All things Russia Vs. Ukraine/NATO for May 29th, 2022

1. BBC interview with Russian Ambassador to UK on Ukraine

(I wonder if the Russians ever interviewed the British Ambassador with these exact questions and objections over the Falkland Islands war)

2. EU head claims they buy Russian oil so they can’t sell it elsewhere for more. (?)

3. For anyone who is thinking that Russia might be a path to individual rights, freedoms or privacy…

Russia fast-tracks CBDC: Digital ruble to be used in “real operations” in 2023

[…] Under the newly released roadmap, phase two—in which the programmable, trackable digital token will be integrated, small-scale, into “real money” operations—is now slated to start in April 2023. Vedomosti (Russia’s Wall Street Journal) has the details:

[…]

The digital ruble will also ensure the transparency of the terms of payment services, since it will allow tracking the targeted spending of funds by citizens, representatives of Promsvyazbank, Sberbank and Russian Standard Bank note. […]

Blockchain consultant and cryptocurrency researcher Denis Smirnov is critical of the idea of ??the Central Bank: “For people, the introduction of the digital ruble is the realization of the most terrible scenarios described by science fiction writers in dystopias.”

Please see comments as day progresses for likely a lot more on this delicate subject

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

48 Replies to “All things Russia Vs. Ukraine/NATO for May 29th, 2022”

  1. EU unity on Russian sanctions ‘starting to crumble’, German minister says

    BERLIN, May 29 (Reuters) – German Economy Minister Robert Habeck on Sunday expressed fears that the European Union’s unity was “starting to crumble” ahead of a summit to discuss an oil embargo against Russia and plans to cut dependence on Russian energy.

    EU leaders will meet on Monday and Tuesday to discuss a new sanctions package against Russia, which could also include an oil embargo, and a programme aiming to speed up ending dependence on fossil fuels, including Russian gas.

    “After Russia’s attack on Ukraine, we saw what can happen when Europe stands united. With a view to the summit tomorrow, let’s hope it continues like this. But it is already starting to crumble and crumble again,” Habeck told a news conference.

    On Friday, European countries scrambled to reach a deal to embargo seaborne deliveries of Russian oil but allow deliveries by pipeline, a compromise to win over Hungary and unblock new sanctions against Moscow.

    Habeck called for Germany to speak with one voice at the summit instead of abstaining from votes due to differences of opinion within the country’s ruling coalition. He called for similar unity from other EU states.

    “Europe is still a huge economic area with incredible economic power. And when it stands united, it can use that power,” Habeck said at the opening of the German Hannover Messe trade fair.

    https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-unity-russian-sanctions-starting-crumble-german-minister-says-2022-05-29/

  2. CNN – Fareed Zakaria: Europe is acting with greater sense of unity and purpose

  3. europravda – Zelensky visits Ukraine’s east for the first time since invasion

  4. TASS – Medvedev hails Biden’s decision not to send Ukraine rockets reaching Russia

    That’s reasonable, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council noted

    MOSCOW, May 30. /TASS/. The deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has described as reasonable US President Joe Biden’s decision not to supply to Ukraine rocket systems capable of reaching Russia.

    “Biden has said the United States will not send Ukraine rocket systems that can reach into Russia. That’s reasonable,” Medvedev said on his Telegram channel on Monday.

    “Otherwise, in case of strikes against our cities Russia’s armed forces would act on the warning to attack the centers where such criminal decisions are made. Some of them are certainly not in Kiev. No explanations necessary…” Medvedev wrote.

    Earlier, Russia’s ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, said he hoped that “common sense will prevail” and the United States would not send long-range rocket systems weapons to Kiev. Before that, The New York Times reported that the White House had allegedly decided to supply Ukraine with M31 GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System), whose range of fire, depending on the type of ammunition, can reach 500 kilometers. Also, such system can fire satellite-guided rockets.

    https://tass.com/politics/1457967

    ==========================

    CNN – US considering sending Ukraine this advanced weapons system

    The Biden administration is preparing to step up the kind of weaponry it is offering Ukraine by sending advanced, long-range rocket systems that are now the top request from Ukrainian officials, multiple officials say.

