Russia puts US Senator Lindsey Graham on wanted list.
The criminal proceedings against the Senator was ordered the Committee’s chief Alexander Bastrykin…reports Asian Lite News
The Russian Interior Ministry on Monday added US Senator Lindsey Graham on the wanted list after criminal proceedings were ordered against the South Carolina Republican for his “Russophobic remarks”.
“Lindsey Olin Graham, an American citizen, born on July 9, 1955, is wanted under an article of the Russian Criminal Code,” the state-run TASS News Agency quoted the Investigative Committee as saying.
The criminal proceedings against the Senator was ordered the Committee’s chief Alexander Bastrykin.
During a visit to Kiev on May 26, Graham told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that “Russians are dying” in the war, adding that the US support for Ukraine is the “best money we’ve ever spent”.
In a sharp rebuke to the statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Senator’s remarks were “an embarrassment for the US”.
China and Russia are dissatisfied with the so called “rules based” international order as championed by the US and EU countries. As permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) they both intend to challenge the US hegemony that characterises the current world order and promote “true multilateralism” and multi-polar world order, writes Rajen Harshe
After its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia began to get increasingly isolated from the United States (US) and European Union (EU) countries in world politics. President Putin in his penchant to revive the erstwhile glory of Russia miscalculated Ukraine’s capacity to resist the Russian aggression. Instead of conquering Ukraine, Russia currently is locked in protracted armed conflict with the former. Besides, owing to the admission of Finland as a member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in April, 2023 and generous moral and material support rendered by the NATO powers to Ukraine in its war efforts, Russia is facing the US, its prime adversary, right at its doorstep. Moreover, the deadly impact of Russo-Ukraine war is felt across the world through inflationary trends, especially in the realm of food, fuel and fertilisers.
Evolving Russo-Chinese Bonds with Shared Perspectives
In the midst of its growing isolation, Russia has opted to lean on China to counter the US-EU countries. Apart from being the second strongest country in the world, China is the arch rival of the US. It is only by joining hands with China that the Russia can counter the manoeuvres of the US led alliance. The implications of growing Russo-Chinese partnership have steadily started unfolding by now. Since China’s economy is six times more powerful than that of Russia, the relationship between the two countries is asymmetric where Russia is constrained to function as a junior partner of China. However, both the countries share a similar world view. Obviously, they both are dissatisfied with the so called “rules based” international order as championed by the US and EU countries. As permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) they both intend to challenge the US hegemony that characterises the current world order and promote “true multilateralism” and multi-polar world order. They also aim at de-dollarizing the world economy and facilitate trade in other currencies.
The genesis of closer Russo-Chinese bond can be traced to Russia’s expansionist ventures. For instance, when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the Euro-American world had slapped trade sanctions against Russia. Such sanctions became harsher and even unprecedented after the Russo-Ukraine war. Consequently, Russia’s trade dependence on China has increased. The volume of trade between the two countries was approximately US$190 billion in 2022. While China absorbed 30 percent of Russia’s exports, 40 percent of Russia’s imports came from China. China’s cheap consumer goods have captured Russian markets. The ongoing Russo-Ukraine war that has contributed to Russia’s growing dependence on China is beneficial from China’s standpoint. By capitalising on Russia’s dependence, China can persuade Russia to accept its naval presence in the Arctic, serve its energy requirements by securing oil and gas from Russia at a concessional price, gain access to sensitive technologies from Russia and secure foothold for China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in resource rich areas of Central Asia.
At the same time, China is unlikely to tie its entire energy requirements to Russia. As far as the Eurasian overland supply of gas lines are concerned, China is also keen on striking gas deal with Turkmenistan. Apart from the Eurasian region, China is playing a prominent role in the West Asian region. Before Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow during March 20-22, 2023, China had brokered peace between two erstwhile hostile powers such as Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Even though it had come up with a twelve-point peace proposals to end Russo–Ukraine war, China has so far not made any significant efforts to bring about peace between Ukraine and Russia. It has neither condemned Russia for the Ukraine invasion nor has it recognised the breakaway Republics in Ukraine. Moreover, after Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow, Russia and China plan to develop a comprehensive strategic partnership. They already have signed a dozen bilateral agreements between the two countries in wide ranging areas including science, industry, trade, economy, commerce and technology. Xi’s visit to Moscow came at a point when International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued a warrant against President Putin for illegally deporting children of Ukraine to Russia by violating their rights. In a word, China stood by Russia in its difficult hour.
