If NATO will continue expansion to the east, then Russia's response may be very different, said Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to him, everything depends on the proposals of Russian military experts.
Putin noted in Russia 1 that Moscow had offered the US and NATO strategic security guarantees to achieve a “diplomatic outcome.” White House representative Jen Psaki on talks between Moscow and Washington on setting up a security system, Putin said, “said we were ready to start talks as soon as possible.” some Russian proposals, but are not ready to give in to Russian demands on NATO.
Vladimir Džabarov, First Deputy Head of the International Committee The Federation Council expressed the view that the Soviet Union could not cease to exist on December 26, 1991, if “Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev had the political will.” According to Jabarov, after signing the Belovezhskaya agreements, Gorbachev was to distance himself from the document and bring the negotiators to justice.
According to Jabarov, some at the time of the events assumed that it was not the disintegration of the country, but the emergence of a new form of statehood.
The sharpest thing was about the usurpation of power
Vladimir Putin's press conference confirmed MK's forecasts. The key topics of the president's four-hour conversation with journalists were the confrontation with NATO, the war with Ukraine, the coronavirus pandemic, the gas crisis in Europe and socio-economic issues, especially rising prices. Although the Kremlin showed some openness by inviting several foreign media to the press conference, none of them was given a word in the end. The most urgent question was asked by BBC correspondent Pyotr Kozlov, who suspected Putin of usurping power and preparing a base for future wars and revolutions in the Russian Federation.
Photo: Natalia Gubernatorova
As Vladimir Putin entered the hall, he seemed surprised by the great distance between the stage and the ranks of the journalists. “Far away,” he remarked. “But I hope you can hear me well.” And I hope to hear from you, too. “There really was no problem with the sound. But the head of state did not always see not only the faces but also the posters brought by the journalists.” Someone raised a “heart” somewhere. Putin hoped, but after hearing another request (and regional journalists traditionally use a press conference to address the urgent problems of their territories) shrugged in disappointment: “Apparently it's not the 'heart'
The medical mask, in which all participants in the press conference were to sit at Rospotrebnadzor's request, did not allow Vladimir Putin to identify his rival in the 2018 presidential election, Ksenia Sobchak. But the journalist's calculation for the red dress and the largest poster in the hall turned out to be correct. “It says 'FSIN,' give the girl a microphone,” the VVP ordered, and when he heard the familiar last name, he apologized for not confessing, “You can't see you at all.” Ksenia Sobchak asked about the president's “personal emotional stance” on torture in prisons. And also about how state awards are received by those who participate in them. The president did not talk about emotions, but promised that all 17 criminal cases would be completed and the perpetrators punished. As for the remuneration of those responsible for the torture of prisoners, yes, he said, mistakes sometimes occur.
In general, in answering any urgent question – whether it was torture in prisons, the law on foreign agents or rising prices – Putin tried to show that not only Russia is facing similar phenomena. And if it collides, on a much smaller scale than somewhere over the hill. In particular, the domestic law on foreign media agents is, according to him, much more liberal than its American version. “If you don't think that's enough, let's do it as in the United States: we'll impose criminal liability for this activity if the organization doesn't stop its work,” he told BBC correspondent Pyotra Kozlov, who criticized the Russian authorities for an exaggerated and very vague law enforcement practice. Putin stressed: there is no inflection point in Russia – in the United States, 0.034 organizations are recognized as foreign agents. And we, “you can imagine what a surprise”, also 0.034 – the same volume. However, the British journalist personally “struck” the president and indicated that his actions – especially a clear move towards confrontation with the West – had laid the foundations for future shocks. “Every time power in Russia was concentrated in one hand and it was in a phase of acute conflict with the West, it eventually provoked resistance and plunged the country into the abyss of wars and revolutions,” Kozlov recalled. “We have a division of power,” Putin reminded him. “And the choice of organization of society and state will be determined by the Russian people, not by those you serve today.”