  5. CNN – Ukraine will fight until it gains all its territory back: Zelensky

    Zelensky tells CNN’s Fareed Zakaria how much territory Ukraine would be willing to cede to Russia and that he thinks Putin does not realize about the situation on the ground.

  6. DEUTSCHE PRAVDA – EU struggles with Russia oil embargo +++ Ukraine wants more heavy weapons

    European leaders are meeting in Brussels today to discuss more sanctions against Russia, including a plan to phase out Russian oil imports.

    But a full ban is looking unlikely, after opposition from Hungary which depends on oil delivered by a Russian pipeline.

    The two-day European Council meeting is attempting to avoid a display of disunity over the bloc’s response to the war in Ukraine.

    The outcome of this EU leaders’ meeting is being closely observed in Ukraine.

    DW is joined by Daniel Bilak.

    He is a Canadian lawyer living in Ukraine.

    In the past he’s worked as the chief investment advisor to the prime minister of Ukraine.

    Now he is part of Kiev’s Territorial Defence Forces.

  7. Josep Borrell doorstep statement before the meeting of the European Council on Ukraine.

  8. EU should negotiate with Russia to extract 20m tonnes of Ukrainian grain by sea – Borrell

    The chief diplomat of the European Union accused Russian President Putin of inciting world hunger.

    The EU needs to reach an agreement directly with the Russian Federation for the extraction of 20 million tons of wheat from the Ukrainian ports closed by Russian warships. Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, expressed this during a briefing in Brussels.

    “We are thinking about how to export 20 million tons of Ukrainian wheat. It is not easy. Of course, an agreement with Russia is needed to use the sea routes,” he said.

    According to Borrell, the threat of a food crisis will be on the agenda of the current EU summit. Noting that the European Union cannot allow hunger in the world, the diplomat added that this would be a “great tragedy”.

    “This is what Putin has done. (including the destruction of wheat stocks in Ukraine),” the diplomat said.

    At the same time, Borrell assured that the European Union will continue to support Ukraine, both through sanctions against the Russian Federation and through the supply of arms. The European official also expressed confidence that EU leaders will be able to approve the sixth package of sanctions, which should include a clause on imposing an embargo on Russian oil products.

    Recall, on May 25, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said that the Russian Federation can unblock ports and provide a safe corridor for the export of Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea, but for this a number of sanctions imposed on the aggressor must be lifted. situation.

    In turn, the official representative of the US State Department, Ned Price, assured that it was impossible to lift sanctions in exchange for the blockade of Ukrainian ports by Russia.

    https://thenewsdept.com/world-news/84698.html

  9. Associated Press – French 32-year-old journalist is killed in Ukraine

    PARIS (AP) — A 32-year-old French journalist was killed Monday in eastern Ukraine, fatally hit by shell shrapnel while covering a Ukrainian evacuation operation, according to the French news broadcaster that he worked for.

    BFM TV said its journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff was killed as he was “covering a humanitarian operation in an armored vehicle” near Sievierodonetsk, a key city in the Donbas region that is being hotly contested by Russian and Ukrainian forces. He had worked for six years for the French television channel.

    French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Leclerc-Imhoff on Twitter, saying he “was in Ukraine to show the reality of the war.”

    “Aboard a humanitarian bus, alongside civilians forced to flee to escape Russian bombs, he was fatally shot,” Macron tweeted.

    Macron expressed condolences to his family, relatives and colleagues and spoke of “France’s unconditional support” to “those who carry out the difficult mission of informing in theaters of operations.”

    French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called the journalist’s death “deeply shocking.”