Xi Jinping with Russian President Vladimir Putin.(photo:instgaram)
Pervasive Nature of Russo-Chinese Cooperation
Although both China and Russia have displayed expansionist tendencies, China differentiates between the issues like Ukraine from Taiwan. China considers Ukraine as an independent sovereign state. In contrast, it treats Taiwan as integral part of China that the latter aims at absorbing into mainland China by 2027. Both China and Russia are concerned about the emergence of the Quad, a grouping constituted by the US, Japan, Australia and India that is working, at one level, towards containing China’s expansionist ambitions in the Pacific region, especially the South China Sea. Besides, China has the so-called Malacca Dilemma because 60 percent of its trade goes through the Malacca strait. In order to surmount this vulnerability and counter the Quad, China is boosting its maritime power and expanding its naval presence by forging closer ties with the countries from South and Southeast Asia. China has also built a full-fledged port in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. In its bid to become a major maritime power China is likely to rely on Russia to garner support in developing submarine and anti-submarine warfare programmes.
Furthermore, owing to similarity in perspectives, Russia and China have almost been co-ordinating their policies in Africa, challenging the hegemony of the West. Compared to Russia, China’s presence in Africa is overwhelming and in diverse spheres. However, Russia under Putin too has made headway in Africa by getting access to key strategic resources like uranium, diamond, gold, copper, platinum, bauxite, oil and gas. Apart from signing bilateral defence agreements with several African states, Russia has already emerged as the major arms supplier in Africa. After the Russo-African Summit at Sochi of October 2019, attended by all the 54 African states and 43 heads of the states, Russia is again organising another such Summit at Petersburg in July 2023. The growing Russian influence in resource rich states, especially in France’s “ex” colonies like Guinea, Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR), has virtually replaced French influence in its erstwhile colonies, an outcome acceptable to China as well.
Russia and China have coordinated their policies in West and South West Asia as well. They have friendly ties with Iran. While Russia has been backing the Bashar-al Assad regime of Syria, China is taking active interest in the Syrian civil war by being in touch with the Syrian government as well as the rebels in order to resolve the Syrian crisis. China contends that issues related to counter terrorism need to be addressed in the Syrian context. Furthermore, in spite of recurrent problems, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China’s signature multibillion and multinational infrastructure development project is gradually surging ahead into several countries in Sub Saharan Africa, Central Asia, Europe and East and Southeast Asia. What is more, Pakistan and China have agreed to extend the BRI, in principle, via Afghanistan with the Taliban’s consent. Evidently, Russia can be beneficiary of China’s growing might in world politics.
Russia, China and India
However, evolving a common Russo-Chinese perspective on India appears rather difficult at this stage. Although China is the principal trading partner of India, it has protracted border conflict with the India over 3500 kilometre long common border. Delineating mutually acceptable border is a herculean task. Besides, China is also keen on promoting its infrastructure project through China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) via Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) which India has resisted repeatedly in international forums. Neighbouring countries of India such as Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Myanmar are heavily dependent on China which gives a feeling of encirclement from China as far as India is concerned. In contrast, the Indo-Russian ties have been well structured over the past few decades. India depends heavily on arms imports from Russia. India has also been getting oil at concessional price from Russia after the Ukraine war. In substance, choosing between India and China will always be problematic for Russia.
Irrespective of these difficulties, forums like Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and G20 have provided multinational forums to these powers to share their perspectives through negotiations. Even though Russia is keen to revive Russia, China and India partnership, India appears comfortable with playing a balancing act between the Quad along with its ongoing ties with Russia and China. In addition to maintaining strategic autonomy, India is also aspiring to play the role of a rising power in world politics.
