Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow, November 29, 2023
- Preparations by the Russian delegation for the OSCE Ministerial Council
- Meeting of Caspian littoral states’ foreign ministers in Moscow
- Ukraine crisis update
- The return of the Scythian Gold collection to Ukraine
- Developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
- Evacuation of Russian citizens from the Gaza Strip
- Moldova update
- Food security summit in London
- UK International Development White Paper
- Violation of Serbian electoral rights in Kosovo
- Outcome of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s tour of the Balkans
- Monroe Doctrine’s 200th anniversary
- ParaType fonts and keyboard layouts embrace Extended Cyrillic
- “Public diplomacy: Soft Power Tool to Promote International Cooperation” international forum in Nizhny Novgorod
- Russia-hosted events to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- Anniversary of Soviet Moscow counteroffensive (December 5, 1941)
Excerpts from media questions:
- Statements by NATO Secretary General
- Joe Biden’s statements on the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- Nikol Pashinyan’s possible visit to Russia
- Party for Freedom victory in the Dutch parliamentary election
- Update on the attendance of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting by the Russian delegation
- Western countries’ continuing colonial-era practices of plundering cultural assets from other countries
- Two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- The closing of the border between Finland and Russia
- Sergey Lavrov’s scheduled meetings at the OSCE Ministerial Council
- Statements by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock
- Russia-China trade and economic partnership
- Deliveries of warships to Ukraine
- Russia’s contribution to a ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- War crimes perpetrated by the United States and its allies
Preparations by the Russian delegation for the OSCE Ministerial Council
I will begin with a pressing issue. We have received many questions regarding the Russian delegation’s preparation for the visit to Skopje for the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting.
We are aware of the destructive mentality and ideology of the United States and the collective West as a whole, whose aim is to divide countries and nations. We have witnessed yet another example of this. Part of the collective West has been trying to impede the full participation of our delegation in the OSCE forum, putting the very existence of the organisation at risk.
I won’t go into details at this moment; they will be provided later. I will only say that preparations for the visit are ongoing. We are doing our utmost to ensure that the OSCE Ministerial Council can be held in a constructive atmosphere.
There is no denying the fact that the collective West is demonstrating divisive trends. We can see that several countries have taken a stand because the OSCE is on the verge of an ideological and political collapse. We can also see that some countries are willing to jeopardise the organisation’s existence for the sake of their own unhealthy ambitions.
To date, several Russian journalists have been denied the opportunity to cover the participation of the Russian delegation in the events in Skopje. The most unacceptable aspect is that the mission of this organisation is to protect journalists and guarantee freedom of speech. Moreover, there is a special office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, whose staff receive salaries and travel allowances and make trips to various parts of the world with the aim of criticising Russia for its alleged failure to live up to the high norms and standards of freedom of speech. Today is the day when the organisation as a whole and its ineffective freedom of the media representative Teresa Ribeiro could have spoken out in defence of Russian journalists who only want to be treated equally.
Meeting of Caspian littoral states’ foreign ministers in Moscow
On December 5, 2023, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will chair a meeting of foreign ministers of Caspian littoral states (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan) in Moscow.
The event marks the beginning of a new regular ministerial dialogue, as mandated and coordinated during the 6th Caspian Summit in Ashgabat in June 2022.
The meeting participants will discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest, focusing on specific priorities for the development of Caspian cooperation.
Sergey Lavrov will also hold bilateral meetings with his colleagues on the sidelines of the event.
Ukrainian neo-Nazis continue to target residential buildings and social infrastructure facilities in the Russian regions.
On November 23, 2023, the Armed Forces of Ukraine shelled residential areas in four communities of the Donetsk People’s Republic 26 times. The Ukrainian neo-Nazis launched 89 different munitions at these communities. As a result, one person was wounded in Gorlovka, and residential buildings, a kindergarten, a college and the Komsomolets House of Culture were damaged. On November 24-25, 2023, the Armed Forces of Ukraine shelled several other communities in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Five civilians, including children born in 2010 and 2012, were wounded. Residential buildings and civilian facilities, including the Donetskvodokanal and Water of Donbass enterprises, were damaged.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are using drones to attack Russian regions located far from the zone of hostilities. On November 22, 2023, four unmanned speedboats heading towards Crimea were destroyed in the western sector of the Black Sea. On the same day, three drones were shot down over the peninsula. On November 24, 2023, Russian air defence systems destroyed a total of 16 drones, 13 of which were shot down over Crimea and three over the Volgograd Region.
On November 26, 2023, the Kiev regime launched drones in an attempt to strike the Moscow, Tula, Kaluga and Bryansk regions. On November 27, 2023, attempts to make terrorist drone attacks in the Rostov and Ryazan regions were successfully thwarted.
The courts of the Russian Federation continue to pass sentences on Ukrainian neo-Nazis who have committed serious crimes against civilians, based on evidence collected by the Investigative Committee of Russia.
Ukrainian neo-Nazi Alexander Svinarchuk has been sentenced to life imprisonment for ordering the execution of 37 civilians in Mariupol. His subordinates were responsible for the deaths of more than 20 people and attempted to kill another 16.
Ukrainian militant Maxim Babich has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for beating a civilian to death in Mariupol in the spring of 2022 along with a partner.
Azov Neo-Nazi Arsen Dmytryk has been sentenced in absentia to 25 years in prison for ordering the shelling of residential areas in Sartana, Kalinovka and Talakovka in the Kalmiusky District of the DPR last spring. He is currently on the wanted list.
