Zakharova's Ukraine Crisis Update

It’s been a very long time since I reported the Ukraine Crisis Update portion of Maria Zakharova’s Weekly Briefing. There were plenty of other items for me to choose as selections for what I’ve been providing. But with today also being the 85th anniversary of the outbreak of WW2 in Europe, her update would be a good fit given the parallels between now and then. There are several other WW2 related remarks I’ll include with those about Ukraine as they all seem to go together. Otherwise, the only other item from the briefing I’ll mention is the opening of the ninth Eastern Economic Forum and its running from 3-6 September in Vladivostok, which I’ll be reporting.

On the Ukrainian crisis

In the context of the "Independence Day" of this once prosperous (or had every chance of a prosperous future) state, which was celebrated by Ukrainian neo-Nazis on August 24 of this year, we can state the fact that the country, which has lost even a semblance of democracy, has not been independent for a long time and is under the direct control and management of Western elites.

From a once prosperous Soviet republic, it has turned into a plundered neo-Nazi state, you can't even say. On the one hand, the presence of a state apparatus, on the other hand, the completely perverted logic of a modern "democratic" country devoid of normal development. All this is due to the criminal acts of the Kiev regime, which is mired in corruption at all levels and has molded a quasi-statehood. Vladimir Zelensky's junta does not care about the well-being of the Ukrainian people. It robs the local population and deprives them of the remnants of legal rights and freedoms.

On August 24 of this year, the overdue Kiev dictator made a "pathetic" address to the nation. In fact, poison was dripping down Vladimir Zelensky's lips. Instead of telling a story about the future of Ukraine, and maybe empty, but at least promises that anyone could believe in, he focused on Russia. He insulted and humiliated the citizens of our country, the leadership of the Russian state. I think he did it not only out of accumulated impotent anger, but also on the order of his overseas masters. They need at least something on the eve of the electoral processes in the United States. He is ready to carry out the orders of these masters, spitting on all his statements regarding the future of Ukraine.

It turns out to be a real oxymoron. On the one hand, it was Ukraine's Independence Day, but by a strange coincidence, President of Poland Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister of Lithuania Ivan Šimonytė were there on that very day. With their arrival, they confirmed the lack of independence of Ukraine today. Why? And what is this strange duet formation around Vladimir Zelensky on Ukraine's Independence Day? These are the leaders of the countries that previously made up the Polish-Lithuanian union, known in history as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was from it that the distant ancestors of today's neo-Nazis sought protection from the Moscow Kingdom. I would clarify, the ancestors of those whom the Kiev regime neo-Nazis squeezed out of their country, destroyed or put in their service. Those who sought protection from the Muscovite kingdom could not even imagine what would become of the descendants and what the Kiev regime would turn them into. Then this led to the decision of the Pereslavl Rada on January 18, 1654 on the oath of allegiance of Hetman B. Khmelnitsky and his people to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Did Vladimir Zelensky himself realise that he was being used as a clown for these historical allusions?

More powerfully than others, she left her mark on the history of Irina Šimonytė, who in her Nazi-Russophobic speech on Sofia Square in Kiev allowed herself gross insults against the Russian people, and also said that with their "struggle" Ukrainians are defending not only their own statehood, but also the freedoms and values of Lithuania, Europe and the democratic world. She called on the West for a "crusade" against Russia. She promised the Zelensky regime to celebrate the "victory" together, and I quote, "with electricity, gas and without Russians." I remember who several decades ago celebrated "with light" and especially "with gas" so that, as I. Šimonytė puts it, there would be no "Russians". The Nazis and Hitlerites, when they drove Slavs, Jews, Gypsies into gas chambers. This neo-Nazi had already agreed before that. Pro-Western liberals have played pseudo-democracy.

