Excerpts from the briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow, December 6, 2023
- Sergey Lavrov to take part in international forums in Abu Dhabi and Doha
- Ukraine update
- The planned transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine
- The evacuation of Russian citizens from the Gaza Strip
- The Foreign Ministry’s report on the glorification of Nazism and current manifestations of neo-Nazism and racism
- A court in Kaliningrad recognises Nazi atrocities in Eastern Prussia as an act of genocide against the peoples of the USSR
- Latest example of discrimination against Russian athletes
- Russian humanitarian aid for the Federal Republic of Somalia
- The 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea
- The 60th anniversary of the declaration of independence of the Republic of Kenya and the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Nairobi
Excerpts from media questions:
- Certain statements by Jens Stoltenberg
- British diplomats’ aspirations to influence Kiev
- Russia's participation in the 28th Conference of parties to the UNFCCC
- The West’s involvement in the war waged on Russia
- Bulgaria’s anti-Russia actions
- Accredited ambassadors invited to visit RUSSIA Exhibition and Forum
- Search for funding sources for the Zelensky regime
- Alleged talks between Russia and Ukraine
- Armenia’s defence cooperation with third countries
- Western double standards with regard to the media
- Challenges for Russian overseas missions in unfriendly countries
- Russia’s relations with countries of the collective West
- Moldova and Romania unification prospects
- Border delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan
- Arms supplies to Ukraine by third countries
- The battle for sovereignty
Sergey Lavrov to take part in international forums in Abu Dhabi and Doha
On December 8 and 9, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the 14th Sir Bani Yas International Forum on Peace and Security in Abu Dhabi. On December 10, he is scheduled to deliver a statement at the Doha Forum 2023 in Qatar.
Sir Bani Yas and the Doha Forum are respected dialogue platforms. They bring together prominent politicians, analysts, and experts from many countries, including the Global South and the Global East, to discuss topical international matters.
In his remarks, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will present Russia’s perspective on global development trends and share our vision of a new democratic world order that is more just and free from neo-colonial influences. The Minister will also focus on the Israeli-Palestinian settlement and security in the Middle East.
The Ukrainian neo-Nazis continue to target residential buildings and social infrastructure in Russian regions with their strikes, using long-range weapons supplied by the United States and NATO, including cluster munitions. We receive daily reports of shelling in cities and villages in the DPR and LPR, which, unfortunately, results in casualties and damage. On December 2, 2023, the Ukrainian Armed Forces carried out a missile strike against Lisichansk, LPR, leaving four civilians wounded. On December 3, 2023, the Ukrainian Armed Forces targeted Donetsk, Gorlovka and Makeyevka with 30 strikes. Six people were wounded, some of them severely, including a child. Yesterday, on December 5, 2023, Banderites once again aimed their guns at the same communities, damaging the Donetsk Technology Vocational Training School, two schools and a kindergarten. The Kiev regime has decided to focus on these targets, with its true goal being to kill and destroy anything that exists in peace and harmony, anything that rejects the destructive logic imposed by NATO and the collective West on the Ukrainians.
The Belgorod Region continues to suffer relentless shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On December 4, 2023, they targeted five municipalities with 66 shells.
The Kiev regime persists in its attempts to carry out terrorist attacks against facilities located on Russian territory using drones. In the early hours of December 5, 2023, the Air Defence Forces downed 22 drones and intercepted another 13 over Crimea and the Sea of Azov.
Moving on, from crimes to punishment, based on the evidence gathered by the Investigative Committee of Russia, the courts of the Russian Federation continue handing out verdicts against Ukrainian neo-Nazis who have committed serious crimes against civilians.
A court sentenced Igor Taran, a fighter, to life imprisonment for the killing and attempted murder of civilians in Mariupol.
Member of the neo-Nazi Azov unit Maxim Rozhevetsky has been sentenced to 24 years in prison. Implementing commanders’ orders to kill everyone he saw moving around near battlefield positions, including civilians, which is illegal according to international law, Rozhevetsky killed an innocent woman, who he suspected of pro-Russian views.
Another neo-Nazi, Maxim Dyachuk, will also spend 24 years in prison for killing an innocent civilian, who he suspected of supporting the special military operation.
Efforts to collect evidence of crimes committed by the Ukrainian militants are ongoing. Nobody will escape punishment.
The Ukrainian media have reported the details of the November 20 visit to Kiev by US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. During a meeting with him, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny reportedly requested that the Americans supply 17 million munitions to Ukraine, insisting that Ukraine needed $350-$400 billion “to restore its 1991 borders.” These requests might not be true, but it is clear that Ukraine has become an enormous black hole for vast material and human resources.
The term “black hole” is not a symbolic simile in this case but indicates that there is a mechanism of illegal distribution of resources and their plunder in enormous amounts. Nobody can say where all the resources disappear, but everyone regards it as a fact, including in the Middle East and North Africa. It is common knowledge that the weapons sent by the United States and other NATO countries to Ukraine have turned up in the Middle East. These weapons do not appear there in small amounts, or by chance and neither are they planted. They are delivered in large batches. These are the weapons that were sent to Kiev for its aggression against Russia. Doesn’t the Pentagon or the US State Department know this? No, they surely know this, but they understand that they are involved in a colossal mystification, the result of which is a tragedy for millions of people. They know that they are involved in corruption schemes and how much money returns to where it came from after barely reaching the Ukrainian financial establishments. They know how many pieces of military equipment are written off for delivery to Ukraine but never reach it. It is either diverted before reaching Ukraine or it is redistributed and resold there, or it is only registered as delivered when it was actually sent or resold to other parts of the world.
We have been saying this since the start of the special military operation. And before it, we spoke about the corruption schemes used by the collective West, primarily the United States, Britain, Brussels and other NATO countries, jointly with the Kiev regime.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for the West to support Kiev financially, politically and ideologically. I could also say morally, but the West, that is, the political establishment of Western countries, has no morals. It is becoming ideologically impossible for them to explain to their people what they are doing in Ukraine. Washington is openly hinting that US funding for Ukraine will run out by the end of the year. Shalanda Young, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, said this openly on December 4, while Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan noted ironically: “We don't have a magic pot of money somewhere.” I always thought that the US printing press is the “magic pot” where they could “cook” as much money as they need.
Zelensky’s regime receives alarming signals from the EU, where the planned 50 billion euros of Ukraine aid are hanging in the air because of the budgetary debate. At the same time, the West has pointed out that it never knows where its aid will go after reaching Ukraine or whether it reaches Kiev at all. In this situation, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to explain to their voters why tens of billions of dollars have been squandered on the corrupt Zelensky regime that is drenched in blood.
Let’s help them, shall we? It is not only the Zelensky regime that is knee-deep in blood and corruption but also those who are financing it. Isn’t that so? Where else would the corrupt Kiev authorities find the money? Ukraine has not manufactured anything for ages and the only thing for sale there is the lives of Ukrainian citizens. Ukraine is no longer an investment heaven; it is not even a reasonably acceptable place for investment. However, billions of dollars and euros are being pumped into it. Corruption in Ukraine would have been conquered long ago without “peace aid,” or more precisely without the financial assistance that is feeding corruption. When the NATO “brigade” accuses Zelensky of corruption, it should go all the way and say that it is they who are financing it.
NATO and EU brigadiers are discussing better uses for these funds, such as for social and healthcare purposes. But where would they find social welfare and healthcare systems in Ukraine, or at least independent and people-oriented ones. Let me remind you that Ukraine’s entire healthcare system of the past decades, especially the last decade, has been fully integrated with the US system of financing, rather than healthcare itself. Moreover, it has been manipulated and made part of the US military machine. The biological laboratories operating under the Ukrainian Healthcare Ministry were actually Pentagon labs.
It is simply ridiculous to speak about a social welfare system in Ukraine. For many years, they have failed to pay any benefits, pensions or wages to their own citizens in southeastern Ukraine. Perhaps they call this horrendous, bloody and coercive mobilisation social, a mobilisation when screaming people are beaten and threatened with guns and rifles before being pushed into a van and taken away? Is this a social welfare system? Is this what they consider as work for the people? Is this the guaranteed allowance for Ukrainian citizens?
