Selections from Zakharova's Weekly Briefing

Very long read

Today’s briefing lasted 2.5 hours with a multitude of information and witty answers covering forty points. One of the major announcements concerned the upcoming St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that runs from 5-8 June and it will be the first selection:

The XXVII St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) will be held on June 5-8, 2024. It has proven itself in this capacity over the years. Oman and Bolivia have guest country status this year.

The event will be attended by a number of state leaders, vice presidents and prime ministers, as well as industry ministers, public and political figures, heads of legislative authorities, international organizations, leading companies, representatives of business, expert, scientific and academic circles. In total, representatives from about 130 states are expected to participate, 12 thousand guests are currently registered.

The plenary session will traditionally open with a speech by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. Taking part in the Foreign Ministry is Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. A series of his bilateral contacts with foreign partners is planned.

The Forum's agenda is built around the motto 'The Basis of a Multipolar World: Creating New Growth Points'. This topic is a logical continuation of last year's discussion.

A new multipolar world order is being formed. The change in the geopolitical balance of power is accompanied by the emergence of new poles of influence due to the strengthening of the sovereignty and competitive capabilities of regional powers. In this context, the ability of states to adequately respond to the complex challenges of our time, to engage in an equal constructive dialogue, civilized interaction and common responsibility for the future of the world of all peoples comes to the fore.

The main tracks of the business programme, which includes more than 150 events, are four: (1) 'Transition to a Multipolar Model of the World Economy', (2) 'The Russian Economy: Goals and Objectives of the New Cycle', (3) 'Technologies Ensuring Leadership', (4) 'Healthy Life, Traditional Values and Social Development – State Priorities'.

They meet the Forum's key mission of building a multipolar international system. It is important to develop international relations and business contacts on the basis of genuine equality, consideration of each other's legitimate interests, respect for the cultural and civilized diversity of states and peoples.

At the thematic sessions of the Forum, participants will discuss a wide range of issues related to the development of the global and Russian economy, the economic potential of our country in the face of sanctions pressure (to put it as it is, literally the "trade war" declared on our country by the "collective West" led by the United States), the transformation of the global energy market, the climate agenda, support for technological sovereignty, social policy, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and the deepening of the cooperation within the framework of such associations as the CIS, EAEU, BRICS, SCO and ASEAN.

In the context of current geopolitical processes, the session on the Greater Eurasian Partnership as a New Pole of Growth: Potential and Prospects is more relevant than ever. It is dedicated to the Russian flagship initiative to launch the "integration of integrations" on the continent in order to form a single space of well-being and prosperity. We are convinced that the discussion on this topic will give a powerful impetus to the unification processes in the macro-region.

Particular attention will be paid to the topics of preserving the population, improving health, improving the well-being of people, supporting families, creating opportunities for the realization of the potential of each person, and developing his talents. [Those are the core aspects of People Centered Development.]

On the sidelines of the Forum, business dialogues will be held: "Russia-Oman", "Russia-Azerbaijan", "Russia-Brazil", "Russia-Venezuela", "Russia-India", "Russia-Iran", "Russia-Kazakhstan", "Russia-China", "Russia-Kyrgyzstan", "Russia-South Africa", "Russia-Central Asia", "EAEU-ASEAN", "Russia-Latin America".

The Forum will traditionally host the B20 Regional Consultative Forum, the International Youth Economic Forum, the SME Forum, the Creative Business Forum, the Drug Security Forum, as well as the SPIEF Investment & Business Expo.

The cultural program of the Forum promises to be rich. Participants are invited to attend concerts of classical and popular music, film premieres, exhibitions and excursions, art fairs. There will also be sporting events. Sports fans and participants in the sports movement will be able to come to the SPIEF Sports Games, which include competitions in 18 disciplines.

Our next briefing is also scheduled on the sidelines of SPIEF. I will tell you about this later.

The Ukraine update and other related material I’ll provide in another posting given its length and importance. Events in Moldova are rapidly occurring and the situation is deteriorating. Given that, I’ll first provide last week’s Moldova related selections then continue with this week’s briefing:

Look at how the situation in Moldova is developing. This all looks like the same scenario that was prepared by Western curators for Ukraine. In Moldova, the authorities continue to scare residents, as they put it, with the "Russian threat" in the hope of increasing the level of support for the so-called "European integration project."

On May 15 of this year, President Maia Sandu said: "those... who are ready to help the Kremlin overthrow the government and stop the reforms, should know that ... it will be like in the Donbass and in other regions where the Russians have come."

This phrase caused a wide resonance in Moldova itself. Observers state that after the republics of Donbass became part of Russia, the genocide of civilians was stopped there, true democracy and order were restored, the revival of the economy began, and construction is in full swing (as we have already talked about today). It is ironically noted that Maia Sandu cannot boast of this, since after she came to power in Moldova, exactly the opposite processes began: political repression, corruption flourishing and the economic recession continues. No one has heard of the "construction of the century" in Moldova under Maia Sandu. Here are some recent examples.

On May 15, President Maia Sandu said that funds from European funds should be transferred only to pro-government mayors: according to her, this money "should not go to persons who oppose the European Union." Is it democracy? Is this a pluralism of opinions? What's it? Freedom of speech? This is an open segregation of Moldovan citizens on the basis of "political reliability".

On May 16 of this year, the Moldovan Parliament adopted amendments to the law on the application of international restrictive measures. In accordance with them, the country's Information and Security Service is empowered to initiate the procedure for depriving persons under Western sanctions of Moldovan citizenship. Thus, according to local experts, the authorities get the opportunity to take away citizenship from representatives of the opposition, excluding them from the political process. These are democratic Western values!