This is nothing more than an outright incitement of the current Bandera followers to the complete extermination of Russians and Russian-speaking citizens, and not only in Ukraine. Thus, the Lithuanian prime minister once again confirmed the misanthropic essence of the Kiev junta and the Western sponsors who nurtured it, including official Vilnius. This once again convincingly indicates the need for the denazification of Ukraine, which is one of the main tasks of the special military operation.

I would like to draw your attention to an article by Konstantin Shevchenko and Eduard Popov in the August issue of International Affairs, "The Creation of Ukraine and the Structural Role of Ukrainian Nationalism/Nazism." Everything is convincing and proven with facts.

On the occasion of Ukraine's Independence Day, Vladimir Zelensky was timed to coincide with an openly satanic action – the signing of the law On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Activities of Religious Organisations, aimed at liquidating the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which has millions of parishioners. In fact, the Kyiv regime has finally signed off on its anti-people essence and complete dependence on the whims of Western masters.

At the same time, Vladimir Zelensky committed blasphemy by publicly justifying the adoption of the anti-church law by the fact that Ukrainian Orthodoxy is allegedly taking a step towards liberation from the "Moscow devils." And who is he? A real impostor, now also expired. In addition to direct complicity in the illegal act of actually destroying the largest canonical church in Ukraine, he showed himself to be an absolute atheist, spitting on the feelings of believers. Not a single person who truly believes in God, professing this or that world religion, would ever allow himself to do this. In reality, he cares only about the interests of the West, which gives him money (Washington and London). He fulfills the instructions of those who have Orthodoxy "across their throats" and who have long harbored plans to destroy the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. We see that not only in Ukraine, but in general everywhere, Christians, in particular Orthodox Christians, have been persecuted in recent decades.

The creation of a legislative framework for the prohibition and liquidation of the UOC is a clear confirmation of the further degradation of the human rights situation in Ukraine. I have to talk about this, because there is international legal vocabulary. But at the same time, we understand that this is not just degradation, but a bottomless abyss, into which human rights in Ukraine have "fallen" under the Kiev regime. We are talking about a blatant violation of freedom of religion in world practice, accompanied by the persecution of clergy, the theft of churches and monasteries with their transfer to a pseudo-religious organization controlled by the authorities, and outright intimidation of parishioners. This barbarism is fraught with an even greater split in Ukrainian society, which is already tormented by the criminal regime of Vladimir Zelensky.

Kiev continues mass persecution of Orthodox priests for political reasons. This is not a change in the interpretation of canons or rituals, but political motives. At the same time, in its repression, the Ukronazis regime shows absolute indifference and extreme cynicism. For example, on August 22 of this year, the security forces literally dragged the abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Pavlo, who is suffering from serious illnesses, to the next court hearing on far-fetched charges, up to treason and inciting interreligious hatred. As a result of such disgusting pressure from the Banderaites, the health of the elderly clergyman deteriorated again, and he was hospitalized. No cases were opened against neo-Nazis who mocked people on the basis of nationality, language or religion, humiliated, beat and tortured.

The terrorist essence of the Kiev regime is becoming more and more odious. Kyiv's Western curators with maniacal fury do not stop pushing their Kiev puppets to prolong the insane and suicidal adventure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region.

On August 21, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that "lifting restrictions on the use of opportunities against the Russian military" would allegedly lead to strengthening Ukraine's self-defence, saving lives, reducing the destruction in Ukraine and advancing peacekeeping efforts. If this phrase had been broadcast to a Ukrainian audience, Josep Borrell would have been booed or pelted with something that was still there.

On August 22, Deputy Pentagon Spokesperson S&H Singh spoke even more frankly and aggressively. According to her, Washington's approaches allow Ukraine to carry out counterstrikes to "defend" against Russian attacks from border regions, which include Kursk and Sumy. Now the head of the US defense department allegedly intends to discuss with the Ukrainian side whether the Armed Forces of Ukraine plan to "hold" territories in the Kursk region.