We have repeatedly stated that the Kiev regime has lost any remaining state autonomy, stripping Ukraine of its independence and sovereignty. The country’s domestic and foreign policies are dictated by its Anglo-Saxon curators.
It is no surprise then that Kiev ignored an important anniversary in the country’s modern history. December 1 marked 32 years since the momentous nationwide referendum in Ukraine when the former Ukrainian SSR confirmed the Ukrainian Independence Declaration Act. You may wonder why? All the words seem to be in place: the Ukrainian Independence Declaration Act. Why is it no longer deemed necessary or relevant to the point it is not even remembered? They were instructed to forget it. They were ordered to forget about how they gained independence and what remains of it since the West got involved.
Let me remind you that during the referendum on December 1, 1991, residents of the country confirmed the Ukrainian Independence Declaration Act of August 24, 1991. This act acknowledged the need to strictly adhere to the 1990 Declaration of Ukraine’s State Sovereignty, which asserted Ukraine’s intention to become a permanently neutral state, abstaining from joining military blocs and maintaining a non-nuclear status. It is clear why this date is not celebrated: this historical fact has been consigned to oblivion.
It is obvious that the Kiev regime has long abandoned any hope for Ukraine’s future as a sovereign state, choosing instead enslavement by transatlantic corporations and colonisation by the West.
We have noted the alarming news about the mobilisation of underage Ukrainian citizens for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. These are not volunteers or prototypes of the “sons of the regiment.” Nothing like that. Rather, we are talking about forced mobilisation of underage citizens into the Ukrainian army. The first group of Ukraine’s modern Hitlerjugend, consisting of parentless teenagers, has already undergone training at the Haydamak Sich Reserve Training Centre and has been sent to the AFU 103rd Territorial Defence Brigade.
May I ask Vladimir Zelensky a question? Does he still remember his own words “but these are children”? These words should not have been spoken at that time in reference to fully independent individuals. Instead, they should be spoken now, directed at those who conceived such an idea. Who came up with the idea of including underage orphans in the Ukrainian Army and immediately sending them to face certain death? This is a case where the phrase “but these are children” would actually be appropriate – because these are, in fact, children. They are easily brainwashed and promptly sent to die under a solemn yellow and blue banner. This is patriotism according to the Kiev regime, a liberal democracy imposed on Ukraine by the collective West.
Although it was initially promised that children would remain in the areas of the Kharkov Region behind the frontline, we have already received reports of casualties among the orphans. Where is everybody? Where is UNESCO and Audrey Azoulay? They seem to be triggered by every incident. But what about this? Where is civil society, public organisations and electoral systems? Are they interested in thinking about or maybe even talking about the Kiev regime creating another Hitlerjugend in the 21st century based on neo-Nazi ideology and reviving this entire ideology? The director of the children’s home from which one of the teenagers had been taken reported that her 17-year-old charge was killed near Novosyolovskoye, LPR.
In its malevolent desperation, the Zelensky-led criminal regime has escalated its cruelty to an unprecedented level by sending children to imminent death. This situation evokes memories of the Second World War, the Great Patriotic War for us. It is reminiscent of the agonising Third Reich in 1945. Women, the elderly, and now even orphaned teenagers are losing their lives in the trenches in Ukraine. The Kiev-based Nazis are annihilating the Ukrainian people, as they conduct military operations to the last Ukrainian in order to please the West. This is not merely a figure of speech, but a statement of fact. The West decided to wipe out the Ukrainians. What about the “ethnic issue?” We’ve been assured that the ethnic make-up of the Kiev government precludes the resurgence of Nazism, fascism, racism, and so forth. The consequences are now clear. It leads to literal annihilation of the nation.
On November 24, the Ukrainian government submitted a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada titled “Amending certain laws of Ukraine based on the expert opinion of the Council of Europe and its bodies regarding the rights of ethnic minorities (communities) in certain areas.” What is this document about?
Those behind the amendments openly acknowledge that their hope of joining the EU compelled them to take this step. As a reminder, bringing Ukrainian legislation in line with the European norms, in part concerning the safeguarding of the rights of ethnic minorities, was a key prerequisite set by the European Commission for starting talks on EU membership.
The proposed legislation involves “amending” several laws governing language policies in Ukraine, including laws on the state language, complete general secondary education, higher education, ethnic minorities, and more. The primary objective is to enhance the rights and the scope of the official languages of the EU countries (you may think of Ukraine itself, or its closest neighbours, which formed one space not long ago). Specifically, it allows schoolchildren who are native speakers of these languages to receive instruction in their native language throughout the entire school term. Additionally, it permits secondary specialised and higher education in the languages of the European Union. Some relaxed policies are anticipated in advertising, book publishing, and media regulations.
What about the Russian language, which serves as a natural means of communication for millions of people in that country? Here is what we have in this regard. For a period of five years after the “war” ends, the provisions of the “Law on Ethnic Minorities” will not apply to it. Future developments remain uncertain. In any case, instruction in the Russian language will remain banned. Nothing makes these actions by the EU, the Kiev regime, and all their NATO, US, British, and other overseers different from what the Nazis did in their efforts to reshape humanity to fit their mould. It involves the re-education of children and adults and their transformation, including the “breeding” of a new person, the formation of an entire nation in a new environment that is completely different from its natural environment (cultural, linguistic, educational, and historical).
This draft law starkly reveals the genuine neo-Nazi nature of the Kiev regime guided by the Western overseers. The amendments are all about language segregation and blatant mockery of the people of Ukraine. This is beyond doubt because there is not a single fact that could be cited to back up such actions.
The Russian language is not the language spoken by an ethnic minority. In addition to ethnic Russians in Ukraine, it is spoken by Ukrainians, Belarusians, Armenians, Jews, and people of many other ethnic backgrounds. Where is the international community? Everyone remains silent. Representatives of the EU, who are part of the OSCE, remain silent as well. The OSCE is silent. The Council of Europe is busy doing other things. All they care about is “rewiring” the people of Ukraine as quickly as possible and turning them into slaves. This is already being done so that the people don’t know which end is up and lose themselves, becoming obedient conduits of the will of those who view Ukraine as something they will eventually sink their teeth in. They have always done it this way.
Even though the legislative proposal is still under consideration, and its final revised version remains unclear, one thing is certain: they will not be able to eradicate the Russian language. Despite the imposed restrictions, people in Ukraine continue to talk, watch movies, listen to songs, and seek information online in Russian.
On December 4, an international scientific and practical conference titled “Ukrainian Nazism in the 21st Century: Roots and Offshoots” took place in Moscow. Academics and experts from a number of countries, including Belarus, Serbia, Italy, and France, took part in it. The Foreign Ministry was represented by the Commissioner for Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law, Director of the Department for Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights Grigory Lukiyantsev.
The participants arrived at a definitive conclusion that in Ukraine, we are dealing with Nazism at the state level. Ukrainian Nazism is not a local phenomenon but a global problem. It is spreading and is being promoted. Nazism is a sibling of racism. It represents another avatar of exceptionalism, domination, and superiority that has taken different forms over the centuries. Now, we see it manifesting itself in this manner. The revival of Nazism paves the way to the neo-colonial racist policies of the West.
This is why the special military operation goes on. Almost every day, we receive more evidence to back up not just its relevance, but the fact that it was the right thing to do.
The planned transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine
NATO member states continue to intensively arm Ukraine. There are now plans to provide the Armed Forces of Ukraine with F-16 tactical fighter aircraft. They have been discussing these deliveries for a long time, and a “coalition” of countries, due to transfer the aircraft to the Kiev regime and train Ukrainian pilots, has been established. Considering the fact that a substantial part of Ukraine’s airfield infrastructure has been destroyed, these US fighters might be deployed outside the country, that is, in Poland, Slovakia or Romania.
Consequently, NATO is becoming mired in the Ukraine conflict. As we understand, it is conducting a hybrid war against Russia under the slogan of “saving” Ukraine. Additionally, they have said that their main goal is to prevent a confrontation with Russia. Well, this sounds funny.
In reality, the risks of a direct military clash between Russia and NATO are increasing. The Russian Armed Forces will see any fighter aircraft involved in the conflict on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as legitimate targets for destruction, no matter where the planes take off.