The attack on freedom of speech continues. On May 16 of this year, the Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting initiated a procedure for checking the TVC21 TV channel in connection with the disinformation that was flourishing there, as it was said. The reason was the materials broadcast by the channel, in the form of a statement by an opposition politician, former head of Gagauzia, I. Vlah, that a "dictatorship" has been established in Moldova, that Moldovan citizens "are afraid to speak even at home."

The country's authorities are increasing pressure on the leadership of Gagauzia. Attempts are being made to block the construction of a family amusement park ("Gagauziya Land"). The facility is subject to unjustified additional inspections, and administrative pressure is exerted on the general contractor and subcontractors. This, apparently, belongs to the category of Western values in the form of freedom and competition.

The shameful practice of many hours of checks at the Chisinau airport of persons, including Moldovan citizens, who were in Russia deserves special mention. According to eyewitnesses, representatives of the Maia Sandu regime respond to requests for water from representatives of the Maia Sandu regime – "drink from the toilet tank." I can't even say it. This is such an offensive attitude to human dignity. It is impossible to pronounce. Even at the border, they do not allow you to drink water, insulting and humiliating.

It is cynical that on May 18 in Leipzig, Maia Sandu was awarded the Robert Blum Prize for Democracy with a cash reward of 25,000 euros. According to the organizers, the President of Moldova is "exemplary, unshakably committed to democracy," "fights for democratization and compliance with the principles of the rule of law."

In Moldova, Maia Sandu's actions receive a completely opposite assessment. People call her regime "the imposition of hybrid democracy", and the idea of European integration is enjoying less and less support among the country's residents. They are not against democracy. They see that this has nothing to do with democracy. Observing this, the authorities on May 16 of this year changed the wording of the question submitted to the referendum on European integration, which will be held on October 20. If earlier it was concrete: "Do you support the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union?", now the wording is more than ambiguous: "Do you support the amendment of the Constitution with the aim of Moldova's accession to the European Union?"

According to Moldovan experts, by doing so, the Moldovan leadership actually signed off on the failure of the campaign in support of the "European integration project" paid for by the West.

I'll put it even more simply. For dubious and otherwise unrealizable financial bonuses that were promised to Moldova and which no one has ever seen, this country and people are invited to abandon themselves, their language. Now let's go even further. They say that there is no such nationality. People are invited to betray their ancestors, their present selves, and their future generations. It is proposed to betray your children.

But the miracles of this self-revelation associated with the West continue.

Question: On May 21, the EU and Moldova signed a partnership agreement on security and defence. How would you comment on this?

Maria Zakharova: As follows from media reports, the document is formally aimed at combating "disinformation," terrorism and cyber threats, and strengthening the Moldovan armed forces.

Taking into account, however, the course of the Moldovan leadership towards integration into Euro-Atlantic structures, as well as the fact that the European Union has long turned into an appendage of NATO, there is no doubt that the signing of the mentioned agreement is actually aimed at further "pulling" Moldova to the alliance, militarizing the republic and eroding its neutral status enshrined in the Constitution. Independent Moldovan experts openly say that Brussels and Washington, which stands behind it, are actively preparing Moldova for the role of a "new Ukraine."

Perhaps everything is more cynical and even worse. Ukraine, at least in Washington, decided to destroy such a nationalist, turning into a Nazi confrontation between people of different nationalities. Here we are talking about the hitherto unpracticed census of people by nationality and their attribution to another nationality, to another ethno-cultural group. Even if it is close.

I take "work at home" – to make a list of historical examples of how people were forced to sign themselves out of one nationality and assign themselves to another. I can't remember a single historical example. But these are the gaps in my knowledge that I will fill. I can't remember a language being "renamed" in favor of another language. Perhaps, I don't know, I'll clarify. In order for people to be forced to identify themselves with a different national group, to be forced to admit that their nationality does not exist in principle, and that they must now be called another nationality in combination with the same processes regarding language. I do not remember such a historical crime in such a totality. I believe that these are elements of genocide. Humanity has already gone through a lot of things and learned to destroy itself in different ways, but this is a kind of new element.

The details of the EU-Moldova Security and Defense Partnership Agreement have yet to be assessed. On the other hand, history shows that the "assistance" of the West, based on its centuries-old colonial experience (largely racist), has never brought those who receive such assistance either well-being, stability, security, or development. All this ended, as a rule, tragically. I am sure that this fully applies, unfortunately, to Moldova as well. But at the same time, I would like to note that people in Moldova, its citizens, representatives of various nationalities and other national and cultural groups, are actively resisting. They do not allow this blasphemous crime to be committed against them.

Question: On May 14, Romanian Prime Minister Miorgi Ciolacu said that "there are Romanians in the Republic of Moldova and there is nothing else – there are no more Moldovans, there is no more Moldovan language. There is the Romanian language, and there are Romanians." How would you comment on this?

Answer: I have a counter question. Can we ask the Prime Minister of Romania, who said that there are Romanians in the Republic of Moldova and no one else, and there are Jews, for example? Interesting. I've already heard and read this somewhere.

Do you remember that stories about true Aryans and everything that does not fit the categories should be destroyed? We remember Romania's position in those years, in the years of the triumph of unfortunately, albeit temporary, but extremely destructive Nazism and fascism in Europe.

What kind of reincarnation of Nazism is this in the world? Where is everything? We remember and know what a sharp reaction the Israeli government always gives out. How is it this time? Will they keep silent? How can one consider such a statement by one of the country's leaders that there is no one else in Moldova except Romanians? What about other nationalities? We will now give our assessment of this. We will continue to give it in the future. But everyone should give this assessment. States that are organised on a national basis and protect representatives of their ethnic groups around the world, international organisations that are allocated money only to fulfil their mandate to protect human rights, to prevent the reincarnation of Nazism and fascism and any other misanthropic practices.

