From the Kremlin

[Benjamin]

After the 'SCO Heads of State' meeting (above), Putin had three sequential side meetings with the PM of India and the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. In between meetings he held a Q&A with journalists. I've broken-up and posted the whole thing according to the question even though much is already known. There were a few new things, one of which Putin didn't even know about.

News conference following visit to Uzbekistan​

In conclusion of his visit to Uzbekistan, Vladimir Putin answered journalists’ questions.

September 16, 2022
19:00

Samarkand

The opening question was about the SCO summit. It's just a short summery.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good evening,

I am listening.

Question: Now that the SCO summit is over, summing it up, can you tell us how you regard the SCO’s development prospects and what the most important thing is for Russia in the SCO?

Vladimir Putin: The most important thing always and everywhere is economic development. And the SCO, cooperation with the SCO countries, creates conditions for the development of the Russian economy, and thus for the social sphere and for resolving the tasks related to improving the living standards of our citizens.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation includes countries whose population, as has been said many times, comprises almost or even slightly more than half of humanity. It is 25 percent of world GDP. And, most importantly, the national economies in the region, those of the SCO member states, are developing much faster than others in the world.

Now we had a separate meeting. I sat next to the Prime Minister of India at the working dinner. India’s GDP grew by 7 percent, China’s by more than 5 percent. China was in the lead for quite a time and its potential is tremendous. Our trade with these countries is growing fast. If these rates are preserved, and they are bound to be for many objective reasons, we will be one of these countries, next to them, ensuring our interests. This is what we are doing and this is the main point.

The 'special military operation' (SMO) in Ukraine. Putin reveals some terrorist attacks on Russian soil that may not have been released to the public before. Also, there is a sense that he knows what's coming if the Ukranazis persist.

Question: This question is certainly worrying very many people in our country. People have already developed certain concerns over the course of the special military operation in Ukraine. We are increasingly seeing strikes, raids and acts of terror even on Russian territory. We are hearing all the time very aggressive statements that the final goal of Kiev and the West is Russia’s disintegration. Meanwhile, many think that Russia’s response to all of this is very restrained. Why is that?

Vladimir Putin: There is nothing new about this. Frankly, I find it even a bit strange to hear your question because Western countries have cultivated the idea of the collapse of the Soviet Union and historical Russia and Russia as such, its nucleus.

I have already cited these statements and studies by some figures in Great Britain during World War I and after it. I cited excerpts from Mr Brzezinski’s writings in which he divided the entire territory of our country into specific parts. True, later he changed his position a bit in the belief that it was better to keep Russia in opposition to China and use it as a tool to combat China. It will never happen. Let them address their own challenges as they see fit. But we are seeing how they are handling them and, most likely, they are doing harm to themselves in the process. Their tools are no good.

But they have always been seeking the dissolution of our country – this is very true. It is unfortunate that at some point they decided to use Ukraine for these purposes. In effect – I am answering your question now and the conclusion suggests itself – we launched our special military operation to prevent events from taking this turn. This is what some US-led Western countries have always been seeking – to create an anti-Russia enclave and rock the boat, threaten Russia from this direction. In essence, our main goal is to prevent such developments.

With regard to our restrained response, I would not say it was restrained, even though, after all, a special military operation is not just another warning, but a military operation. In the course of this, we are seeing attempts to perpetrate terrorist attacks and damage our civilian infrastructure.

Indeed, we were quite restrained in our response, but that will not last forever. Recently, Russian Armed Forces delivered a couple of sensitive blows to that area. Let’s call them warning shots. If the situation continues like that, our response will be more impactful

Terrorist attacks are a serious matter. In fact, it is about using terrorist methods. We see this in the killing of officials in the liberated territories, we even see attempts at perpetrating terrorist attacks in the Russian Federation, including – I am not sure if this was made public – attempts to carry out terrorist attacks near our nuclear facilities, nuclear power plants in the Russian Federation. I am not even talking about the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.

We are monitoring the situation and will do our best to prevent a negative scenario from unfolding. We will respond if they fail to realise that these approaches are unacceptable. They are, in fact, no different than terrorist attacks.

Remark: Good afternoon, Mr President.

Kiev presented draft security guarantees for Ukraine the other day…

Vladimir Putin: Wait a second. I have something to add to my answer to the first question. You said that we are seeing activity here and there. But Kiev has announced that it has launched an active counter-offensive operation. Let’s see how it unfolds and how it ends.

[Coupled with the 'warning shots' and 'more impactful' comments above, this line is the biggest foreshadowed warning I think you can get! That 'end' is completely riding on Ukraine's (USA) decision.]

Please go ahead.

Apparently Ukraine has come up with new security guarantees for negotiating peace talks.

Question: Kiev recently published draft security guarantees for Ukraine. What can you tell us about this, and what is your assessment of this project?

Vladimir Putin: Frankly, I am not familiar with what they have come up with this time. We, in fact, started with this when we were negotiating with the incumbent Kiev authorities and, in fact, completed this negotiating process in Istanbul with the well-known Istanbul agreement, after which we withdrew our troops from Kiev in order to create the proper conditions for concluding this agreement. Instead of concluding an agreement, Kiev immediately turned down all agreements, shoved them into a box and said they would not seek any agreement with Russia, but instead would pursue victory on the battlefield. Let them try. They are just now trying to do this with the counteroffensive. Let’s see how it ends.

As for security guarantees, and these were fairly tough security guarantees, they were required from our side, from the main NATO countries and regional states, including Turkiye. Overall, we agreed with this – to a large extent. There were some things that required minor adjustments but overall we agreed and these were quite serious requirements. However, the Kiev authorities shelved them.

What have they come up with? I don’t know because they change their position on every issue almost every day. I must have a look.

I would like to recall in this connection that before the start of the special military operation, we talked about security principles and measures on ensuring the security of Russia itself but nobody deemed it necessary to respond to this. Unfortunately.

Putin's opinion on the course of the SMO and that it will not change.

Question: Good afternoon, Mr President.

Could you please share your opinion on the course of the special military operation? Is it necessary to adjust the plan?

Vladimir Putin: No, the plan will not be adjusted. The General Staff takes real-time decisions in the course of the operation and some are considered a key, the main goal. The main goal is to liberate the entire territory of Donbass.

This work continues despite the attempts of the Ukrainian army to launch a counter-offensive. We are not stopping our offensive operations in Donbass itself. They continue. They continue at a slow pace but consistently and gradually, the Russian army is taking more and more new territory.

I must emphasise that we are fighting not with a full army but only with part, with contracted forces. But, of course, this is linked with certain personnel parameters and so on. This is why we are not in a rush in this respect. But essentially, there have been no changes. The General Staff considers some objectives important and others secondary but the main task remains the same and it is being carried out.

Erdogan, apparently, always suggests that Putin meet with Zelensky but did not bring up at this meeting.

Question: Did President of Turkiye Erdogan make proposals on your meeting with Zelensky at this meeting?

Vladimir Putin: He always suggests meeting with Zelensky. He has been doing this for a long time and there is nothing bad about it. The President of Turkiye is making a substantial contribution to normalising the situation, including resolution of the food problem. The export of Ukrainian grain via Odessa is largely the result of his work. So, he is really making a tangible contribution to resolving a number of serious issues that are arising in connection with this crisis. And, of course, it is only natural that he also suggests meeting with President Zelensky, thinking that it may produce some positive result. He did not raise it at this meeting.

On conditions of dialogue with Ukraine.

Question: On what conditions could there be dialogue with Ukraine now, if it is possible at all?

Vladimir Putin: But they refuse. The first condition is that they agree to it. But they do not want it. Mr Zelensky has publicly announced – I do not know where exactly, but he said it publicly – that he is not ready and does not want to talk to Russia. Well, if he is not ready, fine.

The 'shipping of grain' issue. Most of this was already posted earlier but it's in a more condensed form here. Putin also mentions the hypocrisy and colonial mindset of the 'Western nations' and why the Americans are so freakish about the grain in Ukraine.

Question: You have spoken a bit about your meeting with Mr Erdogan. Could you elaborate on the things you discussed with him regarding the grain deal? Is it still in effect? Will grain and our fertiliser be delivered to the poorest countries?

Vladimir Putin: Well, what we just said at the summit, and the things I said – did journalists hear them?

Remark: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: Then I will have to say it again. Firstly, President Erdogan was one of the initiators of this deal, plus obviously the UN, but he was also one of the leaders to have organised the implementation of this idea.

As of today – as of yesterday or the day before – 121 ships left Ukrainian ports. Only three of the 120 ships headed for the poorest countries under the UN food programme. Some 35 percent, maybe a bit more, of the grain exported from Ukraine went to European countries, to non-poor countries, and definitely not to the world’s poorest countries. And only 4.5 percent of the shipments were sent to the poorest countries under the UN programme.

At our bilateral meeting, President Erdogan also raised the issue of sending the bulk of these grain exports to the poorest countries under the UN food programme, but it is not up to us. We only took on the obligation to organise the grain exports. We are doing this, but the United Nations, as well as all other participants in this process, should ultimately achieve the goal for which this process was organised. But I know that the Secretary-General [UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres] – and I say this with absolute sincerity – is taking necessary efforts, he is really doing his best, but so far he has not succeeded either.

The same applies to our fertiliser exports. This is something unprecedented. I would say this has been an outrageous and shameful decision by the European Commission to lift the ban on the purchase of Russian fertilisers – but solely for their countries, for EU member states. But what about the world’s poorest countries?