The evacuation of Russian citizens from the Gaza Strip
On December 2, 2023, foreign citizens started entering Egypt stage-by-stage, via the Rafah checkpoint. As of December 5, 2023, 135 Russian citizens and Palestinians (family members) had been evacuated. These statistics may change several hours from now.
On December 5, 2023, a special Emergencies Ministry flight delivered another 120 people to Domodedovo International Airport. A visiting Foreign Ministry team, in cooperation with colleagues from the Emergencies Ministry and other agencies, helped them with border and migration control formalities.
Since November 12, 2023, 898 Russian citizens and Palestinians (family members) have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip, with 883 of them having already arrived in Russia. About 1,100 people have requested assistance.
Russian diplomatic missions and diplomats continue to work with Israeli, Egyptian and Palestinian authorities to ensure the swift and safe evacuation of Russian citizens and Palestinians (family members) from the Gaza Strip.
I would like to inform you that the Foreign Ministry has drawn up its latest report on the situation related to the glorification of Nazism, and on the spread of neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling the contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
This document and its English translation are available on the Foreign Ministry website. The report reflects Russia’s ongoing efforts to preserve the historical truth about the course and outcomes of World War II.
Each passing year is marked by increasingly persistent negative trends, as reflected in the Foreign Ministry’s report, which are spurred on by blatant double standards and revanchist sentiments. This year is no exception in this regard.
Previous attempts to distort history and downplay the USSR’s contribution to the Victory over Nazism and the establishment of the present-day system of international relations have not only gained momentum but are now openly promoted in public discourse. Today, they don’t even try to conceal the true aim of these efforts to revise history. The sheer scale of cynicism involved is astonishing. They aim to replace the aggressors, who unleashed the greatest war in human history and put into practice the ideology of racial supremacy, with the state that actively participated in the anti-Hitler coalition and made the decisive contribution to securing Victory.
Today, there are numerous countries where collaborationists, who once aided the Nazis, are honoured as “freedom fighters” for their nations. These countries employ every available method to shape public opinion at home in ways that serve their interests.
This year, the world witnessed the first instance of public applause given to one of these “heroes,” which took place in the Canadian Parliament. To fight the Russian world and the Soviet memorial heritage, they use radical nationalists and other extremists, who always stood shoulder to shoulder with the Nazis and are now portrayed as the epitome of “correct patriotism” by the West. Yes, we have the “new normal” and “correct patriotism” today. It is clear what roles and objectives the Euro-Atlantic concept of “rules-based order” has reserved for these countries. Russia is seeing increasingly more evidence that the actions undertaken by the authorities in these countries are detrimental to the interests of their own people.
In February 2022, the Russian Federation launched a special military operation to de-Nazify and demilitarise Ukraine and defend Donbass civilians, and this provided an additional impetus and motive for the collective West to boost its Russophobic agenda. In practical terms, this manifested as an all-out campaign of discrimination against Russians and all things Russian. In 2023, the developments have followed the same course.
The identified trends can only reinforce Russia’s fundamental assertion that racial discrimination and glorification of Nazism are creating a direct threat to the values of true democracy and human rights. Moreover, they are a significant challenge to international and regional security.
It is worth noting that the absolute majority of international community members share Russia’s approaches to combating the glorification of Nazism. This is confirmed by the annual overwhelming vote in favour of the UN General Assembly resolution entitled “Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,” which Russia jointly with a broad range of co-authors from all regions of the world annually submits to the UN General Assembly. As tradition dictates, the report at hand is based on the key points of this resolution.
On December 1, 2023, the Kaliningrad Region Court ruled to recognise the crimes perpetrated by the Nazis in Eastern Prussia as an act of genocide against the peoples of the USSR.
Let me quote from the court ruling: “Established and newly discovered crimes perpetrated by Nazi invaders and their accomplices during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 against Soviet civilians who were forcibly displaced and military personnel engaged in forced labour practices, as well as against those who died or were killed while in German captivity on the territory of the Third Reich (Nazi Germany), including crimes committed in Eastern Prussia being part of the Third Reich (within today’s Kaliningrad Region of the Russian Federation) <...> shall be designated as war crimes and crimes against humanity, <…> constituting an act of genocide against national and ethnic groups representing the population of the USSR and the peoples of the Soviet Union.”
Let me remind you that Germany pursued the following goals and objectives in its war against the USSR: to destroy our country’s statehood and seize new territory while also exterminating the people living there. These goals were publicly declared. Special documents and directives instructed SS units to exterminate everyone they referred to as “defenders of the Soviet regime,” to use what they called excessive violence with total impunity against the prisoners of war and civilians, as well as ensure “mass mortality among Soviet nationals from hunger.”
Today, Ukraine glorifies these people. Every year, Ukraine talks about the famine inflicted on it by the Soviet Union. Distorting and misrepresenting the truth in this manner is worse than ignoring it. They know the truth and still remember the facts, but deliberately act in the opposite way.
Eastern Prussia was not an exception to the general rule, despite being part of Nazi Germany when the Great Patriotic War broke out. Just like across the Third Reich, there was a criminal plan here to exploit Soviet prisoners of war and civilians brought here from occupied USSR territory while subjecting them to unbearable conditions and then exterminating them.
To achieve these goals, as early as in September 1941, the German command issued Regulations for the Treatment of Soviet Prisoners of War, which reads: “The Bolshevik soldier has forfeited any right to be treated as an honourable soldier under the Geneva Convention. Disobedience or resistance, whether active or passive, must be immediately suppressed by armed force (bayonet, rifle butt, firearms). Those who fail to use force or do so with insufficient vigour while implementing this order shall be punished. Soviet prisoners of war attempting to escape are to be shot without previous challenge – no warning shot must ever be fired.” This is a document. It was not a mad philosopher sitting somewhere in a detached reality who wrote this. No, this document went through an entire institutional chain of approval and became a Third Reich directive. Doesn’t it remind you of anything? This is what those who picked up this mission and who glorify their predecessors are doing today – I am referring to the neo-Nazis from the Kiev regime.
There were at least 47 concentration camps where these atrocities were carried out in Eastern Prussia, with Stalag I-A being one of the biggest facilities of this kind in the Kaliningrad Region. It operated until January 1945 and held over 250,000 prisoners of war during that time, including about 90,000 Soviet PoWs, as well as 80,000 French, 40,000 Polish, 23,000 Belgian, 12,000 Italian and 7,000 British prisoners of war. It was noted that Soviet prisoners were housed in “extreme density” at the camp. To give you an example, one barrack designed for 100 people could accommodate up to 500 or even more. The Germans made it a rule to subject Soviet prisoners of war to anti-sanitary conditions. Therefore, it is no surprise that the mortality rate among Soviet prisoners of war in this camp was significantly higher than that of Western prisoners of war. Once again, doesn’t it remind you of anything?
We can see this logic today too. They keep talking in the West about the need to cancel everything Russian. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Defence Policy Josep Borrell referred to Europe as a garden and said that only its ideology should prevail. To the West, this garden requires everything: water, food, and medicine. All the rest do not need it, or will be second in line, feeding on leftovers.
Was it any different during the pandemic? Remember all these Western-inspired manipulations with the Russian vaccines? Russia was the first country to develop a vaccine and offer it to the world, demonstrating its commitment to working with others and cooperating on the development, testing and production of vaccines, including by providing it as humanitarian aid. But what happened? They did not even allow our vaccine to be registered. They started this mayhem in international organisations and within the WHO. Who did it? These were the Western forces eager to prevent the world from relying on the scientific achievements of those whom they have long viewed as second class and labelled us accordingly. During World War II, or the Great Patriotic War, as we call it, they used the OST designation, but today there is a plethora of designations. Western media platforms label news stories by Russian media outlets with a yellow mark. It was created to let everyone know that these stories offer the wrong kind of news and are dangerous. It was the advancing units of the 3rd Byelorussian Front’s 28th Army that liberated the prisoners in this camp on February 10, 1945.
An inspection by the Kaliningrad Region branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee has confirmed cases of cruel treatment of Soviet prisoners of war, including executions, at the Stalag-1A Nazi concentration camp in East Prussia.
