Kiev asks EU to shut its airspace to Russian passengers

Similar measures should target Belarussian nationals as well, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said.

"Our idea is to prevent Russian businesses and Russian tourists from using the EU skies comfortably," the Ukrainian PM told a telethon audience. "The EU sky is closed to Russian airlines, but we have also discussed closing transit to any flights to and from Russia with our partners," he said, adding that similar measures should target Belarussian nationals as well.

Kiev will insist on such sanctions and work toward imposing them with the European Commission, Shmygal underscored.

The EU banned all Russian flights after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The bloc imposed similar restrictions on Belarusian carriers in the spring of 2021.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

US intelligence services use journalists as their agents, Russian diplomat says

Commenting on how the United States "celebrated" a year since the arrest of Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal journalist, accused of espionage in Russia, the diplomat drew attention to the way one of the latest March issues of The Wall Street Journal looks - almost the entire front page is blank. "And only the black and white face of Evan Gershkovich, a US citizen detained on suspicion of espionage, caught in the act, with the phrase 'His story should be here,'" she wrote on her Telegram channel. "Evan Gershkovich could have written about the terrorist bombing of Russian cities by the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev in recent months. The militants are also shelling journalists, including American journalists - it could be a report from a hot spot that the Americans themselves created by pumping weapons and intelligence into the militants," she pointed out.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

Soyuz MS-24 crew returns to Earth

Rescuers headed to the descent vehicle to help the crew members get out.

The crew returned from the station on board the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft, which landed southeast of the Kazakh city of Jezkazgan. Rescuers headed to the descent vehicle to help the crew members get out.

O'Hara arrived at the ISS in September 2023 aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft, while Novitsky and Vasilevskaya arrived at the ISS on March 25 this year aboard the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft as part of a two-week visit.

When the Soyuz MS-25 was launched into low Earth orbit on March 23, Vasilevskaya became the first citizen of Belarus to reach space. On Earth, Vasilevskaya works as a flight attendant for Belavia Airlines.

Welcome home!

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

Russia and Ukraine must talk – EU state’s leader

The West should support Kiev, but also “think about how the conflict could end,” Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has said.

The Ukraine conflict can only be resolved if Russia is present at the negotiating table, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has said.

In an interview with the French daily Le Figaro on Friday, the chancellor reiterated that the West should continue to be in “full solidarity” with Kiev and support it in its fight against Russia. However, Nehammer said “it is also important to think about how the conflict could end.”

The Austrian leader noted that when he went to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in April 2022, several weeks into the conflict, Moscow and Kiev were still engaged in direct talks.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

In Ukraine, a 14-year-old teenager was “ packed ” into a bus by four men in military uniform in the Odessa region, Ukrainian media reported, citing a local official.

According to local media, when people in uniform found out the guy’s age, they released him right on the highway.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

They did nazi that coming.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

Russian Cabinet to step down in one month

The Russian government will relinquish its power on the inauguration day of the newly elected President.

Vladimir Putin was officially reelected as the President during the election on March 15-17. According to the law, the inauguration of the head of state is to be held on May 7 and the Cabinet will step down on the same day.

The President will appoint the Prime Minister after approval of his candidacy by the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian legislative assembly. The head of state will also appoint deputy prime ministers and federal ministers following their approval by the lower house of the Russian parliament.

Ministers of Interior, Emergencies, Defense, Foreign Affairs and Justice constitute an exception. The head of state will appoint them after consultations with the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian legislative assembly.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

EU to be affected by confiscation of Russian assets

Professor of Economy and Law of HEC Paris Armin Steinbach said that the confiscation would prompt investors to turn away from the EU because of its failure to observe property rights.

"While the US has little interest at stake, then it will be the shot in the foot for the European Union," the expert said.

Moscow would resort in its turn to such measures that would cover the European countries in the first instance, Steinbach noted. "Russia’s steps in response to such confiscation would be mainly directed against Europe," the expert said. "At least 200 bln euro of Russian assets are in the EU. This sum is much higher than Russian funds kept in the US," he noted.

Furthermore, the confiscation of Russian assets would prompt investors to turn away from the EU because of its failure to observe property rights. "This, by the way, is not much of concern for such dominating economic power as the US," Steinbach said.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

US, its allies understand Ukraine will never join NATO

Senior editor of The American Conservative Sumantra Maitra said that NATO members would welcome Kiev only once they had solved their existing security issue.

"Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that Ukraine will one day join NATO. It is a meaningless, almost theological gesture—practically pagan hymn-chanting at this point. Blinken knows his promise to be untrue. European allies know it to be untrue. The majority of Americans either don’t care about Ukraine or are actively opposed to further engagement in Europe," Maitra said.