However, most of the questions were, to put it mildly, easily predictable. The president did not hear some of them for the first time and he had already rehearsed the answers. Vladimir Putin, for example, spoke of exactly what he had said to NATO, saying what he had said a day ago to a defense college: “NATO's further eastward movement is unacceptable. Is it an exaggerated demand – not to put other shock systems into our house? Sky News journalist asked Vladimir Putin for guarantees of non-aggression against Ukraine and received a reply that she had the wrong address. “It is you who must provide us with guarantees, immediately! Now! And don't talk about it for decades, “Putin hurried to the attack. The President stressed that it is not the course of the negotiations that is important for Russia (although Washington's focus on them is a positive signal), but a concrete and swift result: Moscow's actions will depend on unconditional security of Russia – today and in the long term. However, after long discussions about Donbas, Kiev's aggressive policies, the events of 2014 and their consequences, the President nevertheless formulated the main thing: we do not plan to attack Ukraine, but we do not allow NATO to expand to the east.
Many questions remained in the air after the press conference – Vladimir Putin did not give them a clear answer for one reason or another. Does Russia recognize the Taliban government? “We will try to ensure that the solution is consolidated.” Will the valorisation of pensions, which is still planned for 5.9% in 2022, change, which is much less than inflation? “The government will do its utmost to meet its obligations. So far we are doing well. “When will normal mobile operators who do not go there due to sanctions appear in Crimea?” The West wanted to spit on the Crimeans and decide on its geopolitical issues. This is not mana from heaven – not everything will fall from heaven “etc.” and explained why he would not take Mikhail Mishustin with him into the taiga: “Then who will stay in business?” Faces and gestures of Vladimir Putin's big press conference: images from “Manezh”
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Russia has a significant advantage in the Sea of Azov. This view was expressed by the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Dmitry Kuleba in an interview with The Washington Post.
The diplomat believes that if an armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine breaks out, the situation in the region will change to give Moscow the opportunity to “put pressure” on southern Ukrainian cities on the shores of the Sea of Azov. According to Kuleba, “Russia dictates the development of the situation on Azov and uses the reservoir as a scene of military operations.”
However, American journalists note that the Ukrainian sailors themselves are provoking the Russians to conflict. For various reasons, they approach the border, do not respond to legal requirements and hide information about their intentions and route. The Americans believe that the main reason is that “the reservoir is too small” and the fleets of both countries are too overcrowded.
“We couldn't imagine the extent of the betrayal” flight. At the height of the USSR military force led the country's anti-aircraft missile forces. The former commander told the Ministry of Culture about why he resigned after the disintegration of the Union, through whose fault Matthias Rust was not shot down, and what kind of air defense Russia needs.
Photos: From the personal archive
Rasim Suleimanovich Akchurin was born on December 24, 1931 in the village of Zangiata in the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan. In 1949 he entered the Kalinin Leningrad Polytechnic Institute. After a second course in 1951, he was drafted into the Soviet Army. He graduated from the 3rd Baltic School of Anti-Aircraft Artillery Air Defense Forces, Military Command Academy of Air Defense. He served in the Turkestan Military District, the Moscow Air Defense Circuit. Since 1985, he has been the commander of the country's anti-aircraft missile forces. In 1992, he was transferred to the reserve according to age. The brother of the famous cardiac surgeon, academician Renato Akchurin, who was commissioned to perform the operation of Boris Yeltsin.
– Of course I follow the development of air defense technology, I keep up with new products: S-350, S-400, S-500. But of course I do not know the quantitative composition of anti-aircraft complexes – it is no longer necessary. When he commanded the country's anti-aircraft missile forces, they included more than 240 anti-aircraft missile regiments and brigades. That's an impressive character. In addition, each brigade had 12-16 anti-aircraft missile divisions. These were powerful brigades equipped with various types of anti-aircraft missile technology. And the density of the fire was high. In the event of an enemy attack, the probability of destroying his property is very high.