It is obvious that Bucharest is trying to pass off historical wishful thinking as reality. However, I would like to remind you that the Moldovan statehood, the Moldovan language and culture are much older than the Romanian one. This is a historical fact. I have never imagined in my life, not in any fantasy have I dreamed that our country will also become a defender of the culture, history and language of Moldova. That the Russian Foreign Ministry will literally protect Moldovan citizens, Moldovans by nationality, literally on a weekly, sometimes daily basis, from encroachment on their ethno-cultural identity.

Let's remind the facts from history to Bucharest, the Prime Minister of Romania and everyone who is in this "sect" of such ideologemes.

The beginning of the independence and statehood of modern Moldavia dates back to 1359, and the terms "Moldavians" and "Moldavian land" were widely used from the second half of the 14th century. That is, the difference between the beginning of the statehood of Moldova and the official appearance of the name "Romania" is more than 500 years in favor of Moldova. This is what a reliable story looks like. These are facts. On the part of Bucharest, no one will be able to challenge them. This is history that has not been distorted by political expediency, ideological manipulations, or the influence of any particular groups.

It is noteworthy that such provocative statements by Romanian officials, which are gross interference in the internal affairs of Moldova, remain without an adequate response from official Chisinau. The Moldovan authorities like to accuse Russia of "disrespect" and "disinformation", and in this case, silence. Why? Maia Sandu is pursuing exactly this policy. It is against the people, citizens, the people of Moldova. She has a Romanian passport and plays on the side of Bucharest. This is obvious.

But not only it. The Moldovan leadership, including President Maia Sandu, almost all of them have Romanian citizenship. The highest officials of the republic openly declare that they are Romanians, do everything to erase such concepts as "Moldovan culture", "Moldovan history", "Moldovan language", to dissolve them in the "European family". The "European family" (if we are talking about this term) is a completely different thing. This is respect for linguistic and national minorities, taking into account their slightest interests. Democracy from the point of view of European values is the rule of the majority, but taking into account the opinion of the minority, respect for their positions and the preservation of their cultural, historical, and national identity.

According to independent Moldovan political analysts, Maia Sandu does not believe in the viability of the Moldovan state, does not respect it and has set herself the goal of annexing Moldova to the EU as part of Romania. She doesn't say that at all. She keeps promising a bright future in the form of European integration, passing it off as the fact that Moldova will have an independent position. They are doing everything so that there is no such thing as Moldova at all.

Moldovans remember what such an "Anschluss" has already led to. The Romanian occupation of 1918-1940 was accompanied by robberies and executions of the inhabitants of Bessarabia. Local analysts draw parallels with the events of those years, drawing attention to the repression of the Maia Sandu regime against the opposition, the suppression of freedom of speech and any dissent in Moldova, as well as the dominance of ex-officials from Romania in the Moldovan state apparatus directly.

To reiterate, we will answer your questions and stand up for truth, justice and history in the context of international legal obligations.

But the most important thing is the position of the citizens of Moldova, who are desperately trying to defend their history, the future of their children and their identity, culture and nationality.

Question: The EU plans to start formal negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the association on June 25, Politico reports, citing five diplomats. How realistic are the chances of these countries joining the European Union? What could be the consequences for member countries?

Maria Zakharova: I have just talked about this. This is not the accession of countries to the European Union, but their "dissolution" in NATO-centric communities or "flywheels".

This is not equal or full-fledged participation like membership in the CIS, SCO, BRICS, CSTO and even the G20. Countries are presented with derogatory conditions, including in the context of changes in their internal life (from culture to economy, from history to legislation), so that they "fit into the stage" or be "put on the shelf" assigned to them by Western ideologists.

What is all this for? To freely use the resources of the respective states in the interests of the "collective West"; to replenish their own (Western) bins with the riches of Ukraine and Moldova; to use labor resources and territories for free; to expand its influence in the region and at the same time not to be obliged to anything, not to provide anything in return. This is not the membership of Ukraine and Moldova in the European Union, but NATO's eastward expansion. Everything has already been proven. It is an exclusively geopolitical tool for imposing rivalry and ensuring dominance in Europe by those who have preserved and passed on to their generations from century to century, literally as a testament, the ideology of inequality, imperialism and colonialism.

The imperial plans of the EU leadership to expand the borders are deliberately artificial, they are carried out contrary to the established pre-accession criteria, thereby significantly weakening the political and economic position of the EU in a multipolar world. This was the case in 2004, during the most massive "wave" of enlargement, when the borders of the European Union shifted significantly to the east, and this is still the case today. The EU's manipulations around the process of European integration of Ukraine and Moldova reflect the essence of the "rules-based order", which is based on the exclusive right of the West to arbitrarily change conditions and agreements, depending on the current situation (while not giving anything in return and not compensating those who are deceived again).

Stability and security, as well as trust in the European Union on the part of the world majority, will not be added as a result of the EU drawing new dividing lines in Europe. In the same way, they were engaged in "geopolitical engineering" on the African continent and in Asia. We are confident that such a development in no way meets the true interests of the European population, which the EU leadership is trying to make pay for the implementation of the West's confrontational policy and strategic mistakes.

I would like to emphasise that the European Union (then the European Economic Community) was created on the principles of equality, equal opportunities and minimisation of costs in order to give dynamics to economic growth. This was the main message: to avoid unnecessary spending, to "shorten" economic ties, to mobilize the economy, including in the period after World War II, in order to restore the European economy and overcome the terrible consequences imposed by Nazism and fascism.