To conclude, as the Russo-Chinese comprehensive partnership is getting firmed up, it is posing challenge to the US led order across the world and shaping, albeit gradually, the contours of a new world order in a multi polar world.
(Rajen Harshé is a leading scholar in African and International Affairs and former Vice Chancellor of the Central University of Allahabad. Views expressed are personal) (India Narrative)
Template for Security Council could reflect G20: Lavrov
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has been pressing his Western backers for F-16 warplanes for months…reports Asian Lite News
Charging the US and its allies with “playing with fire” by increasing support for Ukraine amid the conflict with Moscow, including planning to provide it US-made F-16s, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the delivery of the fighters would be an “unacceptable esclation”.
“Of course, it’s an unacceptable escalation… I think there are reasonable people in the West who understand this. But everything is being dictated by Washington, London, and their satellites inside the EU,” he said on potential deliveries of American-made warplanes to Ukraine in an interview with Russia 1 TV on Sunday, RT reported.
According to Lavrov, it is Poland and the Baltic States – Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia – that are “executing on the ground the aim set by the US to weaken Russia, deliver it a strategic defeat”.
Some in the West “are already discussing ‘decolonisation’ of Russia, meaning the dismembering of our country,” Lavrov said, warning that “this is playing with fire. There can be no doubts about that”.
“I hope reasonable people will step away from unconditional support for the neo-Nazi regime that the West itself created,” he added.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has been pressing his Western backers for F-16 warplanes for months, arguing they are crucial for defending Ukrainian airspace amid Russia’s missile attacks on military facilities and energy infrastructure.
At the G20 summit last week, US President Biden Joe Biden said that Washington would support efforts by the UK, the Netherlands, and other European countries to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16s. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated at the event that the US “will work with our allies to determine when planes will be delivered, who will be delivering them, and how many”.
Several outlets reported that the jets will not be provided by the US, but that the Biden administration would instead allow its allies to transfer their F-16s to Kiev.
Biden douses fear of a nuclear war but pledge of fighter jets to Ukraine could escalate fighting
Biden said on Friday he had an “extremely negative” reaction to reports that Russia has moved ahead with a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus…reports Asian Lite News
Russia on Saturday dismissed criticism from US President Joe Biden over Moscow’s plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, saying Washington had for decades deployed just such nuclear weapons in Europe.
Russia said on Thursday it was pushing ahead with the first deployment of such weapons outside its borders since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the weapons were already on the move.
Biden said on Friday he had an “extremely negative” reaction to reports that Russia has moved ahead with a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. The US State Department denounced the Russian nuclear deployment plan.
“It is the sovereign right of Russia and Belarus to ensure their security by means we deem necessary amidst of a large-scale hybrid war unleashed by Washington against us,” Russia’s embassy in the United States said in a statement.
“The measures we undertake are fully consistent with our international legal obligations.”
The United States has said the world faces the gravest nuclear danger since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis because of remarks by President Vladimir Putin during the Ukraine conflict, but Moscow says its position has been misinterpreted.
Putin, who has cast the Ukraine war as a battle for the survival of Russia against an aggressive West, has repeatedly warned that Russia, which has more nuclear weapons than any other country, will use all means to defend itself.
Tactical nuclear weapons are used for tactical gains on the battlefield, and are usually smaller in yield than the strategic nuclear weapons designed to destroy US, European or Russian cities.
The Russian Embassy called the US criticism of Moscow’s planned deployment hypocritical, saying that “before blaming others, Washington could use some introspection”.
“The United States has been for decades maintaining a large arsenal of its nuclear weapons in Europe. Together with its NATO allies it participates in nuclear sharing arrangements and trains for scenarios of nuclear weapons use against our country.”
The United States has deployed nuclear weapons in Western Europe since U.S. President Dwight D Eisenhower authorised their deployment in the Cold War as a counter to the perceived threat from the Soviet Union. The first US nuclear weapons in Europe were deployed in Britain in 1954.