Ukrainian militant N. Yunes, who ordered the shelling of the village of Trekhizbenka in October 2021, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison. He is also on the wanted list.
Efforts to gather evidence of war crimes committed by Ukrainian Armed Forces militants are ongoing. No one will escape responsibility.
The Collective West continues to arm the Kiev regime, without paying attention to what is happening in Ukraine with the supplied weapons, which are either “lost” or stolen. According to media reports, about 180,000 units of weaponry have disappeared (this word has another equivalent) or been stolen since the beginning of the special military operation.
On November 20-21, first the US secretary for defence, then the German defence minister visited Kiev. Each came bearing gifts, but the volumes of assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine differed, with $100 million from Washington and about $1.5 billion from Berlin. It is clear that the US is experiencing serious difficulties in financing the Vladimir Zelensky regime’s military expenses and is trying to shift this burden to their European satellites. Germany is clearly taking the lead in the militarisation of Ukraine, instead of focusing on its own economic development. This is a change from the past. It appears that Germany does not want to inform its citizens about the disappointing consequences for the country’s economy after investing in a failed project known as the Kiev regime. No problem, we can do the job of informing the German public in place of the official Berlin. A couple of days ago, deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU opposition party in the Bundestag Johann Wadephul said that due to large-scale weapons supplies to the Kiev regime, the main units of the German army will only be able to hold out in battle for two days. There is a severe shortage of ammunition. It is not that we are sympathetic towards official Berlin. Of course not. But we reveal the facts that are carefully hidden from their taxpayers, their citizens, by the German authorities.
Berlin is also facing difficulties in finding additional funds for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to Steffen Kotre, a member of the Alternative for Germany faction in the Bundestag, the German authorities will redirect funds from social and healthcare sectors to meet these needs due to the budget crisis.
On November 22, 2023, the Ukraine Defence Contact Group held its regular meeting in the Ramstein format. According to media reports, the participants decided to establish an air defence coalition for Ukraine to deliver these weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces along the same lines as the earlier steps to create the tank and air force coalitions.
Kiev put forward a proposal for the West to create a coalition for developing defence manufacturing in order to localise arms manufacturing on Ukrainian territory. Its overseas masters called on the Europeans to create new similar structures to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Therefore, the United States and its satellites are seeking to turn the Ukraine conflict into a profitable business undertaking and are not even trying to hide this fact.
We have noticed the statement by David Arakhamiya, who heads the parliamentary group of the presidential Servant of the People party in the Verkhovna Rada. In his November 25, 2023, interview with 1+1 television channel, he said that it was former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson who prevented Kiev from signing a peace deal with Russia following the March 2022 talks in Istanbul and demanded that it continues fighting Russia on the battlefield. Finally, Ukraine has acknowledged what we have been saying all along.
These revelations by David Arakhamiya serve as convincing proof that Kiev was behind the staged incident in Bucha as a pretext for derailing the negotiating process. All this confirms once again that Vladimir Zelensky runs a puppet regime and fully depends on his Anglo-Saxon puppet masters who pull the strings as they please.
Kiev’s sanctions war against Russia and Belarus continues unabated. On November 18, 2023, it published Vladimir Zelensky’s executive orders to impose new restrictions on 108 individuals and 36 entities, including Russian and Ukrainian nationals, one citizen of Belarus, as well as Russian entities and one Belarusian organisation.
The list includes officials, members of parliament, heads of state institutions and charities, business leaders, civil society activists, and journalists. Among others, it designates former Ukrainian politicians: Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov, and members of parliament Dmitry Svyatash and Oleg Tsaryov. For the latter two, it seems that Kiev designated them to mark Euromaidan’s 10th anniversary. The sanctions list also includes education institutions, charity foundations and youth movements.
On November 21, 2023, Kiev hosted the presentation of an International Sanctions Committee. Its objective consists of ensuring that Russian assets abroad are confiscated and transferred to Ukraine, and includes several Russian and Belarusian nationals who have betrayed their homeland.
It is obvious that Vladimir Zelensky’s regime has chosen petty vengeance as a tactic to create the illusion that it is harming our country and its allies, all while failing on the battlefield, and with Western support dwindling and the situation becoming increasingly hopeless.
Kiev and the Ukrainian schismatics persist with their attacks against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by transferring its religious sites to the so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine by force. They have been trying to blackmail the canonical church’s clergy to force them to switch over by exerting unprecedented pressure on them. It is not uncommon for these moves to be accompanied by violence against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church clergy and believers.
On November 4, Ukraine’s SBU security service said it had opened criminal cases against 70 Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) clergymen since February 2022; 16 of them are metropolitans.
In early November, in Uzhgorod, the senior priest of the UOC Cathedral of the Holy Cross, 68-year-old Archpriest Demetrius Sidor, was handed a draft notice. Earlier, Father Demetrius was charged with inciting religious discord.
According to the media, on November 20 in Cherkassy, men in military uniforms seized the UOC Monastery of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, with no reaction from the police. Four people were injured in this cynical raider attack; the attackers broke a priest’s jaw. The Cherkassy diocese reported that the brethren with their superior were evicted from the monastery.
Now, when it comes to freedom of religion and respect for different religions and denominations – do you think this case will be included in the US State Department Report on International Religious Freedom? I do not think so. Like many other cases out there, hard facts are never reflected in the relevant materials of the US State Department on this subject.