In this atmosphere, the European Economic Community emerged, and then grew into the European Union. They talked about simplifying border crossings, reducing the number of dividing lines in order to stimulate exchanges (humanitarian, educational, cultural, etc.), and combining opportunities for improving economic indicators. This was the main goal.

Look at what they have now: there is no economic growth and there will be no (a collapse of prospects in this area), new dividing lines that appear not only because of the geopolitical scenarios thrown up by Washington. During the pandemic, "in a second", the EU countries began to divide each other into less and more contagious, without any reason. A fight began for vaccines, over vaccines, over money for vaccines. But most importantly, the task of economic growth (which they put at the forefront) is crossed out by the imbalances brought to the European Union by geopolitics. And not their own, but planted by Washington and to a large extent London.

Now, unfortunately, the scenario will be repeated for the "candidate countries". This will be due to the paralysis of entire clusters of their economy, domestic life, and legislation. For citizens of the EU states, this will be a new burden to pay the next costs. We have a rough idea of what the next stage of "engineering" will lead to.

The outgoing leaders of the European Union, who have completely submitted to the United States, continue to try to drag the association into geopolitical adventures, from which the next generations of the Union's citizens will need to extricate themselves. Add economic problems, open conflicts on the European continent. What all this results in is clear.

The following is from this week’s briefing:

Here is another country where Westerners are conducting their monstrous experiments under the slogan of some "Western values" – this is Moldova.

On May 23, Moldovan Foreign Minister Miceslave Popșoi again accused Russia of trying to undermine the Moldovan economy and bring certain "criminal groups" to power in the country. The Moldovan authorities use this term to refer to their political opponents.

The background of such unsubstantiated accusations is obvious – to try to shift the blame for its own failed economic policy onto Russia, to justify rampant corruption and lawlessness, and the "Western values" practiced by the Moldovan authorities. In the performance of the Maia Sandu regime, these are Western values "in kind". Here are some recent examples of Maia Sandu's "achievements".

The decline in foreign trade indicators of the republic continues. In January-March of this year, compared to the same period in 2023, the country's exports decreased by 14%, the re-export of foreign goods - by 38.6%, the export of goods to the EU countries - by 9.3%, to the CIS countries - by 28.7%. A similar picture is emerging with imports to Moldova, which decreased by 6.6% in general, including from the EU countries - by 8.7%, and from the CIS countries - by 61.9%.

Independent observers are sounding the alarm about the consistent destruction of the Moldovan education system under the pretext of its "optimization", which in fact results in the closure of educational institutions. The system of rural schools is on the verge of collapse. As of 2023, there were only 226 university students and 57 students of secondary vocational education institutions per 10 thousand inhabitants in Moldova, which, according to experts, is lower than in any of the CIS and EU countries. I have a question for Maia Sandu, who likes to criticise the Soviet period and says that Moldova was almost in a state of collapse or falling into the abyss. Maybe she will cite statistics to compare how Moldova lived under Soviet rule? We cited (1, 2, 3, 4) these statistics for her, let her use it. Maybe she will show her "achievements", which are based on "Western values".

In Moldova, there is a decrease in the birth rate. According to official data, 24 thousand children were born in the republic in 2023, which is 11% less than in 2022. This is the result of Maia Sandu's policy.

The militarization of the country and the process of "pulling" it to NATO are gaining momentum. In 2024, 17 military exercises and training sessions were held in the country, including with the participation of American or Romanian military personnel. I understand why the birth rate is falling in Moldova. If there are 17 military exercises with the participation of American and Romanian military personnel, then Moldovan men simply have no time to engage in procreation. They all "fit in" into NATO. On May 20 of this year, a new stage of the Regex-2024 NATO staff exercises started in the country. On May 24, the defense ministers of Moldova and Romania signed a Protocol on Amendments to the 2012 Agreement on Military Cooperation.

We have repeatedly drawn attention to the shameful practice of hours-long inspections at the Chisinau airport of citizens arriving from Russia. On May 28, this happened against the leader of the opposition Chance Party, A. Lungu, who was returning from Moscow after participating in the BRICS 2024 international forum. Moreover, the inspection procedure is also applied to persons who want to fly from Chisinau to Russia. On May 23 of this year, youth activists from Moldova were supposed to go to Moscow to participate in the cultural and humanitarian program "Get to Know Russia". Upon departure, they were subjected to a lengthy check. This has a practical side - they did not make it to the flight.

Such a policy causes outrage among the country's residents. Moldovans understand that the main reason for serious problems in the country is the incompetence of the authorities, who do not believe in their own state. They are destroying Moldova as a country. No "harmful actions" attributed to Russia have anything to do with it. If the country's leadership denies people a language, a nationality, its history, implants alien ones, while destroying everything that has been formed by generations, then this is the true cause of their misfortunes. According to the latest sociological surveys, 56% of respondents are convinced that Maia Sandu "little, very little or not at all" involved in the country's internal affairs. She has no time, she always goes abroad for some awards. After all, money comes with it. All clear.

Most importantly, Maia Sandu openly said that she is a Romanian citizen and a conductor of "Western values", and her entire government consists of the same people, and from their point of view, there is no Moldovan language and nationality, only Romanian. As we have now found out, based on the statements of representatives of the Maia Sandu regime, they question the nationality of a Moldovan, giving preference to Romanians. Almost half of the respondents believe that it was during the years of rule of the Action and Solidarity party, that is, in 2021-2024, that the economic situation in the country worsened, and poverty also increased.