Much of the detail about the current US deployment is classified, though the Federation of American Scientists says that the US has 100 B61 tactical nuclear weapons deployed in Europe – in Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Prosecutors on Thursday allowed the 44-year-old former newsreader to remove an electronic ankle tag and freed her from house arrest pending trial…reports Asian Lite News
Greek MEP Eva Kaili plans to return to her European Parliament duties next week after being freed from house arrest pending trial, her lawyer said Friday.
“Next week, she will be at the European Parliament to carry out her duties,” Kaili’s Greek lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos told Greece’s Skai TV.
She will also ask the chamber to determine whether her surveillance, arrest and incarceration had violated her rights as an MEP, Dimitrakopoulos said.
Prosecutors on Thursday allowed the 44-year-old former newsreader to remove an electronic ankle tag and freed her from house arrest pending trial.
Formerly a rising star in the European Parliament, Kaili has been stripped of her former role as vice president and excluded from her political group.
She was arrested in Brussels in December by police investigating alleged graft in the European Parliament, before being released to house arrest in April.
She denies all charges.
Several more European politicians and parliamentary aides were arrested and charged as part of Belgian investigation, but now all but one have been freed from house arrest.
Investigators allege that Belgian former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, who is cooperating with the inquiry, ran a ring distributing bribes to promote the interests of Qatar and Morocco.
Both governments angrily deny playing any role.
The scandal erupted when police raided several properties in Brussels and seized at least 1.5 million euros in cash stored in suitcases and bags.
Dimitrakopoulos on Friday said Panzeri was the “mastermind” and that Kaili’s fingerprints were not found on the money seized by police.
“She believes she will be acquitted… if the case even gets to trial,” he said.
Nasser Kanaani, spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, speaks at a press conference in Tehran, Iran, April 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Shadati/IANS)
Iranian spokesperson stressed that the Ukrainian President’s repeated “baseless” claims is in collusion with the West’s anti-Iran “propaganda and media war”…reports Asian Lite News
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman rejected as “baseless” the Ukrainian President’s claims about Iran supplying Russia with drones for use against Ukraine.
Nasser Kanaani made the remarks in a statement published on the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s website, in response to a recent call by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tehran to stop “its supply of combat drones to Russia”, Xinhua news agency reported.
Kanaani reiterated Iran’s opposition to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and is very sorry about the Ukrainian people’s pain and suffering, adding Iran stays ready to provide assistance to the finding of a political solution to end the crisis at the earliest possible time.
He stressed that the Ukrainian President’s repeated “baseless” claims is in collusion with the West’s anti-Iran “propaganda and media war” and is aimed at attracting further financial and arms supports from Western states.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy President of Ukraine.(photo:Facebook)
He said Iran’s readiness to continue expert-level negotiation with Ukraine on solving relevant dispute, however, the Ukrainian side has refrained from holding further talks, which proofs “baselessness” of its claims and “political objectives and motives” behind its anti-Tehran accusations.
In a nightly video address on Wednesday, the Ukrainian president urged Iran to reconsider what he called “its supply of combat drones to Russia” in order to stop its slide into “the dark side of history”.
Ukraine and Western countries have accused Iran of exporting suicide drones to Russia for use in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Iran has repeatedly rejected the accusations as “baseless”, saying it had only given “a limited number” of drones to Russia months before the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the Eastern Economic Forum plenary session in Vladivostok, Russia on Sept. 7, 2022. (Kremlin press release/IANS)
The floating power unit is ‘Akademik Lomonosov’ named after a Russian scientist, reports Saurabh Trivedi
Amid ongoing conflict with Ukraine, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom has come forward to share its technology of floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) with its friendly countries to provide round-the-clock power supply to remote areas.
The floating power unit is ‘Akademik Lomonosov’ named after a Russian scientist. It is developed and operated by a power generation company called Rosatom in Pevek, most northern city of Russia and the Arctic port town in the Chukotka region. The town is known for its rich mineral store with a population of around 5000. In winter, the temperatures in the region go down to around -24 degrees Celsius.