I have something to compare with. I joined the service in 1954 as a lieutenant in the anti-aircraft artillery unit. We covered a uranium factory in Kyrgyzstan near Maili-Sai. One separate anti-aircraft artillery battalion stood at the entrance to the gorge in which the plant and uranium mines were located, and the other – at the east.
The commander of the plant was Major General Danilin. I even remember his last name, because in my presence, Lieutenant, the commander of my unit, Bochkov, often pronounced this name. And the commander somehow sets the task for the divisions: “Danilin called now. If the American “Boston” is flying, shoot down … “Then military insults to make it clear how to shoot down.
In fact, he was an artilleryman, an iconostasis of the front orders – on his chest. p>
The “Douglas” or “Boston” aircraft has been in the US, UK and USSR air forces since World War II. More than 3,000 of these aircraft of various modifications were delivered to the USSR under a lend-lease.
Rasim Akchurin, former commander of the air defense forces USSR. Photo: From the personal archive
American aircraft at the time, taking advantage of the fact that we did not yet have anti-aircraft missiles and anti-aircraft guns could not reach altitude, often conducted reconnaissance flights over the territory of the USSR. Of course, they were mainly interested in nuclear facilities. The end of this practice was made by anti-aircraft missiles, which on May 1, 1960 shot down a U-2 aircraft over Sverdlovsk with the American pilot Powers.
We are, of course, ready. Let's wait. Boston flies. They opened fire from 16 anti-aircraft guns with two batteries. Sea of fire. According to probability theory, up to 600-800 anti-aircraft artillery shells must be fired to destroy one aircraft. I commanded my platoon. I saw the plane maneuver up and down. The pilot was clearly strong. He realized they were shooting at him. And left. We didn't shoot him.
The commander of the Bočkov unit arrived, set up a number of officers and said: “The soldiers have nothing to do with it. You didn't teach them to fight. “And how I went to clean up! Everyone got it. Especially for the instrument operators. He said,” I'd shoot you in a combat situation, you can be sure, but now the situation is different. “
And the next day we'll find out that it was … our aerial reconnaissance aircraft. how air defense capabilities grew when anti-aircraft missiles appeared in our arsenal, and Powers did it.
– And what do you think? Definitely. In addition, they fought, as they say, for life and death with our own pilots, who acted as enemies.
During the command of the troops, I did a lot of exercises. Life was spent more at training grounds. These are Sary-Shagan in Kazakhstan, Ashuluk in the Astrakhan region. All long-range anti-aircraft systems usually operated from Sary-Shagan and complexes S-75, S-125 worked on Ashuluku.
The service took place at training grounds. General Rasim Akchurin (center) receives reports from subordinates. Photo: From the personal archive
They usually conducted joint exercises with remote aviation. They are attackers who fire guided missiles. And they are trying to reduce us in all possible ways. It was just such a disease. The sensitivity of autopilots will be so gross that guided missiles not only bend around the terrain, but hit the hills.
I remember that Pyotr Deinekin – then deputy commander of long-distance aviation – organized such an attack in Sary-Shagan. My shooters are ready, waiting – and everything is in vain: all missiles are resting on the hill. We did not launch a single missile, but there were no targets, we did not reach the object.
Pyotr Stepanovich Derinekin, Commander of the Long-Range Air Force of the USSR (1988-1990), Commander – Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Air Force (1991), Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force (1992-1998), Hero of Russia, Army general. Under his leadership, Dudayev's Ichkera Air Force was destroyed at airports.
And then it starts tugging: who's to blame! It was horrible. I've already commanded the country's anti-aircraft missile forces. I say to Deinekin, “Father … what are you doing?” Here the pilots did not risk it, they set the actual parameters of the rocket flight. And all missiles were placed on the ground system S-300.
Before, I flew the whole range in a helicopter. I looked at all the routes: where to place missile divisions, where missiles can fly. And thanks to the helicopter pilots, they helped me. I built my forces so that the missiles would not pass.