According to Moldovan political scientists, Maia Sandu's team, even with the help of Western political technologists, has not learned how to convincingly manipulate the facts. The West is a great master in this. Therefore, she is a bad student.

Question: On May 26, Romanian Prime Minister Miroslav Ciolacu said that in Moldova and Ukraine "we have managed to eliminate... the perverted Soviet concept is the Moldovan language." How would you comment on this?

Maria Zakharova: Do you think this is not a manifestation of Nazism? That's the same. When those who identify themselves as people of a certain ethno-cultural and national group are convinced, and then do so by force, that they belong to a different group, this is Nazism. This is an element of genocide, that is, the extermination of people.

Earlier, we have already commented on attempts to "cancel" the identity of the Moldovan people. We are not talking about the uniform at all. It is impossible to hear and read such things in the 21st century, when a person who speaks Moldovan, whose books, textbooks, documents and fundamental laws of the country talk about the Moldovan language, culture, identity, statehood, and suddenly they begin to tell him that he should "rename" all this, if not relearn, then "rename" it in the Romanian way. In terms of form, this should be generally unacceptable even in the quality of ideas, and we see this in practice.

In terms of content, this has nothing to do with historical truth. The name "Moldavian language" is mentioned in the works of all major Moldavian chroniclers of the XVII-XVIII centuries - such as Grigore Ureche, Miron Costin, Dumitru Cantemir. They would be quite surprised to read the statement of the Prime Minister of Romania M. Ciolacu that their native Moldovan language is a "Soviet concept". Imagine, people lived and worked 300 years before Soviet times, and now they are told that they were the harbingers of socialism. What kind of "idiotka" is this?

Let's give the floor to the local residents of Moldova: according to a survey conducted in May of this year, 72% of the republic's residents consider themselves Moldovans, and only 11% consider themselves Romanians. Almost 50% of respondents said that they speak the Moldovan language, which, according to the leadership of Moldova and Romania, allegedly "does not exist."

This is forced, artificial Romanianization, comparable to the earlier rewrites, "rewiring" of other countries, peoples and societies. We saw it. Forcible changes in people's cultural code were practiced, in particular, by the Nazis.

What is happening, on the one hand, is absolutely inhuman. On the other hand, it has the opposite effect to what official Bucharest and the current official Chisinau counted on under Maia Sandu. All this only consolidates the Moldovan society, which is ready to defend the right to its own statehood, its unique language and culture.

I have many friends from Moldova, Moldovans. I communicate with many people. They say that they are people who are oriented towards good, peaceful coexistence and good-neighbourliness, that such a shake-up, arranged by Maia Sandu, was needed only for one purpose – to understand what plans the "collective West" has for this kind and peace-loving people. If it were not for these monstrous steps by Maia Sandu and the Romanian leadership, who are now literally conducting experiments on Moldovans, Moldovans themselves would hardly have believed anyone. I believe that they would not have believed it if they had been told about it five or six years ago. They would say that this is some kind of conspiracy theory. Now they exist in this surreal postmodernity. I think that they are not just living, but are beginning to actively resist it.

80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy (June 6, 1944)

June 6 marks the 80th anniversary of the landing of the Allied troops on the coast of France in Normandy, which marked the opening of the second front in Europe. Today, in Western countries, D-Day is presented as the main event that decided the outcome of World War II. We hear about this in the statements of the leadership of Western countries - suffice it to mention the statements of the leadership of the United States and its closest allies, who declare that it was they who saved Europe and the world from fascism. This position is also taken by a large part of the biased Western historical community. We see how, at the instigation of the authorities of the "collective West", such approaches are reflected in school textbooks (not to mention publications and articles). Of course, nothing is said in the West about the fact that no landing in Normandy would have been possible without the successes of the Red Army. They try not only not to remember, but also to "erase".

Such "historical conclusions" suffer from total oblivion of the events that actually took place on the fronts of World War II. We are talking about methodical blasphemous attempts to entrench in the minds of the post-war generations not only in the West, where the corresponding "processing" has been carried out for a long time, but also in Eastern Europe and the republics of the former Soviet Union, about the decisive contribution of the Allies to the defeat of Hitler's Reich and the hushing up of the true liberating role of the Red Army. It cynically fails to mention how long Great Britain and the United States, under various pretexts, postponed the opening of a "second front" in anticipation of the outcome of the deadly battle between the Red Army and the forces of evil – the Wehrmacht troops.

For three years, left alone with the enemy, the Soviet Union called on the allies to start hostilities on the European continent. In the extremely difficult conditions of the first months of the Great Patriotic War, the issue of opening a "second front" was extremely important for Moscow. The Soviet leadership first used this expression on September 3, 1941 in a letter to Winston Churchill, calling for the opening of a second front in the Balkans or in France. However, under various cunning pretexts, Britain and then the United States delayed the landing of their troops and took a frankly wait-and-see attitude. The Red Army on its shoulders stopped the offensive of German units near Moscow in the autumn of 1941, in 1942, when the Battle of Stalingrad flared up, and in the summer of 1943, when the outcome of the entire war was determined in the battles on the Kursk Bulge. As a result, by June 1944, with the beginning of active military operations of the heroic Red Army in Europe, the outcome of the war was already predetermined.

The Soviet leadership, however, gratefully appreciated the landing of the Allied forces in Normandy. In June 1944, the Red Army, fulfilling its allied duty, for its part, launched a grandiose offensive along the entire line of the Eastern Front. During Operation Bagration, the enemy was thrown back to the west for 550-600 km, the Wehrmacht's losses in June-August 1944, according to German data, amounted to over 916 thousand people. Thanks to the effective actions of the Soviet command, Army Group Center was finally defeated, and the most favorable prerequisites were created for the advance of the Allied forces in the western theater of operations.

