Medvedev, global catastrophe if NATO troops in Ukraine
Sending Western troops to Ukraine “will lead to a direct entry of their countries into the war, to which we will have to respond. And, alas, not on the territory of Ukraine”: the USA, France and the United Kingdom “will not be able to hide , there will be a global catastrophe”: the former Russian president and current deputy secretary of the National Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, writes on Telegram. “Therefore, today the General Staff began preparations for the exercises, including measures to practice the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons,” he added.
Putin, sanctions against Russia bring opposite results
“Sanctions against Russia have led to the opposite results.” Russian President Vladimir Putin stated this, as reported by Tass. “Russia’s enemies tried to ruin Russia from within, but they failed,” he added.
Ukraine: Russian intelligence, US are looking for a replacement for Zelensky
The United States has stepped up efforts to find a replacement for incumbent Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said in a statement, quoted by Russian news agency TASS. “The Americans have intensified efforts to find an alternative to the current Ukrainian president,” the SVR press service reported. Namely, Washington contacted former Ukrainian president Pyotr Poroshenko, the leader of the European Solidarity party, and Kiev mayor Vitaly Klichko. Furthermore, secret activities involving the head of the Ukrainian presidential office Andrey Yermak, former Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzny and former Rada speaker Dmitry Razumkov are underway, the SVR added. According to the Russian service, all these politicians could be sought if the situation on the front lines worsens sharply or if the need arises to replace Zelensky as soon as possible. “The main idea is to avoid a critical increase in dissatisfaction among Ukrainians with the failures of pro-Western policy,” says Svr. “The US administration does not even hide that in reality it does not care who will govern Ukraine as long as the military conflict with Russia can continue. The war to the last Ukrainian must continue,” he concluded.
Ukrainian war, Kremlin: “Nuclear exercises in response to the West”
The Russia announced preparations for military exercises which will include the use of “nuclear weapons non-strategic” in the face of what he describes as “provocative statements and threats” from “Western officials”. In a statement posted on his Telegram account, the Ministry of Defence Russian said the exercise was ordered by the president Vladimir Putin “in order to increase the readiness of tactical nuclear forces to carry out combat missions.” “On the instructions of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation – reads a statement from the Ministry of Defense of Moscow – General Staff has begun preparations for carrying out exercises in the near future, with missile formations of the Southern Military District and with the involvement of aviation and naval forces”. “During the maneuvers a series of activities will be carried out to practice preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons,” he said, before stressing that the goal is to “maintain the readiness of personnel and equipment” to “unconditionally guarantee the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state.”
War in Ukraine, Kiev drones over Belgorod
Meanwhile, the bombing of Ukraine continues. At least six people were killed and 35 others injured today in a drone attack blamed on Ukraine in the Russian border region of Belgorod. The Russian authorities reported the news, stating that the aircraft hit two buses carrying employees of an agricultural company. The governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said in a message on his Telegram account that “the accident occurred near the village of Berezkova” and claimed that Ukrainian forces used “kamikaze drones” to attack the two buses and a third passenger vehicle. “I express my sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims”, he said, adding that among the injured there are two children “with superficial wounds” and a man “in serious condition”, so it cannot be ruled out that the toll of the victims may worsen in the next few hours.
Ukrainian war, Russia attacks 6 villages in the Sumy region
Russian forces attacked six villages in Sumy Oblast. The regional military administration reported this, adding that more than 22 explosions were recorded yesterday but that there were no victims. The communities of Khotin, Yunakivka, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka and Esman were affected. This morning, the military administration of Sumy reported that Russian forces had carried out drone attacks on the region’s energy infrastructure, causing partial blackouts in the area.
Lavrov: “Whoever wins the elections, we will always be enemies for the USA”
The Democratic and Republican parties in the United States consider Russia an enemy and will try to inflict defeat on it, regardless of the outcome of the presidential elections. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. “There will be a presidential election in the United States soon. There is no division between Democrats and Republicans on Russia and China. One may be ‘harder’, the other ‘even harder’, but in principle we see no difference. For both of us, no matter who wins the election, we are by and large the enemy. Whether we are an adversary or an enemy is a nuance, but the “strategic defeat” which they believe should be inflicted on Russia is “the establishment’s American goal,” Lavrov added in an interview with the Bosnian channel ATV. “As Russian President Vladimir Putin said – added the Russian Foreign Minister – we will be ready to work with whoever the American people elect, provided that there is an opposing will towards us”, added Lavrov.
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