Western officialdom has distorted everything and, in fact, agreed that the strikes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Russia, that is, military aggression and terror, will contribute to achieving peace. What? Actual, "on the ground"? What is there to talk about? Everyone sees perfectly well what is happening there. Peace at the negotiating table with whom? With those who kill civilians and mock the elderly and women? Who will sit down at the negotiating table with them? In fact, their statements are nothing more than justifying and encouraging the crimes of the Kiev regime. This is the notorious support for terrorism. Why notorious? Because in Western countries, this is legislated as one of the most serious crimes that they talk about all the time. It turns out that they do it themselves.

Against this background, the publication of The New York Times of August 23 of this year is not surprising, where, citing US officials, it is reported that the United States and Great Britain provided Ukraine with satellite images and intelligence about the Kursk region after the start of the invasion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We have been talking about this for two and a half years. Where has anyone from The New York Times been?

There is no hint of any condemnation by the West of the terrorist methods of the Armed Forces of Ukraine used against the civilian population in the Russian border area. On the contrary, in addition to praise, the "coordination" of these actions is defiantly brazenly demonstrated. This is the creation of a terrorist organization in the form of the Kiev regime, military, political and financial support.

Evidence of Kiev's monstrous war crimes against the Russian civilian population is multiplying. Even the Western organization Reporters Without Borders has already counted more than 1000 cases of the use of Nazi symbols by the Ukrainian military who invaded the Kursk region.

Horrific evidence of captured militants continues to arrive that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine gives direct orders to the military to kill civilians and loot on Russian territory.

A lot of facts of looting of residential buildings and shops by the Ukronazis are recorded. One of the prisoners even had crosses and jewelry stolen from residents of Kursk villages. Antique icons stolen in the Kursk region have appeared on sale at Ukrainian online auctions, with an open indication of their origin as "trophies". There are also many photos of residents of the Kursk region killed by Ukrainian militants who did not have time to evacuate, which show that many of them were shot at point-blank range.

Thus, it is not an isolated but a massive and purposeful nature of the atrocities and acts of looting committed by the ukrobanderites on Russian territory that is revealed. The guilt of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in serious crimes has become even more obvious to the world audience. Kiev's propaganda is not able to gloss over the truth with any celebrations of Independence Day or statements by the rotten Vladimir Zelensky.

Against this background, the pathetic attempts of Ukrainian propaganda to concoct fakes about the allegedly harmless and attentive to the needs of the civilian population interventionists who invaded our land look absolutely cynical. Fakes are launched, allegedly they distribute food, help local residents solve their problems. All this is instantly exposed, refutations are published.

Foreign "soldiers of fortune" are also actively involved in the attack on the Kursk region. American mercenaries defiantly posted on the Internet a photo of the positions of the mortar crew of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near the playground. The militants are proud of the violation of humanitarian law and do not care about the lives of civilians, including children, and are ready to hide behind them, as the Nazis once did during the storming of the Brest Fortress and terrorists in recent history.

I would also like to note that on August 24 of this year, Reuters security adviser R. Evans, who was a former employee of the British MI6, was killed as a result of a missile attack on the Sapphire Hotel in Kiev-controlled Kramatorsk. We are well aware that there are no former employees of the services. This clearly indicates that the special services of Western countries are literally directing the media under their control to conduct anti-Russian information campaigns. Naturally, there is no question of any unbiased journalism. It is indicative that along with this "adviser" other foreign mercenaries were also destroyed.

On the basis of the evidence collected by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, the competent authorities are working to prosecute war criminals, including mercenaries in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On August 19, a serviceman of the nationalist Azov detachment, Vladimir Tsebrik, was sentenced by a court to 20 years in prison for robbery of civilians in Mariupol.

On August 27, a Russian court sentenced US citizen Carlo Deveu to 14 years in prison for fighting against Russian servicemen. He was put on the international wanted list.

None of the criminals will be able to escape punishment. They will answer to the fullest extent of the law.