In its determination to destroy the UOC, the Kiev regime will stop short of nothing. In early November, law enforcement representatives, armed with automatic rifles, attempted to break onto the grounds of the Holy Ascension Banchen Monastery, which housed an orphanage for children with disabilities. For more than six months, the SBU has been persecuting the orphanage’s founder, the senior priest of the monastery, Metropolitan Longin, who has more than 400 underage wards under his care. Earlier, he was conferred with the Hero of Ukraine title for his charitable work and assistance to children. Now he is being accused of inciting religious discord for criticising the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). This looks especially cynical against the backdrop of lawless action being taken against the UOC and its clergy.
Several concerned members of the public have reached out to us about the fate of the orphaned children, whose safety will be jeopardised if their guardian is arrested. We could not stand idly by, so we sent letters demanding an assessment of the situation with the orphanage to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid, ODIHR Director Matteo Mecacci, and other international human rights groups. We expect a substantive response from each of them with regard to the continuing lawless actions of the Ukrainian authorities and, most importantly, the approval from the collective West.
Such arbitrary actions can hardly be imagined in countries that claim to be democracies. And yet, they turn a blind eye to the eradication of canonical Orthodoxy in Ukraine by the Kiev regime.
No matter how hard the United States and Western Europe try to harm our country, no matter how far they spread their disinformation and fake stories, no matter how they intimidate us, no matter how many more new sanctions and restrictions they invent, we will continue our work, because the truth is ours.
The return of the Scythian Gold collection to Ukraine
The Netherlands’ decision to return the exhibit items from the Crimea: Gold and Secrets from the Black Sea, which belong to four Crimean museums, to Kiev is unlawful in terms of museum exchange practice, as we have pointed out on many occasions, and dishonest in terms of universal human morals.
The Hague has delivered a painful blow at Crimea’s cultural and historical heritage and has actually become an accomplice to the seizing of the unique artefacts that were unearthed in Crimea and have been kept in Crimean museums.
The attempt to camouflage the theft of cultural heritage by a decision of the Dutch Supreme Court has again put in question the independence and impartiality of the Dutch judiciary. An example of the partisan approach of the Dutch judiciary is the District Court of the Hague’s verdict in the case of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crash in Donbass. The Dutch judges shamelessly manipulated the facts to fit them to a politically biased verdict, which had been written long in advance and not by the judges.
The Netherlands acted in the same manner in the case of the Scythian Gold collection. Under the contract, the exhibits delivered to the Allard Pierson Museum in 2014 were to be returned to the Crimean museums within the prescribed time limits. However, the Hague opted for a politicised decision, which has created an extremely dangerous precedent in museum relations with the Netherlands.
Nobody knows what could happen to the long-suffering items from the Scythian Gold collection and whether the Kiev authorities will be able, or more precisely, will choose to safeguard them. Anything is possible, considering the openly barbaric attitude of Ukraine’s current political authorities not just to people but also to historical and cultural landmarks. For example, we have seen the deliberate plundering of icons from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
Exhibits from Ukrainian museums are being transported to European museums, allegedly to keep them safe, but there are grounds to assume that this is larceny, and the Kiev regime is the guilty party. We have seen information about the works of art that have been removed from Ukraine appearing online, at auctions and on social media. Therefore, we can assume that the same fate lies in store for the Crimean exhibits, which could be lost. In this case, responsibility for this will lie, in particular, with the Netherlands. It is possible that certain people there could take an interest in this.
Developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
Due to a number of political, humanitarian and evacuation-related reasons, we continue to closely follow the situation with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
On November 24, 2023, Israeli authorities and the HAMAS movement began implementing the Qatar-brokered agreement on a short truce and the release of some hostages from among women and children in the Gaza Strip in exchange for Palestinian inmates at Israeli prisons. Over 200 Palestinians and Israelis, as well as citizens of several other countries, have already returned home under the deal, which also includes expanded deliveries of food, fuel and medications for Gaza Strip residents.
We praise the effective mediatory efforts of
While praising the warring parties’ decision to extend the duration of the humanitarian pause, we expect them to continue this dialogue in the interests of de-escalating the situation still further and turning it into a long-term and sustainable process.
In turn, we are exerting efforts to mitigate the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, which remains complicated. On November, 21, 23 and 25, 2023, Russian Ministry for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief planes delivered additional shipments of food and medications (for needy Palestinians) from
We would also like to draw attention to the dangerous developments on the West Bank, which are overshadowed by the situation in
We are seriously alarmed over reports of more frequent provocations against representatives of
We urge the Israeli authorities to facilitate an equitable solution of this sensitive issue in accordance with the law. We believe that the rights of all religious communities in the country must be protected in equal measure. We oppose any unlawful actions aiming to change the current ethnic-denominational balance in Old Jerusalem, including encroachments on Christians who have been living there for centuries, and on their shrines and property.
Evacuation of Russian citizens from the Gaza Strip
Due to escalating tensions in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Emergencies and other specialised agencies are making efforts to safely evacuate Russian citizens and Palestinians who are members of their families from the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, in line with the instructions of President of Russia Vladimir Putin.
In total 762 out of about 1,000 citizens who asked for help were brought from the Rafah border crossing point into Egyptian territory. They arrived safely in
Today, the phased evacuation of foreign citizens through the Rafah checkpoint is suspended for all states due to the exchange of hostages held by the parties. We look forward to resuming this process as soon as possible.
Our diplomatic missions continue to work with the Egyptian, Israeli and Palestinian authorities to ensure the evacuation of the Russians and members of their families remaining in the Gaza Strip.