Here Deinekin tells me, “Listen, do not rush to report to your Koldunov (Chief of the Air Defense Forces of the country, Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force Alexander Koldunov. – MK ), because he will certainly call my Chief Commander Kutakhov (Chief of the Air Force, Chief Marshal of the Air Force Pavel Kutakhov. – “MK” ) – and that's it! There is a terrible noise. Please. ”
I say: well, as a companion I will report only in the evening and in the evening – if I'm in the office, yes. If not, then tomorrow. And then poor Deinekin walked by, wondering how to report to Kutakhov so it wouldn't be too bad. That's how we suffered with him in Sary-Shagan.
It is clear that overall, the common cause has won. The confrontation between the anti-aircraft gunners and the pilots was only to the benefit of the defense. The USSR had the strongest air defense and the strongest aviation. But jealousy was terrible …
Youth work is a major concern for veterans' councils. Photo: From the personal archive
– It was terribly offensive. Even in a bad dream, we could not admit that everything would be like this. My relatives later reproached me later: you, the military, had to get up, raise your head. But I didn't admit it would happen. I believed in the strength of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
In August 1991, Tretyak (Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, Commander of the Air Defense Forces. – MK ) with Jazov (USSR Defense Minister Gorbachev, Marshal Dmitry Jazov – MK ) and said, “What are you doing? You are the power! We need to be more determined. ”
This interview took place in the presence of all members of the Air Defense Forces Military Council. The head of the PVO political department also suggested to the minister over the phone: bring tanks, arrest them all, you will be grateful to the people.
No one could have imagined betrayal and irresponsibility on such a scale.
– I will say roughly: Rust would not have found his eggs if some air defense commanders were more determined. That day I was on the commission of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense Forces, and at the end of the winter training period, I inspected the Tallinn Air Defense Division.
Matthias Rust is a German amateur pilot. At the age of 18, he flew a Cessna light engine from Hamburg via Helsinki to Moscow. On May 28, 1987 (USSR Border Troops Day), Bolshoi Moskvorecky landed on the bridge. The court accused him of hooliganism and sentenced him to four years in prison. He was released on amnesty in 1988 and returned to Germany. Rust's escape led to the massive resignation of the Soviet military leadership.
In the morning, the division commander meets me and says: this is the story that happened last night. I say: wait, why didn't they report tonight? “Well, Comrade Commander, somehow I didn't attach much importance to it.” Can you imagine ?!
After the division commander reported, I went to the divisions that accompanied the intruders.
Accompanied by Rust! The S-200 anti-aircraft system also accompanied the S-125. There would be nothing left of him. One bullet would shoot him down. And the intervention would be accurate! Definitely!
I came across objective control materials that showed the offender's failed escort and readiness to destroy the “guest”.
I ask the battalion commander, “Why didn't they open fire?” – “And there was no order, Comrade Commander.” “Wait,” I say, “imagine that the enemy is flying, you are accompanying him, you see that he is not responding to a” friend or foe “signal! How can you? You are the fire commander! Understand?” – “There was no order and we have no right to open light aircraft.”
Here is such a primitive news in one division. Maybe the division commander prepared him to say that – I don't know. But there were simply two divisions that Rust's plane passed, as they say, with a zero parameter. There was a 100% chance of destroying the intruder. Fully! And no one would even make a fuss! Well, they shot down and shot down.
– I don't know, maybe all together. As I was later told, the General of the Air Defense Command, who was first told that the Cessna light engine was flying, couldn't think of anything smarter to say, “You'll figure it out, maybe geese are flying?”.
< p> How can geese fly from north to south May – geese fly from south to north!
Instead of descending to the central command post of the air defense forces and resolving it on the spot, he put this “duck” at all command posts – the 6th Independent Air Defense Army, Moscow Air Defense District. There were two circles of S-300 complexes around the capital.