So what about the rhetoric claiming that “all our joint efforts should be aimed at preventing famine in these poorest countries”? Is it all bluff? Is it done solely to solve their selfish tasks and problems they created themselves, with their own hands, both in the food and energy sectors?

And now they are trying to resolve their self-inflicted problems at someone else’s expense. This is just outrageous. But I hope that our colleagues in the European Commission will let common sense prevail to correct this mistake – and let’s consider it a mistake, a misunderstanding [as opposed to 'calculated'?] – and make the right decisions.

The same applies to the export of Russian fertilisers.

And it would be good to consider the opportunities provided by Belarus, one of the world’s largest potassium fertiliser producers.

So they have lifted sanctions on our fertilisers. The Americans were actually the first to lift them, since they are generally pragmatic people. Speaking of Ukrainian grain exports, do you know who actually exports it? It is done by American companies, which are the owners of this grain for the most part. It appeared to be that land in Ukraine was sold to US companies long ago – and they are simply exporting their own grain. That is apparently the reason behind so much talk about it. But I digress.

What is important is that sanctions have been lifted on our fertiliser exports – but there are still issues as regards freight and insurance plus the existing ban on entering our ports where our fertilisers are exported from, as well as on financial transfers and settlements. They are aware of this all and keep saying this problem will be solved, but no one is actually doing anything about it.

To be fair, the UN Secretary-General is taking efforts to solve these issues. He has regular contact with all participants in this process. So far, not everything has worked out. Hopefully, the Secretary-General’s negotiations will be successful.

We have no doubt that we will sell our goods; we sell them now and will continue to sell them in the future as there is great demand for them in the markets. The point is that if things continue this way, they will not reach the poorest countries. You have probably heard about 300,000 tonnes of Russian fertiliser stuck in European ports; our companies are saying they are ready to provide it for free – just unblock and release it, and we will donate it to the poorest countries and to developing markets. But they are still holding it, and this is absolutely astonishing.

They do not want Russia to earn money – but we are not making a profit by giving away fertiliser. I just do not get what they are doing. What is the purpose of all this? There has been so much talk about providing help to the poorest countries, but exactly the opposite is actually happening.

I have the impression – and this is particularly true for European countries – that these former colonial powers are still living in the paradigm of colonial philosophy, and they are used to living at the expense of others. They still fail to get rid of this paradigm in their daily policies. But it is time to draw certain conclusions and act differently, in a more civilised manner.

Much was made about the Russia/China meeting but, as Putin points out, it was nothing much. Just economic talk.

Question: Your most important bilateral meeting has taken place with the leader of China. This was a very important meeting, given the tense atmosphere across the globe, and the whole world was following it. What are the most important outcomes of the meeting?

Vladimir Putin: As strange as it may sound, there was nothing of paramount importance. This was actually a routine meeting between us. We have not met in person for a while, since my trip to Beijing for the opening of the Olympics, and we simply stated a significant increase in bilateral trade.

Our trade stood at US$140 billion last year, as I mentioned earlier, and we had set the goal of reaching US$200 billion, but we considered it to be a long-term task. This year’s mutual trade is expected to reach some US$180 or even US$190 billion, meaning that the goal of US$200 billion is about to be achieved, and I believe this is the bottom line.

We spoke about additional efforts required to expand bilateral trade, and what needs to be done in the current conditions to efficiently resist the illegal restrictions and all sorts of trade wars being unleashed here and there by our so-called trade partners, who apply various illegitimate restrictions.

Nevertheless, we have to take action to respond to this in some way. We are aware of what is happening.

We also spoke about the need to expand trade and settlements in national currencies, which are gradually increasing – not as fast as we would like it to, but there is progress, nonetheless. We talked about major projects we are implementing and mentioned infrastructure projects that would allow us to unblock growing commodity flows. These were the topics of discussion.

But we also mentioned some crisis-related issues and we spoke about them in a friendly yet principled manner.

Let us wind thus up, shall we? I have yet to finish speaking there. They are still waiting for me.

Go ahead, please.

This section was highly disturbing. Putin was not aware of this situation and will no doubt get some confirmation. If it's true, it's unbelievable.

Question: The US Department of the Treasury has not only increased the number of people under sanctions but also made changes as to their occupation and age limits.

Vladimir Putin: What limits exactly?

Remark: Age limits. I will explain: along with your aide Maxim Oreshkin and the general director of the Mir payment system, they now include Maria Lvova-Belova…

Vladimir Putin: I do not understand, what about Maxim Oreshkin?

Remark: They have become sanctioned by US Department of the Treasury.

Vladimir Putin: Maxim Oreshkin? Under sanctions?

Reply: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: Apparently, [he has been sanctioned] for his meeting with Mr Erdogan; he went to Turkiye and met with Mr Erdogan, and they immediately sanctioned him afterwards.

Reply: As regards age, they also included Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, who was sanctioned for “organising the capture of children from Ukraine,” as the Americans have worded it. Those targeted by sanctions also include Ramzan Kadyrov and his underage children, three of his 14 children.

Vladimir Putin: Underage, right? This is the first time I have heard about this.

Remark: This has just happened.

Vladimir Putin: I was busy with other issues; I do not know about that.

Question: What do you think about these sanctions? [Bear in mind that Putin is responding to an unconfirmed situation.]

Vladimir Putin: I believe this sounds like schizophrenia, because imposing sanctions on underage children is simply outrageous. It seems that they have simply lost track of what they are doing.

As for our Commissioner for Children’s Rights, as we know, she has been involved in bringing our children from areas of hostilities: from Syria and Iraq, those children who have remained there due to various circumstances against their will, and I hope she will continue to do this, God bless her.

This is a noble mission; she risks her life and health. It is only natural that she helps to bring children from areas of hostilities or danger zones in Donbass. What’s wrong with that? We must thank her and bow our heads. Why impose sanctions against her? This is the first time I have heard about it, and it is outrageous.

[The child 'harvesting' (organs, sex, pharmaceutical testing (?)) comes to mind here, though this may not be the case. Maria may just be getting sanctioned because she's Russian.]

A short response to the recent Armenia/Azerbaijan dispute.

Question: I have a question on the developments around Armenia and Azerbaijan. Do you think any attempts are being made by other countries to have an effect on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh while Moscow is conducting the special military operation in Ukraine? And does Russia now have enough resources to continue extending its influence on our colleagues to secure peace?

Vladimir Putin: As you can see, there are enough resources. The latest border incident has nothing to do with Nagorno-Karabakh at all: it took place in a totally different region on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Indeed, we regret these events and the casualties. Russia has been a major influence in containing this conflict, and I hope this continues to be so. So, answering your question, there are sufficient resources so far, thankfully.

The G20 meeting in Bali. Russia will attend.

Question: One final question regarding the G20. The SCO summit will conclude today, but its leaders will soon meet as part of the G20. Is there any certainty about your visit to Indonesia, and what could interfere with your plans to visit Bali?

Vladimir Putin: I will see, I have visited Bali, and it is a beautiful place, but this is actually not about beauty. We will see how the situation develops in our economy and other areas.

I have an invitation to visit the G20 summit; the President of the hosting nation [Indonesia] personally informed me about it when he visited Moscow, and then he telephoned me and said once again, “Bear in mind that there is certain pressure, but my stance is firm and we would like to see you at this summit.“ I will see and then we will make a decision. Russia will take part in the event.

Now one concluding question, alright? There are many of you, and just one of me.

Please go ahead.

The final question dealt with the energy crisis. It's, basically, a retelling of the original 'green' reason behind the crisis followed by all the recent pipeline and turbine drama in condensed form.

Question: Good evening, Mr President, and thank you very much. I will be quick. You just mentioned ships with grain that left for Europe, although it is not experiencing a food crisis but an energy one, and this is what my question is about. Recently, the president of the European Commission and a number of other top European officials…

Vladimir Putin: The Chairman of the European Commission.

Question: Yes. In the heat of their efforts to find a solution to the energy crisis, they offered their citizens to send skyrocketing electricity bills not just to anyone, but personally to you. What will be your response to this? Are you going to pay these bills in case you suddenly start receiving them? Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: I have not heard anything about this either, I know nothing about it. This is yet another attempt to shift the blame onto someone else, as they say.

The energy crisis in Europe did not begin with the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, in Donbass; it actually started much earlier, a year before or even earlier. As strange as it may seem, it started with the green agenda. The green agenda is definitely important, and we need to take climate action and avoid reaching the point of no return when climate change becomes irreversible, with the Earth becoming a planet in the solar system that once had the atmosphere, according to scientists, but no longer has one, and the temperatures are now +500°C. Of course, no one wants this to happen, but everything must be done carefully and gradually.

To pursue momentary political considerations, they chose to completely close down the hydrocarbon energy programmes in their countries. Banks stopped extending loans, local authorities have stopped allocating land plots for future development, and implementation of plans for energy infrastructure construction was stopped as well, with huge cuts in investment in conventional energy. But this all started happening a few years back.

Now, we see that prices, say, for natural gas in the United States have risen and production is growing, but not as fast as they would like it to – and the reason is that banks are afraid to issue loans. Specialists and experts are perfectly aware of this, and all these populist statements claiming that someone is to blame for this elsewhere are made only to protect themselves from their citizens’ indignation. This is what it’s done for, and this is only the first part of this farce.

These are erroneous reference points in the green agenda, rushing things, and the green energy being unprepared to meet to the demand for huge energy resources to support economic and industrial growth. The economy is growing while the energy sector is shrinking. This is the first drastic mistake.

The second mistake concerns natural gas.

