Russia explains rules for using nuclear weapons

Dhaka August 19 2022 :

Inside Russia : Outside Russia : News Digest by the Embassy of Russian Federation in Bangladesh on August 19 2022

INSIDE RUSSIA

Russian Deputy Defence Minister Colonel-General Alexander Fomin holds a meeting with an adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh : Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

15.08.2022 (14:45)

Russian Deputy Defence Minister Colonel-General Alexander Fomin met with Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique, National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, on the margins of the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security.

“This year is a special year. This is the year of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our states. Over this period, a unique experience of working together, based on many years of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation, has been accumulated. There are no contradictions or unresolved issues between our countries. We reaffirm our commitment, our readiness to make maximum use of the existing potential for further development of cooperation in the military and military-technological fields,” said Colonel General Alexander Fomin.

In turn, Tarique Ahmed Siddique thanked Russia for its help over 50 years of bilateral relations. “We are grateful for all the help you have given us during this time. We remember with particular warmth the help that you provided to our country during the liberation struggle, a lot of countries turned away from us, but you supported us and we still remember this with warmth,” he said.

The sides gave a positive assessment to bilateral cooperation in the military and military-technical fields and outlined steps for their further expansion.

Ukraine scatters ‘butterfly’ mines in Russia – governor

Anti-personnel mines were discovered in several municipalities after Kiev’s forces shelled the region, local authorities say

A large number of Ukrainian ‘butterfly’ anti-personnel mines have been found spread across Russia’s Belgorod Region, which borders Ukraine, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov told reporters on Thursday.

He stated that the mines had been discovered after Kiev’s forces shelled the Shebekinsky urban district near the village of Sereda back in May, and that regional authorities were still unable to allow residents to return as many of the mines were still spread throughout the area.

“The Petals (PFM-1 anti-personnel mines) were scattered in large numbers and at a great distance. Now we are taking measures to remove everything,” said Gladkov.

The governor added that, due to the increasing threat, schools located in the 5km zone in nine border municipalities could not open as usual and that the situation was even further complicated by the fact that some children were beginning to find and play around with unexploded shells and cartridges.

He recalled that, earlier this month, one boy lost his hand after trying to disassemble ammunition that he had found in his village. He had also severely damaged his face and eyes. Gladkov has urged residents of Belgorod Region to exercise caution when walking down the streets. 

“We must do everything to protect the lives of both the small inhabitants of the region and the adults,” he said, noting that local authorities, law enforcement and the Ministry of Defense were doing everything they can to make the region safe, but warned it was still dangerous.

Russian regions bordering Ukraine have been reporting attacks by Ukrainian forces since March, including mortar strikes, drone bombardments, and suspected sabotage attempts.

In May, a truck driver was killed in a mortar strike on the village of Tyotkino in Kursk Region, where several other civilians were injured.

Belgorod was hit by several ballistic missiles in July, killing a total of five civilians, and injuring at least five more.

Russia explains rules for using nuclear weapons

Moscow says it’s committed to avoiding their use, except to prevent its own destruction

Russia is a responsible nuclear power and will only use its nuclear arms if attacked with weapons of mass destruction or if its existence is under threat, a spokesman for the country’s foreign ministry has said. Meanwhile, some Western officials argue that nukes can play a role on the battlefield, Ivan Nechaev added.

According to Russia’s official nuclear posture, “the use of the nuclear arsenal is possible only in response to an attack as a self-defense measure and in extreme circumstances,” the deputy press secretary of the ministry said during a daily briefing on Thursday.

The diplomat was responding to a question about the risk of nuclear escalation in the conflict with Ukraine. Russia is not in the habit of “saber-rattling, especially with nuclear weapons,” he said. Moscow is determined to keep the situation in Ukraine conventional and has no need to use a nuclear option in Ukraine, Nechaev asserted.

He lamented that the leaders of Western powers have become far less responsible than their Cold War-era predecessors when it comes to deterrence issues.

“The liberal-globalist circles think it possible to discuss lowering the benchmark for the use of nuclear weapons,” he said, citing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as one example.

The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly reassured that its goals in Ukraine can be achieved without the use of nuclear arms. Deploying them would not make any military sense, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said this week.

Talks between Zelensky, Erdogan, Guterres to shape developments in Ukraine, says senator

MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. The future development of events in and around Ukraine largely depends on the concrete results of the upcoming meeting between Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin said on Thursday.

“We will closely follow the upcoming meeting in Lvov between Guterres, Erdogan and Zelensky. Not only words, statements and emotions will be important here, but above all the specifics, on which in many respects depends the further development of events in Ukraine and around it,” the senator wrote on his Telegram channel.

He believes that so far everything looks “somewhat mysterious, starting with the route of the trip of the UN Secretary-General up to the topics of discussion.” “It is still absolutely unclear why the IAEA experts avoid visiting the Zaporozhye NPP against the background of mounting global concern over Kiev’s provocations around the nuclear plant. So, let’s wait for the outcome,” Karasin elaborated.

In a first-time format, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will hold a trilateral meeting in Lvov on Thursday. As the parties have previously stated that they plan to discuss various aspects of the Ukrainian settlement, including the problem of food exports from the Eastern European country’s Black Sea ports.

Kiev using Zaporozhye plant to commit nuclear blackmail, warns diplomat

MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. The Kiev regime’s preparations to carry out a high-profile provocation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant during UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ visit to Ukraine is nuclear blackmail, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a Solovyov Live TV broadcast on Thursday.

“This is not just a provocation, this is what we condemned as nuclear blackmail. And what else is it but a long standing provocation around a nuclear facility, a direct threat to nuclear power. This is certainly an act of nuclear blackmail,” she stressed.

Zakharova noted that in this way the Ukrainian authorities are not just blackmailing one country or a specific political entity, but the entire European continent. “We are talking about nuclear energy, the whole European continent is being held hostage because this is all in the heart of Europe,” she added.

“Today, science has already shown us that consequences of man-made disasters, and different tragedies at nuclear facilities have no boundaries, they only have time limits. Only time can limit the spread of these consequences,” the diplomat concluded.

Ukraine violates IAEA’s basic principles by shelling nuclear facilities, says diplomat

UN, August 18. /TASS/. Kiev is violating basic principles of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as it continues shelling the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP), a senior Russian diplomat said.

Igor Vishnevetsky, the deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department, said speaking at the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in New York, that “in the course of the day [August 17] the Ukrainian side delivered another strike on the Zaporozhye NPP.”

“Ukraine continues delivering completely irresponsible strikes on the Zaporozhye NPP violating not only seven principles of [IAEA Director General Rafael] Grossi, but the basic principles of the agency as well,” Vishnevetsky said.

“It’s forbidden to strike nuclear facilities, it’s forbidden to subject nuclear power plants to artillery fire or any other fire. This is extremely dangerous,” he said.

“The Ukrainian side understands it very clearly but, nevertheless, continues doing it, practically being involved in a nuclear terrorism. It raises great concern that it [Ukraine] receives support in doing this,” the diplomat stated adding that it all “can end up with a catastrophe.”

Vishnevetsky also said that a delegation of the IAEA is unable to visit the Zaporozhye NPP until Ukraine stops delivering armed strikes on the nuclear facility.

“No calls are needed to restore IAEA’s control over the Zaporozhye NPP in order to reflect the current developments,” he said. “All involved parties already work on it. It is quite possible, that the IAEA would promptly resume control. But its delegation must arrive there.”

“All sides must be cooperating for this to happen. In order for it [IAEA delegation’s visit] to happen, first of all, the Ukrainian side should stop its shelling of the Zaporozhye NPP. A delegation is unable to arrive there, while it [the facility] is under fire – it is very dangerous,” Vishnevetsky stated.

“This is what we need to think about and this is what we should call for,” the Russian diplomat added.

The Zaporozhye NPP is under the control of the Russian army. Over the last few days, the Kiev regime has delivered several strikes against the station’s territory, using drones, heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems. In most cases, the attacks are repelled by Russian air defense systems. However, some rockets hit the NPP’s infrastructural facilities, including nuclear waste storage sites.

The Zaporozhye NPP is the largest in Europe. It consists of six power units and has a capacity of about 6,000 MW. It used to generate a quarter of all electric power in Ukraine.

Currently, the NPP operates at 70% capacity as the area of the Zaporozhye Region liberated from the Ukrainian army has a surplus of electricity power.

Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine

The situation along the line of engagement in Donbass escalated on February 17. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) reported the most massive bombardments by the Ukrainian military in recent months, which damaged civilian infrastructure and caused civilian casualties.

On February 21, President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Russia signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders. Moscow recognized the Donbass republics in accordance with the DPR and LPR constitutions within the boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions as of the beginning of 2014.

Russian President Putin announced on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics for assistance he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, noting that the operation was aimed at the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine.

The DPR and the LPR launched an operation to liberate their territories under Kiev’s control.

Russia not deploying heavy firepower at or near Zaporozhye plant, says top brass

MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. No heavy Russian weapons are being deployed at or near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov reported on Thursday.

“We want to make it clear that Russian troops have no heavy weapons deployed either at the power plant or in areas adjacent to it,” he affirmed.

Konashenkov said the nuclear plant was guarded only by security patrols. “The Russian armed forces are taking all the necessary measures to guarantee the security of the Zaporozhye NPP,” he emphasized.

He recalled that Ukraine’s leadership had repeatedly alleged that Russian troops had occupied the nuclear power plant and had been attacking it with long-range artillery using the nuclear facility as a shield.

OUTSIDE RUSSIA

Russia urges international inspection of shelled nuclear site

Moscow said it will do whatever it can to enable an IAEA visit to the Zaporozhye power plant

Russia is calling on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant as soon as possible to fulfill its mandate as the UN’s nuclear watchdog, a senior Russian diplomat said.

“We would like such an IAEA mission to take place soon. Russia will do its best to facilitate it,” Igor Vishnevetsky, the deputy foreign minister for arms control, said during a Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty conference on Wednesday.

The inspection was supposed to happen sometime ago, he added, but was derailed “not due to a fault of ours.” The diplomat pointed the finger at Ukraine, saying that its regular attacks on the nuclear site was why it was not safe for IAEA monitors to visit it.

“People should not attack nuclear sites, should not use artillery or other weapons against nuclear power plants,” Vishnevetsky stressed. “The Ukrainian side knows it very well, and nevertheless does it, effectively committing acts of nuclear terrorism.”

The Ukrainian power plant, the largest of its kind in Europe, comes under regular artillery shelling. One projectile this week reportedly struck ten meters from a container holding spent nuclear fuel.

Kiev denies carrying out the strikes and claims that Russian troops are shelling the plant to discredit Ukraine. It also accused Russia of stationing its military forces at the Zaporozhye plant.

The UN would neither confirm nor deny allegations by either side and called for a demilitarized zone around the nuclear facility. The US said that Russia had to cede control of the plant and the city of Energodar, where it’s located, to Ukraine, to prevent the risk of a nuclear disaster.

Moscow’s envoy picks over ‘crumbs’ of Russia-US relations

Washington and Moscow are almost not on speaking terms, harming not just bilateral relations but issues of world importance

Relations between Washington and Moscow are at an “unprecedented” low, making it practically impossible to resolve many issues that impact the entire world, the Russian ambassador to the US said on Wednesday in a TV interview. The Washington establishment and the media are overwhelmingly Russophobic, unlike the American public in general, ambassador Anatoly Antonov told the news channel Russia-24.

“The situation is unfortunate. I would like to describe it otherwise, but I can’t. Everything that has been built up in recent years has been destroyed,” Antonov said in the interview, aired on Wednesday evening. “It seemed like two years ago we were talking about a difficult relationship, when we had the Trump administration here kicking out Russian diplomats and seizing our property.”

But ever since Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, relations between Moscow and Washington have degraded to a point where Russian nationals, even those living in the US, are subjected to discrimination, intimidation and harassment, Antonov said.

Antonov described Russian-American political dialogue as “paralyzed” to the detriment of even those areas where the two countries have mutual interests. The first contact Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had in six months was a phone call at the end of July.

Of our interactions, only crumbs remain.

The few remaining areas of interaction amount to a deconfliction hotline in Syria, some work on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and to some extent peaceful space exploration.

“Unfortunately, this is all I can name today,” Antonov said, adding that Russia is firmly convinced that without direct interaction, it’s impossible to solve not just bilateral problems but issues that affect the entire world.

Russophobia currently dominates major American cities, but as one gets further from Washington, there is “less interest in European affairs and more questions about why the US is feuding with Russia in difficult economic times,” according to Antonov.

“Unfortunately, cultural, scientific, and educational ties have been severed. Mentions of our country’s role in World War II are also being erased,” he added.

While Americans are slowly growing tired of anti-Russian rhetoric and are more interested in their everyday problems, according to the ambassador, there is a long way to go before the current hostility can be overcome.

Antonov claimed that US “political circles do not like our desire to create a new international order.”

The Kremlin demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc, after recognizing the Donbass republics as independent states over Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements. Ukraine insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked, even as its former president admitted that for Kiev the main goal of the Germany- and France-brokered protocols, first signed in 2014, was to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.”

US supports Ukraine attacking Crimea – Politico

Washington reportedly believes the peninsula – which rejoined Russia in 2014 – is a legitimate target

The US regards Ukrainian strikes on Crimea as fair game for “self-defense purposes,” Politico reported on Thursday, citing an unnamed official in President Joe Biden’s administration.

Washington won’t stand in the way of attacks on the peninsula “if Kiev deems them necessary,” the outlet reported. Historically Russian, Crimea was part of independent Ukraine from 1991 to 2014 before locals voted to reunify with Moscow.

“We don’t select targets, of course, and everything we’ve provided is for self-defense purposes. Any target they choose to pursue on sovereign Ukrainian soil is by definition self defense,” the anonymous official said.

Asked by Politico if the Biden administration considered the peninsula sovereign Ukrainian territory, the official said: “Crimea is Ukraine.”

Crimea broke away from Ukraine following an armed coup in Kiev in 2014 and voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to join Russia, which was not recognized by the West.

A Ukrainian official told the outlet that the “message of support” from Biden’s administration “had made its way to Kiev.”

Politico’s reporting echoes earlier comments by Ukrainian Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov. Reznikov told US government-funded broadcaster Voice of America on Thursday that Kiev’s promise not to attack Russian territory with Western-provided weapons does not cover Crimea – and that Washington had not objected to Ukrainian attacks there.

Powerful explosions near a Russian ammunition depot rocked the village of Mayskoye in northeastern Crimea on Tuesday. It was the second such incident in a matter of weeks, with a series of explosions also happening at the Saki military airfield earlier in the month, injuring 14 people and killing one.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said the recent strikes were acts of “sabotage” and caused damage to civilian objects, including power lines, a power station, a railroad and several residential buildings.

Ukraine has not directly confirmed responsibility for the recent attacks, but following the incident at the Saki airfield, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said the war “began with Crimea and must end with Crimea – its liberation.”

Indonesian president says Putin, Xi Jinping plan to attend G20 summit in person

MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/. Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Thursday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping plan to attend the G20 summit in person, Bloomberg reported.

“Xi Jinping will come. President Putin has also told me he will come,” the report quoted Widodo as saying.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry declined to comment to the news service on plans for travel by the head of state. The report said Xi Jinping hadn’t left the country since the coronavirus pandemic started in 2020.

The Kremlin said on Thursday that Putin and Widodo had phone talks to discuss preparations for the G20 summit in Bali, among other things. The summit is to take place in the Indonesian island on November 15-16. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that Putin didn’t decide yet whether to attend in person or by video link.

​

SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAIN

Ukrainian army delivers massive strike on Energodar using heavy artillery — authorities

MELITOPOL, August 18. /TASS/. Ukraine’s armed forces have opened massive fire on the city of Energodar in the Zaporozhye Region, the city’s military-civilian administration reported.

“The armed formations of the Kiev regime have opened massive fire on the city of Energodar,” the statement published on the administration’s Telegram channel said. Residents are being asked to move to safe locations. Information on casualties and damage to infrastructure is being specified.

Member of the main council of the Zaporozhye Region’s military-civilian administration Vladimir Rogov reported that this is a second attack on the city by Ukrainian troops with the use of heavy artillery on Wednesday. According to him, earlier the Ukrainian armed forces shelled the part of Energodar where the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is located. The official told a TASS correspondent that at least six shells exploded in the vicinity of the NPP’s premises.

Over the past few days, Ukrainian forces have delivered several strikes on the Zaporozhye NPP’s premises in Energodar, using, among other things, drones, heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems. The majority of attacks have been deflected by air defense systems, however, shells hit some infrastructure facilities and the vicinity of a nuclear waste storage facility.

Ukraine planning nuclear provocation on Friday – Moscow

Kiev is set on attacking the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant during a visit by the UN chief, the Russian military claims

Ukraine plans to carry out artillery strikes on the Russia-controlled Zaporozhye nuclear power plant on Friday, and then accuse Russia of causing a disaster at the site, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

The predicted attack will be timed to coincide with the ongoing visit to Ukraine by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the ministry claimed.

The Russian ministry said it has detected movements of Ukrainian troops, indicating a looming “provocation.”

Kiev has deployed units trained in responding to the use of weapons of mass destruction, pre-positioning them to report a radiation leak and demonstrate a purported action to mitigate it, Russian military spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

The ministry said it expects a Ukrainian artillery unit to attack the plant on Friday from the city of Nikopol. “The blame for the consequences [of the strike] will be attributed to the Russian armed forces,” the statement said.

In a separate statement on Thursday, Igor Kirillov, who heads Russia’s Nuclear Biological and Chemical Defense Troops, said his directorate has modeled possible scenarios for a disaster at the Zaporozhye plant. A plume of radioactive materials from the site may reach Poland, Slovakia and Germany, he warned.

Russia has accused Ukraine of conducting frequent drone and artillery strikes against the nuclear power plant in the city of Energodar over the past few weeks. Kiev has denied responsibility and said Russian forces were attacking the plant to discredit Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have also claimed that Russia is using the Zaporozhye facility as a military base.

During the briefing, Konashenkov denied Ukrainian claims that Russia has deployed heavy weapons at the Zaporozhye plant and is attacking Ukrainian troops from the site. The only Russian troops at the facility are lightly armed guards providing physical security, the official said.

The ministry pledged to do its best to prevent damage to the nuclear facility.

INSIGHTS

Multipolar World, Ukraine & Taiwan Dominate Agenda at Moscow Int’l Security Conference

More than 700 delegates attended the 10th annual Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS) – a forum dedicated to global and regional stability.

This year’s MCIS has been organized by Russia’s Defense Ministry. Members of 53 official high-level delegations – most of them military top brass and security experts – had a chance to hold discussions on pressing geopolitical topics from all over the world.

Pakistan is one of 70 nations that sent delegations to this year’s MCIS. The country’s Defense Secretary Mian Muhammad Hilal Hussain shared his impressions of the event with Sputnik:

“I was here last year also and Pakistan has been regularly participating since 2014,” the defense secretary said. “And we are absolutely thrilled with the types of topics which are discussed here, the type of audience that we get where we can get our message across.”

The conference’s first session was opened by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who focused among other topics in his video address on the situation in Ukraine and Taiwan:

“The situation in Ukraine shows that the United States is attempting to draw out this conflict,” Vladimir Putin said. “It acts in the same way elsewhere, fomenting the conflict potential in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. As is common knowledge, the US has recently made another deliberate attempt to fuel the flames and stir up trouble in the Asia-Pacific. The US escapade towards Taiwan is not just a voyage by an irresponsible politician, but part of the purpose-oriented and deliberate US strategy designed to destabilize the situation and sow chaos in the region and the world.”

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who greeted the MCIS delegates personally, slammed the “rules-based” world order that the West is trying to enforce in many regions. Part of Shoigu’s speech at the conference was also dedicated to the situation in the Asia-Pacific:

“The West’s counteraction to the strengthening of the multipolar world can be felt not only in Europe, but also in the Asia-Pacific, where the United States has started demolishing the regional cooperation system built within the framework of ASEAN,” the minister said. “It began with the announcement by the UK, Australia and the US of the creation of AUKUS, as well as plans to extend it and to invite new partners. There is a merger between AUKUS and NATO, and NATO, in turn, announced during its June summit that it wants to dominate in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Shoigu’s concerns about Washington’s actions in the Asia-Pacific were echoed by some MCIS foreign delegates. Connie Rahakundini Bakrie is a military and defense analyst from Indonesia. She told Sputnik that Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan may trigger serious changes, which could affect powerful regional alliances, also putting ASEAN in danger.

“I believe if Taiwan is being pushed, ASEAN will be breaking apart, because some ASEAN countries are part of FPDA (Five Power Defense Arrangements, a series of defense relationships between Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK – Ed. Sputnik),” Bakrie said. “So I agree with President Putin when he says don’t touch the Taiwan issue because it’s part of the One China Policy, and we cannot do anything about it.”

Besides the Asia-Pacific, MCIS delegates also discussed regional aspects of global security in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America during three other plenary sessions.

The MCIS has been held annually since 2012, but most of the time the event hasn’t been synchronized with the ARMY military and technical forum.

Holding the two events simultaneously has made it possible for Russia’s Defense Ministry, as well as for the country’s weapons manufacturers, to not only organize high-level discussions on international security issues, but also to showcase what Russia has to offer in terms of arms and military equipment, with static and live demonstrations of jets, tanks, and UAVs being set up right next to the MCIS venue.

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