In short, we missed it. He saw only one fighter, and he clearly reported that it was a light Cessna. But he was ordered to sit down. If the operations officer reported without fear reporting not to the random general, but to the commander-in-chief of the air defense forces, as he should have, the commander-in-chief would go down to headquarters. Concentrate and make a decision, either force this plane to land or destroy it! The determination of Chief Aviation Marshal Alexander Ivanovich Koldunov has been known since the Great Patriotic War. In 1945 he was twice the hero of the Soviet Union.
– The air defense command staff was severely paralyzed. Many generals were released. Of the members of the Military Council of the Air Defense Forces, I and the Chief of the General Staff, who were on vacation at the time of the emergency, remained. By the way, the general who launched the version about the flock of geese was promoted. He seems to have been Gorbachev's compatriot, almost from the same street as him.
The commander-in-chief of the Air Defense Marshal Koldunov recalled. He was already home that day and at that time the call – Rust on Red Square. Can you imagine his condition? I visited him about a year after I retired. The Secretary of Defense instructed him to congratulate him on his birthday. He was born on May 9. I went to congratulate him. He was already without one leg. He had diabetes and was developing rapidly on a nervous basis. Then they cut off his other leg and he died. Dignified commander. And all because of Rust.
– In 1991 I wrote a resignation. Yuri Vladimirovich Skokov, Secretary of the Security Council, invited me to a meeting of the Supreme Attestation Commission. He was a good man. The conversation was very long. They asked me to stay to help set up the system. But I said, “No, I don't want to be at the collapse of the air defense forces that have begun!”
Photos: From the personal archive
Here is a simple example. For example, my Far Eastern direction was covered by more than 180 anti-aircraft missile battalions. 18 left! Imagine a tenfold reduction in the active component of the armed forces – anti-aircraft missile forces! It is clear that non-operational missile systems are losing their combat qualities.
It was all a heavy blow to the anti-aircraft missile forces and air defense forces in general.
– It's amazing! Target detection height up to 500 kilometers. This is generally unimaginable! The range of detection of air targets has increased, not to mention the ability to fire. And they're probably doing the right thing about leaving the old control system. After all, it has served its purpose and is now unable to act effectively. I was told how many anti-aircraft missile regiments can be combined into one system. You have no idea what power is under one control. It's easy to say, but I can imagine how hard it was for scientists and designers. It is right that the President and the military missile defense leadership pay so much attention to the development of anti-aircraft missile forces.
– Yes, even a history textbook. I recently led a seminar on our Veterans Council with people who run the advocacy system in district veterans' organizations. Only the attitude to the history of the Great Patriotic War was discussed. And again, they scolded school textbooks in which only a few lines were printed about the Battle of Stalingrad. Many things are not even mentioned. History is dead! And after all, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has already said about it at some meeting. But nothing has changed.
For some reason, the runtime system will crash. The views of veteran organizations need to be heard. We are not involved in criticism. We want Russia to be a powerful country, a great state.
And, of course, I think that the air defense forces should be an independent component of the armed forces. And it needs to be developed. The air defense system needs to be strengthened. This is a system of state protection, not to mention cities or important places.
Remember the Great Patriotic War, 1941. Then Stalin did everything he could to create an unbeatable air defense system around Moscow. A powerful anti-aircraft fire system, fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft artillery, dam balloons, camouflage were created. Yes, some German planes broke through. However, this cannot be compared, for example, with the damage caused by German aircraft to British cities or with the consequences of the Allied bombing of German cities. We must remember the lessons of history!
EU has contacted World Trade Organization to collect 290 billion euros from Russia. The EU sees this money as compensation for an import substitution policy.
The EU states that Russia has “discriminated” against European goods for this amount. We are talking about national quotas for public procurement and the need to obtain prior permission from Russian companies that intend to buy goods abroad.
The EU considers that such conditions prevent fair competition and put foreign companies at a less favorable position.