The Ukronazis are not going to stop in their terror against other Russian regions. On the night of August 21 of this year, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out a massive attack with the help of 45 drones on Moscow, Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga and Kursk regions - all drones were shot down by air defense systems.

On August 22 of this year, they attacked a civilian ferry in the port of Kavkaz in the Krasnodar Territory, which had 30 tanks with fuel. As a result, a fire broke out and the ship sank, 17 people were rescued, four were injured, and one went missing.

On the night of August 25 of this year, the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired from multiple launch rocket systems at the residential sector of the Rakityansky district of the Belgorod region - five people were killed, fourteen were wounded, including three minors.

I would also like to emphasize that Ukraine's direct involvement in terrorist activities is also being declared on other continents. On August 20, Mali and Niger, which had previously severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine, together with Burkina Faso, called on the UN Security Council to take measures against Ukraine in connection with its support for international terrorism, in particular, in the Sahel region. The destructive actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Africa were also condemned by Senegal. The West's refusal to recognise the terrorist and criminal nature of Vladimir Zelensky's regime increases the burden of its direct responsibility for the bloody atrocities committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazis.

Anticipating its imminent collapse, the Kiev junta continues to feverishly destroy monuments to the fighters against fascism. The scope of this vandalism is monstrous. On August 21 of this year, on the Square of Sorrow in the city of Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivsk region, Ukrainian neo-Nazis began to destroy the mass grave of 570 Soviet soldiers who gave their lives for Ukrainian land with the help of an excavator. This barbaric act was cynically called "exhumation work". I have seen a lot of films about different wars and a lot of documentaries on this subject. But this is beyond reason. I'm not even talking about ethics and morality. Among those who operate these excavators, fill up the places of mass graves or take the remains somewhere, where they will be dumped and thrown away, there may be descendants of these people.

These facts once again confirm the relevance of the tasks of the special military operation to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine and eliminate threats emanating from its territory. As the Russian leadership said, all of them will definitely be fulfilled.

85th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II

September 1 marks the 85th anniversary of the beginning of World War II, which practically brought European and all human civilization to the brink of destruction.

Mankind has never known such a tragedy. 61 states, more than 80% of the world's population, were drawn into the bloodbath. Military operations were conducted on the territory of 40 states. The total losses, according to various estimates, ranged from 50 to 80 million people, including both military and civilians.

In modern interpretations of the beginning of the world tragedy, there are too many outright lies, opportunism and selfish interests, the desire of the West to absolve itself of responsibility for the past. The Munich Agreement of September 30, 1938 showed the Soviet Union how and at whose expense Western countries would solve security issues. And if the opportunity arises, they can form an anti-Soviet front.

We still have much to learn about the role played by the West in fomenting Nazism. In particular, the materials on the secret pre-war Anglo-German negotiations in the summer of 1939 have not been declassified.

80 years later, the situation repeated itself on the example of the neo-Nazi Kiev regime, which the West chose as an instrument for its Russophobic policy, to inflict a "strategic defeat" on our country.

The West, insisting today on Kiev's continued hostilities, confirms its involvement in the conflict and its interest in its continuation, in "killing as many Russians as possible," as George W. Bush said. The situation is reminiscent of the provision of assistance to fascist Germany before the attack on the USSR. Up until the first shots of World War II, London and Washington hoped to use Hitler's hands to weaken or destroy their main geopolitical rival, the Soviet Union. And the "phoney war" or "sit-in war" that these countries waged against Nazi Germany until the beginning of the occupation of France in May 1940 leaves no doubt among sensible people about the true intentions of the "collective West" of those times. The Nazi leaders were also unambiguous in their memoirs - for example, one of the leaders of German intelligence, W. Schellenberg, directly said that many in the leadership of the Reich wanted to unite with the West to strike at the USSR. And only the valiant victories of the Red Army prevented these plans from being realized.

