British and French Ambassadors to Moscow Nigel Casey and Nicolas de Riviere were summoned to Russia’s Foreign Ministry over the Ukrainian army’s strikes by French-British missiles on Bryansk.
The diplomats were told about their countries’ complicity in this terrorist attack, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The statement read: ‘On 13th March, Ambassador of Great Britain to Moscow Casey and Ambassador of France to Moscow de Riviere were summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry where they were issued a resolute protest over a March 10th strike that the Ukrainian army delivered on Bryansk by cruise missiles produced by the joint French-British consortium MBDA.
‘It was pointed out during the demarche that Britain and France were directly involved in this terrorist act, which killed seven and wounded more than 40 people.
‘It is obvious for us that the missile attack on Bryansk would have been impossible without the involvement of British and French specialists in its planning, and also without the transfer of reconnaissance data to the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev.
‘In case of further involvement of London and Paris in the Kiev regime’s war crimes, precisely these European countries will bear responsibility for the destructive consequences of the armed conflict and the escalation of tension.
‘It was also stated that Moscow views the missile attack on Bryansk as a deliberate provocation aimed at disrupting the intensified efforts for the peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis.
In addition, the Russian side demanded that Great Britain and France give an explicit public reaction that resolutely and clearly condemns the Ukrainian army’s terrorist attack in Bryansk, the ministry said.
‘Its absence will mean solidarising with terrorist methods, which is disgraceful for the countries that are permanent members of the UN Security Council.
- Ukraine has launched an artillery bombardment on Energodar, the satellite city of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, said its mayor Maxim Pukhov.
Pukhov wrote on social media: ‘It’s urgent. The shelling. Dangerous areas of the city: Pridneprovskaya Street, embankment, the Stela district.
‘We are strongly asking you to refrain from visiting these areas.’
He also urged residents to refrain from staying in open spaces and follow the ‘two walls’ rule indoors.
Pukhov added: ‘Ukrainian militants deliberately carried out a strike using fixed-wing UAVs on a stationary medical facility in the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
‘As a result, 10 medical workers were killed, and 10 people, including nine medical workers, sustained injuries of varying severity.
‘All victims are receiving necessary medical care.’
Russian troops liberated two communities in the Sumy Region and the Donetsk People’s Republic over the week of March 7th-13th in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defence Ministry reported on Friday.
‘During the week, Battlegroup North units gained control of the settlement of Chervonaya Zarya in the Sumy Region through decisive operations.
Battlegroup South units liberated the settlement of Golubovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic through active offensive operations,’ the ministry said in a statement.
Russian forces delivered seven strikes by precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles on fuel and energy, transport and aerodrome infrastructure used to support the Ukrainian army’s operations over the past week, the ministry reported.
The ministry said: ‘On March 7th-13th, in response to Ukraine’s terrorist attacks on civilian facilities on Russian territory, the Russian Armed Forces delivered one massive and six combined strikes, hitting enterprises of Ukraine’s military-industrial sector, fuel and energy, transport and aerodrome infrastructure used to support the Ukrainian army’s operations.
‘Sites for the production and storage of long-range attack unmanned aerial vehicles were struck.
‘Ukraine continues to develop its chemical weapons programme, particularly with assistance from foreign countries,’ Vladimir Tarabrin, Russia’s permanent representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), pointed out at the 111th session of the OPCW Executive Council.
He further revealed that Russia possesses intelligence indicating Ukrainian armed forces’ plans to stage provocations involving chemical weapons, with the intention of falsely implicating Russian forces.
Tarabrin said: ‘Russian troops have discovered abandoned laboratories at the positions that the Ukrainian armed forces left, where toxic chemicals were produced in a semi-artisanal way in order to be used against civilians and Russian service members.
‘Russia has repeatedly presented evidence of Ukrainian troops delivering attacks on chemical facilities, planting mines and blowing up tanks or cisterns containing toxic chemicals.
‘These resulted in the emission of substances posing a threat of chemical contamination.
‘Several of these accidents actually harmed people and animals affected by poisonous clouds.
‘Russia will continue gathering proof of Kiev’s breach of its international commitments in the sphere of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, in particular, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and sharing the relevant data with the OPCW Technical Secretariat and the states – parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention.’
- Russia could achieve digital sovereignty and build an internet capable of operating independently from the global network by 2028, according to a forecast by the Russian Association for Electronic Communications (RAEC).
The forecast suggests that by the end of the decade the Russian segment of the internet – commonly known as the Runet – may function even without access to foreign infrastructure, while domestic technologies replace key foreign platforms.
According to RAEC, Russia could reach full digital sovereignty by 2028 and approach almost complete technological independence in key sectors by 2030.
The organisation believes the future Russian internet may resemble the model developed in China, where the state regulates information flows and domestic technology companies dominate the digital ecosystem.
Meanwhile, the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko issued a stern warning to Ukraine and NATO, urging them to refrain from interfering in Belarusian affairs, lest Minsk be compelled to use the Oreshnik missile system.
He also said that earlier this week, a Ukrainian drone crashed in Belarus, injuring a woman.
Lukashenko stated: ‘I’m not suggesting that tomorrow we will launch the Oreshnik missile at Vilnius, Warsaw, or Kiev – God forbid. That is not our intention. Our primary goal is to safeguard our country.
‘To prevent the use of the Oreshnik missile system, please do not interfere with us – whether from Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, or Latvia. Let us resolve these issues peacefully.
‘I’m not threatening anyone. I don’t want Western politicians and media to seize upon this and interpret it as aggression.
‘Do you truly believe that if Belarusian facilities become legitimate targets, I would simply remain passive?
‘I have the capability to reach targets up to 70 kilometres (43.5 miles) or even 200km away (124.3 miles).
‘We possess the means to do so. Therefore, I advise them to keep their words in check and stay silent.
‘Belarus has purchased an Oreshnik missile system from Russia: Thanks to Russian President Vladimir Putin – he lent a hand personally.
‘I asked him, and he did it. And we paid for it. Thank you! We have bought this weapon.’