It should be noted that this dispute will become one of the largest in terms of price in the WTO. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously announced the successful completion of almost all import replacement tasks. He identified innovation as the most important area of this effort.
What the head of state did not say at the press conference
Vladimir Vladimirovich's answers to the annual press conference are interesting only because the theses known to everyone a thousand times are expressed directly by the president. More important are the questions that were asked, but the answer was never answered. There were three.
Photo: Natalia Gubernatorova
The BBC correspondent who asked the question apparently really wanted the name of the opposition prisoner to be heard in the hall. And in vain, because it distracted the point considerably. And his question was really good – what has happened in Russia in the last year that the rapid and ruthless sweeping of the information and political field has begun? Remnants of non-systemic opposition are systematically cleaned up. The media and simply media personalities began to receive the label of a foreign agent in batches. (By the way, Vladimir Vladimirovich was wrong in his answer when he said that there is no prosecution of foreign agents in Russia, unlike the United States, even if it is detained.) Simply put, those who say at least something other than “Party lines.” “
So to the question: what happened? – no answer came. Although it is clear from the history that our president loves that such a sharp liberation from “internal enemies” occurs either during a weakening government or during a war (it's really bad – if both).
Vladimir Vladimirovich did not answer the question of the state Russian media, which organically supplemented the question of the British media. After a short propaganda and correct speech (quite an apologetic professional habit), Irada Zeynalová actually asked a terrible thing – were the possibilities of war miscalculated?
Putin talked about the Minsk agreements, recommended to ask the Ukrainian leadership how they can give orders to shoot at the people of Donbas … But he did not answer directly. And this lack of response, of course, contributes to understanding what is happening.
The third unanswered question was from “Russia 24” and the population did not seem to be directly concerned about whether the state would be responsible for the guarantees it gave for the loans attracted by Rusnano. Here it is clear why Putin did not give a direct answer. A little background. Rusnano, led by Chubais, has raised so many loans under state guarantees that Anatoly Borisovich boasted something like this: we really have a lot of money, chickens don't bite, we don't know what to do. And then, when creditors began to question the outcome, Chubais managed to jump ashore and is now the president's special envoy for some kind of sustainable development. And Rusnano has serious financial problems. Obviously, if Putin answered directly, it would confirm the president's thesis – revenues in Russia are private and public spending. That is why Rusnan's question concerns everyone. Because with just such an economic policy of the state, the oligarchs get richer and impoverish the population.
It is much better to talk about the socially oriented budget, growth drivers, crops and housing records. commissioning. After all, I wonder when the president is talking about this?
Faces and gestures of Vladimir Putin's big press conference: footage from Manezh
Another conflict is approaching between Bosnian Serbs and Sarajevo
There seems to be another conflict in the Balkans. Bosnian Serb leadership is trying to & mdash; at least in words, & mdash; to accelerate the withdrawal of the Republika Srpska from the state institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to Bosnian Serb coalition leader Milorad Dodik, the decision should be made by the end of January. Previously, it was about six months, which, moreover, gave the parties room for maneuver in negotiations. Is it far to a new hot phase of smoldering Balkan confrontation?
Milorad Dodik. Photo: AP
At the beginning of December, members of the People's Assembly (Parliament) of the Republika Srpska voted in favor of the republic's representatives from the Bosnian armed forces, as well as the judiciary and the tax system. Legislatively, it was decided to rectify this in special laws, the development of which was officially reserved for half a year & mdash; thus until May 2022 inclusive. Bills must also be coordinated in advance with the BiH authorities, otherwise political disagreements can easily turn into real conflicts.
However, MEPs have instructed the regional government to draft new laws for the military, taxes and the judiciary to replace Bosnia and Herzegovina's existing regulations.
Yet & nbsp; Milorad Dodik, the leader of the ruling Bosnian Serb coalition, announced that laws on a new judicial system in the Republika Srpska would be passed in January, de facto removing the semi-autonomous entity from the jurisdiction of the BiH authorities.