We continue to monitor the developments in
On November 23, Chisinau joined the sanctions the European Union had introduced against
On November 21, during her visit to
On the same day, November 21, Maia Sandu said on the TVR Moldova television channel that Russia has always threatened Moldova and exploited the topic of the Moldovan and Romanian languages in order to prevent rapprochement between Chisinau and Bucharest. Can she give at least one quote where the Russian side threatened the Moldovan state? Who spoke about this and when? After all, she must be held accountable for her words. And in the recent past, the definition of “Moldovan language” in the country’s Constitution, which was renamed Romanian in March, was called “disgraceful” by Romanian citizen Maia Sandu. Think about that. Any need to comment? On the one hand, no. On the other hand, yes, because then people like Maia Sandu will say that
We have said many times that
Food security summit in London
We have taken notice of a certain Global Food Security Summit recently held by the
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, global hunger rates have been consistently increasing since 2015. However, it is important for
The UK Government's position paper on international development attempts to interpret current developments in the global economy. Its contents as a whole do not add value or anything new to the ongoing UN dialogue on sustainable development. At the same time, the paper, as expected, contains a false interpretation of the causes and consequences of the developments in and around
This document, based on distorted facts and topsy-turvy history, aims to expand the circle of countries that have joined the Western illegal “sanctions” policy as one of its goals.
However, we can agree with one of the conclusions of the paper – we also consider the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development indispensable, which involves consolidating the political and economic capacities of countries to eliminate financial and technological imbalances, overcome discrimination and eliminate poverty. There is an important nuance – it is necessary to analyse the role of the “collective West” in aggravating all of the aforementioned problems.
Violation of Serbian electoral rights in Kosovo
The provisional self-government authorities in Pristina continue to inflame the situation in the southern Serbian province, acting solely to infringe on the rights of the indigenous non-Albanian population, and are seeking to reinforce their claims to state status.
The Kosovo Albanian authorities, like last year, have grossly violated the electoral rights of local Serbs, denying them the opportunity to participate in the early elections to the Serbian parliament, scheduled for December 17. Pristina’s proposal to conclude some kind of interstate agreement in this regard comes across as mockery. The “prime minister” of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, continues his cynical blackmail, forcing Belgrade to recognise the province’s “independence.”
We are talking about another blow to the established practice of voting among Serbs under the auspices of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. The United States and the EU, which at every turn advocate notorious democratic standards, in this case turn a blind eye to the violation of the basic rights of Kosovo Serbs, do not want to get into a thing with their Kosovar subordinates, which only encourages them to become more aggressively Serbophobic. Western double standards? More like a lack of standards in principle.
Outcome of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s tour of the Balkans
We have paid attention to the recent (November 19-22, 2023) tour of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to the Balkans. This trip was yet another confirmation of the destructive policy of the North Atlantic bloc to work faster to draw in the countries of the region that are still outside the alliance.
Jens Stoltenberg’s visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia was clearly provocative. He tried to interfere in the internal affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to force this country’s rapprochement with Euro-Atlantic institutions. He offered to step up cooperation with Belgrade in spite of Serbia’s neutral status. He accused Russia of all sins. He said that we are working to spread misinformation and undermine the situation in the Balkans. This is nothing new, or rather a rehash of what they themselves are doing. This is a traditional technique of the alliance to intimidate its partners with the threat allegedly emanating from Russia.
Jens Stoltenberg’s statement about the bloc’s willingness to “create a safe environment for all people in Kosovo,” as defined in UN Security Council resolution 1244, and the steps taken to increase the size of the Kosovo Force for this purpose raise many questions. There is not a single instance when the NATO contingent has protected Serbs from the lawlessness of the Pristina authorities and their aggressive actions in the north of the province.
We believe that NATO must stop its policy of destabilising the Balkans, imposing its order there and creating new dividing lines. As history shows, the appearance of the alliance in the Balkans is always accompanied by grief and loss of life, devastation and war crimes.
Monroe Doctrine’s 200th anniversary
This year, the so-called Monroe Doctrine, one of Washington’s original geopolitical strategies, marks its 200th anniversary. It remains a symbol of American neo-colonialism. Rooted in the belief in the exceptional nature of the United States, it offers the United States an ideological justification for establishing what it calls a rules-based world order by imposing alien values on other countries and reducing them to the rank of satellites deprived of any rights.
On December 2, 1823, the 5th President of the United States, James Monroe, delivered his annual State of the Union Address to Congress, in which he called for preventing European powers from interfering in the affairs of the newly established states in the Western hemisphere. Given the historical context, this message was a call for pan-American solidarity. In particular, the president referred to the newly established South American republics as “our southern brethren.” Let me share one of the most telling quotes with you:
“<…>With the existing colonies or dependencies of any European power we have not interfered and shall not interfere, but with the Governments who have declared their independence and maintained it, and whose independence we have, on great consideration and on just principles, acknowledged, we could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing them, or controlling in any other manner their destiny, by any European power in any other light than as the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States.”
However, even at that time the doctrine contained ideas that could serve as a justification and cover-up efforts by the Americans to seize vast territories under the pretext of spreading so-called democratic values. Having arrogated to themselves the right to act as they pleased in the New World by asserting its infamous exceptional nature, the United States went on to annex more than half of what was Mexico at the time, including Texas and California, following the 1846-1848 Mexican-American War.
The United States went on to establish control over Cuba and what remained of the Spanish colonial possessions by staging regular incursions and changing unwanted regimes, sticking to the gunboat diplomacy and the big stick policy as openly proclaimed by Theodore Roosevelt. On December 6, 1904, he declared that interference by the United States into the domestic affairs of Latin American countries was legal and justified, as long as they are unable to resolve the challenges they face on their own or act in a way that may ultimately require European powers to intervene in the political processes on the American continent.