ANI visited the FNPP where it witnessed the functioning of the floating nuclear power plant in the extremely cold Siberian region where the Russian side highlighted the benefits it offers by providing energy to remote industrial enterprises, ports, and mining sites.
Locals say that now they get power and heat supply round the year. It could have been possible only because of FNPP that is generating and supplying for residential and commercial purposes in the town.
The town located in the Chukotka region of Russia is equipped with facilities like school, theatre, restaurant, hotel, grocery shop, port, and other facilities for locals to keep availability of supplies and keep them warm even in harsh temperatures of -24 degree Celsius.
Andrey Zaslavskiy, Acting Deputy Director General JSC REA and Acting Director of the Floating Nuclear Power Plant affiliate said that the FNPP is completely safe and has transformed the lives of the region by supplying round-the-clock power supply and round-the-year heat supply.
“It is a reliable energy supply. FNPP is completely designed and made in Russia. It is safe for the environment. We have strict procedures for the disposal of nuclear waste. The entire setup is tsunami and earthquake resistant,” he said.
The first Russian floating nuclear power station, Akademik Lomonosov, being transported. (By Elena Dider)
FNPP is a new generation power source developed on the base of Russian nuclear icebreaker shipbuilding technologies. In 2020, FNPP generated 127.3 (million KWh) of electric power and in 2022 it reached to 194.1 (Million KWh).
It has been informed that daily operations of FNPP save up to four rails cars of coal. There is a system to check radiation levels. It has reduced the carbon imprint in the Arctic areas and boosted underdeveloped artic areas. The FNPP is completely designed and made in Russia.
On being asked about any safety or health hazards to locals in Pevek city, he said that several health surveys have been done on locals in Pevek and it was found safe. There are around 5000 people living in Pevek who are directly or indirectly associated with the mining of gold, copper, Meecury, lithium, and other metals. It has made the lives of locals easy.
The FNPP supplies power to mining sites in Russia’s far east areas that help in the growth and development of the country.
“Rosatom is ready to share the technology with friendly nations that will help in the development and growth of remote areas and cut down dependability on carbon fuel,” said Cherniy Viktor – acting Chief engineer, Floating Nuclear Power Plant (JSC REA).
He said that nuclear waste is safely disposed of as per norms. It is designed for countries that lack the energy grid infrastructure to develop utility-scale renewable energy projects, many of which go on to use gas, diesel, and coal plants instead.
The major priority of the environmental policy of the FNPP is to ensure environmental safety and to reduce the environmental impact in the region, he added. (ANI)
Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the Eastern Economic Forum plenary session in Vladivostok, Russia on Sept. 7, 2022. (Kremlin press release/IANS)
The decision was a response to Sweden’s expulsion of five Russian diplomats earlier…reports Asian Lite News
Russia has declared five diplomats working at the Swedish Embassy in Moscow persona non grata in a “tit-for-tat-move”, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.
The ambassador of Sweden Malena Mard was summoned to the ministry, and was notified that Moscow had decided to expel five Swedish diplomats, including three employees working at the defence attache office at the Swedish Embassy in Moscow, the ministry was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.
It said the decision was a response to Sweden’s expulsion of five Russian diplomats earlier, adding that this hostile move further aggravated the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
The five diplomats must leave Russia by the same deadline Sweden sets for the departure of Russian diplomats, according to the ministry.
The ambassador was also informed about Russia’s decision to terminate the activities of Russia’s Consulate General in Gothenburg from September 1, 2023. And also from September 1, 2023, Russia withdraws its consent to the activities of the Swedish Consulate General in St. Petersburg.
Sweden expelled five employees working at the Russian Embassy in Sweden on April 25. The Swedish Foreign Ministry said the diplomats engaged in activities that were reportedly “incompatible with their diplomatic status”.
A customer looks on a screen displaying the cost as he fuels a vehicle at a gas station in Berlin, capital of Germany, March 11, 2022. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi/IANS)
Germany’s GDP fell by 0.3 per cent in the first quarter compared with the previous three months, which also recorded a contraction…reports Asian Lite News
Germany has fallen into recession after high prices took a bigger toll on the countrys economy than originally anticipated, official data revealed on Thursday.