One of the strategies Nazi Germany used to achieve its goals in the war against the USSR, was to use the inhabitants of the occupied territory as the resource base of the Nazi army, to provide it with everything it needed to keep fighting. They did that in East Prussia, too. Doesn't this ring a bell again? Isn’t this what “Ukrainian politicians” – actually a regime installed by the West – are doing to the citizens of Ukraine? They are effectively treating everything as a resource base – Ukrainian people, Ukrainian land, grain, the territory developed during the Soviet era, with our country's assistance, and technological infrastructure facilities.
That strategy manifested itself in the barbaric exploitation of Soviet citizens who were displaced to East Prussia and pressurised into forced labour, building German defensive lines and working in industry or as domestic staff serving the German population of East Prussia.
Is this not what the West is doing now? Aren’t migrants treated as a resource base in many EU countries? Or does anyone have the illusion that they are accepted as equals? Endowed with the same rights as native-born citizens? Of course not. They are needed as a free and disenfranchised labour force in those countries that have degenerated through promoting the LGBT ideology, which we gave an appropriate assessment. Somebody needs to work, so they are rallying a resource base the same way as the Third Reich. They are using powerless, destitute, and humiliated people who were forced to leave their countries and regions. One example is the Middle East and North Africa. Now Ukraine. They thought they were reaching for the light – they came to the EU countries in an attempt to survive. In fact, they are the resource base. We do not know how this will end, given the processes taking place in the European Union.
From the very beginning of the war, the Nazis systematically relocated our citizens to Germany to make up for the workforce shortage in their industry and agriculture. They labelled them an inferior race and subjected them to severe discrimination. They had to wear signs on their work uniforms that read OST, which was a marker of their “racial inferiority.” They were also made to live in appalling conditions, starved, denied medical care, and severely punished for any minor misdemeanor.
Moreover, the Nazi invaders enslaved the civilian population of the Soviet Union, and residents of East Prussia actually traded in them as if they were goods.
Shortly before the Red Army launched an offensive in January 1945, the Nazis began a mass extermination of Soviet citizens who were prisoners in camps in East Prussia (in the modern Kaliningrad Region), to avoid exposure of their crimes.
Courts have considered the evidence proving that civilians and POWs were trafficked from the occupied Soviet territories to the Third Reich for forced labour and subsequent extermination. It follows from expert testimony and documents presented to the court that the total number of people who were forced to work in metallurgy, agriculture, mining, the chemical, construction and transportation industries exceeded 4.7 million Soviet civilians and 3.3 million POWs from the Red Army and Navy.
And now these same NATO countries are telling us about their technological superiority? That they are better and smarter than everyone else, simply by birth right? Because they have been oppressing others all their lives, in every form including slavery, slave trade, exploitation in colonies and semi-colonies, and even making POWs and civilians work for them in the middle of the 20th century.
East Prussia (the area within the modern borders of Russia’s Kaliningrad Region) was where over 670,000 Soviet civilians and POWs were kept, at least 211,000 of them engaged in forced labour and over 114,000 killed in gas chambers, shot or subjected to other inhuman methods of killing.
The bodies of the victims, drained by forced labour and starvation, were burned in crematoria, and their ashes were used to fertilise farmland. There are recorded cases of Soviet citizens being decapitated or shot, and their remains used to make soap, leather goods or interior items. Fancy, designer goods made from human flesh. That really happened.
The Kaliningrad Regional Court’s decision has again confirmed the scale of the crimes committed during the Great Patriotic War, based on the criminal ideas of misanthropy and racial superiority. We will continue to tell you about them regularly, relying on proven facts and documents. No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten.
Latest example of discrimination against Russian athletes
The sanctions hysteria surrounding Russian sports and the admission or non-admission of our athletes to international competitions is ongoing. At a time when sports should be used as an instrument of promoting and strengthening social ties and mutually respectful communication, rapprochement and unification of nations, it has been turned into a weapon for settling political scores.
This is happening in the most popular sport, football. According to a decision adopted by the Bureau of the FIFA Council and the UEFA Executive Committee, Russian teams, national teams and clubs have been suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice. As a result, Russia did not take part in world and continental football championships.
The other day, the UEFA Executive Committee decided at its meeting in Hamburg to exclude the Russian national team from the Nations League for the 2024/2025 season draw, to be held in Paris on February 8, 2024. The Nations League will be part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification, which means that the latest decision will determine the situation in football for the next three years.
We believe that the decision to bar Russia from qualifiers long in advance is proof that the football officials are focused on destroying football in Russia, thereby ignoring their direct duties, which is promoting football.
Unlike them, Russia is dedicated to promoting international sports cooperation based on the principles of equality, non-discrimination and free and equal access to sporting competitions for all countries.
Despite foreign pressure, we will continue to host and to take part in major international sporting competitions and events. Next year, we will host the Games of the Future international multisport phygital tournament (Kazan, February 21-March 3, 2024), the international multisport event BRICS Games (Kazan, June 11-23), and the World Friendship Games international competitions (Moscow and Yekaterinburg, September 15-29). We will be delighted to welcome all athletes to these competitions which will be held in the spirit of friendship, mutual understanding and fair play.
Russian humanitarian aid for the Federal Republic of Somalia
On November 30, 2023, at the port of Mogadishu, the government of the Federal Republic of Somalia received the first batch of Russian humanitarian aid (25,000 tonnes of grain) and an official ceremony was held to mark the occasion. Russia plans to send a total of 50,000 tonnes of grain to Somalia.
This humanitarian campaign was organised as per the executive order of President Vladimir Putin.
The ceremony involved Somalia Minister of Interior Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, Somalia Minister of Ports and Marine Transport Abdullahi Ahmed Jama, Somalia Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abshir Omar Jama and Russian Ambassador to Djibouti (also working with Somalia) Mikhail Golovanov.
Our Somalia partners expressed sincere thanks to the Russian side for the assistance with ensuring their country’s food security.
December 7 marks 55 years since our country established diplomatic relationship with the Republic of Equatorial Guinea in 1968.
For more than half a century, this relationship has traditionally been friendly, with regular political dialogue, as well as high-level and top-level contacts.
On November 2, 2023, President of Russia Vladimir Putin held talks in Moscow with President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who paid an official visit to Russia. The parties confirmed Moscow and Malabo’s mutual intention to deepen their interaction in foreign policy and maintain tightly-coordinated activities in the international arena. The presidents discussed ways to intensify mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, the economy, investment, humanitarian and other affairs, as well as the prospects of joint projects, including in crude materials production, fuel and energy, and infrastructure development in Equatorial Guinea.
Vladimir Putin’s previous meeting with his counterpart took place on October 24, 2019, on the sidelines of the 1st Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi. In July 2023, a representative delegation led by Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Vice President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, in charge of defence and national security, attended the 2nd Russia-Africa Summit in St Petersburg.
Russia and Equatorial Guinea have similar positions on the issues addressed by the UN and other international platforms. Our countries share common views in favour of a polycentric world order, non-acceptance of diktat or double standards in international relations, recognition of the right of nations to independently determine their own development paths. It is indeed our priority.
As part of cooperation in education, Russia assists Malabo with professional training. Since 1968, more than 1,000 Equatoguinean specialists have studied in Russia. The Government of the Russian Federation allocated 30 scholarships for the 2023-2024 academic year to citizens of Equatorial Guinea, with funds from the federal budget.
The parties are discussing the registration and opening of a Russian Orthodox Church parish in Malabo as part of developing cultural and humanitarian links with the republic and strengthening contacts with Russian compatriots abroad. We are grateful to our partners for their support of this initiative.
We are finishing preparations for the resumption of Russia’s diplomatic presence in Equatorial Guinea. We are certain that by opening a Russian embassy in Malabo we will be able to give an additional boost to the development of the entire scope of bilateral interaction between the two countries.
I would like to take this opportunity and wish the people of Equatorial Guinea success, happiness and prosperity.
On December 12, the Republic of Kenya will be celebrating its 60th anniversary of independence. Over these years, the country has made significant progress in nation building and socioeconomic development. Today, Kenya actively engages in the affairs of the African community, the activities of continental and sub-regional associations, contributes to conflict resolution, and promotes integration processes. We sincerely congratulate all Kenyans on this important date.