We made attempts to persuade the Europeans to focus on long-term contracts rather than solely on the market. Why? I said it before and will repeat it once again: Gazprom needs to invest billions in development but it must be confident that it will sell gas before making investments. This is what long-term contracts are about.

Mutual obligations are incurred by the sellers and the buyers. They said, “No, let the market regulate itself.“ We kept telling them, “Don't do it or it will lead to drastic consequences.” But in fact, they forced us to include a significant share of the spot price in the contract price. They forced us to do this, and Gazprom had to include both the oil and oil product basket but also the spot price in the gas price. The spot price began to grow, causing the increase in the price envisaged even in long-term contracts. But what does it have to do with us? This is the first thing.

Second, I told them many times. “Gazprom is not supplying gas.” Look, are you normal people or what? Poland chose to impose sanctions against the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline and shut off the route. I told Mr [German Chancellor Olaf] Scholz: “Why are you calling me? Call Warsaw and ask them to reopen the route.” That is all there is to it. That’s the first.

Second. Two lines of the gas pipeline run through Ukraine. Ukraine is being supplied with weapons, but it went ahead and closed one of the lines for them. They also shut off another line that supplied 25 billion cubic metres of gas – I will not talk about the exact amount, but they shut off the entire route. What for? Call Kiev and ask them to reopen the second line.

And finally, Nord Stream 1. One turbine goes out of order after another. Are we breaking them? As regards the latest turbine breaking down and being taken out of service – what actually happened? There was supposed to be a routine inspection and maintenance works; they opened the unit in the presence of Siemens specialists and found an oil leak there, which created a danger of an explosion. They saw it, and they put their signatures under the document. The turbine has to be repaired and it is not operational, with a risk of fire and explosion. But what does it have to do with us? Go ahead and repair it.

We were told: look, they delivered a turbine from Canada but Gazprom will not accept it. But Gazprom is right in doing so. We said so many times: Gazprom’s contract for servicing turbines is not with Siemens but with a UK-based Siemens subsidiary. That is what it is all about. And this UK-based subsidiary must provide documents that specify that sanctions have been lifted from the turbine as this is our property, and Gazprom must be sure of it because it may choose to sell it, say, to Iran, China or some other country. It means that the sanctions have been lifted and it is in a proper technical condition. The Siemens subsidiary must provide [guarantees] but has not provided anything but idle talks. That is what it is all about.

Also, it was necessary to make amendments in the logistics contract as the turbine was supposed to be delivered from Canada to St Petersburg, but it was delivered to Germany. This may seem unimportant at first glance but it has practical importance. Look, are we making all this up? And this is what led to Nord Stream 1 stopping operation.

After all, if they need it urgently, if things are so bad, just go ahead and lift sanctions against Nord Stream 2, with its 55 billion cubic metres per year – all they have to do is press the button and they will get it going. But they chose to shut it off themselves; they cannot repair one pipeline and imposed sanctions against the new Nord Stream 2 and will not open it. Are we to blame for this?

Let them think hard about who is to blame and let none of them blame us for their own mistakes. Gazprom and Russia have always fulfilled and will fulfil all obligations under our agreements and contracts, with no failures ever.

Thank you. All the best.

 

[Deliverance]

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at a meeting with ambassadors of foreign countries accredited in Moscow, Moscow, September 19, 2022​

Your excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

The situation on the international stage is not becoming less complicated. We are witnessing an accumulation of crises, both as regards economic policy, energy supply for mankind, and processes directly linked with undermining fundamental pillars on which the entire system of globalisation is hinged.

This calls for additional contacts and explanations of each other’s positions. Thank you for responding to our invitation to hold this conversation. I hope that it will be interactive. This is particularly important ahead of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly that has opened in New York City.

High-level events are to commence this week, and tough assessments of certain actions by various states are sure to be voiced. There is no escaping that. At the same time, the United Nations Organisation was not established for polemical exercises alone. It was also established to fulfil the requirements of the UN Charter, which urges the parties to search for collective ways to resolve international problems by respecting the sovereign equality of states.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at a meeting with ambassadors of foreign countries accredited in Moscow, Moscow, September 19, 2022

mid.ru

 

[Cosmos]

After the 'SCO Heads of State' meeting (above), Putin had three sequential side meetings with the PM of India and the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. In between meetings he held a Q&A with journalists. I've broken-up and posted the whole thing according to the question even though much is already known. There were a few new things, one of which Putin didn't even know about.



The opening question was about the SCO summit. It's just a short summery.


The 'special military operation' (SMO) in Ukraine. Putin reveals some terrorist attacks on Russian soil that may not have been released to the public before. Also, there is a sense that he knows what's coming if the Ukranazis persist.


Apparently Ukraine has come up with new security guarantees for negotiating peace talks.


Putin's opinion on the course of the SMO and that it will not change.


Erdogan, apparently, always suggests that Putin meet with Zelensky but did not bring up at this meeting.


On conditions of dialogue with Ukraine.


The 'shipping of grain' issue. Most of this was already posted earlier but it's in a more condensed form here. Putin also mentions the hypocrisy and colonial mindset of the 'Western nations' and why the Americans are so freakish about the grain in Ukraine.


Much was made about the Russia/China meeting but, as Putin points out, it was nothing much. Just economic talk.


This section was highly disturbing. Putin was not aware of this situation and will no doubt get some confirmation. If it's true, it's unbelievable.


A short response to the recent Armenia/Azerbaijan dispute.


The G20 meeting in Bali. Russia will attend.


The final question dealt with the energy crisis. It's, basically, a retelling of the original 'green' reason behind the crisis followed by all the recent pipeline and turbine drama in condensed form.

Here is the press conference in video form:

Found it notable how Putin used the words „terror“ and „terrorist acts“ for the first time in that way in terms of Ukraine (?). Could point to the idea that they might chance the legal definition/framework/capacity of the operation from a „special military operation“ to a „anti terror operation“, which could give Russia more freedom and resources to finish the job. Also, of note was Putin calling some of the things the western „partners“ do, quote, „schizophrenic“ and later talking about, quote, „sick minds“.

 

[Cosmos]

Also, notice that Putin disclosed an attempted attack on a nuclear power plant WITHIN Russia.

 

[Benjamin]

Thanks for posting the video, Cosmos. After posting the complete transcript above, I thought I should've looked for the video but my brain was too slow after all that reading and was too late.

Also, notice that Putin disclosed an attempted attack on a nuclear power plant WITHIN Russia.

Indeed. Although, Putin refers to the facilities in the plural which indicates several plants, or areas around those plants, have been the subject of one or more attacks. But, yeah, within Russia. This revelation is found @5:26. And just before this time-stamp is Putin's first 'warning' towards Ukraine/USA. The next 'warning', as I interpreted it, happens @6:33.

It was interesting to see Putin's reaction to the situation of the sanctions against Maxim Oreshkin, Ramzan Kadyrov and three of his underage children, and Maria Lvova-Belova starting @21:09. He was really surprised... and then he wasn't. The sanctions against the children is where the 'schizophrenic' comment is found.

 

[Benjamin]

Full transcript of Putin's address for the partial mobilisation. No highlighting.

Address by the President of the Russian Federation​

September 21, 2022
09:00

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends,

The subject of this address is the situation in Donbass and the course of the special military operation to liberate it from the neo-Nazi regime, which seized power in Ukraine in 2014 as the result of an armed state coup.

Today I am addressing you – all citizens of our country, people of different generations, ages and ethnicities, the people of our great Motherland, all who are united by the great historical Russia, soldiers, officers and volunteers who are fighting on the frontline and doing their combat duty, our brothers and sisters in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions and other areas that have been liberated from the neo-Nazi regime.

The issue concerns the necessary, imperative measures to protect the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Russia and support the desire and will of our compatriots to choose their future independently, and the aggressive policy of some Western elites, who are doing their utmost to preserve their domination and with this aim in view are trying to block and suppress any sovereign and independent development centres in order to continue to aggressively force their will and pseudo-values on other countries and nations.

The goal of that part of the West is to weaken, divide and ultimately destroy our country. They are saying openly now that in 1991 they managed to split up the Soviet Union and now is the time to do the same to Russia, which must be divided into numerous regions that would be at deadly feud with each other.

They devised these plans long ago. They encouraged groups of international terrorists in the Caucasus and moved NATO’s offensive infrastructure close to our borders. They used indiscriminate Russophobia as a weapon, including by nurturing the hatred of Russia for decades, primarily in Ukraine, which was designed to become an anti-Russia bridgehead. They turned the Ukrainian people into cannon fodder and pushed them into a war with Russia, which they unleashed back in 2014. They used the army against civilians and organised a genocide, blockade and terror against those who refused to recognise the government that was created in Ukraine as the result of a state coup.

After the Kiev regime publicly refused to settle the issue of Donbass peacefully and went as far as to announce its ambition to possess nuclear weapons, it became clear that a new offensive in Donbass – there were two of them before – was inevitable, and that it would be inevitably followed by an attack on Russia’s Crimea, that is, on Russia.

In this connection, the decision to start a pre-emptive military operation was necessary and the only option. The main goal of this operation, which is to liberate the whole of Donbass, remains unaltered.

The Lugansk People’s Republic has been liberated from the neo-Nazis almost completely. Fighting in the Donetsk People’s Republic continues. Over the previous eight years, the Kiev occupation regime created a deeply echeloned line of permanent defences. A head-on attack against them would have led to heavy losses, which is why our units, as well as the forces of the Donbass republics, are acting competently and systematically, using military equipment and saving lives, moving step by step to liberate Donbass, purge cities and towns of the neo-Nazis, and help the people whom the Kiev regime turned into hostages and human shields.