After World War I, US President Woodrow Wilson suggested adopting the Monroe Doctrine for the whole world in what amounted to America setting its sight on global dominance.
In the new geopolitical reality, with the global majority contesting US hegemony, and successful efforts by Russia and China to challenge it, Washington remains true to what now amounts to an obsolete and unviable Monroe Doctrine by trying to create blocs, including what it calls Summits for Democracy, AUKUS, QUAD and other existing and future formats which all boil down to emphasising and consolidating what amounts to the illusionary supremacy the United States has over other nations. And all these efforts are designed to contain the new centres of power and preserve the unipolar world order despite its inevitable demise.
In its geopolitical thinking, the United States has long expanded its horizon beyond the Western hemisphere by taking on board concepts like liberal interventionism, great power rivalry, and the like. The way it has been manipulating these words and coming up with new ones is astonishing. But the essence remains the same: the United States wants the whole world to serve its national interests while getting rid of any independent actors or competitors, be it Russia, China or its formal allies such as Japan and the EU. Washington wants to get rid of anything it believes stands in the way of its global dominance.
But this will not stop history from running its course or force nations to give up on their aspirations to live in a fairer multipolar world order based on the principles of equality and mutually respectful dialogue between states, civilisations, religions and cultures.
ParaType fonts and keyboard layouts embrace Extended Cyrillic
The Russian company ParaType is launching a programme to create fonts and keyboard layouts based on the extended Cyrillic alphabet with 179 characters that span more than 150 languages and dialects, including the languages of small indigenous peoples and national minorities in the Russian Federation that use Cyrillic-based scripts.
ParaType’s library of multilingual fonts is part of our contribution to the goals of the UN International Decade of Indigenous Languages and an effective tool for promoting digitalisation of the linguistic and cultural heritage of indigenous peoples, the study and preservation of languages, as well as book printing in rare languages.
ParaType’s Extended Cyrillic scripts can support indigenous languages even when it comes to characters that are not included in Unicode (a text encoding standard that includes almost all of the world’s major writing systems). Much of the products advertised by ParaType are already freely available.
On December 7, Nizhny Novgorod will host the international forum “Public Diplomacy: Soft Power Tool to Promote International Cooperation”, organised by the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.
The purpose of the event is to discuss the use of public diplomacy as a way to establish and expand international relations in the changing geopolitical situation. Attending the forum will be representatives of federal authorities, Russian overseas missions, foreign diplomatic missions in Russia, Russian regions, leading Russian and foreign universities, as well as international relations experts. Special emphasis will be placed on international cooperation among young people, because Nizhny Novgorod holds the Youth Capital of Russia title in 2023.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will deliver a video address to the participants.
Russia-hosted events to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Ahead of Human Rights Day, marked every December 10, the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation and Patrice Lumumba People’s Friendship University of Russia, with support from the Russian Foreign Ministry, hosted conferences marking the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
On November 21, 2023, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin attended the forum, which was initiated by Chair of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights Valery Fadeyev. In his remarks, he noted that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights had laid down universal standards for encouraging and upholding human rights and basic freedoms, and that it had also decisively influenced the development of international law.
In his welcome remarks at the November 23, 2023 conference at People’s Friendship University of Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasised the fact that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights remained current. While passing this document after the bloodiest and most destructive war in human history, the UN member states strove to bolster respect for human dignity and reinstate its value.
The following officials also greeted guests and participants: Russian Foreign Ministry Special Representative for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law Grigory Lukyantsev, who also holds the position of Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Department for Multilateral Human Rights Cooperation; Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova; Chair of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights Valery Fadeyev; Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova; and Special Rapporteur for the UN Human Rights Council on the Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures on the Enforcement of Human Rights Yelena Dovgan.
Attendees included representatives from Russian federal executive agencies, human rights organisations, the academic and expert community, as well as the diplomatic corps in Moscow. The participants held productive discussions on a wide range of the international human rights agenda’s issues.
Anniversary of Soviet Moscow counteroffensive (December 5, 1941)
By December 1941, the Red Army had managed to stop the enemy and take the initiative in the battle. Soviet commanders discreetly concentrated strategic reserves closer to
On the morning of December 5, the troops at the Kalinin Front (under the command of Colonel General Ivan Konev), the Western Front (Army General Georgy Zhukov), the Southwestern Front (Marshal Semyon Timoshenko) and the Bryansk Front (Colonel General Yakov Cherevichenko) launched a joint offensive in harsh winter conditions. Over 11 days, and despite the enemy’s desperate resistance, the Red Army crushed the Army Group Centre and progressed 65-
During the
Every December 5 since 1995,
Excerpts from media questions:
Question: Can you please comment on NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg’s statement that the alliance’s main goal is to prevent a confrontation with
Maria Zakharova: I believe you should re-address this question to
The fact that only recently, the NATO Secretary-General met with ministers of EU countries to coordinate arms supplies to the
NATO continues to send all types of weapons and military equipment to the
This is the
What Mr Stoltenberg meant is something to be clarified at NATO headquarters.
Question: US President Biden supported a “two-state” solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in an article for the Washington Post on November 18. How would you comment on this?
Maria Zakharova: The US President’s statement you are asking about meant a de facto recognition of
We have always believed that the two-state formula approved by international resolutions, which envisions an independent State of Palestine with its borders based on the 1967 line and with East Jerusalem as its capital, is the surest way to guarantee the security of both Israelis and Palestinians, and to promote lasting stability in the Middle East. Biden's article (the paragraph in point) is further confirmation of the non-viability of the military option for settling the world's longest-standing conflict.