December 14 will mark 60 years of the diplomatic relations between our countries. Over six decades, Moscow and Nairobi have maintained traditionally friendly ties based on principles of mutual respect. A mutually beneficial political dialogue is maintained. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov paid a working visit to Nairobi in May, 2023. During the trip, he engaged in comprehensive discussions with President Willam Ruto, Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetangula, and held consultations with the Kenyan foreign ministry officials.
Mutually beneficial cooperation in various spheres is ongoing, and preparations are underway for creating a bilateral Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.
This year, Uralchem sent a humanitarian shipment of fertiliser totaling 34,000 tonnes to Kenya.
Moscow is ready to continue to work with its partners on expanding bilateral relations, increasing mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, economic, investment, humanitarian, and other areas for the benefit of our nations.
Excerpts from media questions:
Question: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made it clear that the alliance would support Ukraine even despite the positions adopted by certain countries. What can you say about this?
Maria Zakharova: Just like any other head of an international organisation, the NATO Secretary-General must base his statements on a collective opinion formed on an equal basis. Normally, member countries discuss and express their points of view. Here, things are upside down. On whose behalf is Mr Stoltenberg making this statement?
We are aware of the procedure for selecting and approving candidates for the position of NATO Secretary-General. The United States plays a leading role in this process. The Secretary-General is a dependent figure with numerous deputies representing primarily Washington’s interests.
They do not head the organisation, but play a leading role in it. They are always the heavyweight players in US foreign policy and the military-diplomatic sphere. They play the role of “brightly coloured” rather than “gray” cardinals in the bloc.
Despite our understanding of how things work, public statements should be based on a consolidated opinion. I don’t remember any discussion within the alliance about “what to do next with the Anglo-Saxon project?” This project does not involve all NATO countries. Washington uses the bloc as a coordinating hub to channel the member states’ resources to the hybrid war against Russia that is waged by the Kiev regime.
On whose behalf is Mr Stoltenberg speaking? If on behalf of the United States, it should be made clear that he does so following the instructions of his deputy US representative or instructions coming directly from Washington. This “game” cannot last any longer. Everyone knows who stands behind whom and what roles they are assigned to play. The situation is the same with the EU and the European Commission. So many speakers say things that are so different. Most importantly, no one sticks to the common platform shared by the countries. It’s a muddled picture. Sometimes they need a diversification of views, sometimes it happens suddenly due to ignorance or misunderstanding of the situation. This is beyond reason.
The trend set by Washington (the current administration in the White House) is clear. They do not hide the fact that they need to ramp up efforts to counter our country. They demand money and authority. It’s never enough for them and they want more. Why? Because they have put their global reputation at stake. America is hostage to the ambitions of the liberals of the Democratic Party. Now what? The presidential election in the country is a year away. They need to show something for their efforts, and Jens Stoltenberg is told to make such statements as if showing the unity in NATO’s ranks. There has never been any unity inside the bloc, only the discipline of the rod. No one in the bloc has treated others as equals in the past decades.
NATO is not about democracy but about tough bloc dictatorship rather than discipline. This implies unquestioning compliance with the directives coming from Washington. What if the member countries have no weapons and are unable to provide financial assistance? Then they are told to provide generators, blankets, and food. Bring everything you have, what’s left. Promise to bring more. If you can’t share even that, then share intelligence. Or put two flags of Ukraine on the table, rather than one. I am not making this up; it’s how things really are. A powerful PR campaign is behind this led by the entities that need to maintain the effectiveness of their efforts. Enormous amounts of money are at stake. NATO finds it important to involve everyone in supporting the Anglo-Saxon project.
This is how we should approach it. On the one hand, it is an aggressive policy. We understand that the alliance is a tool the US and the UK use to plan the “defeat” of our country. They will do everything they can to get there. On the other hand, it is part of an informational and political campaign because it does not reflect popular opinion in the countries that are in the bloc. Nobody is asking them what they think.
NATO members have exhausted their stocks of armaments, their financial capacity is close to zero, and socioeconomic tensions caused by excessive (in fact, criminal) spending on maintaining the Kiev regime are growing. None of that matters. There must always be a voice to support US policies.
Question: Could you comment on the media reports claiming that UK diplomats are preparing to pressure Kiev into sitting down at the negotiating table with Moscow?
Maria Zakharova: I can hardly imagine what kind of negotiating table they are talking about considering that it was the United Kingdom that knocked this very table from under the Kiev negotiators in 2022. Remember what David Arakhamia said in his official interview? His statement still holds and has not been disavowed. He said that it was Boris Johnson who successfully persuaded the Kiev regime to withdraw from talks with Russia.
I find it hard to comment on these leaks since they do not contain any names. It could be easier if we knew who voiced this information, speaking in an official or informal capacity. However, the position of the UK and the United States is clear. They prohibited the Kiev regime from engaging in talks, and this ban was set forth on a legislative level so that it could be used in their confrontation with Russia. I don’t know where these statements came from. I haven’t seen anyone who would confirm them in public. Maybe the British authorities have adopted this posture seeking to pose as peacemakers. However, for this ideology to gain any credibility, let alone succeed, they need to talk about it openly and to walk the talk. So far, their actions demonstrate the opposite: there was the imposed ban and all the tricks undertaken since then to dissuade Kiev from engaging in talks with Russia.
We can see the formal actions London has been undertaking. They consist of ramping up arms supplies to the Kiev regime and imposing anti-Russian sanctions, while forcing others to adopt sanctions packages and join the effort to harass our citizens wherever they are, as well as the campaign to cancel Russia and its culture.
Question: Dubai is hosting the COP 28 – the UN Climate Change Conference – these days. The Chinese delegation has already called for promoting equality and justice, as well as working together to achieve meaningful progress on climate finance and building a framework for delivering on the Global Goal on Adaptation, as well as to fully operationalise the recently created UN loss and damage fund. To what extent will creating this UN fund matter in terms of offsetting loss and damage caused by climate change in terms of equality and justice in the fight against climate change around the world? What do you think about China’s position at the summit and the way Russia and China have been working together on this topic?
Maria Zakharova: The 28th Conference of the Parties under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change opened on November 30, 2023, and will run until December 12.
Special Presidential Representative on Climate Issues Ruslan Edelgeriyev heads the Russian delegation at the conference. It includes 35 members, including Head of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet) Igor Shumakov, who is the deputy head of the Russian delegation, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk, Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sergey Anopriyenko, etc.
The conference is currently underway. With that in mind, we must leave it to them to comment on these matters as they possess primary authority in this regard. We are looking forward to their official comments. I think that they will inform us on these matters.
Question: The Washington Post has reported that plans for Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive were prepared by the American and British military, including US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. Can this be regarded as an act of war against Russia? For example, US Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson said on the Dialogue Works YouTube channel that providing information to Ukraine from NATO reconnaissance planes for striking Russian facilities was an act of NATO aggression (war) against Russia.
Maria Zakharova: I hope you are quoting Americans not because you don’t trust us but as additional proof that this is so.
We pointed out more than once that targets for Ukrainian strikes with Western missiles are coordinated with representatives from NATO countries, which provide the coordinates to Kiev. In fact, the Ukrainian armed forces and the Kiev regime are acting on instructions from the countries, primarily the United States and Britain, which are acting as gun layers. This is not a simile but a specialised term.
Moreover, they are not only using air reconnaissance but also NATO satellites for this purpose. At the same time, Ukrainian officials admitted on numerous occasions that all their actions are taken with the approval or support of the United States and other NATO countries. There is no doubt whatsoever that the plans for their counteroffensive, which is how they describe their total failure, were not made in Kiev. The Kiev regime has no capabilities or potential to create infrastructure, or the military and strategic capabilities for waging such military operations independently. They don’t have the material base or money. They have nothing. It is the West that is doing all this.
The Washington Post wrote in February 2023 that the Ukrainian army launched strikes and used precision targeting systems based on the system of coordinates provided by the Americans. I am not quoting the American media because I have no information from our military but because our military reports this as a simple fact.
As for whether such facts can be regarded as an act of war or aggression, we have been saying all along that the United States, Britian and NATO as a bloc they oversee are using the Kiev regime to wage a hybrid war against Russia. This has been said, explained and supported with arguments at all levels, including by the President, the defence and foreign ministers, the legislative authorities, the Federation Council and the State Duma. Our military correspondents on the ground report hearing not only Ukrainian and Russian language on the other side, but mostly English and also German and other languages of NATO. There is nothing new about this. We have been saying this for a long time, at all levels and with facts in hand.