As you know, professional military personnel serving under contract are taking part in the special military operation. Fighting side by side with them are volunteer units – people of different ethnicities, professions and ages who are real patriots. They answered the call of their hearts to rise up in defence of Russia and Donbass.

In this connection, I have already issued instructions for the Government and the Defence Ministry to determine the legal status of volunteers and personnel of the military units of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics. It must be the same as the status of military professionals of the Russian army, including material, medical and social benefits. Special attention must be given to organising the supply of military and other equipment for volunteer units and Donbass people’s militia.

While acting to attain the main goals of defending Donbass in accordance with the plans and decisions of the Defence Ministry and General Staff, our troops have liberated considerable areas in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions and a number of other areas. This has created a protracted line of contact that is over 1,000 kilometres long.

This is what I would like to make public for the first time today. After the start of the special military operation, in particular after the Istanbul talks, Kiev representatives voiced quite a positive response to our proposals. These proposals concerned above all ensuring Russia’s security and interests. But a peaceful settlement obviously did not suit the West, which is why, after certain compromises were coordinated, Kiev was actually ordered to wreck all these agreements.

More weapons were pumped into Ukraine. The Kiev regime brought into play new groups of foreign mercenaries and nationalists, military units trained according to NATO standards and receiving orders from Western advisers.

At the same time, the regime of reprisals throughout Ukraine against their own citizens, established immediately after the armed coup in 2014, was harshly intensified. The policy of intimidation, terror and violence is taking on increasingly mass-scale, horrific and barbaric forms.

I want to stress the following. We know that the majority of people living in the territories liberated from the neo-Nazis, and these are primarily the historical lands of Novorossiya, do not want to live under the yoke of the neo-Nazi regime. People in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, in Lugansk and Donetsk saw and are seeing now the atrocities perpetrated by the neo-Nazis in the [Ukrainian-] occupied areas of the Kharkov region. The descendants of Banderites and members of Nazi punitive expeditions are killing, torturing and imprisoning people; they are settling scores, beating up, and committing outrages on peaceful civilians.

There were over 7.5 million people living in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics and in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions before the outbreak of hostilities. Many of them were forced to become refugees and leave their homes. Those who have stayed – they number about five million – are now exposed to artillery and missile attacks launched by the neo-Nazi militants, who fire at hospitals and schools and stage terrorist attacks against peaceful civilians.

We cannot, we have no moral right to let our kin and kith be torn to pieces by butchers; we cannot but respond to their sincere striving to decide their destiny on their own.

The parliaments of the Donbass people’s republics and the military-civilian administrations of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions have adopted decisions to hold referendums on the future of their territories and have appealed to Russia to support this.

I would like to emphasise that we will do everything necessary to create safe conditions for these referendums so that people can express their will. And we will support the choice of future made by the majority of people in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.

Friends,

Today our armed forces, as I have mentioned, are fighting on the line of contact that is over 1,000 kilometres long, fighting not only against neo-Nazi units but actually the entire military machine of the collective West.

In this situation, I consider it necessary to take the following decision, which is fully adequate to the threats we are facing. More precisely, I find it necessary to support the proposal of the Defence Ministry and the General Staff on partial mobilisation in the Russian Federation to defend our Motherland and its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to ensure the safety of our people and people in the liberated territories.

As I have said, we are talking about partial mobilisation. In other words, only military reservists, primarily those who served in the armed forces and have specific military occupational specialties and corresponding experience, will be called up.

Before being sent to their units, those called up for active duty will undergo mandatory additional military training based on the experience of the special military operation.

I have already signed Executive Order on partial mobilisation.

In accordance with legislation, the houses of the Federal Assembly – the Federation Council and the State Duma – will be officially notified about this in writing today.

The mobilisation will begin today, September 21. I am instructing the heads of the regions to provide the necessary assistance to the work of military recruitment offices.

I would like to point out that the citizens of Russia called up in accordance with the mobilisation order will have the status, payments and all social benefits of military personnel serving under contract.

Additionally, the Executive Order on partial mobilisation also stipulates additional measures for the fulfilment of the state defence order. The heads of defence industry enterprises will be directly responsible for attaining the goals of increasing the production of weapons and military equipment and using additional production facilities for this purpose. At the same time, the Government must address without any delay all aspects of material, resource and financial support for our defence enterprises.

Friends,

The West has gone too far in its aggressive anti-Russia policy, making endless threats to our country and people. Some irresponsible Western politicians are doing more than just speak about their plans to organise the delivery of long-range offensive weapons to Ukraine, which could be used to deliver strikes at Crimea and other Russian regions.

Such terrorist attacks, including with the use of Western weapons, are being delivered at border areas in the Belgorod and Kursk regions. NATO is conducting reconnaissance through Russia’s southern regions in real time and with the use of modern systems, aircraft, vessels, satellites and strategic drones.

Washington, London and Brussels are openly encouraging Kiev to move the hostilities to our territory. They openly say that Russia must be defeated on the battlefield by any means, and subsequently deprived of political, economic, cultural and any other sovereignty and ransacked.

They have even resorted to the nuclear blackmail. I am referring not only to the Western-encouraged shelling of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which poses a threat of a nuclear disaster, but also to the statements made by some high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO countries on the possibility and admissibility of using weapons of mass destruction – nuclear weapons – against Russia.

I would like to remind those who make such statements regarding Russia that our country has different types of weapons as well, and some of them are more modern than the weapons NATO countries have. In the event of a threat to the territorial integrity of our country and to defend Russia and our people, we will certainly make use of all weapon systems available to us. This is not a bluff.

The citizens of Russia can rest assured that the territorial integrity of our Motherland, our independence and freedom will be defended – I repeat – by all the systems available to us. Those who are using nuclear blackmail against us should know that the wind rose can turn around.

It is our historical tradition and the destiny of our nation to stop those who are keen on global domination and threaten to split up and enslave our Motherland. Rest assured that we will do it this time as well.

I believe in your support.

Executive Order on partial mobilisation in the Russian Federation​

The President signed Executive On Declaring Partial Mobilisation in the Russian Federation.

September 21, 2022
09:20

As per federal laws No. 61-FZ On Defence, dated May 31, 1996, and No. 31-FZ On Mobilisation Preparations and Mobilisation in the Russian Federation, dated February 26, 1997, and Federal Law No. 53-FZ On the Military Duty and Military Service, dated March 28, 1998, the President declared a partial mobilisation in the Russian Federation as of September 21, 2022.

The Executive Order provides for calling up citizens of the Russian Federation for service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation as part of the mobilisation effort. Citizens of the Russian Federation called up for military service as part of mobilisation will enjoy the status of military personnel serving in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation under contract.

The Executive Order sets forth money allowances for the citizens of the Russian Federation called up for military service as part of mobilisation, as well as the duration of the military service contracts signed by the military personnel, grounds for discharging military personnel serving under contract, as well as citizens called up for military service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation as part of mobilisation.

Corresponding instructions have been issued to the Government of the Russian Federation and top government officials in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

Under the Executive Order, citizens of the Russian Federation employed by defence companies will benefit from an exemption from the mobilisation draft for the period of their employment by these organisations. The Government of the Russian Federation shall define the categories of citizens of the Russian Federation who have the right to draft exemptions and the manner in which these exemptions shall be provided.

 

[Benjamin]

A very interesting and inspiring speech given by Putin.

The Address to the Russian Federation was going to be yesterday but was moved to today, which is observed to be the 1160th anniversary of Russian statehood. I wonder if the Address was rescheduled for today intentionally to, perhaps, tie a certain 'historical symbolism' between the two events, in a way turing them into one event. As Putin puts it, "...we realise that we must not only preserve, but also carry on with dignity the traditions of our ancestors...". It's like a 'timeline vector'.

Great speech. 10-15 min.

Gala concert devoted to the 1160th anniversary of Russian statehood​

Vladimir Putin made a speech at a gala concert marking the 1160th anniversary of Russian statehood.

September 21, 2022
18:00

Veliky Novgorod

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends,

Today, we are marking the 1160th anniversary of Russian statehood. I would like to congratulate you on this momentous historical date that is of key importance for Russia.

Veliky Novgorod, Rurikovo Settlement, Staraya (Old) Ladoga and Izborsk are the cradle of Rus, the source of our civilisation and our state, our culture and education.

It is from here, from the north, that the guards of the first Russian Rurik dynasty started their campaigns, that merchant caravans travelled – “from Varangians to Greeks,” and that Rus, Europe’s largest state at that time, was created. It united Slavic, Finno-Ugric, Turkic and other tribes. It gathered them under its strengthening wings from Ladoga and Baltic, Novgorod and Pskov to Kiev and Chernigov, Azov, the Black Sea and Crimea.

During more than a millennium, our statehood has lived through many eras, including cruel enemy invasions, disunity and the tragedies of feuds, but each of these difficult periods invariably ended with the revival of the Fatherland. The heroic generations of our people overcame difficulties and adversities, withstood the trials. They created and expanded the grandeur of our Fatherland and covered their names with glory.

We remember and cherish these truly outstanding people: Rurik and Prophetic Oleg, Princess Olga and Svyatoslav Igorevich, Prince Vladimir and Yaroslav the Wise, Vladimir Monomakh and Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy and Sergius of Radonezh, Ivan III and Ivan the Terrible, Yermak, Minin and Pozharsky, Dezhnev and Bering, Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, Lomonosov and Pushkin, Suvorov and Ushakov, Alexander II the Liberator and Alexander III the Peacemaker, Brusilov and Denikin, Zhukov and Rokossovsky, Kurchatov, Korolev and Gagarin.