Later, about 7 million Red Army soldiers fought on the Central European front for liberation from the fascist invaders in eleven European countries. The irretrievable losses of the Red Army during the liberation of European countries amounted to about one million soldiers and officers. The USSR suffered the greatest losses - about 600 thousand people - during the liberation of Poland. About 140 thousand were killed during the battles for Hungary and exactly the same number in Czechoslovakia, where the Nazi defense was strongest. More than three million soldiers of the Red Army were wounded or missing.

In 1944-1945, the Red Army completely or partially liberated the territories of ten European countries: Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Denmark, Norway and Germany. We would not mind if the liberation of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe were brought by the troops of the Western Allies. This would have saved the lives of our soldiers who died in 1944-1945 outside the Soviet Union. Hundreds of thousands of our fighters would have been alive and would have returned home. They died outside their country, liberating Europe from Nazism. The leadership of the Soviet Union and the entire Soviet people were waiting for the Allies to help. But for this to happen, London and Washington would have had to open a second front much earlier and be prepared for millions of losses on their part.

On the days of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Allied landing in Normandy, we bow our heads to the memory of the soldiers and officers of the Allied forces who died in battles with the Nazis. But we will not allow the heroic feat of the ancestors of our country and people to be belittled, diminished or consigned to complete oblivion.

As for those who persistently promote narratives about "the true liberation of Europeans in the West from totalitarian dictatorship by the Allies" – unlike their "brothers" in Central and Eastern Europe, where, they say, "the Nazi occupation was replaced by the Soviet one" – we would like to remind you of the large-scale measures taken to establish a peaceful life and gratuitous assistance to the population of the liberated states against the backdrop of the devastation and the most difficult post-war situation in the Soviet Union itself.

In his memoirs, Marshal of Victory G.K. Zhukov paid tribute to the dedication of the Allied forces, but did not exaggerate the importance of the second front, noting that "the help of the Allies helped the Red Army and the military industry, but it should not be assigned a role greater than it really was."

Q: On May 29, the Press Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China released the "2023 Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States". The report is divided into seven parts: "Foreword", "Idle Chatter on Civil and Political Rights", "The Far-reaching Consequences of the Chronic Disease of Racism", "Growing Economic and Social Inequalities", "Persistent Violations of the Rights of Women and Children", "Shocking Facts of the Tragic Situation of Illegal Immigrants", and "Humanitarian Crisis and American Hegemony". What do you think about this report and the current human rights situation in the United States?

Maria Zakharova: I try not to think about the observance or non-observance of human rights in the United States for one simple reason, based on what is happening there – these are destructive thoughts. But you have to analyze your work. Let's talk about this now.

Moscow welcomes Beijing's efforts to reveal the real human rights situation in the United States of America, which is getting worse and worse every year. This is evidenced by the facts and figures cited in the annual reports of the Press Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, as well as the reports of American bloggers, journalists, and the media. Traditional media in the United States cannot afford this, but the blogosphere shows a monstrous picture of what is happening there.

The hypocrisy and deception of American democracy, correctly highlighted in the latest report, cause serious concern for the international community, remaining at the center of criticism of the relevant international structures and non-governmental organizations. Where they are allowed to do so and where, after such criticism, the United States does not impose sanctions or does not include in the stop lists experts who have allowed themselves to state a fact.

We carefully studied the report. I can say that the Russian side is well aware of the human rights problems in the United States described in it, which seriously impede the efforts of the international community to truly protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Many of these problems were raised in the Foreign Ministry's report on the human rights situation in the United States published in April of this year, which also states that, despite Washington's unsubstantiated statements about its commitment to the principle of universality of fundamental human rights and freedoms, in fact the situation with respect for human rights and freedoms in the United States is very far from international standards.

In the international arena, the Americans continue to play the role of "defender of human rights", claiming the role of moral judge, ignoring serious and long-standing problems in the field of human rights protection at home, which cancels out their ambitions in this area. The United States interferes in the internal affairs of other states, including under the pretext of restoring order in the human rights sphere. In fact, they contribute to the self-destruction of entire states, which we also talk about regularly. The situation in Ukraine is one of the clearest facts confirming this.

Conducting all kinds of military operations on the territory of the states of Europe and the Middle East, creating secret "flying" prisons around the world, implementing an extremely harsh, illogical and contrary to everything - legislation, statements, and chaotic in terms of implementation. Many other violations of human rights and freedoms illustrate not only the ambivalence of this country's position on human rights standards, but also its permissive approaches to international law as such.

The unchecked power of the United States in a world where it can count on no resistance, the capture of new markets, and the lack of deterrents after the collapse of the Soviet Union created a sense of permissiveness among the American elite, which they formulated as "exceptionalism." The practice of using not only military, but also economic tools, as well as information resources and financial mechanisms as force means is expanding.

The US authorities are actively using the tactics of "proxy fighting" under a false flag, in particular now, against our country and our people. First of all, this is expressed in the direction of large-scale military assistance to the Kiev regime and putting pressure on US NATO allies to take similar measures. Overt pressure is being exerted on sovereign states, including through the use of human rights mechanisms, in an attempt to create a negative background around the Russian Federation and its allies and partners in the international arena.

One of the most serious problems in countering the challenges faced by the modern international community in the field of human rights is Washington's practice of applying "double standards" in assessing certain situations and phenomena. And now, as we understand, there is a lack of standards. The demonstrations that are now taking place in the United States in support of Palestine and the way they are forcibly dispersed, the way these demonstrations are stopped, negate all the statements of the US State Department to other countries calling for peaceful protesters to express their will and the right to freedom of opinion.

