NATO envoy: Russia won't passively watch US military build-up in Europe

"Certainly, we’ll respond totally asymmetrically," Russia’s Permanent Representative to NATO Alexander Grushko says.

MOSCOW, March 30. /TASS/. Russia will not passively watch the US military build-up in Europe and will give an asymmetrical response to it, Russia’s Permanent Representative to NATO Alexander Grushko said on the Rossiya 24 TV channel on Wednesday.

"We see that the United States continues to reinforce its military presence in Europe," Grushko said. "However, the situation in the sphere of security forces NATO to look to the south as it is there the real threat is being formed, so I expect that the measures for reinforcing the Alliance’s southern frontiers will be announced in Warsaw [at the NATO summit]."

"We are not passive observers, we consistently take all the military measures we consider necessary in order to counterbalance this reinforced presence that is not justified by anything," the official said. "Certainly, we’ll respond totally asymmetrically."

According to Grushko, the NATO summit in Warsaw will apparently continue its course towards strengthening the military bloc’s "eastern flank" in Europe.

"There are grounds to assume that [NATO] will continue a course, which was generally outlined at the Wales summit. It provides for considerably strengthening NATO’s ‘eastern flank’ alongside with maintaining the channels of conducting a dialogue with Russia on questions of mutual interest," Grushko said.

Admission of Ukraine and Georgia to NATO will place Europe on the verge of a large-scale crisis, Russia’s Permanent Representative to NATO added.

"One can’t imagine the situation when those countries [Ukraine and Georgia] keep cherishing the hope to join NATO and the alliance really plans to admit them, as this would explode the situation and put Europe on the brink of a crisis, whose size and scale can’t be imagined today," Grushko said.

In his words, NATO’s forthcoming summit may make further steps to reform Ukraine’s army and law enforcemen.

"The [forthcoming] NATO summit may pass a decision to create new trust funds to support the reform of the army and law enforcement in Ukraine in addition to the six funds that already function. However, I do not expect any qualitative steps in this direction," the Russian diplomat added.

US may shortly specify parameters of military presence in Europe

Within the next few days, the United States may specify parameters of its military presence in Europe, Russia’s NATO ambassador told Rossiya 24 television on Wednesday.

"We see that the plan to increase readiness approved at the NATO summit in Wales is being consistently implemented, new and new measures aimed at ‘calming down’ US allies in Eastern Europe are announced," Alexander Grushko said.

"Within the next few days, this will possibly be done during a visit of [NATO Secretary General Jens] Stoltenberg [to the US on April 4], it is expected that the US may specify parameters of increased military presence in Europe," he said.

"As of the present day, assessing as a whole what that the US and NATO are doing, the point at issue is a substantial change for the worse in the security situation," he said.

"There are grounds to assume that [NATO] will continue a course, which was generally outlined at the Wales summit. It provides for considerably strengthening NATO’s ‘eastern flank’ alongside with maintaining the channels of conducting a dialogue with Russia on questions of mutual interest," Grushko said.

 

No technological barriers to resuming Russia-NATO cooperation

In Grushko's words, NATO should give up its policy of confrontation if it wants the Russia-NATO cooperation to resume.

"There are no technological barriers to this cooperation. We hope that sooner or later all the ties, which we used to have and which used to be effective, will be re-established and our cooperation will continue," Grushko said.

"Cooperation will be possible only when NATO countries start realizing that the policy of confrontation contradicts their own national interests," he added.

 

No reconnaissance flights over Russia

Russia’s Permanent Representative to NATO Alexander Grushko has described a US general’s remarks about the need to resume reconnaissance flights in Europe as a new propaganda trick.

"Reconnaissance aircraft will not fly over Russia. It seems to me that these [statements on resumption of flights by US reconnaissance planes - TASS] are nothing more than another propaganda trick," Grushko told the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Wednesday commenting on the words of US General Philip Breedlove, Allied Commander Europe, about the need to renew reconnaissance flights.
 
Source: ITAR-TASS 31-03-2016

Source says two Donbass militia fighters were killed by sniper fire last night

"At night, as a result of a sniper fire, two militiamen, born in 1997 and 1980, died," a local news agency quoted the source as saying.

MOSCOW, March 30. /TASS/. Two militiamen from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) were killed in the shelling in Donetsk’s Petrovsky district, a source in DPR law enforcement agencies said on Wednesday.

"At night, as a result of a sniper fire, two militiamen, born in 1997 and 1980, died," Donetsk News Agency quoted the source as saying.

The DPR defense ministry said earlier today that Kiev forces shelled the outskirts of Donetsk and Gorlovka, Yasinovataya and Sakhanka village in DPR’s south at night. Ukrainian forces used artillery of 152mm caliber, mortars of 82mm and 120mm caliber and infantry fighting vehicles.