These and many other of our compatriots were larger-than-life, complex and occasionally controversial historical figures. Some of them saw Russia’s future differently and were even on the opposite sides of the barricades. You know, when drafting this text, I scribbled in and crossed out names like Nicholas II, Lenin, Stalin. Apparently, not enough time has passed since then from a historical point of view for us to give comprehensive and objective assessments that are free from the pressure of ongoing political developments.

However, all of them, including statesmen, workers, warriors, pioneers, scholars, ascetics and saints and, most importantly, all our people made Russia a great global power and determined its future.

To reiterate, it all began here, in Veliky Novgorod, and Novgorod's Cathedral of Saint Sophia, just like other ancient Russian cathedrals, will forever remain a sacred symbol of our historical unity. Modern Russia is the heir to Ancient Holy Rus, just as it is the heir to the Tsardom of Muscovy, the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, which were the great eras of our uninterrupted thousand-year history that we are proud of.

Today, as we peer into the depths of the past centuries, we realise that we must not only preserve, but also carry on with dignity the traditions of our ancestors, that each of us has an enormous responsibility for Russia, for protecting and strengthening our vast country, our beloved Motherland.

For centuries, Russia has been built as a home shared by people of numerous ethnicities and different religions. Our brotherhood packs the powerful energy of harmonious, independent and authentic development.

No one will ever be able to ban or cancel our unique civilisation and rich culture, just as it is impossible to rattle or even less so to destroy the values that make Russian society one and make us one big, united nation.

These values embrace loyalty to truth and justice, respect for the family, love for children, a solid foundation of traditional values such as mercifulness, compassion and mutual assistance, and the desire to make life good not just for yourself but for everyone, for the entire country, for all of Russia and, in the face of a common threat, to stand together as one “for one’s own friends” and for the Fatherland.

Being a patriot is the essence of the nature and character of the Russian people. Our heroes, our soldiers, officers and volunteers are displaying exactly these superior human qualities in the course of the special military operation. They are fighting courageously, shoulder to shoulder, as brothers for the sake of saving the people of Donbass, for the sake of peaceful skies over our children and grandchildren, for a homeland that will always be free and independent.

For 1,160 years now, we have firmly learned that for Russia it is mortally dangerous to relax its sovereignty or renounce its interests even for a limited time. Russia’s very existence has come under threat during these times.

They can no longer expect us to make these mistakes. We will not succumb to blackmail or intimidation, and we will never betray or lose our sovereignty. By strengthening it, we are developing our country.

Sovereignty is the guarantee of freedom for everyone. According to our traditions, nobody can feel truly free if his people, his Fatherland, Russia, the homeland is not free.

Responsible and strong power in our state is serving and will serve only the people of Russia. This support for the key issues on the domestic and foreign agenda can guarantee the successful, safe development of our country as one of the centres of a fairer multipolar world that is now taking shape.

We are on the side of open, honest partnership. This is our firm position and based on this we will build our relations with anyone who shares our ideals of equitable, mutually advantageous cooperation.

Friends,

Being part of a diverse Russian civilisation means happiness, but, let me repeat, it also means responsibility and duty. Our civilisation is distinct. It has its own path and there is not a bit of arrogance or a feeling of superiority in this. This civilisation of ours – this is what’s important to us.

And we will fight for our Fatherland, our homeland of which there is only one, for our independence and sovereignty, for our culture and traditions. We will uphold and defend this in the name of our ancestors and our descendants, for the sake of Russia, its great history and its great future.

My congratulations to you.

All the best. Thank you very much.

 

[Chaze]

No more asylum for Snowden, now it’s citizenship.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1574427881446510594

 

[Benjamin]

Some import/export numbers I found interesting.

Meeting on autumn farm work​

The President held a videoconference meeting on autumn farm work. Reports were delivered by Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev and the heads of agricultural regions.

September 27, 2022
13:15

Sochi

...
As of today, 138.7 million tonnes of grain have been harvested. This is approximately one third more than in the same period last year. According to experts, the total grain harvest may reach 150 million tonnes. We spoke about 140, 145 and later 147 million tonnes, but the preliminary estimate is 150 million tonnes, including about 100 million tonnes of wheat. It will be the largest harvest in Russia’s history.
...
Let me note that supplies of our grain and fertilisers to foreign countries are still being hampered, unfortunately – unfortunately not even for us, but for the world food market. Sanctions against Russia threaten to cause further deterioration of the situation not short of a global food crisis, which the world has been heading towards for a number of years now. This is absolutely unrelated to Russia’s special military operation in Donbass. Certain leading countries have so structured their financial and food policies that we are now witnessing what has resulted from them. The so-called collective West is, of course, fully responsible for this outcome.

Let us have a look. The world food prices are now what they were at the start of this year, and yet they are 40 percent higher than in 2020. And this is the direct consequence of what are, without any exaggeration, predatory policies conducted by the world’s richest countries, which continue buying up food, a practice based, among other things, on uninterrupted money printing.

For example, at the end of the second quarter of this year, food exports to the United States reached, in annual terms, US$218.6 billion against US$185.1 billion last year. Importantly, US imports are exceeding exports by US$22.3 billion, whereas in previous years, exports surpassed imports. This means that today, the United States is importing more food from world markets than it sells internationally.

In this context, grain from Ukraine continues slipping past the poorest countries. We keep pointing this out, but all in vain, no one hears us. As of September 23, only four ships out of 203 that left Ukrainian ports have sailed to the poorest countries under a United Nations programme. Fourteen ships out of 46 dispatched from Monday to Friday last week indicated the intermediary nation, Turkiye, as their destination, while 25 ships out of the remaining 32 were sent to the European Union. Are they the poorest countries? The situation here is not changing at all. It’s a… I feel embarrassed to say this, it’s a swindle through and through, nothing more and nothing less.

To reiterate: the West is provoking a global food crisis. In these conditions, we must ensure our food security under Russia’s Agriculture Development Strategy by reducing our dependence on imports, including those of equipment, machinery and seeds.
...

 

[Benjamin]

An opening address by Putin making the heads of security aware of the priorities of vigilance and resilience to keep the integrity of their countries intact and sovereign and not to succumb to collapse and robotic sleep by Western tactics.

Meeting with the heads of security agencies and intelligence services of the CIS countries​

The President met with the heads of the delegations to the 18th session of the Meeting of the Heads of Security Agencies and Intelligence Services of the Commonwealth of Independent States Member States, via videoconference.

September 29, 2022
17:35

The Kremlin, Moscow


President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Naryshkin [Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service], colleagues.

Good afternoon.

I was hoping to see you in person and to talk more closely but, unfortunately, sanitary restrictions still exist.[?] That said, I would like to welcome the heads of security agencies and intelligence services of the CIS countries who have gathered for a regular meeting in Moscow. Our meeting is yet further evidence of the permanent attention paid by the leaders of the CIS member states to enhancing collective security and strategic partnership.

As always, our agenda consists of a broad range of issues linked with the reliable protection of our countries against internal and external threats. The number of threats is not dropping in today’s conditions – on the contrary, old conflicts are being exacerbated and new and serious challenges are arising.

We are seeing the difficult process of the forming of a more just world order. This process is accompanied by the well-known problems that lie on the surface. The old unipolar hegemony is inexorably collapsing. This is an objective reality that the West is categorically refusing to accept. We see all the consequences of this. Clinging to the past and trying to pursue a policy of dictate in all areas – from international relations and the economy to culture and sports – the notorious collective West is creating more and more problems and crises. In the process, it is not stopping at anything as it exerts pressure on the countries that choose a sovereign path of development, that do not want to obey it but that want to choose their own path and future independently and freely, and maintain their culture, traditions and values.

In the current challenging and tense international situation, external security and internal stability are the primary conditions for the gradual economic and social development of our countries. If we want to put up a truly solid barrier against existing and potential threats, the CIS countries must take consistent and coordinated action, continuously strengthening mutual support. It is the only way for us to protect our interests on the international scene and drive back any ill-wishers.

Pursuing their goals, our geopolitical adversaries, our opponents, as we said recently, are ready to expose anyone, everyone, any country to a blow, turning it into a ground zero of a crisis, instigating “colour revolutions” and unleashing bloody massacres. We have seen this many times before.

We also know that the West is devising scenarios for inciting new conflicts in the CIS. But we already have enough of them. Just look at what is happening between Russia and Ukraine, what is happening on the borders of other CIS countries. Indeed, all of this is the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union; this much is understandable. But the risks of destabilisation are growing again, including the risks of destabilisation in the entire Asia-Pacific region.

Your agencies are on the cutting edge – at the forefront of the fight against the most dangerous threats, and your missions are largely similar: to ensure peace and stability in your countries, strengthen national sovereignty, and promote the development of integration ties.

The coherence and coordination of intelligence services and security agencies certainly play an important role in pursuing these goals. We have accumulated rich experience in this kind of cooperation, and we must use it to the maximum extent.

One of our common priorities is monitoring current developments. It is important to analyze emerging risks and challenges, to determine their nature, scale and vector of development. This is the most important condition for the effective neutralisation of such threats. [Words for daily living.]

As before, the fight against international terrorism remains a key focus of your work, and so are transnational crime, illegal armed groups, and the illegal circulation of weapons and drugs.

The situation at the CIS borders calls for special attention. It is there that many common security threats are taking shape. If not mitigated in a timely manner, these threats could adversely affect the situation in our countries.