In this light, it is unacceptable and blasphemous to assert that Nazism and communism are "identical" and to try to lay equal responsibility for the outbreak of war on Germany and the USSR, to hush up the decisive contribution of the Soviet Union on the battlefields of the bloody battles of the Great Patriotic War, which broke Hitler's war machine, and to belittle the feat of our soldiers-liberators.

The most important result of the Great Victory of May 9, 1945 was the defeat of the most aggressive reactionary forces. Many peoples of "non-Aryan" origin were saved from physical destruction by our country, who were destined to perish in Nazi concentration camps and turn into slaves. As Irina Šimonytė, who came to congratulate Vladimir Zelensky, has just said, to celebrate the victory "with electricity, gas and without Russians." This is what the Nazis wanted then more than eighty years ago.

The victory over Nazi Germany and militaristic Japan contributed to the rise of the national liberation movement, the collapse of the colonial system, and the creation of the foundations of a new just world order under the auspices of the United Nations.

Today, after more than 80 years, our country is once again fighting for the free and independent development of the world. We are fighting for the right of the peoples of the world to plan their own future, to determine the path of development.

As the Second World War showed, anyone's claim to world domination in the past has been shattered more than once by the courage and steadfastness of our people.

85th anniversary of the defeat of Japanese troops in the Battle of the Khalkhin Gol River

The hotbed of armed conflict in the Far East in the early 1930s was provoked by Japan, which had aggressive plans to occupy continental territories. In the period from 1931 to 1937, Manchuria became the object of Japanese aggressive aspirations, and the most developed industrial regions of China were occupied.

Does anyone want to remind the President of Romania and the Prime Minister of Canada of these pages of history? When will Prime Minister of Canada John Trudeau and his colleague in historical misfortune, President of Romania Carlos Iohannis, call Japan a militaristic country and a totalitarian regime? When will this happen?

At that time, the Japanese did not hide their plans to conquer and forcibly seize part of the territory of Mongolia and the Soviet Union. The security of the Far Eastern borders of the USSR was under serious threat.

Moscow responded to Tokyo's open border provocations by strengthening military-technical cooperation with the Mongolian authorities. On March 12, 1936, the Protocol of Mutual Assistance was signed in Ulaanbaatar. Does this Protocol irritate anyone in the West, or do they also want to revise it? The Soviet Union officially declared that it would defend the Mongolian borders as its own, and in September 1936, at the request of the Mongolian side, sent its troops into the territory of Mongolia.

In July-August 1938, incidents on the Soviet-Manchurian border became more frequent, resulting in a serious armed conflict in the area of Lake Khasan.

From January 1939, the actions of the Japanese aggressors intensified on the Mongolian border. The first open invasion of the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic took place on May 11, 1939, east of the Khalkhin-Gol River. As the division commander G.K. Zhukov, who led a group of Soviet military leaders in Mongolia, recalled, "everything pointed to the fact that this was not a border conflict, that the Japanese had not abandoned their aggressive goals against the Soviet Far East and the Mongolian People's Republic, and that we should expect actions on a larger scale in the near future."

A massive offensive of Japanese troops began in July 1939 with the crossing of the Khalkhin-Gol River. They were opposed by the Soviet-Mongolian army under the command of G.K. Zhukov and Kh. Choibalsan, which managed not only to repel the enemy's attack, but also to launch a counteroffensive.

On August 28, 1939, the Japanese-Manchurian troops were surrounded and destroyed. By August 31, 1939, the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic was completely cleared of Japanese invaders.

The defeat of the Kwantung Army was devastating. Japanese losses in the battles at Khalkhin Gol from May to September 1939 amounted to over 60 thousand people killed, wounded and captured, 660 aircraft were shot down. On August 29, 1939, 42-year-old corps commander G.K. Zhukov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his skillful leadership of the Soviet troops in combat operations against the Japanese invaders and for the courage and bravery shown at the same time. "For all our troops, commanders of formations, commanders of units and for me personally, the battles at Khalkhin Gol were a great school of combat experience...", Georgy Konstantinovich later noted.