At the same time, the
Representatives of the
I have no need to note the obvious discrepancies between word and deed in
We consistently call for putting in place a collective mediation mechanism for achieving a
In our view, such a collective mechanism will help the Palestinians and Israelis to establish a sustainable constructive dialogue and to reach fair and comprehensive solutions to final status issues. That is the only way to break the cycle of violence.
Will this be a repeat of the Quartet? The Quartet did not include regional players. These issues cannot be resolved without them.
Question: Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said that the Kremlin received a signal that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will come to St Petersburg to take part in the informal New Year’s CIS summit and the formal meeting of the EAEU next month. Do you think there is hope that Nikol Pashinyan will finally come?
Maria Zakharova: We need to think not of hope but of concrete facts, and form a position based on reality. Let us wait for concrete actions and then we will comment on them.
Question: Wilders’s party has won the general parliamentary election in the Netherlands. The politician is considered to be sympathetic to Vladimir Putin and a critic of Kiev. In particular, he speaks against Ukraine’s joining NATO.
The Western media write that he is “the EU’s worst nightmare.” Does Moscow consider Geert Wilders’s victory a signal to mend relations with this country?
Maria Zakharova: We always say that we do not give our assessment of the results of elections in various countries in terms of the preferences of their citizens. This is up to the people in these countries who they vote for. It is an important thing. It is completely in line with the situation you describe.
As for the prospects for the new Dutch government’s relations with Russia and the potential influence of this country’s new political leader on the development of bilateral relations, I think that we will see after concrete steps are made. Following the election, they will create the governing coalition which will outline the key areas of the Dutch domestic and foreign policy. We will be guided by the actions they take in making our assessments. At the moment, everything is still taking shape there.
Question: Can you comment on preparations for the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Skopje, the approvals Russia had to secure to fly there and attend the event, as well as accreditation for Russian journalists at this international gathering?
Maria Zakharova: As I have already said, three Russian media professionals have not been approved to cover the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting, including the work of the Russian delegation.
As for preparations by the Russian delegation, this work is in progress. We will share the details later. I can confirm that there were attempts to derail our plans. We have already talked about this and shared our view. In fact, there is a faction within Western society which is intent on countering Russia within the OSCE but its efforts brought dismal results since they literally undermined the OSCE from within. This body was created as a dialogue platform. If you make dialogue impossible and make sure that only one point of view gets through, this begs the question of what kind of purpose the OSCE can serve. It becomes irrelevant and is reduced to consuming its budget.
Moreover, the same point of view now dominates the OSCE’s specialised bodies and structures, including those in charge of human rights, freedom of expression, election monitoring, etc. Where has this all brought us? They have become irrelevant and ineffective today.
Your question included the situation with journalists. I have already mentioned this issue, and I can reiterate what I said in my reply to your question. We see that the atmosphere of antagonism and arbitrary actions within the OSCE by the collective West and its dependents from the post-Soviet space can be viewed as a direct extension of the ideology that preaches total intolerance of Russia’s media presence and in general any alternative views within the Western media landscape. This did not start today but has been going on for years now.
Remember how Russian broadcasters were unable to obtain accreditation for the 2019 Global Conference for Media Freedom in London? This was already a paradox back then, but what was the OSCE’s response?
Even earlier than that, in 2014, Russian correspondents were unable to access many events in the wake of the government coup in Kiev. In 2018, Ukraine banned two journalists heading to an OSCE conference on media freedoms from entering its territory, all while pretending to be a democracy. What was the response from the relevant OSCE bodies? Nothing, zero criticism.
Over the past two years, the supposed champions of democratic freedoms in the neoliberal West have finally shed their masks, cleaning out their media landscape literally overnight, removing any undesirable media outlets, primarily Russian and Russian-language ones. They were dragged through the mire. As a representative of RIA Novosti, you certainly know this better than anyone else does. Journalists were stripped of their visas, their accreditations were canceled, they were dragged in for questioning, detained – that happened to employees from various divisions of your media holding. They put your management on sanctions lists and persecuted them. And personally, many of your colleagues from RIA Novosti, Rossiya Segodnya, RT, Sputnik, and others were targeted by unprecedented harassment.
In this context, the relevant executive bodies of the OSCE, whose job is to ensure compliance with commitments in the area of media freedoms across the OSCE area by all its participants, have deeply discredited themselves.
In our view, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro’s performance has been a complete failure, as she never even tried to create an appearance of making an effort. We have been told it was “quiet diplomacy.” If so, it ought to be effective. Let it be “quiet” rather than loud, but where is the result? The result is exactly the opposite. Ever since her office publicly expressed solidarity with the EU Council’s politically motivated decision to ban RT and Sputnik from broadcasting across the EU, that office under her leadership has devolved into the embodiment of OSCE’s bias and double standards.
We can see how their policy has turned into a deliberate disregard for egregious crimes against journalists, including the brutal murders of media workers and representatives of the media sphere, crimes that are beyond the limits of universal humanity and morality. All they are doing is pursuing anti-Russia policies. This is where their quiet diplomacy turns into loud diplomacy, up to and including hysteria.
We will be sure to share all the details of the preparations for the Russian delegation’s participation in the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting.
Question: The media reported yesterday that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled a planned meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis because of his interview with the BBC, in which he spoke about the Parthenon’s stolen marble sculptures and compared them to Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) at the Louvre, Paris. What can you say about these reports?
Maria Zakharova: This is an issue of sovereign interstate relations between two states. They will resolve it independently.