A difficult situation has developed in Afghanistan as you know all too well. Terrorist and extremist groups continue to operate there. We see this in the bloody act of terrorism that took place near the Russian Embassy in Kabul on September 5, which claimed the lives of our citizens.

Clearly, the international terrorists that remain in Afghanistan can pursue criminal plans against the bordering countries, including the CIS states. They may try to recruit accomplices and create new cells or reactivate the “sleeper cells” and supply these militants with arms. We need to respond promptly to all these attempts, in particular, by making active use of the potential of the CIS Anti-Terrorism Centre. ["...by making active use of the potential of...", sounds like the CISATC is being used but not fully. What happens if it gets turned to 11? In a way, it sounds like a not very subtle warning.]

It is important to reliably protect the information space in the commonwealth. The number of cyberattacks and attempts to destroy the operation of critical infrastructure in our countries is growing every year. This requires active countermeasures and constant attention on behalf of our specialised agencies.

And of course, it is necessary to promote integration ties within the CIS. The indicators of trade, production and investment cooperation between Russia and the other CIS countries are on the rise despite the pressure, blackmail and unlawful sanctions from the United States and its satellites. Clearly, our cooperation is a serious resource for the growth of our national economies and the strengthening of their competitive abilities and positions in world markets.

Comrades!

We have long been convinced that the pooling of efforts by our agencies and services is expanding their potentialities, allowing them to achieve more effective results and to use their resources more rationally. So, it is necessary to continue to intensively develop cooperation – from information exchange to joint special operations and personnel training.

I am confident that the results of the current session will promote the productive work of the secret services of the CIS countries and will open up new vistas for multifaceted cooperation.

And of course, I wish you success in your responsible work for the benefit of our countries and peoples.

Thank you for your attention.

 

[Benjamin]

Here is the full transcript of the treaty signing ceremony. Putin mentions that the right for a country's path of self-determination is sealed in article 1 of the UN Charter which means there is nothing illegal here. In a phone call with Erdogan yesterday, he mentioned that it also complied with the 1966 international human rights covenants and the 1975 Helsinki Final Act.

This speech is fantastic. I understand the need for military might, but by clearly laying out the elite mind, this is Putin's greatest weapon, imo. He does make some pretty scary predictions, though all you have to do is look to the 2008 financial collapse for a precedent. It's long but well worth a complete read.

Signing of treaties on accession of Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics and Zaporozhye and Kherson regions to Russia​

A ceremony for signing the treaties on the accession of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic, the Zaporozhye Region and the Kherson Region to the Russian Federation took place in of the Grand Kremlin Palace’s St George Hall.

September 30, 2022
16:00

The Kremlin, Moscow

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Citizens of Russia, citizens of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, residents of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, deputies of the State Duma, senators of the Russian Federation,

As you know, referendums have been held in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. The ballots have been counted and the results have been announced. The people have made their unequivocal choice.

Today we will sign treaties on the accession of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Lugansk People’s Republic, Zaporozhye Region and Kherson Region to the Russian Federation. I have no doubt that the Federal Assembly will support the constitutional laws on the accession to Russia and the establishment of four new regions, our new constituent entities of the Russian Federation, because this is the will of millions of people. (Applause.)

It is undoubtedly their right, an inherent right sealed in Article 1 of the UN Charter, which directly states the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples.

I repeat, it is an inherent right of the people. It is based on our historical affinity, and it is that right that led generations of our predecessors, those who built and defended Russia for centuries since the period of Ancient Rus, to victory.

Here in Novorossiya, [Pyotr] Rumyantsev, [Alexander] Suvorov and [Fyodor] Ushakov fought their battles, and Catherine the Great and [Grigory] Potyomkin founded new cities. Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought here to the bitter end during the Great Patriotic War.

We will always remember the heroes of the Russian Spring, those who refused to accept the neo-Nazi coup d'état in Ukraine in 2014, all those who died for the right to speak their native language, to preserve their culture, traditions and religion, and for the very right to live. We remember the soldiers of Donbass, the martyrs of the “Odessa Khatyn,” the victims of inhuman terrorist attacks carried out by the Kiev regime. We commemorate volunteers and militiamen, civilians, children, women, senior citizens, Russians, Ukrainians, people of various nationalities; popular leader of Donetsk Alexander Zakharchenko; military commanders Arsen Pavlov and Vladimir Zhoga, Olga Kochura and Alexei Mozgovoy; prosecutor of the Lugansk Republic Sergei Gorenko; paratrooper Nurmagomed Gadzhimagomedov and all our soldiers and officers who died a hero’s death during the special military operation. They are heroes. (Applause.) Heroes of great Russia. Please join me in a minute of silence to honour their memory.

(Minute of silence.)

Thank you.

Behind the choice of millions of residents in the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, is our common destiny and thousand-year history. People have passed this spiritual connection on to their children and grandchildren. Despite all the trials they endured, they carried the love for Russia through the years. This is something no one can destroy. That is why both older generations and young people – those who were born after the tragic collapse of the Soviet Union – have voted for our unity, for our common future.

In 1991 in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, representatives of the party elite of that time made a decision to terminate the Soviet Union, without asking ordinary citizens what they wanted, and people suddenly found themselves cut off from their homeland. This tore apart and dismembered our national community and triggered a national catastrophe. Just like the government quietly demarcated the borders of Soviet republics, acting behind the scenes after the 1917 revolution, the last leaders of the Soviet Union, contrary to the direct expression of the will of the majority of people in the referendum of 1991, destroyed our great country, and simply made the people in the former republics face this as an accomplished fact.

I can admit that they didn’t even know what they were doing and what consequences their actions would have in the end. But it doesn't matter now. There is no Soviet Union anymore; we cannot return to the past. Actually, Russia no longer needs it today; this isn’t our ambition. But there is nothing stronger than the determination of millions of people who, by their culture, religion, traditions, and language, consider themselves part of Russia, whose ancestors lived in a single country for centuries. There is nothing stronger than their determination to return to their true historical homeland.

For eight long years, people in Donbass were subjected to genocide, shelling and blockades; in Kherson and Zaporozhye, a criminal policy was pursued to cultivate hatred for Russia, for everything Russian. Now too, during the referendums, the Kiev regime threatened schoolteachers, women who worked in election commissions with reprisals and death. Kiev threatened millions of people who came to express their will with repression. But the people of Donbass, Zaporozhye and Kherson weren’t broken, and they had their say.

I want the Kiev authorities and their true handlers in the West to hear me now, and I want everyone to remember this: the people living in Lugansk and Donetsk, in Kherson and Zaporozhye have become our citizens, forever. (Applause.)

We call on the Kiev regime to immediately cease fire and all hostilities; to end the war it unleashed back in 2014 and return to the negotiating table. We are ready for this, as we have said more than once. But the choice of the people in Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson will not be discussed. The decision has been made, and Russia will not betray it. (Applause.) Kiev’s current authorities should respect this free expression of the people’s will; there is no other way. This is the only way to peace.

We will defend our land with all the forces and resources we have, and we will do everything we can to ensure the safety of our people. This is the great liberating mission of our nation.

We will definitely rebuild the destroyed cities and towns, the residential buildings, schools, hospitals, theatres and museums. We will restore and develop industrial enterprises, factories, infrastructure, as well as the social security, pension, healthcare and education systems.

We will certainly work to improve the level of security. Together we will make sure that citizens in the new regions can feel the support of all the people of Russia, of the entire nation, all the republics, territories and regions of our vast Motherland. (Applause.)

Friends, colleagues,

Today I would like to address our soldiers and officers who are taking part in the special military operation, the fighters of Donbass and Novorossiya, those who went to military recruitment offices after receiving a call-up paper under the executive order on partial mobilisation, and those who did this voluntarily, answering the call of their hearts. I would like to address their parents, wives and children, to tell them what our people are fighting for, what kind of enemy we are up against, and who is pushing the world into new wars and crises and deriving blood-stained benefits from this tragedy.

Our compatriots, our brothers and sisters in Ukraine who are part of our united people have seen with their own eyes what the ruling class of the so-called West have prepared for humanity as a whole. They have dropped their masks and shown what they are really made of.

When the Soviet Union collapsed, the West decided that the world and all of us would permanently accede to its dictates. In 1991, the West thought that Russia would never rise after such shocks and would fall to pieces on its own. This almost happened. We remember the horrible 1990s, hungry, cold and hopeless. But Russia remained standing, came alive, grew stronger and occupied its rightful place in the world.

Meanwhile, the West continued and continues looking for another chance to strike a blow at us, to weaken and break up Russia, which they have always dreamed about, to divide our state and set our peoples against each other, and to condemn them to poverty and extinction. They cannot rest easy knowing that there is such a great country with this huge territory in the world, with its natural wealth, resources and people who cannot and will not do someone else’s bidding.

The West is ready to cross every line to preserve the neo-colonial system which allows it to live off the world, to plunder it thanks to the domination of the dollar and technology, to collect an actual tribute from humanity, to extract its primary source of unearned prosperity, the rent paid to the hegemon. The preservation of this annuity is their main, real and absolutely self-serving motivation. This is why total de-sovereignisation is in their interest. This explains their aggression towards independent states, traditional values and authentic cultures, their attempts to undermine international and integration processes, new global currencies and technological development centres they cannot control. It is critically important for them to force all countries to surrender their sovereignty to the United States.

In certain countries, the ruling elites voluntarily agree to do this, voluntarily agree to become vassals; others are bribed or intimidated. And if this does not work, they destroy entire states, leaving behind humanitarian disasters, devastation, ruins, millions of wrecked and mangled human lives, terrorist enclaves, social disaster zones, protectorates, colonies and semi-colonies. They don't care. All they care about is their own benefit.