    “France demands that a transparent inquiry be launched as soon as possible to shed full light on the circumstances of this tragedy,” she added.

    https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-entertainment-france-government-and-politics-journalists-5d1a50102f15780b466083e83b002dd5

    =============================

    French national killed in LPR was not journalist but mercenary, says LPR officer

    Andrey Marochko noted that the French national could be engaged in delivering weapons and munitions to the positions of Ukraine’s armed units

    LUGANSK, May 30. /TASS/. The French national, who was killed on Monday on the Kiev-controlled territory of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), unlikely was a journalist but could be engaged in delivering munitions to the positions of the Ukrainian armed forces, Andrey Marochko, an officer of the LPR People’s Militia, told TASS on Monday.

    “He is presented not only as a journalist. Even the Ukrainian media say that he was a volunteer. So, we don’t rule out that he was engaged in delivering weapons and munitions to the positions of Ukraine’s armed units. That is why he was doomed to such a sad end. I wouldn’t call him a journalist because his actions indicated quite a different line of activity. It is quite possible to call him a foreign mercenary. And it is absolutely clear that he was an accessory to Ukrainian far-right radical forces. We have seen that such volunteers help Ukrainian troops – they deliver munitions that are used to kill civilians,” he said.

    According to Marochko, the LPR People’s Militia warned on May 27 that LPR forces would target civil cars Ukraine would use for military purposes. “The Ukrainian army is using prohibited warfare methods. We have repeatedly reported that Ukrainian armed units and far-right radicals are using civil transport for their military needs. First of all, Ukrainian militants reportedly use ambulance cars to transport munitions and food for the armed forces, which is banned by absolutely all international rules. We also see that they now use civil transport for their movements,” he stressed.

    Earlier on Monday, Ukraine’s media reported the death of a French national who allegedly was a journalist and was on his way to evacuate ten people from Kiev-controlled territories. It was reason for the suspension of the evacuation of civilians, they claimed.

    Meanwhile, Marochko said that Ukraine stopped evacuation when LPR forces took control of the roads to Lisichanks and Severodonetsk. “Now, they are seeking to picture this incident to stir up the international community, present us in the wrong light and accuse of killing journalists. But I would like to stress that this is not so. They really use civilians as a human shield. And even when they evacuated civilians, they evacuated them along with wounded Ukrainian militants,” he added.

    https://tass.com/politics/1458015

    ===========================

  10. The BBC guy is clearly uninformed, thus either incompetent or following the BBC’s orders. Too frustrating to listen to the entire interview.

    The digital currency and transaction system: I fear it will be everywhere and the only way to counter it would be to ditch our Cell and iPhones, something few would accept.

  11. Speech by Zelensky at a meeting of the European Council

    Addressing the European Council, I emphasized: Europe must show strength.

    Because Russia perceives only strength as an argument.

    It’s time. It’s time for you to be not separate, not fragments, but one whole.

    Ukraine has shown by its own example why this is important.

    In our country, starting from February 24 there is the maximum unity, everyone is working for one result – state protection.

    And thanks to this we managed to do what the world did not expect: Ukraine stopped the Russian army – and everyone was afraid of it, remember? – and managed to liberate part of our occupied territory.

    Greater unity is truly the foundation of this strength.

    You know this. Finally, all quarrels in Europe must end, internal discord that only encourages Russia to put more and more pressure on you.

  12. twitter @disclosetv

    JUST IN – EU to impose an embargo on Russian oil, more than 2/3 of imports will be cut immediately.

    MORE – In addition, Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, will be cut from the SWIFT payment system.

    https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1531398925265117184

    =====================

    EU clinches compromise deal on banning Russian oil

    … leaders have agreed a compromise plan to block more than two-thirds of Russian oil imports after Hungary opposed a total ban.

    European Council chief Charles Michel said the deal cut off “a huge source of financing” for the Russian war machine.

    He added that it put “maximum pressure on Russia to end the war”.

    The ban is part of a sixth package of sanctions approved at a summit in Brussels, which all 27 member states had to agree on.

    Mr Michel said the EU had also agreed hard-hitting measures targeting Russia’s largest bank and three state-owned broadcasters.

    EU members spent hours struggling to resolve their differences over the ban on Russian oil imports, with Hungary its main opponent.