The outcome of the battles at Khalkhin Gol confirmed the effectiveness of the Soviet-Mongolian military-political alliance. The USSR helped the Mongolian People's Republic defend its independence. The lesson learned by the Japanese aggressors not only prevented their further provocations, but also subsequently deterred Japan from entering the war against the Soviet Union on the side of Nazi Germany.

The memory of the glorious victories and military friendship of the Soviet Union and Mongolia is preserved to this day. In August 2009, the premiere of the documentary film "On the Shores of Khalkhin Gol" took place. The film tells about the historical significance and little-known details of this military-political conflict. The film uses a large number of chronicles, as well as comments from veterans who participated in those events and historians.

In August 2014, as part of a joint project between Russia and Mongolia, a postage stamp "75th Anniversary of the Victory of Soviet-Mongolian Troops over Japanese Aggressors" dedicated to the events at Khalkhin Gol was put into circulation.

I would like to take this opportunity to say with special pride that my grandfather Viktor Machulko took part in these hostilities. He defended our country and security in that region.

More facts about the crimes of Japanese militarism

On the eve of the Day of Military Glory on September 3 (the Day of Victory over militaristic Japan and the end of World War II), we would like to once again address the issue of exposing the crimes of Japanese militarism during World War II. We have repeatedly stressed that they do not have a statute of limitations, and procedural actions to punish all the perpetrators continue to this day.

The Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation has officially notified of the decision adopted in July of this year to cancel the earlier conclusion on the rehabilitation of Japanese citizen Shinzo Yoshikawa. He was charged with organizing sabotage at industrial enterprises on Sakhalin Island and espionage work against the Soviet Union. In 1989, S. Yoshikawa was rehabilitated, since it was decided that the accusations against him were allegedly political in nature. However, in the course of an additional study of the circumstances of the case, the facts of his criminal acts were confirmed. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that they were committed as a result of illegal entry into the territory of our country in September 1945, after Japan signed the act of surrender.

This example is especially noteworthy against the backdrop of constant speculation by the Japanese side about some "atrocities" of the Red Army during the landing operations on Sakhalin and the southern Kuril Islands, as well as accusations of the cruelty of the actions of the Soviet government against Japanese citizens living there. Everything was exactly the opposite. Even after its surrender, Tokyo continued to commit crimes and organize sabotage against the USSR, not admitting its own guilt for aggression in the Far East. Why? Tokyo was led by Washington.

We intend to continue our efforts to uncover the historical truth on this issue, as well as to take an active part in the celebrations on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the Victory over militaristic Japan and the end of World War II, and to develop a programme for the broad celebration of the anniversary in 2025.

There were many points deserving emphasis, but I demurred so readers could provide their own as they read. The Linked paper mentioned in the Ukraine section is “The Creation of Ukraine and the Structural Role of Ukrainian Nationalism/Nazism,” which is in Russian and deserves to be translated and republished. In its opening paragraph, we learn some history that most were never aware of:

Eastern Galicia, traditionally considered a bastion of Ukrainian nationalism, finally acquired such an ethno-cultural appearance only after the genocide of Galician-Russian activists unleashed by the Austro-Hungarian authorities during the First World War. Even in the first quarter of the 20th century, Ukrainian identity was not yet fully established among the Galician-Russian population of Galicia. And among the Galician-Russian intelligentsia, there was a widespread view of the local Rusyns as an integral part of the triune Russian people "from the Carpathians to Kamchatka."

So, we had other genocides besides that unleashed on Armenians by Turks during WW1. And our 21st Century still sees nations trying to gain at the expense of others and unwilling to share the fruits of their progress, thinking themselves exceptional. I wonder when the Global majority will decide to close up all their diplomatic offices within the Outlaw US Empire & Europe and reconvene the UN somewhere more appropriate like Zambia and begin to rebuild its organs sans Western pollution.

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