot travel. That said, let those marginal terrorists headed by Vladimir Zelensky, who is basically a junky, make these statements, since no one pays any attention anymore.
As for the second part of your question, considering the emergence of a more democratic multipolar world order, the United Nations would not be able to adapt to this new environment without a radical reform of its system and the Security Council as its key body. It is obvious that the Security Council must be more representative, and we have been raising concerns about the underrepresentation of certain continents among its members. In its current form, the collective West dominates the Security Council, which does not reflect the present-day reality. And this goes beyond the current situation. The way Western countries operate within the Security Council is corrupt and distorted since they do not represent specific countries. Instead, they represent countries which are bound by commitments as NATO members. This collective, NATO-based approach makes it impossible for them to take different positions. This is also something worth taking into consideration.
At the same time, it is not the purpose of BRICS to focus on discussing UN reform. This is not why this platform was created. The summit’s agenda revolves around promoting economic and humanitarian cooperation among the participating countries. This topic was also mentioned, since one of the objectives for BRICS is to promote peace based on international law and principles set forth in the UN Charter in order to build a world order with greater justice for all.
There is no consensus regarding the modalities or ways of reforming the UN Security Council. Those who took part in the BRICS Summit hold different views on this matter. Specifically, Brazil and India, together with Germany and Japan, are part of the so-called G4 group – it calls for an immediate increase in the number of permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council in order to gain permanent seats. Russia supports its Brazilian and Indian partners in their aspirations and views them as important and respected representatives of the Global South. China has adopted a similar position and spoke out in favour of expanding the Security Council only by adding countries of the Global South and East. Ethiopia represents the African Union in this debate – it has been calling for offering African countries at least two permanent seats and two additional seats on top of the three non-permanent seats African countries already have, while leaving it up to the African Union to choose its candidates. Ethiopia also wants to end veto powers, while enabling new permanent members to use them on the same terms as the current P5 members until this happens. This is the approach they have.
Most of the participants in the BRICS Summit have expressed their solidarity with Russia by agreeing that we need to exercise extreme caution and care when dealing with the sensitive and multi-faceted issue of reforming the UN system by taking on board the opinions of all the parties involved in intergovernmental talks on reforming the Security Council.
In this context, the only possible path forward consists of carrying on with our efforts to better align the approaches of various member states without setting any artificial deadlines. In its final version, the reform must enjoy maximum support. Achieving a consensus on this matter would be the best possible option. That said, we cannot draft any specific proposals before agreeing on the basic framework for this reform.
Once again, I would like to refer to experts, specialists, including from Russia, as well as government officials and the leadership of our country who, just like doctors, have been guided by the Do No Harm principle when dealing with UN Security Council reform. This reform should not harm the UN. On the contrary, it must enhance the UN’s performance instead of making the issues it already has worse. We must focus on making things better rather than undermining the UN’s work. There have been all kinds of attempts to do this, both positive and negative. Our past experience must guide us when working on this matter.
Question: In early June 2024, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said that the West was trying to implement a “Maidan scenario” to change the government in Georgia by October. Do you expect official statements on the current developments in Tbilisi? You previously mentioned US threats towards the Georgian authorities. What is the root of the problem?
Maria Zakharova: We see that the assessments we made have come true. We were right. The current developments in Georgia confirm the validity of our conclusions.
Over the past few months, Washington and Brussels did their utmost to influence the Georgian voters’ choice. This happened after Georgia as an independent and sovereign state decided to restrict foreign influence on its internal affairs by adopting the law on transparency of foreign influence, and to limit the proliferation of neo-liberal Western values, which are out of place in the conservative Georgian society, by adopting the law on family values and the protection of minors. At first the West was hysterical, and then it decided to punish Georgia by imposing personal sanctions on its citizens, freezing funding and halting Georgia’s integration into the EU. The West looked like somebody possessed who has been sprayed with holy water.
Nevertheless, the Georgian people made a free choice despite the colossal pressure. On October 26, 2024, Georgians cast their ballots for stability, development and traditional values because they knew that an alternative was destabilisation and growing regional tensions.