As for items that were stolen (I am referring to the assets of the British Museum and the Louvre and their sections on Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and the antiquity era in general) everything that was smuggled from Greece and Egypt is illegal. Everything taken from these countries by French and British military or even diplomats under completely far-fetched excuses (that they were not of any cultural value or that they were taken temporarily) amounts to theft. We fully share this view.
This is a colonial tradition. They were stealing national treasures in different parts of the world for centuries. Essentially, their museum collections are depots for what they stole in their colonies. This is exactly what it is. Look at the collection of ancient Egyptian art. We have spoken about this. The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts displays collections that were purchased and brought here legally, then these collections were given to the museum. Some collections were purchased by our museums and others were given to them, but we have never engaged in such “imports,” while denying the obvious. What they did amounts to stealing. No doubt about this.
Now we are seeing the same logic applied to Ukraine. Take Scythian Gold, for one. This is the same thing. Or take cultural or religious treasures that are being or have been taken out of Ukraine’s Orthodox churches and museums. This is the same thing. Unfortunately, this colonial theft of valuables continues.
Question: I would like to clear up one issue. To my knowledge, Russia recognises Tel Aviv as Israel’s capital. But recently, I have heard Russian diplomats talking about West Jerusalem. Is this a personal initiative by certain people or is there a political-diplomatic nuance in this?
Maria Zakharova: I believe this is linked with a two-state solution of this complicated long-time conflict. When discussing this solution, we say that East Jerusalem should be the Palestinian capital. Thus, we talk about West Jerusalem in the same context.
Question: My question is about our western neighbour that calls Russia its eastern neighbour. Yesterday, the Finnish government made yet another decision in this area – this time to close the Raja-Jooseppi border checkpoint overnight, between Wednesday and Thursday (tonight). This means that all border checkpoints on the ground between Finland and Russia will be closed, they say, through December 13. I don’t know what day this is. In this context, I’d like to quote Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. This is what he said after the decision was adopted: “Russia is enabling the instrumentalisation of people and guiding them to the Finnish border in harsh winter conditions. Finland is determined to put an end to this phenomenon.”
One more quote, this time by Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen, explaining the government’s decision to close the entire eastern border for two weeks. She said: “Finland is the target of a Russian hybrid operation. This is a matter of national security."
I would like to note that Helsinki is enacting these restrictions against the backdrop of preparations for signing a Finnish-US agreement on military cooperation, which provides, in part, for the deployment of US military bases on Finnish territory. Is there feedback from Helsinki on these border issues? What response is expected from Moscow?
Maria Zakharova: I will tell you how things are in reality. There are, indeed, many statements.
Today, on November 29, we officially received a note from the Embassy of Finland in Moscow, informing us of the decision of the Finnish authorities to close the northernmost checkpoint, Raja-Jooseppi, on November 30 of this year. Thus, all checkpoints on the Russian-Finnish border will be closed. They also noted that these restrictions would be enforced until December 14. These are the facts.
Now our assessment. We have already provided our thoughts on this, but these are dividing lines, one more strange action that is linked with some alleged hybrid action by our country for some reason. If this is how they look at it, they should refer to their own commitments as hybrid activity, commitments on treating people who are seeking protection, shelter on Finnish territory and are appealing to Finland in a difficult humanitarian situation. This should also be described as “hybrid” activity. At first, they adopt these documents and laws (they did adopt them for some reason, didn’t they?) Did they make these commitments? Did they support this at international venues? They expressed this for the whole world to hear and inspired confidence in people that Finland would act as it had promised.
Many countries do not pursue policies like this, but this is Finland’s official policy, which is supported in the public space. This state was always proud of their policy on this and portrayed itself as a model for others to follow. Its officials were telling everyone what kind of country Finland is. Many people heard them, especially considering what is now happening in North Africa and the Middle East. But this was caused by the actions of the new Finnish bosses in NATO. People are seeking a better life and sometimes they are seeking simply safe life. They want to escape and look for places they can go. They read the related Finnish laws and go there. What does this have to do with some Russian hybrid attack or war? What are they talking about?
If some people in Finland want to find out what a hybrid war is, it is NATO’s decisions to coordinate EU arms supplies to the Kiev regime. These arms are used to kill Russian citizens and destroy civilian facilities. This is what a hybrid war is. You can add to that the information war, cyber-attacks against people and civilian infrastructure, political pressure and trade wars. This is a hybrid war if anyone in Finland doesn’t know.
People – refugees or those in search of a better life or survival – are going there. This is not a hybrid war. This is what Finland tells the entire world. This is how it positions itself. Now we see they cannot take responsibility for their words, so they try to lay the blame at the wrong door, accusing others that are not involved in this problem and have nothing to do with it.
Question: Here are some quotes from people in Finland. They do not rule out the possibility that, among other goals, the people behind closing the border aim to lay their hands on the property owned by Russian citizens who are currently unable to come to Finland and take care of it. Do you think that may be the case?
Maria Zakharova: I believe it is. A number of experts and people with connections to the Finnish government are saying so openly. This is not something I assume, but a statement of the position existing in Finland.
Question: After we formulated the question concerning the OSCE, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented on Russia’s agenda at the ministerial meeting, and his deputy Sergey Ryabkov said there would be no meetings between Lavrov and Blinken at this forum. You answered our question before we could ask it saying that you would share details about Russia’s participation soon. On November 27, during the Primakov Readings, Sergey Lavrov said there were requests from the West for a meeting with him on the sidelines of the OSCE ministerial meeting. Can you share with us who these meetings are planned with?