Unfortunately, this approach is still actively and hypocritically used by the United States to escalate confrontation, as well as to interfere in the internal affairs and violate the sovereignty of independent states. The facts show that the United States has seriously violated basic human rights in the Middle East and elsewhere, causing irreversible damage and irreparable losses to countries and peoples.

The nature of U.S. hegemony, the cruelty and perniciousness of its power policy in the eyes of the world community give the American understanding of democracy an increasingly emasculated and manipulative character, and contribute to the discrediting of democratic principles and values in general.

The adherence to the international "rules-based order," which is primarily aimed at ensuring Washington's exclusively selfish interests, the mentoring tone, partiality, and complete oblivion of the concept of sovereignty and one of the basic and fundamental principles of international law enshrined in the UN Charter – non-interference in the internal affairs of states – leads to deep disappointment in the very "Western values" that have "fascinated" us for centuries, bringing considerable political, financial, and economic dividends to the West and the United States itself.

We believe that such actions on the part of Washington as unleashing wars, massacres of civilians, creating a situation of a "clash of civilizations", abuse of imprisonment, torture, other crimes and violations of international law are unacceptable and unforgivable. They should be widely publicized and thus receive an international legal assessment. All this confirms the relevance of such reports.

Question: On May 28, Deputy National Security Adviser to the President of the United States Dalina Singh said that Washington and its partners are ready to use sanctions and export control tools to stop trade between China and Russia in goods and technologies that "threaten the security of the United States and its allies," as well as to take additional measures to prevent Russia from "using the shadow fleet of tankers to supply oil in circumvention of the price ceiling," established by the "Big Seven". What does the Russian Foreign Ministry think about these statements and what can Russia do to prevent US interference in relations between Moscow and Beijing?

Maria Zakharova: These actions can be qualified in different ways, based on the goals, objectives and real steps taken by the collective West.

You mentioned the United States of America. But they are not alone. They crush their "allies", "comrades in NATO misfortune".

We consider such steps by Washington as interference in trade and economic relations between sovereign states. It can also be characterized as compensation for one's own failures in the economy. Probably, this is a desire to somehow make up for lost time or their own lag in certain areas of the economy, science and technology through such illegitimate methods. This can be qualified as waging a trade war, as part of hybrid aggression, a hybrid war against our country, against other states, as a policy of deterrence, inflicting a "strategic defeat". There are quite a lot of terms and words that could describe it. We have no problems with terminology. And the whole world is experiencing problems with reacting to such a destruction of world economic ties.

We believe that the uncontrolled abuse of sanctions tools by the United States will ultimately lead to the international community gradually abandoning the use of the financial and logistics infrastructure of the West. No public and regularly repeated threats by representatives of the US administration to use unilateral illegal restrictive measures against the Russian Federation will force our country to abandon mutually beneficial cooperation with partners from third countries, including China, which fully complies with the norms of international law. I am singling it out because it was mentioned in your question, but this applies equally to everyone who is ready to build relations with us on such a basis.

We categorically reject attempts at artificial, politicised interference in the functioning of global energy markets. We strongly condemn such politically motivated measures as the establishment of price ceilings, the introduction of unilateral restrictive measures on the transportation and sale of oil and other raw materials from any country or group of countries, and attempts to create "cartels of buyers". The funniest thing is the demand to reduce the price. Or a declaration that purchase prices will be formed not by supply and demand, not by the seller, but by the buyer or the buyer's cartel. This, of course, is the craziest thing.

As we can see today, such unfair and illegitimate practices lead to the destruction of the mechanisms of international energy cooperation that have been developed over several decades, the fragmentation of markets, a significant increase in the cost of energy and, as a result, inflationary pressure. As a result, this leads to the degradation of the global security system, including the energy system.

Responsible participants in international economic relations have to correct the consequences of such short-sighted steps. In this context, Russia is actively cooperating with constructively minded partners both in bilateral and multilateral formats. Today I spoke about Eurasian economic cooperation.

The supply of Russian energy resources to the countries of the Global South has a steady upward trend. Western countries, accustomed to manipulating energy prices for the sake of their own domestic political situation and geopolitical ambitions, are forced to reckon with this reality. Hence such nervous statements by the United States about taking some "additional measures to prevent Russia." Moreover, it is far from being of a market nature, aimed solely at creating competitive advantages for themselves and ousting other key players from the world market, including Russia.

Russia is consistent in its actions and is traditionally aimed at maintaining global energy security in the interests of the development of states and their constructive cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and international law.

Separately, I would like to say that now we also have to disavow the lies of world leaders that Russia allegedly undersupplies energy resources to Western markets (this is what official London has allowed itself to do). Absolutely not true. We supply to everyone who wants and with whom we agree on the price and the form of delivery. We do not have a single deal that would be blocked on our part for some political opportunistic reasons. This has never happened. For us, these are market relations of mutually acceptable trade and economic cooperation, financial and economic benefits.

It was the West that tried to stop all this and put it under its own control. When this failed, it literally "cut off" from the other side the possibilities for the normal receipt of our energy resources. I am talking about the European Union, which, it turns out, has become a victim of US policy in this area.

We have built stable ties and contacts with them, as well as the appropriate infrastructure. For many years, we have heard how the United States has been urging the European Union not to receive Russian energy resources, not to develop cooperation, not to build relevant projects. After failing to dissuade and intimidate the EU, they undermined Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2. The evidence is a statement by US President Joe Biden and former US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland.