It is the West, or more precisely Washington and London, which is using the alliance as the accumulator for sending weapons to Kiev. They insist that Ukrainians must continue fighting.
Everything NATO officials, including Jens Stoltenberg, actually say about preventing a direct confrontation [with Russia] is nothing but hypocrisy, a sleight of hands to divert attention and to convince the people of NATO countries that their governments have nothing to do with and are not involved in this conflict, that they are only helping Kiev.
In fact, NATO and Washington are guiding every move of the Kiev regime. Their real goal is to inflict a “strategic defeat” to Russia “on the battlefield.” Their plans will not materialise. They have not and will not materialise. They can harm us, but they cannot defeat us.
Question: What claims did the Bulgarian authorities address to you, while banning the use of the country’s airspace? How an overflight permit from the Greek authorities was obtained?
Maria Zakharova: Are you asking about the gist of these claims? The European Union sanctioned me for facilitating the deployment of Russian ftroops on the territory of Ukraine. In principle, this is funny, but the most amusing thing is that the sanctions were introduced ahead of the special military operation. Consequently, they were conceived long ago. Obviously, it took some time to draft and coordinate them. I started receiving the first “messages” that they are planning to include me in the sanctions list in late 2021. What have you asked about the gist of the claims? I have told you about this. In fact, it amounts to illogical absurdity, lies and falsehood. However, people in the West no longer pay attention to this. They hush up 50 percent and distort the rest.
Speaking of the Bulgarian authorities, they were unable to explain their actions. They said that the European Union has included me in their sanctions list. However, there is European Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP on personal restrictions that allows, as an exception, EU member states to give permission for sanctioned individuals to enter the EU if they plan to take part in international events within the OSCE framework.
They are acting against themselves, rather than against me or Russia as a whole. They are showcasing their own foolishness, rampant Russophobia and blatant nationalism. Who is doing this? The advocates of the Western line in Bulgarian corridors of power are doing this. They are not acting in the interests of the Bulgarian people. They are even unable to explain the actions of EU officials and the European Commission to their own citizens. They have even failed to provide links to this document. It is absurd.
Greece allowed the Russian aircraft to fly over its territory. It appears that the diplomats in Athens know more about documents being passed by the European Council than their colleagues in Bulgaria do.
Question: President of Russia Vladimir Putin called on foreign ambassadors to visit the Russia Expo Exhibition and Forum at VDNKh. Will your colleagues offer a group tour or organised trips for foreign diplomats?
Maria Zakharova: On November 15, the State Protocol Department together with the Information and Press Department of the Foreign Ministry with support of the Presidential Executive Office and the Organising Committee of the Russia Expo International Exhibition and Forum organised a visit of the heads of foreign missions accredited in Moscow to VDNKh. The event was attended by senior diplomats from over 70 countries.
Considering President of Russia Vladimir Putin’s address to the newly arrived ambassadors (including from unfriendly states) on December 4, we would be pleased to do all we can to organise an additional tour of the Russia Expo.
A lot of events are held at the forum. There are fantastic stands and presentation opportunities. I have been to the exhibition several times already, including during installation. I also gave a speech on the opening day. It is very interesting and informative. This is the first time for our country. Highly recommended.
There are other traditional exhibitions. But the one at VDNKh is the only one of such scale. It presents all the Russian regions in the capital city and tells a story about their economic opportunities, achievements, and potential. Heads of regions participate in presentation events.
The Ladya exhibition is another interesting event held in Moscow every year. It also involves showcasing what the Russian regions have to offer, as well as ethnic groups living in Russia. It is held on December 13-17 at the Expocentre. There you can take in all of Russia’s achievements in historical context through traditional crafts. I recommend it and invite everyone.
The Foreign Ministry State Protocol Department with the assistance of the Information and Press Department is organising tours of the exhibition for the diplomatic corps. The Main Administration for Service to the Diplomatic Corps (GlavUpDK) is actively involved in this.
It is sure to interest foreign correspondents. At Ladya, you can not only see everything, but also buy it. By the time you get to the craft studios, especially in winter (which is long here), there may not be enough time. And here all the representatives of the country’s regions come to five huge hangars. You can take part in workshops, watch performances, listen to interesting lectures, buy, try on, and learn something new. Fantastic event. I recommend it to everyone.
Question: Shalanda Young and other representatives of the US Administration have been saying recently that Washington is running out of time and money to help Ukraine. The administration is pressuring Congress to pass a new funding package as soon as possible. Do you think they will run out of money? Or will they find the resources to continue the war? Will this have any effect on Russia’s special military operation?
Maria Zakharova: I would not, in any way, be helping the Joe Biden regime find resources to support the Nazi regime in Kiev. Yet, I would suggest that, if they are completely at a loss and fail to reach agreement with Congress, they could sell Hunter Biden’s laptop or mobile phone. I think that would raise impressive funds. Such a brilliant fundraising effort. You have to agree, many would have paid handsomely. I think they shouldn't discount that approach.
Question: American journalist Seymour Hersh said in his article for the Substack website that Kiev and Moscow are holding secret talks at the countries’ chiefs of general staff level. Also, reports have surfaced in the Western media that British diplomats are putting pressure on Ukrainian President Zelensky to sit down at the negotiating table with Russia. How do you respond to such reports? Do they mean that negotiations are being prepared? Is the Russian side ready for these talks?
Maria Zakharova: You are quite right to note that I have already answered this question. But I won’t have any trouble repeating the main points.
I have no information on any secret or behind-the-scenes negotiations. Neither have I found any information to that effect anywhere. I cannot say anything about it. I only see what is real. Maybe this has to do with some unadmitted wish by a certain part of the Western elite. Maybe this is their way of stimulating progress or creating an information opportunity to pose as peacemakers. I cannot say what this is all about. I have no information on this.
I have other information though. It was the Western countries (primarily the US and the UK) that forbid the Kiev regime, its representatives or negotiators to negotiate with the Russian side, and that requirement was made law later. Why? Because they are not interested in ending the Ukraine conflict. They need the story to continue, in any format. They want the issue to remain toxic, to continue taking lives in our region, literally draining its financial, physical and moral resources. They succeeded with Ukraine. That country has been bled financially, ideologically, politically, and morally. Unfortunately, the history of Ukraine as a concept, as a sovereign state that came to exist in the 1990s, has come to an end. But they have not succeeded with us.
There are consistent historical facts and continuity, a solid foundation that makes it safe to say: what has never worked, nor has worked this time, will never work. The reasons are many. All I can say is, learn the basics. Do your research. Not to you, but to all of us.
We need to consider what we know for a fact. And here are the facts: this Anglo-Saxon duo, which drove this whole anti-Ukraine and anti-Russia campaign in the first place, has provoked this conflict by orchestrating the coup in Ukraine, fostering neo-Nazi collaborators as the new heroes of Ukraine, helping to overthrow the real heroes from their pedestals, decomposing Ukrainian society, bribing, blackmailing and instilling this corrupt logic throughout the entire Ukrainian establishment. It was they who latter slammed shut the mousetrap for the Kiev regime, and for the whole of Ukraine by preventing the country from negotiating. This is a fact. It cannot be denied; it is documented. That “mechanics” is no news; however, more and more details will now emerge from privies, eyewitnesses and anyone who had access to the relevant information. Everyone realises that the West has betrayed Ukraine and its people, cynically taking advantage of the trust that the Ukrainian people placed in it, believing in a “bright future.” How could they be so trusting? They should have learned and understood history. They should have valued the contribution of their ancestors who loved and protected their land, rather than fall for a free ticket to a bright future without any effort. One way or another, they trusted the West, and the West cynically deceived them, and that's a fact.
As to the publications, perhaps we will know more if the speakers show up and explain what they meant using their real names.
Question: What is Moscow’s assessment of Armenia’s decision to look for alternatives to Russia in terms of defence cooperation? According to media reports, France will deliver 50 Bastion armoured personnel carriers to Armenia. At the same time, the country’s Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan has discussed Armenian military cooperation with the United States. However, the country’s Defence Ministry has sought to reassure everyone that Yerevan did not intend to sue Russia for not delivering the weapons Armenia has already paid for and that he two countries must settle this issue as partners.