I want to underscore again that their insatiability and determination to preserve their unfettered dominance are the real causes of the hybrid war that the collective West is waging against Russia. They do not want us to be free; they want us to be a colony. They do not want equal cooperation; they want to loot. They do not want to see us a free society, but a mass of soulless slaves.

They see our thought and our philosophy as a direct threat. That is why they target our philosophers for assassination. Our culture and art present a danger to them, so they are trying to ban them. Our development and prosperity are also a threat to them because competition is growing. They do not want or need Russia, but we do. (Applause.)

I would like to remind you that in the past, ambitions of world domination have repeatedly shattered against the courage and resilience of our people. Russia will always be Russia. We will continue to defend our values and our Motherland.

The West is counting on impunity, on being able to get away with anything. As a matter of fact, this was actually the case until recently. Strategic security agreements have been trashed; agreements reached at the highest political level have been declared tall tales; firm promises not to expand NATO to the east gave way to dirty deception as soon as our former leaders bought into them; missile defence, intermediate-range and shorter-range missile treaties have been unilaterally dismantled under far-fetched pretexts.

And all we hear is, the West is insisting on a rules-based order. Where did that come from anyway? Who has ever seen these rules? Who agreed or approved them? Listen, this is just a lot of nonsense, utter deceit, double standards, or even triple standards! They must think we’re stupid.

Russia is a great thousand-year-old power, a whole civilisation, and it is not going to live by such makeshift, false rules. (Applause.)

It was the so-called West that trampled on the principle of the inviolability of borders, and now it is deciding, at its own discretion, who has the right to self-determination and who does not, who is unworthy of it. It is unclear what their decisions are based on or who gave them the right to decide in the first place. They just assumed it.

That is why the choice of the people in Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson makes them so furiously angry. The West does not have any moral right to weigh in, or even utter a word about freedom of democracy. It does not and it never did.

Western elites not only deny national sovereignty and international law. Their hegemony has pronounced features of totalitarianism, despotism and apartheid. They brazenly divide the world into their vassals – the so-called civilised countries – and all the rest, who, according to the designs of today's Western racists, should be added to the list of barbarians and savages. False labels like “rogue country” or “authoritarian regime” are already available, and are used to stigmatise entire nations and states, which is nothing new. There is nothing new in this: deep down, the Western elites have remained the same colonisers. They discriminate and divide peoples into the top tier and the rest.

We have never agreed to and will never agree to such political nationalism and racism. What else, if not racism, is the Russophobia being spread around the world? What, if not racism, is the West’s dogmatic conviction that its civilisation and neoliberal culture is an indisputable model for the entire world to follow? “You’re either with us or against us.” It even sounds strange.

Western elites are even shifting repentance for their own historical crimes on everyone else, demanding that the citizens of their countries and other peoples confess to things they have nothing to do with at all, for example, the period of colonial conquests.

It is worth reminding the West that it began its colonial policy back in the Middle Ages, followed by the worldwide slave trade, the genocide of Indian tribes in America, the plunder of India and Africa, the wars of England and France against China, as a result of which it was forced to open its ports to the opium trade. What they did was get entire nations hooked on drugs and purposefully exterminated entire ethnic groups for the sake of grabbing land and resources, hunting people like animals. This is contrary to human nature, truth, freedom and justice.

While we – we are proud that in the 20th century our country led the anti-colonial movement, which opened up opportunities for many peoples around the world to make progress, reduce poverty and inequality, and defeat hunger and disease.

To emphasise, one of the reasons for the centuries-old Russophobia, the Western elites’ unconcealed animosity toward Russia is precisely the fact that we did not allow them to rob us during the period of colonial conquests and forced the Europeans to trade with us on mutually beneficial terms. This was achieved by creating a strong centralised state in Russia, which grew and got stronger based on the great moral values of Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism, as well as Russian culture and the Russian word that were open to all.

There were numerous plans to invade Russia. Such attempts were made during the Time of Troubles in the 17th century and in the period of ordeals after the 1917 revolution. All of them failed. The West managed to grab hold of Russia’s wealth only in the late 20th century, when the state had been destroyed. They called us friends and partners, but they treated us like a colony, using various schemes to pump trillions of dollars out of the country. We remember. We have not forgotten anything.

A few days ago, people in Donetsk and Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye declared their support for restoring our historical unity. Thank you! (Applause.)

Western countries have been saying for centuries that they bring freedom and democracy to other nations. Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead of bringing democracy they suppressed and exploited, and instead of giving freedom they enslaved and oppressed. The unipolar world is inherently anti-democratic and unfree; it is false and hypocritical through and through.

The United States is the only country in the world that has used nuclear weapons twice, destroying the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. And they created a precedent.

Recall that during WWII the United States and Britain reduced Dresden, Hamburg, Cologne and many other German cities to rubble, without the least military necessity. It was done ostentatiously and, to repeat, without any military necessity. They had only one goal, as with the nuclear bombing of Japanese cities: to intimidate our country and the rest of the world.

The United States left a deep scar in the memory of the people of Korea and Vietnam with their carpet bombings and use of napalm and chemical weapons.

It actually continues to occupy Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea and other countries, which they cynically refer to as equals and allies. Look now, what kind of alliance is that? The whole world knows that the top officials in these countries are being spied on and that their offices and homes are bugged. It is a disgrace, a disgrace for those who do this and for those who, like slaves, silently and meekly swallow this arrogant behaviour.

They call the orders and threats they make to their vassals Euro-Atlantic solidarity, and the creation of biological weapons and the use of human test subjects, including in Ukraine, noble medical research.

It is their destructive policies, wars and plunder that have unleashed today’s massive wave of migrants. Millions of people endure hardships and humiliation or die by the thousands trying to reach Europe.

They are exporting grain from Ukraine now. Where are they taking it under the guise of ensuring the food security of the poorest countries? Where is it going? They are taking it to the self-same European countries. Only five percent has been delivered to the poorest countries. More cheating and naked deception again.

In effect, the American elite is using the tragedy of these people to weaken its rivals, to destroy nation states. This goes for Europe and for the identities of France, Italy, Spain and other countries with centuries-long histories.

Washington demands more and more sanctions against Russia and the majority of European politicians obediently go along with it. They clearly understand that by pressuring the EU to completely give up Russian energy and other resources, the United States is practically pushing Europe toward deindustrialisation in a bid to get its hands on the entire European market. These European elites understand everything – they do, but they prefer to serve the interests of others. This is no longer servility but direct betrayal of their own peoples. God bless, it is up to them.

But the Anglo-Saxons believe sanctions are no longer enough and now they have turned to subversion. It seems incredible but it is a fact – by causing explosions on Nord Stream’s international gas pipelines passing along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, they have actually embarked on the destruction of Europe’s entire energy infrastructure. It is clear to everyone who stands to gain. Those who benefit are responsible, of course.

The dictates of the US are backed up by crude force, on the law of the fist. Sometimes it is beautifully wrapped sometimes there is no wrapping at all but the gist is the same – the law of the fist. Hence, the deployment and maintenance of hundreds of military bases in all corners of the world, NATO expansion, and attempts to cobble together new military alliances, such as AUKUS and the like. Much is being done to create a Washington-Seoul-Tokyo military-political chain. All states that possess or aspire to genuine strategic sovereignty and are capable of challenging Western hegemony, are automatically declared enemies.

These are the principles that underlie US and NATO military doctrines that require total domination. Western elites are presenting their neocolonialist plans with the same hypocrisy, claiming peaceful intentions, talking about some kind of deterrence. This evasive word migrates from one strategy to another but really only means one thing – undermining any and all sovereign centres of power.

We have already heard about the deterrence of Russia, China and Iran. I believe next in line are other countries of Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, as well as current US partners and allies. After all, we know that when they are displeased, they introduce sanctions against their allies as well – against this or that bank or company. This is their practice and they will expand it. They have everything in their sights, including our next-door neighbours – the CIS countries.

At the same time, the West has clearly been engaged in wishful thinking for a long time. In launching the sanctions blitzkrieg against Russia, for example, they thought that they could once again line up the whole world at their command. As it turns out, however, such a bright prospect does not excite everyone – other than complete political masochists and admirers of other unconventional forms of international relations. Most states refuse to ”snap a salute“ and instead choose the sensible path of cooperation with Russia.

The West clearly did not expect such insubordination. They simply got used to acting according to a template, to grab whatever they please, by blackmail, bribery, intimidation, and convinced themselves that these methods would work forever, as if they had fossilised in the past.

Such self-confidence is a direct product not only of the notorious concept of exceptionalism – although it never ceases to amaze – but also of the real ”information hunger“ in the West. The truth has been drowned in an ocean of myths, illusions and fakes, using extremely aggressive propaganda, lying like Goebbels. The more unbelievable the lie, the quicker people will believe it – that is how they operate, according to this principle.

But people cannot be fed with printed dollars and euros. You can't feed them with those pieces of paper, and the virtual, inflated capitalisation of western social media companies can't heat their homes. Everything I am saying is important. And what I just said is no less so: you can't feed anyone with paper – you need food; and you can't heat anyone’s home with these inflated capitalisations – you need energy.

That is why politicians in Europe have to convince their fellow citizens to eat less, take a shower less often and dress warmer at home. And those who start asking fair questions like “Why is that, in fact?” are immediately declared enemies, extremists and radicals. They point back at Russia and say: that is the source of all your troubles. More lies.