Of course, there must be a final investigation. Our own is being conducted on this matter. In the Nordic countries, the investigation was stopped. Although they stated that they would definitely hold it. Germany, apparently, is also curtailing the investigation. The Russian proposal in this regard, sent to the UN Security Council for an international investigation under the auspices of the Secretary-General, was blocked by the Anglo-Saxons. But our investigation will still continue and will be completed. Obviously, the United States of America is behind this..

Question: How would you assess Georgian Prime Minister Ibrahim Kobakhidze's statement that Georgia hopes to become a full member of the European Union by 2030, together with Abkhazian and Ossetian "brothers and sisters"?

Maria Zakharova: I will not quote the statements of the foreign ministries of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. You know about them. I will start with a key phrase that makes the answer to the aspect of your question unnecessary.

The fact is that there are no full members in the European Union. There are countries there that are subordinate to certain "narratives", a command-administrative system. They are exhausted by the destructive impact of their own decisions on their own economy, although they were initially oriented against Russia. But they can't do anything. They continue to be forced to take anti-Russian measures.

The second point. They are "killing" their economy by abandoning Russian energy resources. Do they do this based on their interest? No. The interest in Russian energy resources was such that the countries of the European Union together with us built infrastructure for them. Then they were forbidden to do so. Is it a full membership?

Now they are being forced to "cut off" funds from their budgets in favor of the Kyiv regime. Of his own free will? No. They are forced. Who? Those who lead the European Union through a "collective Brussels" formed under the auspices of the United States and Britain, which are not themselves members of the EU. The EU has become NATO's economic affairs department, NATO's superstructure. They do not have full rights. There are only obligations to pay from their budgets, to make decisions developed for them. This is what is key in your question, and not just rhetoric or polemics.

Question: You mentioned the influence of the Westerners on the South Caucasus. The day before, the "Schuman Forum" in the field of security and defense opened in Brussels. And at this forum, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that the European Union intends to create a network of defense agreements with third countries around the world, that two agreements have already been signed with Moldova and Norway, and that the European Union supplies weapons through the European Peace Facility for Ukraine. In the same place, the Armenian Defense Minister said that Yerevan expects EU support in the security of the republic. Is this a continuation of the West's attempts to put pressure?

Maria Zakharova: European security has collapsed because of people like Josep Borrell, who have failed to see opportunities and realise the true interests of the European continent. They were victims of the Atlantic-European (not Euro-Atlantic) mentality, when the fate of Europe was dominated by the political will of a non-member country, the United States. Before promising other countries to ensure their security, it is necessary to guarantee it for Europe itself (at least in its traditional sense, as it was considered in the OSCE).

The second point. Where are the examples of how the European Union has helped anyone to establish something in the field of security, state-building or conflict resolution? Are there any such examples? There are none. This can be called the pantomime "Labor" or "much ado about nothing". When it is necessary to engage in construction, the Westerners are only engaged in destruction. Sensible forces in the EU countries (Josep Borrell is not one of them) should start thinking about their vision of security on the European continent. All of their previous concepts collapsed.

Now Russia is talking about Eurasian security. I sincerely hope that there are enough interested people with fundamental knowledge in the bowels of the EU countries who will be able to take a constructive approach to Russian development. [My Emphasis]

A NAFO troll visited about a month ago trying to press the point that Moldova is an outgrowth of Romania and not the other-way-round as Maria recited. Repeating facts and backing them with sources don’t work on the likes of Maia Sandu or Zelensky or the paid performers in Georgia. They are a very unique sort of slave that sells itself for money and act in a staged performance, like Maidan. Will Moldovans revolt and save themselves from a despicable fate?

The idea that the EU doesn’t really exist is rather potent. There was a statement made by EU to the Georgians after overriding the veto of the foreign agent law that will bar them from EU membership to which Georgians replied, Thank you very much! A critical examination of the overall EU project will show that it was a Neocolonial ploy by the Outlaw US Em[ire from the outset that has resulted in a semi-Fascist entity having control of most of Europe.

On the China’s Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2023, the link to downloading the entire English version of the document is here—just scroll to the bottom of the page and clink the link. The Outlaw US Empire has targeted China with lies about its use of slave labor. Here’s the portion of the report that sketches slave labor within the Empire:

The issue of mass incarceration and forced labor is prominent. The United States is home to 5 percent of the world’s population, but 25 percent of the world’s prisoners, making it the country with the highest incarceration rate and the largest number of incarcerated individuals globally. 26According to the report “Ten statistics about the scale and impact of mass incarceration in the United States” by the U.S. policy think tank Prison Policy Initiative in October 2023, on any given day, about 2 million people in the United States are locked up in federal and state prisons and immigration detention facilities. 3.7 million people are held under community supervision such as probation and parole.27 The report released in June 2023 by the University of Chicago Law School and the American Civil Liberties Union reveals that incarcerated workers in the United States generate billions of dollars' worth of goods and services annually. However, in most states, the hourly wages paid to prisoners amount to only 2-3 percent of the federal minimum wage standard, with some states providing no compensation at all.28 According to a report by the Prison Policy Initiative released on March 14, 2023, prisoners’ work in U.S. prisons is mandatory, and incarcerated "workers" have almost no rights or protections. Prisons force inmates to work for low or no pay, without benefits, while also charging them fees for necessities, allowing prisons to shift the costs of incarceration onto the incarcerated individuals.29

The irony of the report is that it’s primarily based on US sources.

The above selections comprise about 1/3 of the total briefing. As usual, this week’s briefing will become available in an official English translation at the MFA’s English page usually 5 days later, with an entire listing of previous briefings to consult.

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