    The ban on Russian oil imports was initially proposed by the European Commission – which develops laws for member states – a month ago.

    But resistance, notably from Hungary, held up the EU’s troubled latest round of sanctions.

    Other landlocked countries, such as Slovakia and the Czech Republic, also asked for more time due to their dependence on Russian oil. Bulgaria, already cut off from Russian gas by Gazprom, had likewise sought opt-outs.

    The cost of living crisis being felt across Europe has not helped either. Sky-rocketing energy prices – among other things – have curtailed some EU countries’ appetite for sanctions which could also hurt their own economies.

    Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had said her expectations were “low” that a deal would be reached, while Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the EU to stop quarrelling.

    Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban maintained a tough stance during the talks, blaming the European Commission for failing to properly negotiate the ban with member countries.

    He said that energy was a “serious issue” and that “we need solutions and then the sanctions”.

    Ukraine’s President Zelensky, who dialled into the summit, urged EU countries to stop their internal “quarrels,” stating that they only helped Moscow.

    “All quarrels in Europe must end, internal disputes that only encourage Russia to put more and more pressure on you,” Mr Zelensky said via video-link.

    “It is time for you to be not separate, not fragments, but one whole,” he said.

    Latvia’s Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said member countries should not get “bogged down” in their own personal interests.

    “It’s going to cost us more. But it’s only money. The Ukrainians are paying with their lives,” he said.

    • The Russian military found a van with the bodies of 152 dead militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Azov on Azovstal.

      The van was booby-trapped, explosives were enough to destroy it, according to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

      Captured militants of “Azov” earlier told during interrogations that the bodies were mined on the direct instructions of Kiev.

      Thus , the regime pursued two goals:

      – On the one hand, to accuse Russia of deliberately destroying the remains.

      – On the other hand, to prevent the removal of bodies for transfer to relatives in order to hide the scale of losses and save the “political reputation” of the Kiev regime and Zelensky personally.

      Now Russia plans to transfer all these bodies to the Ukrainian side.

      • europravda – The Russian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday its forces had discovered 152 bodies of Ukrainian fighters in the underground tunnels of the Azovstal steel plant.

      • Company Description: Pyng Medical commercializes trauma and resuscitation products for emergency medical treatment. It makes an intraosseous infusion device called FAST1 (First Access for Shock and Treatment) that hydrates victims of rapid blood loss or vein collapse — usually the result of cardiac arrest or severe trauma.

        The device is used by emergency medical personnel, including those in the military (specifically, the US Department of Defense), which accounts for nearly half of Pyng Medical’s total units shipped.

        https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.pyng_medical_corp.6290e767deddf1f83aa22a664d22fdc6.html

        =======================================

        U.S Military Trials

        The U.S. military recently conducted clinical trials on over 800 patients to test the effectiveness of sternally infused volume expanding fluids.

        Volume expanding fluids enhance patient outcome by drawing fluids from other human tissues, causing a plasma volume increase of up to 3-fold in under ten minutes.

        Resuscitating a patient with normal saline solution through intravenous therapy can take up to 37 minutes.

        The specific fluid infused was HSD. The research demonstrated that patient outcomes were improved due to the intraosseously infused fluids. There was relatively little or no difference in absorption rates between the intravenous method and intraosseous infusion.

        Furthermore, these same trials reaffirmed other studies by illustrative that myocardial (muscular functions of the heart) functions increased, blood pressure increased (which led to a rise in organ blood flow), acid base was restored, urine output rose, and there were noticeable improvements in neurological functions; all within five minutes of initiating the procedure.