Maria Zakharova: Let's wait a bit. We will tell you everything about the preparations and who tried to do what and how in order to prevent our delegation from participating in the OSCE ministerial meeting. We will provide details about Foreign Minister Lavrov’s schedule in Skopje.
I can confirm numerous requests for bilateral meetings coming to us. There will be multilateral and bilateral meetings. We should be “grateful” for that state of affairs to the Western clique that is making it impossible to do one’s job, and that applies to journalists. I put “grateful” in quotes because it's embarrassing to see them act in such a petty and dirty manner.
Question: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock spoke at the NATO ministerial meeting in Berlin during your briefing and called on the alliance to create some kind of a “winter shield” over Ukraine (whatever that means) to protect Ukraine against “Russia's strikes on civil infrastructure.” What could be the impact on Russia of such an idea from NATO countries if implemented? What would the reaction be?
Maria Zakharova: I’m not someone who gets easily baffled. The “quality” of the quote makes it a little easier.
I wonder if there should be a “winter shield,” according to Ms Baerbock, does that mean there should also be “summer chain mail,” “autumn armour,” or a “spring chastity belt?” What's next? I can't really make out what she's talking about. I hope she sticks to her positions and will not do an about-face. There's nothing else I can say about it.
Question: There have been no details about what she meant, that’s why I asked you.
Maria Zakharova: “Winter shield” and no other apparel sounds like someone is going to get really cold. I'm trying to make sense of what she's talking about.
Question: The first China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) is taking place in Beijing from November 28 to December 2 at the national level, with the participation of over 500 companies and institutions from China and other countries. What do you think about the current situation in the global supply chain and the importance of holding such an exhibition in the context of the current attempts to exert pressure and to slow down global economic growth? In your opinion, what opportunities do this exhibition and the overall growth of China's economy open to the world?
Maria Zakharova: As you may be aware, Russia and China enjoy strong trade and economic ties. For many years, our countries have been the most important trading partners for one another, and bilateral trade has noticeably grown in recent years. We welcome the participation of business leaders in forums and exhibitions held in Russia and China, and consider these venues important platforms for promoting business contacts.
This year has already seen a number of events that were significant for the entrepreneurs in our countries. In May, the Russia-China Business Forum was successfully held in Shanghai. It was attended by Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin. In July, the 7th Russia-China EXPO was held in Yekaterinburg, and a representative delegation from China participated in the Eastern Economic Forum. Russia had a booth at the 6th China International Import Expo in Shanghai in November.
Without a doubt, events like China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) play a crucial role in strengthening international economic cooperation and ensuring the stability of value chains. This is extremely relevant in the face of ongoing global transformations, turbulence, changes, etc.
Russia and China are actively working in this area in order to contribute to the sustainable and progressive growth of the global economy as a whole. I’m talking about our joint efforts.
Question: President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky said the West would supply Ukraine with warships to protect grain carriers. How will this affect the situation in the Black Sea in your opinion?
Maria Zakharova: This issue is sooner within the competence of the Defence Ministry of the Russian Federation. I would advise you to ask them for additional information.
In general, Zelensky’s statement shows that the NATO countries will not stop for a minute in militarising the Kiev regime. They use any excuse for this.
It is also important to understand that the declared goal of protecting grain carriers by warships is an obvious cover-up for potential military adventures by the Kiev regime and its Western curators in the Black Sea. We have not forgotten how the Ukrainian neo-Nazis used humanitarian corridors designed for the transfer of food as part of the Black Sea Initiative, in order to strike at Crimea and its residents. We remember these actions, and we qualified them as acts of terrorism. We said that the Brits, in part, stood behind them.
There is no doubt that Kiev and the West are hiding behind their declared good intentions to purposefully try to further destabilise the situation in the Black Sea in an effort to escalate the crisis.
If their plans materialise, the Russian military command will thoroughly analyse the new situation in planning its operations in the Black Sea. However, I’d like to repeat that the details will be provided by the Defence Ministry of Russia.
Question: Is Russia taking any steps to help the Israeli-Palestinian humanitarian pause last longer?
Maria Zakharova: Of course, we maintain contact with the countries in the region. We are dealing with both states and any political forces that can influence the situation. We have been doing this since day one. Why? It’s obvious. We have talked about this more than once. Our goals are clear – de-escalate the tensions, a ceasefire, humanitarian pauses, resolution of urgent humanitarian problems, and the future of hostages and all those who are blocked and must be evacuated.
I would like to say a few words about our political work at international venues. We have spoken at the Security Council, the General Assembly and other UN agencies from the same position since the start. Unfortunately, the United States, Britain and their satellites have blocked everything associated with a humanitarian pause, a ceasefire and de-escalation.
Our position prevailed. The global majority acted in solidarity with us. Now we are seeing the results. This is the first positive news that we are hearing from this region in a bit less than two months: the unblocking of the hostage problem, the humanitarian pause, and food and medication shipments. God willing, this will not be ruined and everything will be done. We are hoping for this and doing all we can for this purpose.
Question: In committing war crimes, the US and its allies hope that they will be forgotten with time. If these crimes are not investigated, they will be called historical events in 10 or 20 years and nobody will be held responsible for them. Is this hope realistic, and will they manage to evade responsibility in 20 or 30 years?
Maria Zakharova: This is a big question for discussion, considering nobody has borne any responsibility for many of the wars that were unleashed by the US and its coalitions. This includes Iraq: millions of dead. Nobody can calculate how many. They were civilians. There was no compensation, no legal case, no criminal prosecution – nothing at all. I cited just one tragedy from the recent past. It is difficult to answer your question. It also depends on the active position of the world, global civic society.
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