Maria Zakharova: Today, we have cited quite a few examples demonstrating the West’s ability to fool others. I do not want the people of Armenia to be fooled once again by their Western would-be friends. In fact, we have already discussed this.
As for France and its Bastion personnel carriers, these are non-sellers, which has become obvious in the context of the special military operation and the way it has been going. I shared a detailed comment on this matter during my media briefing on November 22. Unfortunately, the media outlets close to the current Armenian government have been misrepresenting this information and failing to perform their mission as journalists. Instead, they should have enabled the Armenian people to see the true quotes and what has been actually said so that they understand that what the West has to offer to the people of Armenia is yet another fake. Why? Because a mishmash of military gear made by various countries has never helped anyone reinforce their defence capability. This much is obvious.
As for the statements by Armenia’s Ministry of Defence on the need to resolve issues in the spirit of partnership, as you have framed it, we cannot but welcome this position. As far as we know, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation shares this attitude.
Question: The Israeli Cabinet decided to ban Al Mayadeen’s broadcasts in Arabic, Spanish and English. The West has been using the same model against the Russian media. Moreover, our network lost three journalists who were on assignment in southern Lebanon during a recent strike by the IDF. At Al Mayadeen, we believe that preparations are underway to get rid of the broadcaster in physical terms. How can we respond to this approach considering that it runs counter to all possible laws and norms?
Maria Zakharova: Let me divide your question into several parts.
First, you compared the situation with Al Mayadeen with what the West has been up to in its effort to counter the Russian media. Unfortunately, I cannot agree with the way you framed this issue. I believe that there is a difference here. As much as I respect your media and journalists, we are dealing with a long-standing system-wide effort to harass the Russian media and journalists and expel them from the media space along with all those who worked with them. This includes all the possible tools from segregationist labelling online to physical pressure consisting of failing to respond to the killings of our journalists or encouraging the relevant regimes to close down the Russian media. This has been going on for many years despite the fact that Russia has literally flooded international institutions with reports about incidents of this kind providing all the details, facts and evidence. I believe that what is happening with the Russian media is totally unprecedented. When the Third Reich sought to do away with unwanted media outlets and threw journalists in jail, its own journalists were its primary target. And when it attacked other countries, it did the same. We are not at war, but what we are facing is part of combat action and warfare: from harassing to physically eliminating journalists. To be honest, I have not seen anything like this anywhere else around the world or in our recent past.
Secondly, as concerns the security of journalists in the zone of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict escalation, the situation is disastrous. According to different reports, between 40 and 50 media representatives have been killed in the past two months. It is an unprecedented situation that journalists die in such high numbers not simply because they are in a conflict zone but because they are targeted specifically. There is evidence confirming that. I do not know other examples of so many casualties caused over such a short period. This surge in armed confrontation has brought into sharp focus the complete dysfunction of the media protection mechanisms created specifically for this sort of circumstances. I remember that it was Western countries that initiated drafting numerous resolutions, statements and conventions on protecting the media and journalists in conflict zones. They worked out various legal combinations and instruments to implement those documents. The same countries that promoted those security measures through international organisations are now keeping silent and doing absolutely nothing. They did not even express sympathy or warn against further incidents. Most surprisingly, it is not only the media outlets in the region that suffer but also Western media outlets or Western media as institutions, or people interacting with Western media or affiliated with them. Despite that, the situation has been ignored. This is more than double standards; it is destruction of any standards in this field. It is a shameful case that, in my opinion, must serve as an anti-example of state conduct. Behind the public eye, in the hallways or from tribunes of international bodies, they call for enhanced security for journalists; but when journalists from their own countries get killed, they do absolutely nothing. They do not even express sympathy.
In this case, the parties to the conflict are essentially disregarding all the obligations and principles that took years to develop and are supposed to guarantee safe working conditions for media representatives. What they are doing is not limited to mutual recriminations, blocking broadcasts and other obstacles. Journalists are dying there almost daily, just like civilians on both sides, healthcare workers, rescuers and workers of international organisations. They die in large numbers.
It is our view that only by addressing the root cause of the conflict by faithfully complying with the agreements reached earlier and enshrined in respective UN Security Council resolutions based on the two-state formula, is it possible to stop this spiral of violence and find a long-term and lasting peaceful solution of this prolonged violent confrontation.
Question: In an interview with a German media outlet, Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev said Russian diplomats never faced challenges like this before, even during the most complicated periods of the Cold War. They are facing the attempts to boycott the embassy at the federal and even the local level. Are there other countries where the situation is similar? How do our ambassadors respond to the challenges? Did they have to make any adjustments to their work?
Maria Zakharova: Overall, you understand that each country has its own specifics. These are the countries whose regimes we refer to as unfriendly.
With regard to the substance and trials that our diplomats faced, this concerns everyone: technical staff, senior diplomatic and consular officials at embassies, representatives of Rossotrudnichestvo, and other Russian government entities. This also includes the missions of other state bodies of our country. They used every imaginable warfare trick on them: psychological pressure, threats, blackmail, and declarations like “your lives are over” and “the Motherland has forgotten about you.” Remember, “Russian Ivan, surrender,” or “Russian Ivan, your government doesn’t love you, only Germany will take good care of you” during the Great Patriotic War? It is roughly the same now all the way to hacking emails, cyber attacks, phone hacking, and using personal data (phones and messengers owned by the diplomats and their families) for the same purposes. It went as far as outdoor advertising outside the embassies or the residential buildings. “Help hotlines” for diplomats were posted, making it possible for them to contact the host country's intelligence services if they choose to cooperate.
Second, it is about physical violence, where vehicles trying to go past the embassy gates were pelted with stones or splashed with paint. Attempts were made to break into residential or office spaces, to break down doors, or to set them on fire.
Third, the blocking of channels for financing our foreign missions, freezing accounts, and imposing sanctions on our financial mechanisms so that people simply couldn’t get their salaries. Against this backdrop, there were the attempts to urge people to leave, as Anna Akhmatova wrote: “Leave your deaf and sinful land,
Leave Russia forever.”
She wrote these lines. The impossibility of paying utility bills, threats of cutting off power or telephone lines. In principle, it is about creating a toxic atmosphere around embassies in a variety of areas: bullying in the media, publication of unreliable data, use of personal data about family members, and threats to life. I won’t even mention surveillance, “approaches,” or attempts at recruitment, which have increased significantly. We regularly commented on this. This is what Russian diplomats faced. The Russian diplomatic service should be credited with successfully passing these tests of strength.
I can also talk about erasing us from the information space. There are a number of ambassadors and embassies that are not allowed to publish refutations in the media or to promote our position, considering that Russian media have long been blocked in the information space of unfriendly countries, as I have already mentioned today. Our embassies have largely become the only source of information about Russia’s official steps. Even this was blocked under all imaginable threats, including physical violence.
Question: How would you describe Russia’s relations with Western countries today? Is this a Cold War, or is there perhaps some new definition?
Maria Zakharova: We have already given our definition, and I wonder why you are not using it. It is a hybrid war that the West is waging against Russia, while using the Kiev regime to do the fighting. This is a very clear definition. No need to make anything up. There is no Russian-Ukrainian war or confrontation. There is the West using Ukraine as a tool to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia. We can generalise this as a hybrid war against our country.
Why is it a hybrid war? Because it is being waged by proxy: the West is doing it under the colours of another country and in using the political capabilities and figures it has planted in that country in advance. The campaign includes a wide range of trade wars against Russia, which were unleashed long before it, as well as an information aggression against our country, with the latest technologies used to exert information and psychological pressure on Russians. This includes cyberattacks, calls made from Ukraine with callers posing as representatives of Russian law enforcement agencies or banks, or bomb scares concerning civilian infrastructure (we have listed those repeatedly). Furthermore, they are using financial institutions to make our lives even more difficult, complicate economic relations with the world, including in making payments, and disrupt the development of entire industries in Russia by blocking cooperation in technological and scientific spheres. This is a true hybrid war that the West has unleashed against our country using the Kiev regime to do the job.