        The US Military has adopted the F.A.S.T.1 System for Special Operation and the product has been deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq during 2003

        https://sec.edgar-online.com/pyng-medical-corp/20-f-annual-and-transition-report-foreign-private-issuer/2005/10/20/section2.aspx

        ==========================================
        FAST1™ Intraosseous Infusion System

        https://teleflex.com/usa/en/product-areas/military-federal/intraosseous-access/fast1-io-infusion-system/

        =================================================
        FASTResponder Sternal Intraossesous (IO) Infusion Device – Live Insertion on Conscious Patient #1

  13. U.S. Can Offer ‘Comfort Letters’ to Help Russia Grain, Fertilizer Exports – U.S. Envoy

    UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United States is prepared to give “comfort letters” to shipping and insurance companies to help facilitate exports of Russian grain and fertilizer, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said on Tuesday.

    She noted that Russian grain and fertilizer were not under U.S. sanctions but that “companies are a little nervous and we’re prepared to give them comfort letters if that will help to encourage them.”

    https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2022-05-31/u-s-can-offer-comfort-letters-to-help-russia-grain-fertilizer-exports-u-s-envoy

    ====================================

    EU confirms ban on insuring Russian ships

    Details finally due this week, but move unveiled by Ursula von der Leyen on May 30 could severely restrict trading opportunities for owners caught in European Commission crosshairs

    https://insuranceday.maritimeintelligence.informa.com/ID1140830/EU-confirms-ban-on-insuring-Russian-ships

  14. reuters – Ukraine’s ‘unicorn’ LGBTQ soldiers head for war

    … they contemplate the unicorn insignia that gives their uniform a rare distinction – a symbol of their status as an LGBTQ couple who are Ukrainian soldiers.

  15. DAILY MAIL – Zelensky’s wife says she speaks ‘openly’ about the war with her children – and their nine-year-old son gives his president father ADVICE on military matters

    Olena Zelenska says she tries to be ‘honest’ about what is happening in the war

    She said her young son Kyrylo, 9, even tries to give his father military advice

    The first lady has spoken about the family’s enforced ‘separation’ due to the war

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10872467/Zelenskys-wife-says-nine-year-old-son-gives-president-father-ADVICE-military-matters.html

    ===========================
    Zelensky: “We’re losing 60 to 100” soldiers everyday

  16. DEUTSCHE PRAVDA – US to send Ukraine ‘advanced rocket systems’

    US President Joe Biden said that Washington will send Ukraine “advanced rocket systems” to hit “key targets.”

    The advanced rocket systems are part of a $700 million (€653 million) weapons package expected to be unveiled on Wednesday.

    Officials said that the package will also include ammunition, counterfire radars, a number of air surveillance radars, additional Javelin anti-tank missiles and anti-armor weapons.

    • Blinken says Ukraine promises won’t fire U.S. weapons at Russia

      Blinken said Ukraine had given assurances that it will not use long-range weapons systems provided by Washington against targets on Russian territory.

    • global news- US supplies Ukraine with long-range rockets, Russia sees move as escalation

      The Pentagon’s top policy advisor Dr. Colin Kahl said on Wednesday the U.S. will provide Ukraine with four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems to extend Kiev’s reach in its war against invading Russian forces, adding that about three weeks of training would be needed.

      The rockets are part of a $700-million weapons package the U.S. has approved for Ukraine. The rocket systems can strike with precision at long-range Russian targets, as part of an expected (word missing?) to be unveiled later in the day.

      Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. has received assurances from Ukraine that it will not use the high-precision rockets to attack targets within Russian territory.

      However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the supply of the rocket launchers to Ukraine has raised the risk of a “third country” being drawn into the three-month-long conflict.

  17. DEUTSCHE PRAVDA – Germany promises modern air defense systems to Ukraine

    In a speech to the Bundestag, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany would deliver modern IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine.

    The German leader said with the help of these systems, Ukraine will be in a position “to protect an entire major city from Russian air attacks.”

    Scholz also said Germany has vowed to give Ukraine tracking radar which is capable of detecting enemy howitzers, mortars and rocket artillery.

    In addition, Scholz said Berlin would send multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine in close coordination with the United States. Ukrainian officials have said these systems would not be used to target Russian territory.

    German news outlet dpa reported that Berlin plans to send four of the launchers to Ukraine, with the US training Ukrainian soldiers to use the systems.