Georgia’s closest neighbours and several Western countries have congratulated the ruling Georgian Dream party on its convincing victory. Even biased organisations such as the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), have confirmed that the Georgian elections were well organised and held in a competitive atmosphere amid a high turnout. The United States and the Baltic States expressed disagreement with their own “mainstream” structures. Dissatisfied with the election results, they have presented new ultimatums to the Georgian government and political community, threatening them with persecution, sanctions and other coercive measures if Tbilisi continued on its sovereign path. They are trying to question the legality of the elections and to provoke yet another “colour revolution” in Georgia. What they wouldn’t do to achieve their goal!
Russia is one of Georgia’s closest neighbours, and we really mind about the situation on our borders. At the same time, we don’t interfere in the internal affairs of other states, and we respect the sovereign choice of the Georgian people, unlike the West. We hope to see the sustainable development of that South Caucasus republic and to further normalise relations with it.
Question: Last week, the State Duma of the Russian Federation ratified the Russia-DPRK Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. In the context of the alleged presence of North Korean soldiers on Russian territory, could this mean that Moscow has changed its position regarding UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea? If so, what position does Russia intend to take on this matter, and what will happen to these sanctions?
Maria Zakharova: You presented an accomplished fact as an act of changing our position. This is the way you framed this issue, not us. In reality, this is work in progress and the situation is evolving, while we are monitoring these developments by drawing our conclusions along the way. We have been drawing our conclusions and sharing our assessments. This makes for a complex construct.
I believe that the Russian Federation has made it clear that these measures have failed. They do not work. I am certain that officials from what we call unfriendly countries will confirm what I say. I think that they would endorse this vision. Can this mean that we have changed our position? I do not know. We are just stating an accomplished fact here.
We have commented on the Russia-DPRK Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership many times, and maybe even more than we had to. There is nothing extraordinary or extreme when two countries, who are good neighbours and share a common past in their relations, agree on the way they want to work together in various domains, including those dealing with their own security. Why has the West presented this as something odd? The West has been seeking to demonise both Russia and the DPRK. They may view this as something strange, and this could possibly apply to those who consume the Western mainstream, too. But as far as reality is concerned, it is all quite straightforward.
We will fulfil the objectives as per this document by following the framework it designates to this effect. In this sense, those committed to promoting mutually beneficial peaceful cooperation with Russia have nothing to worry about. As for those dreaming about inflicting a strategic defeat against our country or tearing it to pieces, our advice for them is to give up on these unnatural and senseless aspirations, stop their efforts to intimidate us and change their rhetoric. We will always respond in kind to any aggressive and destructive moves.
As for the international sanctions against the DPRK, we have already said many times that they have been a total failure. On the other hand, we must understand the goals various parties sought to achieve through these sanctions. If we are talking about finding solutions to the complex issues in and around the Korean Peninsula, the sanctions failed. Moreover, there are two aspects here. First, the situation got worse. Second, this is why we are witnessing this escalation in and around the Korean Peninsula. We have said many times that this escalation has been driven by external forces.
Sanctions have become a blunt force that Washington and its allies have been using against Pyongyang, not to mention the drastic humanitarian implications that these restrictions entail (the humanitarian dimension). For some reason, everyone tends to ignore this effect of their policy. Still, maybe we will be able to hear a statement of how these sanctions, instead of working to resolve the situation, have worked against civilians, especially children?
We have publicly raised this issue in the UN Security Council and presented our arguments, but the collective West takes an irrational revanchist approach to the Korean issue, relying on the demonstration of military force, intimidation, blackmail, threats and continues to wield its sanctions club, which only fuels the smouldering conflict and pushes it towards a dangerous limit.
Please do not worry about the extent of Russia’s compliance with the UN Security Council decisions or the depth of our commitment to international agreements. As a responsible member of the international community, Russia is not interested in exacerbating the ongoing security crises or breeding new ones. However, some of the permanent members of the UN Security Council are acknowledged masters of this craft, with no one good enough to take away the palm from them.