The data by Germany’s federal statistical office showed gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 0.3 per cent in the first quarter compared with the previous three months, which also recorded a contraction, reports the Guardian.
The revised numbers confirm that the German economy shrank for two straight quarters — the technical definition of a recession — following a 0.5 per cent drop in the three months to December 2022.
Initial estimates released in April had suggested that Germany had narrowly avoided a recession, merely stagnating with 0 per cent growth.
“It took a couple of statistical revisions, but at the end of the day, the German economy actually did this winter what we had feared already since last summer: it fell into a technical recession,” said Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro at the Dutch bank ING.
The statistics office said that while private sector investment and construction grew at the start of the year, this was offset in part by a drop-off in consumer spending as higher prices forced households to pinch their pennies, the Guardian reported.
“The persistence of high price increases continued to be a burden on the German economy at the start of the year,” the statistics office said.
Overall, household spending dropped 1.2 per cent in the first quarter, with shoppers less willing to splash out on food, clothes, and furniture.
Government spending also dipped by 4.9 per cent compared with the previous quarter.
US President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky(photo:instagram)
The acquisition and effective deployment of this air defense system will significantly enhance Ukraine’s ability to protect its citizens and critical national infrastructure….reports Asian Lite News
In a move to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities against potential Russian threats, the United States has authorized the sale of a NASAMS air defense system and associated equipment worth $285 million to Kyiv.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) released a statement on May 24 affirming Ukraine’s pressing need to bolster its defenses against missile strikes and aerial threats originating from Russia. The acquisition and effective deployment of this air defense system will significantly enhance Ukraine’s ability to protect its citizens and critical national infrastructure.
The DSCA emphasized that the proposed sale “will support the foreign policy goals” and national security objectives of the U.S. by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe. The sale will not necessitate the assignment of additional American government personnel or contractors to Ukraine, according to the official statement.
The principal contractor will be Raytheon Missiles and Defense, Tucson, AZ.
The State Department has granted approval for the sale, and the DSCA has now formally notified Congress, which must still provide its consent for the transaction to proceed.
While numerous countries, including the U.S., have previously provided substantial military aid to Ukraine in its efforts against Russian aggression, this particular transaction marks a notable sale rather than a donation.
Ukraine’s air defense systems have played a pivotal role in safeguarding the nation from strikes and thwarting Moscow’s attempts to gain control of the skies.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian armed forces’ commander in chief, General Valery Zaluzhny, who has not been seen publicly for some time now, was seriously wounded some weeks ago in a Russian strike near Kherson, and is unlikely to return to service, media reports said on Wednesday.
Zaluzhny suffered a head trauma and numerous shrapnel wounds in early May, in a missile attack on a Ukrainian command post not far from the village of Posad-Pokrovskoe, RT quoted RIA Novosti as reporting.
The Russian agency, quoting a source, said that the general had undergone a craniotomy at a military hospital in Kiev after the strike, and doctors say that the 49-year-old is going to live but won’t be able to execute his duties as commander anymore.
Speculations about Zaluzhny’s whereabouts emerged after he refrained from participating in a high-profile NATO meeting on May 10.
The Chairman of the bloc’s military committee, Rob Bauer, said that Kiev told Brussels that the Ukrainian commander couldn’t attend in person nor via a video-link due to a “complex operational situation” on the ground in the conflict with Moscow.
Zaluzhny hasn’t been seen in public since then, even though footage that has emerged online in recent days that suggested he was fine, turned out to have been made before his disappearance.
However, on Saturday, Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Anna Malyar claimed Zaluzhny was in good health and remained in charge, and that rumours about him were being spread by Russia in an attempt to demoralise the Ukrainian forces during the battle for the strategic Donbas city of Artyomovsk, which the Ukrainians call Bakhmut. Moscow announced the “full capture” of Artyomovsk on Saturday, but Kiev has thus far been reluctant to acknowledge the loss of its key stronghold.