I want to make special note of the fact that there is every reason to believe that the Western elites are not going to look for constructive ways out of the global food and energy crisis that they and they alone are to blame for, as a result of their long-term policy, dating back long before our special military operation in Ukraine, in Donbass. They have no intention of solving the problems of injustice and inequality. I am afraid they would rather use other formulas they are more comfortable with.

And here it is important to recall that the West bailed itself out of its early 20th century challenges with World War I. Profits from World War II helped the United States finally overcome the Great Depression and become the largest economy in the world, and to impose on the planet the power of the dollar as a global reserve currency. And the 1980s crisis – things came to a head in the 1980s again – the West emerged from it unscathed largely by appropriating the inheritance and resources of the collapsed and defunct Soviet Union. That's a fact.

Now, in order to free itself from the latest web of challenges, they need to dismantle Russia as well as other states that choose a sovereign path of development, at all costs, to be able to further plunder other nations’ wealth and use it to patch their own holes. If this does not happen, I cannot rule out that they will try to trigger a collapse of the entire system, and blame everything on that, or, God forbid, decide to use the old formula of economic growth through war.

Russia is aware of its responsibility to the international community and will make every effort to ensure that cooler heads prevail.

The current neocolonial model is ultimately doomed; this much is obvious. But I repeat that its real masters will cling to it to the end. They simply have nothing to offer the world except to maintain the same system of plundering and racketeering.

They do not give a damn about the natural right of billions of people, the majority of humanity, to freedom and justice, the right to determine their own future. They have already moved on to the radical denial of moral, religious, and family values.

Let’s answer some very simple questions for ourselves. Now I would like to return to what I said and want to address also all citizens of the country – not just the colleagues that are in the hall – but all citizens of Russia: do we want to have here, in our country, in Russia, “parent number one, parent number two and parent number three” (they have completely lost it!) instead of mother and father? Do we want our schools to impose on our children, from their earliest days in school, perversions that lead to degradation and extinction? Do we want to drum into their heads the ideas that certain other genders exist along with women and men and to offer them gender reassignment surgery? Is that what we want for our country and our children? This is all unacceptable to us. We have a different future of our own.

Let me repeat that the dictatorship of the Western elites targets all societies, including the citizens of Western countries themselves. This is a challenge to all. This complete renunciation of what it means to be human, the overthrow of faith and traditional values, and the suppression of freedom are coming to resemble a “religion in reverse” – pure Satanism. Exposing false messiahs, Jesus Christ said in the Sermon on the Mount: “By their fruits ye shall know them.” These poisonous fruits are already obvious to people, and not only in our country but also in all countries, including many people in the West itself.

The world has entered a period of a fundamental, revolutionary transformation. New centres of power are emerging. They represent the majority – the majority! – of the international community. They are ready not only to declare their interests but also to protect them. They see in multipolarity an opportunity to strengthen their sovereignty, which means gaining genuine freedom, historical prospects, and the right to their own independent, creative and distinctive forms of development, to a harmonious process.

As I have already said, we have many like-minded people in Europe and the United States, and we feel and see their support. An essentially emancipatory, anti-colonial movement against unipolar hegemony is taking shape in the most diverse countries and societies. Its power will only grow with time. It is this force that will determine our future geopolitical reality.

Friends,

Today, we are fighting for a just and free path, first of all for ourselves, for Russia, in order to leave dictate and despotism in the past. I am convinced that countries and peoples understand that a policy based on the exceptionalism of whoever it may be and the suppression of other cultures and peoples is inherently criminal, and that we must close this shameful chapter. The ongoing collapse of Western hegemony is irreversible. And I repeat: things will never be the same.

The battlefield to which destiny and history have called us is a battlefield for our people, for the great historical Russia. (Applause.) For the great historical Russia, for future generations, our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We must protect them against enslavement and monstrous experiments that are designed to cripple their minds and souls.

Today, we are fighting so that it would never occur to anyone that Russia, our people, our language, or our culture can be erased from history. Today, we need a consolidated society, and this consolidation can only be based on sovereignty, freedom, creation, and justice. Our values are humanity, mercy and compassion.

And I want to close with the words of a true patriot Ivan Ilyin: “If I consider Russia my Motherland, that means that I love as a Russian, contemplate and think, sing and speak as a Russian; that I believe in the spiritual strength of the Russian people. Its spirit is my spirit; its destiny is my destiny; its suffering is my grief; and its prosperity is my joy.”

Behind these words stands a glorious spiritual choice, which, for more than a thousand years of Russian statehood, was followed by many generations of our ancestors. Today, we are making this choice; the citizens of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics and the residents of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions have made this choice. They made the choice to be with their people, to be with their Motherland, to share in its destiny, and to be victorious together with it.

The truth is with us, and behind us is Russia!

(Applause.)

 

[SlipNet]

Wow, that was probably the most inspiring political speech I have ever read in 30 years of political interest. Thanks Benjamin for sharing.

We are led by pathological simpletons in the west by comparison. The collapse of the western hegemony is so inevitable now.

 

[Deliverance]

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answer to a question from the Moscow. Kremlin. Putin programme, Moscow, September 30, 2022

mid.ru

​

Réponse du ministre des Affaires étrangères Sergueï Lavrov à une question de Moscou. Kremlin. Programme Poutine, Moscou, 30 septembre 2022​

Question : J'ai vu que vous chantiez l'hymne national. Une chose assez rare à voir. Qu'est-ce qui l'a motivé aujourd'hui ?
Sergey Lavrov : M'espionniez-vous ?
Question : Tout le pays l'était.
Sergey Lavrov : J'aime beaucoup notre hymne, comme tout ce qui symbolise notre patrie. Lorsque de tels moments - sans exagération - se produisent, de tels sentiments de fierté envers votre peuple, cela se produit automatiquement.

 

[Benjamin]

This doesn't reveal much but I thought I should put it here because of the situation.

Instructions pertaining to emergency situation on Crimean Bridge​

October 8, 2022
09:15

In light of the emergency situation on the Crimean Bridge, Vladimir Putin heard reports from Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov and Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev, as well as heads of security services.

The President instructed the Prime Minister to set up a government commission to investigate the incident and eliminate the aftermath as soon as possible. The commission will include heads of the Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Crimea as well as representatives of the National Guard, the Federal Security Service and the Interior Ministry.

A per the President's instruction, Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev and Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov have left for the site of the incident.

 

[Benjamin]

The first transcription here is just a short document authorising increased security around the Crimean bridge as well as the Krasnodar pipeline.

Executive Order on stepping up measures to ensure security of transport crossing Kerch Strait, the power bridge connecting Russia with the Crimean Peninsula and the main gas pipeline from the Krasnodar Territory to Crimea​

Vladimir Putin signed Executive Order On Stepping Up Measures to Ensure the Secure Operation of the Transport Passage Across the Kerch Strait, the Power Bridge Connecting the Russian Federation with the Crimean Peninsula and the Main Gas Pipeline from the Krasnodar Territory to Crimea.

October 8, 2022
19:40

To step up measures to ensure the secure operation of the transport passage across the Kerch Strait, the power bridge connecting the Russian Federation with the Crimean Peninsula and the main gas pipeline from the Krasnodar Territory to Crimea, the President decided to authorise the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation to organise and coordinate the measures to protect these facilities.

This one is an official update to Putin that confirms Ukrainian special services were the masterminds behind the bombing of the bridge and that the bomb was in a truck. It appears like Russian citizens were also involved. The journey of the truck is also revealed.

Meeting with Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin​

The President had a meeting with Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin.

October 9, 2022
20:20

St Petersburg

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Bastrykin, I know that investigators of the Investigative Committee have been working for a second day on probing yesterday’s early morning incident on the Crimean Bridge. There are preliminary results of the investigation, and I would like to ask you to report on them.

Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin: Mr President, our investigative team of the Main Directorate of Investigations and crime and forensic experts promptly arrived at the site of the incident. They carried out a detailed examination of the site together with explosives experts and forensic team and reached well-grounded tentative conclusions.

We opened an investigation in accordance with part 2 of Article 205 “Terrorism,” and this is confirmed by the preliminary stage of the investigation. We interrogated numerous witnesses and eyewitnesses, special expert studies have been launched and largely completed – explosives expertise, DNA testing and a forensic analysis. Respective instructions were issued to the Federal Security Service and the Interior Ministry of Russia regarding investigative activities.

We have already established the route of the lorry which exploded. It drove through Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, North Ossetia, and the Krasnodar Territory. In addition, we have also identified the carriers – the persons who took part in arranging the movements of that lorry. The FSS field agents helped to identify suspects from among those who could have arranged the terrorist act and those who are active within the Russian Federation.

Also, we are continuing the expert investigations so as to identify the exact purposes and tasks of this explosion. It is obviously of a terrorist nature. It is an act of terrorism. All our preliminary investigation data allow us to come to an unequivocal conclusion – this was a terrorist act which had been prepared by Ukrainian special services with the aim of destroying a large civilian infrastructure facility of crucial importance to the Russian Federation, especially to Crimea.

Vladimir Putin: I see.

There is no doubt here, as you have just reported, that it was a terrorist act aimed at destroying critical civilian infrastructure of the Russian Federation.

Alexander Bastrykin: Absolutely.

Vladimir Putin: And Ukraine’s special services were the initiators, performers and masterminds.

Alexander Bastrykin: Ukraine’s special services and citizens of Russia and foreign countries who assisted in preparing this terrorist act.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

As I was writing the 'intro' to the second transcription, I had a very clear deja vu of a dream I had not that long ago (within a year or two) about writing this.