I would like to cite a few facts worth considering. On March 25, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution drafted by the ten non-permanent members, which calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza Strip. I know that we are discussing a different matter, but this is also about international law and the fulfilment of Security Council decisions. The resolution ordered a ceasefire for the month of Ramadan. Fourteen member countries of the UN Security Council, including the UK, China, Russia, and France, voted in favour of that resolution. The resolution was adopted with 14 votes of 15. That means the United States did not vote for the resolution, but it did not vote against it either. Nor did it veto the resolution, so the country abstained.
So, what did US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield say while publicly explaining her vote? She said that the United States chose to abstain, but everyone should assume that this UN Security Council resolution is not binding. She said this to the whole world. As a reminder, until that staggering revelation, everyone was guided by Article 25 of the UN Charter, which says that all UN members agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council. However, Washington did not disavow its envoy’s statement. Again, that statement was not made at a private party, nor was it published in her memoirs, which is something many Western officials now do even before the end of their tenure. The explanations were delivered in her official capacity on behalf of the United States of America.
In the United States, as in many other countries, candidates for this position are appointed by the President. Yet, no one disavowed anything she said. Was this just a figure of speech they use in the US? No. This is their approach. According to the Americans, UN Security Council resolutions are nonbinding. Therefore, the next time someone feels inclined to discuss whether certain members fulfil a Security Council decision or choose to ignore it, remember the official US approach to this matter. On the other hand, this is the 2024 edition of their policy, and it may still change. Perhaps the new version will include something else besides the Security Council resolution being nonbinding – possibly a clause saying no one is allowed to ask them such questions. I don’t know. We will follow their updates.
Question: The UN resolution on resolving the Middle East issue that was passed 80 years ago has not been fulfilled to date. What tools does BRICS have for addressing problems of the Middle East?
Maria Zakharova: Much has been said about BRICS today.
The situation in the Middle East became a key issue of the BRICS summit, held in Kazan on October 22-24, 2024. Summit discussions confirmed the similarity of BRICS countries’ approaches, their concern over the aggravated regional situation, as well as the special role of BRICS in searching for collective solutions to regional challenges.
The Kazan Declaration, passed following the summit, formalises general assessments. For example, the document expresses concern over the subsequent escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip that can increase tensions and extremism and can cause extremely deleterious consequences at regional and global levels. BRICS leaders urged all concerned parties to honour the norms of international law, to display maximum restraint and to avoid actions and provocative statements that lead to escalation.
BRICS countries advance principles for peacefully resolving disputes by diplomatic methods, through mediation, comprehensive dialogue and consultations on the basis of coordination and cooperation.
Additionally, BRICS countries provide assistance through their mediatory efforts. For example, our country delivers humanitarian aid to people, specifically the Gaza Strip’s residents, in need of everything. We regularly provide updates on the volume of humanitarian aid and its content.
Question: President Vladimir Zelensky has stated that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could influence the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis. He suggested that India might serve as a potential mediator in peace talks with Russia, aligning with the “Ukrainian format.” Is Moscow receiving any indications of such possible mediation?
Maria Zakharova: We are in contact with New Delhi at all levels and are discussing the situation concerning Ukraine.
Regarding the resolution of the conflict, this has been stated repeatedly. The solution is straightforward: ceasing the delivery of arms and the sponsorship of Vladimir Zelensky’s terrorist activities. This is the primary and direct path to ending the conflict.
In reality, it is not merely a conflict but a manifestation of international terrorism, with the Kiev administration as its “hotbed,” now spreading across the globe on various continents. This pertains to the international terrorist activities of the Kiev regime and the uncontrolled proliferation of weapons supplied by the West to Ukraine, which are surfacing in different regions worldwide. This represents an utterly appalling, corrupt, global-scale flow of funds, purportedly for purposes declared by the West but, in truth, to simply serve as the lifeblood of international crime in all spheres. This is a breach of all aspects of humanitarian law, once again sponsored by the West. All of this must be halted. This is the way out of the dead-end to which the West has brought Ukraine and, regrettably, has attempted to lead the entire world.
As I have already mentioned, we are grateful to everyone who presents their visions and offers their plans, mediation, and initiatives. We are reviewing all ideas with keen interest.
I would like to reiterate that we maintain dialogue with India at all levels.
Should there be any further information on this topic, I will ensure it is shared with you.
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