RUSSIA will circumvent the European Union’s sanctions, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
Peskov stated: ‘As far as Russian diamonds are concerned, it was projected, Russia prepared for that.
He told reporters: ‘Options exist and they will be implemented’.
‘Absolutely,’ he said when asked whether Moscow has options to circumvent sanctions on diamonds and they will be implemented.
‘In any case it will be done so that Russia’s interests are protected and ensured.’
Peskov said that he sees no major threat from freezing of Russian defence enterprises’ assets, which is part of the 12th package of EU sanctions as well.
‘The freezing of assets for defence entities is no major threat as there aren’t any assets there that may be frozen by the EU, of course,’ he said.
Peskov noted: ‘The most remarkable thing in the 12th package of EU sanctions against Russia, is the introduction of sanctions against the Russian Society Znanie Knowledge in my viewpoint.
‘This is the most eloquent testimony of the sanctions frenzy.
‘Overall, the 12th package demonstrates that the resource of areas where sanctions may be imposed is being depleted,’ he concluded.
On Monday, the European Union (EU) approved the 12th package of sanctions against Russia over the military operation in Ukraine.
The new restrictions were introduced against 61 people and 86 companies and organisations. In particular, supplies of gem diamonds from Russia to the EU were banned.
Meanwhile, The Russian armed forces destroyed a Ukrainian ammo depot and a Pelikan radar and shot down six Ukrainian drones in the past day, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement.
The Russian military also repelled three attacks by Ukrainian assault teams near Maryinka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), eight Ukrainian attacks near Kupyansk.
The Russian forces repelled three attacks by Ukrainian assault teams near Maryinka in the DPR in the past day, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement.
‘In the Donetsk area, units of Battlegroup South, acting in coordination with aircraft and artillery forces, repelled three attacks by assault teams of the 79th Air Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces near the city of Maryinka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, and hit troops and equipment of the 28th, 42nd and 93rd mechanised brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces near Kurdyumovka, Andreyevka and Kleshcheyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
The statement reads: ‘The enemy lost up to 180 troops, three armoured personnel carriers and four motor vehicles’.
The ministry added that a US-made M777 artillery system, an Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, a Msta-BG howitzer, two D-20 systems, two Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems and a D-30 howitzer had been hit by counter-battery fire in the previous 24 hours.
The Russian forces also repelled a Ukrainian attack and inflicted a fire defeat on a Ukrainian brigade near Novomikhailovka in the DPR.
‘In the south Donetsk area, units of Battlegroup East, acting in coordination with aircraft and artillery forces, repelled a Ukrainian attack and inflicted a fire defeat on units of the 79th Air Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces near the Novomikhailovka settlement in the Donetsk People’s Republic.’
The ministry pointed out that the enemy had lost up to 100 troops, three armoured combat vehicles, two motor vehicles, a Msta-S howitzer and a D-20 system.
Russian Defence Ministry continued: ‘Russia’s western battlegroup repelled eight Ukrainian attacks near Kupyansk over the past 24 hours.
The statement said: ‘In the Kupyansk area, units of the western group of forces, supported by artillery fire, repelled eight attacks by Ukraine’s 14th and 60th mechanised brigades and hit units of the 115th mechanised brigades near Sinkovka, the Kharkov Region.
‘The Ukrainian army’s losses amounted to up to 60 servicemen, one tank, three armoured combat vehicles, two vehicles, an Akatsiya self-propelled artillery piece and a Msta-B howitzer.’
The Ukrainian armed forces have lost up to 75 servicemen, a Msta-B howitzer and two Hyacinth-B guns in the Kherson area over the past day, the Russian Defence Ministry reported.
‘In the Kherson area, the Russian forces struck up to 75 enemy servicemen, three vehicles, a Msta-B howitzer and two Hyacinth-B guns,’ the ministry said.
The Russian air defences shot down six Ukrainian drones in the past day, the Russian Defence Ministry said.
‘Air defences shot down six Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near Korsunka, Radensk and Novaya Mayachka in the Kherson Region and Nesteryanka in the Zaporozhye Region,’ the statement reads.
The Ukrainian armed forces have lost up to 80 servicemen in the Zaporozhye area over the past day, the ministry added.
The Depatment of Defence said: ‘In the Zaporozhye area, the Russian forces repelled an attack by assault groups of the 14th Ukrainian National Guard brigade and inflicted a fire defeat on the manpower of the 117th and 118th Ukrainian mechanised brigades near the Rabotino settlement of the Zaporozhye Region. Ukraine lost up to 80 servicemen and two vehicles.
The Russian forces repelled five Ukrainian attacks near Petrovskoye and Chervonaya Dibrova in the Krasny Liman area.
The statement continued: ‘In the Krasny Liman area, units of Russia’s Battlegroup Centre repelled five attacks by assault teams of Ukraine’s 24th and 116th mechanised brigades near Petrovskoye and Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic, using artillery fire,’ the ministry said.
According to it, the enemy’s total losses amounted to roughly ‘185 troops, two infantry fighting vehicles and three cars.’
Russian operational/tactical aircraft and drones as well as missile and artillery crews destroyed a Ukrainian ammo depot and a Pelikan radar, the Russian Defence Ministry said.
The ammunition depot belonged to Ukraine’s 115th Mechanised Brigade, the ministry added, specifying that enemy manpower and military equipment were also struck in 112 areas.
Elsewhere, Russia’s Permenant envoy to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya said Russia believes there is no alternative to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program and believes that restarting the deal is necessary for international security.
Speaking at UN Security Council meeting he added: ‘The Russian Federation is convinced that there is no alternative to the JCPOA.
‘An early restart of the plan is the only way that meets the interests of regional and international security.
‘We hope that the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who calls the plan the best possible way to ensure the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program, will not allow, to put it mildly, controversial elements in his reports that jeopardise the already fragile prospects for the full restoration of the Vienna agreements.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council, as well as Germany, signed the JCPOA with Iran in 2015, with the goal of resolving the situation around Tehran’s nuclear developments.
Former US President Donald Trump opted to withdraw from this pact in 2018. Joe Biden, the current president of the United States, has often stated his willingness to return Washington to the nuclear accord.
However, talks to fully restore the JCPOA fell through. In a confidential meeting with Democratic voters last November, Biden said that the Iran nuclear deal was virtually dead, although Washington, he said, had no intention of publicly stating that view.