Question: Moldova’s opposition Revival Party stated on its Telegram channel that the unification of Moldova and Romania was an idea being imposed on the country against the people’s will, and that it revealed the current government’s “insolence” and lack of proper respect for the country’s statehood. How much chance do you think there is of Romania and Moldova actually unifying?
Maria Zakharova: Given that the regime of Maia Sandu is imposing the unification with Romania on the Moldovan people, the country’s citizens have every reason to ask: If this is on the Sandu regime’s agenda, could they possibly unite with Romania on Moldova’s terms, and call the new entity Moldova?
If this idea seems quite extravagant to you, let me remind you of one historical fact. The Moldovan statehood is much older than that of Romania, dating back to the middle of the 14th century. The same goes for the Moldovan language and script, which was originally based on the Cyrillic alphabet.
I am sure that the citizens of Moldova remember their country’s history, aspire to preserve their native language and culture, and are interested in continuing to advance Moldova’s statehood.
A democratic process is based on political representation, where political actors uphold the aspirations and best interests of the country's citizens, who have delegated to them the promotion of their goals and objectives. What is Maia Sandu doing? Exactly the opposite! The people want one thing, while she does something else. The Sandu regime has failed to bring more democracy; in fact it has curtailed democracy in Moldova. But I think it’s a temporary story, because this just cannot last long.
My great hope is that the current leadership will adhere to these simple principles of democracy and common sense. Unfortunately, all their steps and actions prove the opposite.
Question: The Armenian and Azerbaijani commissions on delimitation held a meeting at the border on November 30. The trilateral working groups on the unblocking of transport connections in the South Caucasus and border delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan have not met for several months. Does this mean that the relevant Armenia-Azerbaijan-Russia trilateral format is no longer valid on these issues?
Maria Zakharova: We welcome the meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani representatives at their border, where they approved methodological and organisational issues as part of preparations for starting the practical work on delimitation.
We are ready to render comprehensive assistance in direct delimitation activities, in part, to provide the required cartographic materials. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed this during a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart on the sidelines of the foreign ministers of the five Caspian states’ meeting.
As for the trilateral working group on unblocking transport connections co-chaired by the deputy prime ministers, it has achieved substantial progress (as we noted earlier).
Given the political will, the sides would be able to promptly complete the approval of specific projects and launch practical activities. We believe further delay in making agreements in the framework of the trilateral working group will be at variance with the interests of the region’s countries, including Armenia.
As for a peace treaty, we sent the sides invitations for meetings in Moscow and on the sidelines of multilateral events in third countries. Baku has always confirmed its readiness to hold talks. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about our Armenian partners. They probably believe their advisors in Washington, Brussels and Paris can offer them something better, more interesting and effective.
I think it is always useful to recall experience – both your own and your neighbours. This would be a practical approach. We have all seen gatherings under EU aegis, including those in Prague and Brussels. Possibly, the Armenian people are not quite aware of things because they are not informed about everything. In this case, it is worth reading different sources and reviewing how it happened in Prague. It would be good to avoid a repetition. Otherwise, posing as “best friends” they could advise Armenia on something that would lead to yet another surprise. This is exactly what happened in Prague and Brussels. It is with Western prompting, and I want to emphasise this (being aware that my words will be distorted by some Armenian media), that the relevant documents did not contain a word about the rights and security of Karabakh Armenians. Does anyone remember this in their eagerness to trust Western advisers again?
If these items had been spelt out (this was easy to do) it would have been clear what the people who had to leave their homes were supposed to do. But they relied on the lavish promises of the authorities in Yerevan that also had been made with Western prompting. Their rights were neither spelt out nor discussed.
What else should they do to make it clear that they will never do anything in the interests of the peoples in other countries? They always act only in their own interests and only need other countries for meeting these interests. This is historical fact. It has always been this way. But sometimes, you just feel like believing in something.
Question: What is Moscow’s attitude towards Azerbaijan’s production of ammunition for Ukraine?
Maria Zakharova: I would like to ask you one thing – if you ever see confirmed or unconfirmed facts about any other country making ammunition for the Kiev regime, just say instantly that Russia is extremely negative, indignant, etc. (choose any synonym) at any manifestation of support for the terrorist Kiev regime. This applies to all countries without exception and regardless of our ties with them. Our civilians – children, women and old people – are being killed by these munitions, regardless of who produces them and when and who is paying for their production. Our position is invariable.
I have nothing else to say. So, you can always cite me in this context.
Question: Regarding the current battle for sovereignty, Vladimir Putin called it a “national-liberation struggle.” Is this Russia’s official position? For over ten years now, the phrase national-liberation struggle has raised a question that we would like to address now to the Foreign Ministry: who is our country trying to free itself from?
Maria Zakharova: Of course, this is correct. It cannot be otherwise. We are talking about this in the context of both our country and the entire world.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has been talking at length about de-dollarisation as a liberation from the oppression by a system that is used for the wrong purposes. Nobody was against using it as a financial instrument based on equality and law but nobody wants to be involved when it is used as an instrument of exerting pressure on the domestic situation or an element in a trade war.
The majority of countries understand this very well. This is true of both our country and the global majority. The involvement in the global information space was first undertaken under the banner of globalisation, but later it turned out that their presence in our country was represented by their media, resources and online opportunities. But we are not allowed to have such a presence on their territory. They started blocking us, mistreating our journalists and closing our media outlets. This is also oppression – literally enslavement.
Do I need to cite more examples? They have created a bridgehead on Ukrainian territory and have been destabilising the situation in other countries, our neighbours with whom we had historically developed good relations in all areas. What is it if not an attempt to make us directly dependent? The Westerners have realised that we have our own course in the economy, foreign and domestic policy, our own national interests, financial and energy strategies. They have seen that we are winning prestige in the world through genuine cooperation with others whereas they build up their budgets and threaten the whole world at the same time.
They have decided to act as they have decided. I am now talking about the collective West. This is why we are now conducting a national-liberation struggle, but we are not the only ones involved in this struggle. Look at what representatives of Africa, Asia and Latin America are saying. They all talk about this. We are in the vanguard of this liberation struggle.
Multipolarity is a manifestation of the liberation struggle by the entire world for the right of equal attitude towards everyone, equality and national dignity that has been trampled underfoot. In some countries, there have been attempts to destroy national dignity for centuries.
New centres for development and adoption of sovereign decisions are coming into being. Countries are giving priority to their national interests. They are throwing off the yoke of monopoly power, fighting for the right to pursue independent foreign policy and supporting democratisation of international relations. They stand for equal, fair use of global resources. They want every country, all of humanity to have access to natural resources rather than just the inept Western minority. The latter exploits this sooner for enslaving others than promoting its own development and this leads to its own degradation.
Let me repeat that we are in the vanguard of this liberation struggle. We are open to honest partnership with all those that are guided in international relations by the principles of equality and mutual respect. In cooperation with our associates, we are reducing dependence on Western currencies, introducing alternative mechanisms for foreign economic transactions and creating new international transport corridors and supply chains.
We will continue campaigning for truth and justice. This is not an attempt to make the world happy in one day or one year or impose on it our own sense of justice. No one has ever declared a goal like this. Noble tasks should be set as goals, and lofty ideals should be the yardstick. The world should be striving for greater justice rather than encouraging hegemony, despotism, exploitation, theft or deceit. Yes, this won’t be easy, but there is simply no other way. Otherwise, we will have to return to slave trade.
Question: Can you please specify from whom our country is liberating itself?
Maria Zakharova: I just said it. From the ideological, political and financial oppression and dependence on those that historically put themselves above others for some reason. Call it global imperialisms or the collective West. Sometimes they coin a name for themselves or we give them a name. Historically, they reveal themselves in this capacity.
Countries and regimes that consider themselves better or “higher” than others, assume the illegal right to segregate people, take their resources and destroy whole countries and peoples. This is what it is. Historically, this has had different names and different manifestations but the essence has remained the same. I think EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell described this better than anyone before him or after. We are against those who believe in a philosophy of dividing the world into a “wonderful garden” that can do anything it wants and “a wild jungle” that should work for the “wonderful garden.” I think he did not realise himself what he was saying but he said it. We are trying to get rid of this yoke, this ideology and we have already succeeded in doing this in many respects.
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 Русский дом.mp4)