Dodik found a formal reason to hurry easily. The fact is that even after announcing the plans for a six-month review of the legislation, the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has initiated proceedings against the authorities of the Republika Srpska & mdash; for the alleged attempt to “undermine the constitutional order”.
Dodik made good use of it and pointed out: look, they say, we are ready to negotiate, but we are already in the position of the accused.
All this tension of rhetoric in the case of the Balkans is much more dangerous than in many other troubled regions. Since the previous conflicts, there are plenty of weapons and “hot heads” that can try to take real power into their own hands due to legal delays. This attracted the attention of Dodik, the hero of the news on the front page, which is not very common.
At the same time, as Pavel Kandel, a leading researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ph.D., noted in an interview with the Ministry of Science, I do not think there will be a new war in the near future, and the question remains whether the reform announced by Dodik will take place, “mdash The fact is that when his proposals were voted on in the People's Assembly of the Republika Srpska, the opposition & ndash; and they are also Serbian parties & nbsp; “The situation is therefore ambiguous. And all of Dodik's statements, other initiatives, in fact the usual electoral trick that he and all the Balkan leaders regularly practiced. On the eve of the election campaign, start a “war” with some enemies, whether internal, external, and that's what we're watching now. >
“ On the eve of the previous elections, the situation was similar, & mdash; recalls the expert. & mdash; And there were also Dodik's loud statements, which Western countries inadvertently toyed with and attacked with accusations: and that was all he needed – & mdash; to show how he allegedly fights for the national just cause for which he and the enemies are “ washed away & # 39; & # 39 ;. Thanks to that, he won the election. He now basically uses a similar scheme. At the same time, after the last elections, promises were indefinitely postponed as a referendum on the secession of the Republika Srpska from Bosnia and Herzegovina & mdash; due to outdated & # 39; & # 39 ;. Although it was one of the main threats. & # 39; & # 39;
Russia has never attacked anyone first, he said press secretary of Russian President Dmitry Peskov. He commented on a possible Russian attack on Ukraine and other countries.
Peskov added that information on a possible Russian attack on Ukraine was nothing more than an empty and unreasonable escalation of tensions. The Kremlin claims that the Russian side is not threatening anyone.
However, a Kremlin spokesman pointed out that there was a possibility of provocations that would justify such statements. However, the Russian Federation warns that attempts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis by force will have serious consequences.
Earlier, the US and NATO proposed to hold a Russia-NATO Council to discuss Moscow's proposals on security guarantees. . The summit is expected to take place in January. Western countries have repeatedly accused Russia of allegedly attacking Ukraine. Moscow has denied the allegations.
Gazprom Representative “Sergei Kupriyanov said the company's allegations of insufficient gas supplies to Europe were unfounded and unacceptable. According to him, such statements are a lie.
Kupriyanov also noted in a Russian TV channel 1 that a number of Gazprom's clients have fully processed their volumes and are not submitting further offers. This applies to France and Germany.
He added that the countries of Western Europe are creating all the problems themselves and Gazprom should not be blamed for this. “It's better to look in the mirror,” he said.
At the same time, as before, Gazprom is ready to supply Europe with additional gas on the basis of long-term contracts. He is even ready to do it cheaper than on the spot.
Gazprom did not reserve the capacity of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline for gas transit through Poland again on Saturday. This means that Gazprom did not reserve the Polish Jamal-Europe section during the regular meeting for the sixth day in a row.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin explained that this was due to the involvement of counterparties.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his annual major press conference, rejected the West's accusations against Gazprom of deliberately curtailing gas supplies. fuels “in the EU, which has reportedly led to a sharp rise in commodity quotations to record levels. Putin noted that the responsibility lies both with European traders who turn Russian gas to energy-stricken states and with specific hydrocarbon recipients who have rejected direct long-term agreements with Gazprom. According to him, European countries have caused problems with gas themselves, but Russia is ready to help them cope with the winter cold.