Source: ITAR-TASS 30-03-2016

ICIJ declines to give details of planned publications targeting Putin

Earlier on Monday, the Kremlin spokesman told reporters that a number of mass media were preparing an outspoken pre-planned media attack against Putin and his entourage.

WASHINGTON, March 28. /TASS/. The Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has refused to disclose the subject matter of publications concerning Russian President Vladimir Putin before they are published.

ICIJ Director Gerard Ryle made no comment to TASS on a statement by Russian president’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov who said it was an "outspokenly masterminded campaign".

"Yes, we are the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, and we have requested comments from the Russian authorities as part of the ongoing investigation. We will publish shortly," he said.

"I can't say any more than that, I'm sorry," Gerard Ryle said in reply to the request to specify information as to where and when publications were to appear.

Earlier on Monday, the Kremlin spokesman told reporters that a number of mass media were preparing an outspoken pre-planned media attack against Putin and his entourage.

He warned that the forthcoming publications would concern Putin personally, attempts to reach information about his family and also Putin’s old-time friends, including some businessmen, among them Kovalchuk, Rottenberg and others. Also, the publications would concern certain offshore companies and "a large number of businessmen Putin has never seen in his life."

"Another media falsehood disguised as a sample of objectivity is due within days. We have received some very honey-worded queries looking like a questionnaire from an organization calling itself International Consortium of Investigative Journalists," Peskov said. He said that publications on the basis of that query were being prepared within days in Germany, the United States, Britain, France, Switzerland and Russia.

"We believe that this is an outspokenly masterminded campaign," Peskov said, adding that the organization he mentioned might involve not only journalists, but representatives of special services and organizations.

About the query from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Peskov said that its documents contained questions that "have been asked hundreds of times and answered hundreds of times." "The answers were legal, emotional and fact-stating."

He pointed out that Kremlin had decided to express its attitude to this at its own initiative in advance. He voiced the hope that journalists who put their names to such propaganda stuff would seek higher professional standards after all.

 
Source: ITAR-TASS 29-03-2016

Donbass militia report no injuries in night shelling of Lugansk republic

Kiev forces reportedly used anti-tank missile systems, automatic grenade launchers and infantry fighting vehicles.

MOSCOW, March 28. /TASS/. Kiev forces have shelled the territory of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) three times over the last 24 hours, LPR people’s militia said on Monday.

LPR people’s militia told Lugansk Inform Center that Kiev forces opened fire from the village of Luganskoye at the settlement of Logvinovo. Kiev forces used anti-tank missile systems, automatic grenade launchers and infantry fighting vehicles. Kiev forces also shelled the village of Kalinovo from the settlement of Troitskoye using mortars of 120mm caliber.

"No one was injured," LPR people’s militia noted.

At the meeting of the Contact Group at the start of January the sides supported the initiative of Russia’s envoy Boris Gryzlov on ensuring complete ceasefire on the territory of Donbass. This is the seventh attempt to fully observe the ceasefire regime in Ukraine’s south-east. At the recent meeting of the Contact Group in Minsk the participants expressed regret over continuing violations of ceasefire regime in Donbass.

Source: ITAR-TASS 28-03-2016

Syrian troops liberate Palmyra

The Syrian troops liquidated on Saturday the terrorists’ stronghold in Al-Amiria, the northern district of Palmyra.

BEIRUT, March 27. /TASS. The Syrian government troops and people’s militia fighters have fully liberated the ancient town of Palmyra located 215 km (133.5 miles) from Damascus, the Syrian Army’s command said in a statement on Sunday.

"Our troops have established full control of the town and are chasing the remainder of the retreating gangs of Islamic State terrorists," the statement said.

The Syrian troops liquidated on Saturday the terrorists’ stronghold in Al-Amiria, the northern district of Palmyra. 

The militants were pushed back from the barracks in the districts of al-Mutaqaidin and Jamiyat. The Syrian government troops also captured the local dominating height to control the road to the north to the towns of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa on the Euphrates.

SANA news agency earlier reported that militants had destroyed the ancient fortress of Emir Fakhr-al-Din on the entrance to Palmyra from the side of Homs. In less than a year of IS control, militants destroyed the famous Arch of Triumph, Temple of Baalshamin and Temple of Ba’al. They also looted the Palmyra Museum and Necropolis.

Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site, was captured by the Islamic State terrorist group at the beginning of last summer. The Syrian authorities said at that time that the unique historical site could share the sad fate of the Iraqi cities of Ashur, Nimrud and Hatra (al-Hadr) destroyed by militants.

The Islamic State terrorist group seized Palmyra early in the summer of 2015. The Syrian authorities warned at that time that the unique historical complex could repeat the sad fate of the ancient Iraqi cities of Ashur and Nimrud, which had been fully ruined and eliminated by militants.

Most Palmyra residents left the city last May together with the Syrian government troops. Now there are from 15,000 to 20,000 people there.

 

Source: ITAR-TASS 27-03-2016