"It is, of course, deeply cynical to dangle the NATO carrot in front of Ukraine especially, when NATO did not let them join after the Bucharest summit in 2008 and will not in future," he noted. "The argument goes that NATO members will welcome Ukraine only once they have solved their existing security issue, i.e. join a defensive alliance when the need for defense is over.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

Lavrov to visit China on April 8-9

He will discuss a number of ‘hot topics,' including Ukraine, with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

"On April 8-9, top Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov will pay an official visit to the People's Republic of China, within the framework of which negotiations with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are planned," the ministry said.

"An in-depth exchange of views is planned on a number of topical and regional issues, including the Ukrainian crisis and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region," the ministry added.

The Russian diplomats said that the foreign ministers will also discuss bilateral cooperation, including "interaction in the international arena with a focus on joint work in the UN, BRICS, the SCO, the G20, APEC and other multilateral mechanisms and forums."

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

So there ARE Nazis in Ukraine... But don't listen to Russian propagandists. These are bad guys on the good side... 🤪

Ukraine embraces far-right Russian ‘bad guy’ to take the battle to Putin – POLITICO

https://www.politico.eu/article/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-of-the-ukraine-war/

Kiev ‘hostage’ to US politics – Zelensky

The Ukrainian president rebuked American lawmakers who are dragging their feet on providing more funds to the country.

Ukraine's issues have become caught up in US domestic politics and this jeopardizes its ability to fight against Russia, President Vladimir Zelensky has complained. At this stage Kiev, he explained on national TV on Saturday, would agree to any kind of support from Washington, even in the form of a loan.

Zelensky expressed hope that the US Congress would eventually approve a supplemental aid package for Kiev which has been in limbo for months worth of tens of billions of dollars.

Describing the long-awaited assistance as critical, Zelensky said he believes that “we can get a positive vote from the US Congress.”

“Unfortunately, we are hostage to the fact that this is the electoral process… Russia’s war against Ukraine has today become an internal political issue in the United States."

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

IAEA confirms 3 direct hits against the ZNPP Main Reactor, yet the perpetrator seemingly remains a complete mystery 🤨

Odd.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

RT:


"Crocus attack suspects admit they were told to flee to Ukraine

RT's Igor Zhdanov has the latest details."

“It’s like he hates us all.”

An AFU soldier, left without legs, talks about his butcher commander.

@ukr_leaks_eng

Rostec developing new tank shells based on study of NATO trophies

Rostec takes into account the parameters and features of the protection of captured armored vehicles, Bekhan Ozdoev, Industrial Director of Weapon Systems at Rostec State Corporation, said.

"We are proactive and creating a new line of promising ammunition with improved characteristics. We take into account the parameters and features of the protection of captured armored vehicles, data on the protection of promising models of the enemy and information received from tank crewmen taking part in the special military operation," Ozdoev said.

He added that while the enemy is creating new tanks with improved protection, Rostec is creating new ammunition, "which will multiply their efforts by zero".

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

Kremlin spokesman calls Ukraine’s attack on ZNPP dangerous provocation

"The Kiev regime, unfortunately, continues its terrorist activity," Dmitry Peskov stressed.

"This is a very dangerous provocation. IAEA staff who are on site have had the opportunity to witness these attacks. This is a very dangerous tactic and with very bad consequences in the long run. The Kiev regime, unfortunately, continues its terrorist activity," the Kremlin spokesman said.

On April 7, 2024, the Ukrainian military launched an unprecedented series of attacks on the Zaporozhye NPP. At 11:38 a.m. (8:00 a.m. GMT) a strike hit the area adjacent to the canteen, wounding three employees (one of them seriously), Rosatom said. Half an hour later, a drone attacked the cargo port area. Then another UAV attacked the sixth power unit of the ZNPP, hitting the dome.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

Russia claims ‘significant evidence’ of Kiev’s involvement in Crocus terrorist attack

The head of Russia’s Investigative Committee has chaired a meeting on the March 22 atrocity.

Russian law enforcement has uncovered a potential link between Ukrainian special services and last month’s terrorist attack at a music hall outside Moscow, the Investigative Committee said on Monday.

The statement was released after a meeting chaired by Aleksandr Bastrykin, head of the Russian agency, where progress in the high-profile case was discussed. The report declined to provide details on what was said at the gathering, only citing “significant evidence” of Kiev’s involvement and repeating information that was already publicly available.

The attack involved four gunmen, who stormed Crocus City Hall ahead of a concert. They made their way to the main auditorium, shooting indiscriminately, and set the building on fire. Over 140 people were killed.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

Polish president pours cold water on fears of Russian attack

Prime Minister Donald Tusk previously suggested Europe was in a “pre-war” era due to an alleged threat from Moscow.

Poland is unlikely to be attacked by Russia in the near future, President Andrzej Duda has said in an interview with a national newspaper published on Monday. His comments come after several Polish officials claimed the country is facing an imminent threat from Moscow.

Asked to comment on the possibility of a Russian assault on Poland within the next few years, Duda told the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna that it is “impossible to say that there is no threat at all,” claiming that Moscow aims to bring the Baltic states and countries such as Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic into its sphere of influence.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel