Category: General

A Ukrainian cross-border raid into Russia’s Belgorod Region, which resulted in at least eight civilians being injured, is a matter of great concern, and significant efforts will be required to prevent such incidents from happening again, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

On Monday, a Ukrainian saboteur group intruded into a district called Grayvoron, west of Belgorod city, with Russian military and security forces scrambling to repel the attack. Vyacheslav Gladkov, the region’s governor, declared an “anti-terrorism operation” regime in the area, which provides law enforcement agencies with additional powers.

On Tuesday, commenting on the attack, Peskov agreed that “certainly, what happened yesterday is a matter of deep concern,” adding that “this once again confirms that Ukrainian militants continue their activities against our country.”

“This requires a lot of effort on our part. These efforts continue, and so does the special military operation in order to prevent such intrusions in the future,” Peskov stated.

However, Peskov did not provide exact figures for the number of saboteurs taking part in the raid, explaining that Russia’s special services are still looking into the matter.

When asked to comment on reports that the raid was staged by ethnic Russians, Peskov described the perpetrators as “Ukrainian militants.” “There are a lot of ethnic Russians living in Ukraine, but they are still Ukrainian militants,” he elaborated.

He was apparently referring to statements by Ukrainian officials, who insisted that the attack was carried out by the so-called legion ‘Freedom of Russia’ and the ‘Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK)’,which are collaborationists fighting for Kiev. The latter group, which is known for its support of neo-Nazi ideology, earlier claimed responsibility for a similar deadly incursion into Russia’s Bryansk Region two months ago that claimed the lives of two civilians.

On Tuesday, Gladkov said that Russian forces were still conducting a “clean-up” operation in Belgorod Region, adding that Grayvoron district had come under massive artillery shelling and drone bombardment, resulting in 12 civilians being injured.

The same day, Russia’s Investigative Committee said that it had opened a criminal case into the raid, with possible charges including terrorism, attack on law enforcement officers, attempted murder, and destruction of property.

Source: Russia Today

Russia has claimed it has “destroyed” a group of insurgents that had crossed the border from Ukraine to launch attacks in Belgorod. Video released by the Russian Defence Ministry purports to show the insurgents being hit by Russian attacks.

Source: BBC

Narratives described by German authorities as ‘Russian propaganda’ are increasingly gaining currency in the country, Thomas Haldenwang, the head of the domestic intelligence service has claimed. This is in no small measure due to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, the official believes.

Recent polls have shown the right-wing party having reached its highest level of support in five years.

Appearing on Germany’s ARD TV channel on Monday, Haldenwang said that “Russian narratives are being relayed by parts of this party.” He warned that “right-wing extremism can expand in Germany” and that “Putin’s song is being sung in these circles.”

As an example of such messaging, Haldenwang cited Moscow’s alleged efforts to convince the German public that its military campaign in Ukraine was launched as a result of the West’s infringement on Russia’s own security interests.

According to Haldenwang, “good channels into broader sections of the population” have been established by those pushing supposed pro-Russian narratives. Those peddling such alleged disinformation have found mainstream ways to disseminate it, the intel chief believes.

“In this sense, Russian media is no longer needed, but the German media is adopting these narratives in this environment,” the official asserted.

He went on to accuse Russia of attempting to destabilize German democracy on multiple levels, claiming the country is increasingly under pressure “from various sides, from within and from the outside.”

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Germany’s Bild am Sonntag media outlet published the results of a recent opinion poll indicating that the AfD currently enjoys the support of 17% of the population, the highest since October 2018.

The Green Party, which is a member of the ruling ‘traffic-light’ coalition, is backed by 14% of Germans. The other two members, the Social Democrats and the Free Democrats, garnered 21% and 8%, respectively, in the poll.

If a general election were held now, the coalition would fall short of a parliamentary majority, according to the outlet.

Late last month, Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution declared the Junge Alternative (JA), the youth wing of the AfD, to be an extremist organization.

The JA’s board, in turn, described the decision as an attempt to stifle “every form of authentic opposition.”

Since the start of Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine last February, the AfD has repeatedly criticized Berlin’s anti-Russian sanctions as undermining Germany’s own economy. The party has also called for the end of weapons deliveries to Kiev.

Source: Russia Today

French government admits checking on Muslim absenteeism for Eid. Comparative Law Researcher Rim-Sarah Alouane, discuss why this practice is problematic and how it contradicts with laicity.

Source: France24.com

Police in Spain have arrested four men in connection with an incident in January in which an effigy of Real Madrid footballer Vinicius Junior was hung from a bridge in Madrid. The arrests come just days after the Brazilian was repeatedly targeted with racial abuse during a Spanish league game on Sunday.

The four men, aged between 19 and 24, were arrested in Madrid on Tuesday and are “suspected of a hate crime for hanging from a bridge a mannequin with Vinicius’ shirt,” police said in a statement. Three of the men are suspected of being members of an ultra group supporting Real’s city rivals, Atletico Madrid, who had previously been identified as posing a high risk of violence, police said.

“The investigation carried out by police through evidence gathered, witnesses and open-source digital research, among other things, led to the identification of the four men suspected of the crime,” authorities in the Spanish capital said on Tuesday.

The arrests stem from a January 26 incident in which a crude effigy bearing Vinicius’s likeness and bearing the message “Madrid hates Real” was suspended from a bridge close to Real Madrid’s training center in advance of a Copa del Rey fixture against city rivals Atletico Madrid.

Vinicius, who is black, has been repeatedly targeted for racist abuse throughout the past two seasons in Spain’s La Liga, although most cases have been dropped by prosecutors after official complaints were made to authorities. On Sunday, he threatened to walk off the pitch in retaliation for taunts from Valencia supporters. The club has since banned one supporter for life in response to what Real Madrid called a “hate crime.”

The Brazilian footballer, considered to be one of the finest players of his generation, has received support from several figures across the globe in the aftermath of Sunday’s incident. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva – widely known as Lula – said on Monday that “we cannot allow fascism and racism to dominate football stadiums.” Vinicius has called upon Spanish football’s leadership to take a stricter line when dealing with issues of racism within the game.

Racial taunting has been a festering issue in European football for some time. In February, Vinicius received racist abuse from Mallorca supporters during a game. The club withdrew the membership of one fan for three years as a result. The Spanish league has also been forced to address similar instances of players receiving racist abuse in recent seasons, including Valencia’s Mouctar Diakhaby, Bilbao’s Inaki Williams and former Barcelona defender Dani Alves.

Source: Russia Today

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday visited a front-line area near the cities of Vuhledar and Marinka in the Donetsk region, following his trip to Japan where he participated in the latest G-7 summit.

A statement by the Ukrainian presidency said Zelenskyy presented awards to dozens of marines on the national Day of the Ukrainian Marines.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukrainian marines are ‘a brotherhood of strong and resilient fighters loyal to their beliefs and vocation, who always demonstrate speed, determination and results,’ the statement said.?

“Every day on the battlefield, the Ukrainian Marines prove that they are a powerful force that destroys the enemy, liberates Ukrainian lands, and performs the most difficult tasks in the most difficult conditions. And we need more of this force. That is why from today we are significantly increasing the potential of the Marines and creating the Marine Corps,” he said.?

Zelenskyy said new brigades will be formed and provided with modern equipment and weapons, according to the statement.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A French ban on short-haul domestic flights has come into force after it was approved by the European Commission. Private jets will not be affected by the carbon-cutting plan.

Under a government decree published on Tuesday, domestic flights that are possible in less than two and a half hours by train have been forbidden.

The change will scrap dozens of daily flights between Paris and regional hubs like Nantes, Lyon, or Bordeaux, and result in cleaner, but longer, journeys for passengers. For a commuter traveling from Paris to Bordeaux, for example, the trip will now take two and a half hours by train, up from 75 minutes by plane.

The ban will only affect these three routes initially, as trains between other locations were deemed insufficiently frequent.

The ban was first introduced in France’s 2021 Climate Law, after it was proposed by a citizen’s assembly tasked with coming up with ways of reducing carbon emissions. It was bitterly contested by airlines and by the Union of French Airports, who argued that it infringes on EU freedom of movement rights.

The European Commission sided with the French government, ruling on Friday that member states may, “where there are serious environmental problems… limit or refuse the exercise of traffic rights.”

“[This] is a major step forward in the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Transport Minister Clement Beaune said in a press release. “I am proud that France is a pioneer in this area.”

The Union of French Airports downplayed the environmental benefit of the ban, stating earlier this year that it would eliminate only 0.23% of France’s air transport emissions. Climate activists cited a similar figure to argue that the ban does not go far enough, while other critics argued that travelers will be just as likely to take their cars instead of the train, resulting in a net increase in carbon emissions.

The ban does not affect private flights, which account for dramatically more carbon per passenger than commercial routes. Beaune said last month that the government would introduce a climate surcharge for private fliers from next year, but Green politicians have called for an outright ban.

Source: Russia Today

France is launching a public consultation to help define the government’s climate change roadmap and strategy for adaptation the country starts preparing for temperatures of four degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by century’s end.

Source: France24.com

France is willing to enter security agreements with Ukraine to “prevent possible future aggressions,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The statement lends credence to earlier reports that Western powers are considering entering a military pact with Kiev.

“France, together with its partners, is continuing to reflect on the best way to support Ukraine over the long term and in all areas,” read a statement on the ministry’s website. “France is ready to enter into agreements with Ukraine aimed at providing it with security guarantees that will help it defend itself in the long term and prevent potential future aggressions.”

The ministry added that French officials discussed this plan with their British counterparts in March.

The statement came in response to a Wall Street Journal article on Monday, in which Polish President Andrzej Duda claimed that he and US President Joe Biden had discussed an “Israel-style” defense agreement with Ukraine when they met in Warsaw in February.

According to the newspaper’s sources, such an agreement – which would see Kiev’s Western backers commit to continuous arms transfers and military funding, without obligating themselves to fight against Russia – is “gaining traction” among NATO members.

An agreement could be signed after NATO’s upcoming summit in Lithuania in July, the sources added, stating that it would likely be modeled after the Ukrainian government’s ‘Kiev Security Compact’. Published in September, this document calls for “a multi-decade effort of sustained investment” by the West in Ukraine, as well as more NATO training missions and technology transfers for its military.

The document makes no mention of a mutual defense clause, like Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, but does call for the provision of “iron-clad security guarantees” to Ukraine, “predominantly from NATO countries.”

NATO’s current position is that “Ukraine will become a member of the alliance,” however, the bloc’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has refused to offer any timeline for this. Admitting Ukraine while hostilities with Russia are ongoing, or even with battle lines frozen by a ceasefire, would enter the US-led bloc into a state of war with Russia.

Asked about Ukraine’s prospects for NATO membership on Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that there is a “whole range of requirements” and criteria that Kiev is currently unable to fulfill. As such, Kiev’s membership is therefore not on the agenda for “anytime soon.”

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has insisted that NATO states offer his country full membership or nothing. “Ukraine will be uncompromising on this issue,” he said at a press conference with Duda last month.

Source: Russia Today

In a bid to curb migration rates, the British government on Tuesday introduced new regulations limiting international students from bringing their family members to the UK.

Ahead of the upcoming release of migration figures on Thursday, UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman unveiled a package of new restrictions on foreign students aimed at curbing net migration.

Under the proposed regulations only a restricted number of students studying in the UK will be able to bring their partners or children with them to the country.

The opportunity to bring dependents will be reserved for those enrolled in postgraduate research programs, recognized for their notable contributions to academia.

Foreign students will no longer be able to switch out of the student route into work routes for staying in the UK before their studies have been completed, it was further said.

There will be a comprehensive assessment of the maintenance requirement for both students and their dependents as well as a strong crackdown on “unscrupulous” education providers “who make use of inappropriate applications to sell immigration, not education.”

These changes will be implemented for students commencing their courses from January 2024.

In a statement, Braverman emphasized that the immigration statistics revealed an unexpected surge in the number of dependents accompanying international students to the UK.

In the year ending December 2022, approximately 136,000 visas were granted to dependents of sponsored students, marking an eightfold increase from the 16,000 visas issued in 2019 when the government committed to reducing net migration.

Source: Anadolu Agency