MTQ News

  Politico: Biden suggests Putin has ‘fired’ or put his advisers ‘under house arrest’   The president was asked about how misinformed the Russian leader really is about his military’s performance in Ukraine.   President Joe Biden on Thursday offered a notable assessment of the state of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle of advisers, suggesting the Russian leader has “fired or put under house arrest” some of his confidants.  Biden, after speaking about his moves to lower U.S. energy prices, was asked about how misinformed the Russian leader really is about his military’s performance in Ukraine.  The president added that what he was about to say was not with absolute “certainty.”   Read more ....   WNU Editor: Russian President Putin's inner circle is still there. I see no evidence that they have been fired or put under "house arrest".  President Biden Suggests Putin Has ‘Fired’ Or Put His Advisers ‘Under House Arrest’   Biden Floats...

Credit: Daniel Wood and Nick Underwood/NPR   RFE: South Ossetian Leader Says Breakaway Georgian Region Seeks Vote To Join Russia   TBILISI -- The leader of Georgia's Moscow-backed separatist region of South Ossetia, Anatoly Bibilov, says the de facto independent territory is looking to hold a referendum on joining Russia, a move Tbilisi called "unacceptable."  Bibilov said in an interview with Russian state television on March 31 that South Ossetia was holding "consultations" with Russia on holding a referendum on becoming part of Russia.  "I believe that the unification with Russia is our strategic goal. It is our path. And the South Ossetia will move on that path," Bibilov said.  South Ossetia, along with Abkhazia, are Russian-backed separatist regions that have declared independence from Georgia.   Read more ....  WNU Editor : The Kremlin is cool to the idea .... Kremlin Plays Down South Ossetia Leader's Call to Join Russia (Moscow Ti...

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. Kremlin Pool Photo via AP   The Hill: Kremlin rejects US claims that Putin is being misled about Russia’s military failures   Russia on Thursday rejected claims by U.S. intelligence that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misled about Russia’s military failures in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a press briefing on Thursday that “It turns out that neither the State Department nor the Pentagon have real information about what is happening in the Kremlin,” The New York Times reported.  “They do not understand President Putin, they do not understand the decision-making mechanism and they do not understand the efforts of our work,” Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta quoted Peskov as saying.  He added that the Kremlin was concerned about this “complete misunderstanding.”   Read more ....   Update #1: Kremlin denies claim...

  Daily Mail : Biden blames COVID AND Putin for soaring gas prices, admits it's 'hard to tell' when they will go down and says Americans will save $80 a month if they buy an electric car as he unveils plan to reduce pain at the pumps   * President Biden announced the release of 180 million barrels of oil over six month from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve later on Thursday  * He said record high gas prices had two roots: the pandemic and Putin's war  * He will also ask Congress to impose fees on oil and gas companies that lease federal land but are not using permits to produce energy  * And he will use the Defense Production Act to accelerate switch to electric cars  * The White House has been desperately looking at ways to lower fuel prices  * Oil prices have surged since President Putin invaded Ukraine  * At the start of the year the price of a gallon was about about $3.30, while today it is averaging about $4.22  * It would be th...

Washington Post: Despite Western sanctions, Russian ruble and banks are recovering   Russia's ruble and banking system are showing continued signs of recovery from the initial punch of sanctions, as Moscow relies on energy exports and currency controls to partly protect the nation's economy.  After initially plummeting, the ruble has rebounded and is edging closer to the value it held before the war began, according to the official exchange rate. And the banking system is gradually stabilizing as panicked customer withdrawals subside, economists say. Some of the recovery is artificial, made possible by strict limits that the central bank, the Bank of Russia, has placed on currency exchange, withdrawals and hard-currency transfers overseas. But it is also due to a very real factor still working in Russia's favor: strong oil and gas exports that bring a flood of hard currency into the country.   Read more ....   WNU Editor: So much for President Biden's remarks...

  Daily Mail: Putin threatens to turn off Europe's gas supplies TOMORROW if countries refuse to pay in roubles, saying 'We get nothing free of charge and we are not going to engage in charity either'   * Russia's Putin today threatened to close down European gas from tomorrow is states refuse to pay in roubles  * He said foreign buyers will have to 'open rouble accounts in Russian banks' which can be used to pay for gas * According to Gazprom, 58 per cent of its sales of natural gas to Europe as of January 27 were settled in euros  * German Economy Minister Robert Habeck today rejected the demand, saying that it amounted to 'blackmail'  * Spokesperson for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said companies are not planning to buy Russian gas in roubles  * Putin announced on March 23 that 'unfriendly' states would have to pay in roubles in retaliation for sanctions  Vladimir Putin today threatened to turn off Europe's gas supplies from tomo...

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The Turkish company FNSS promotes its PARS family of wheeled armored vehicles and showcases its PARS 4x4 armed with an anti-tank turret and the PARS III 6x6 in APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) variant at DSA 2022, Defense and Security exhibition in Malaysia. Full Video at this link ... FNSS displays PARS 4x4 anti-tank and PARS III 6x6 APC at DSA 2022 Full Video Here from World Defence News https://ift.tt/wgBO9jG via IFTTT

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (center) walks around what the country says is a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile   Daily Mail: North Korea FAKED launch of its 'monster missile' - backed with ridiculed slow-mo footage of Kim Jong Un - after humiliating earlier test saw Hwasong-17 explode near Pyongyang   * The 'monster missile' which Kim posed with is actually an old weapon from 2017  * South Korea and the Pentagon spotted 'discrepancies in North Korea's account'  * Faked Top Gun-lite clip was attempt to cover up failed launch over Pyongyang  * Costly debacle, which saw debris rain down on capital, ignored by state media  * 'Pyongyang residents must have been shocked' and Kim humiliated: Seoul MP  Kim Jong Un faked the 'monster missile' launch from his Top Gun-inspired propaganda clip, according South Korea and the US. North Korea claimed last week it had successfully test-fired a Hwasong-17 missile, a long-range ballist...

Hieu Le, who served with the US military in Afghanistan, said his combat experience did not prepare him for the horrors of the front line in Ukraine. Photo: Hieu Le   VICE: ‘I Don’t Want to Be Cannon Fodder’: Foreign Fighters Are Leaving Ukraine   A would-be fighter tells VICE World News that concerns over a lack of firepower, war tourists, and potentially being executed by the Russians have put him off joining Ukraine's foreign legion.  When Phil, a 35-year-old former officer in the British Army, heard Ukraine’s call for foreign fighters to help defend the country from the Russian invasion, he felt he had to join the fight.  But after a fact-finding trip into Ukraine to get a better handle on the situation, he’s had second thoughts. “There’s no point wasting my life for nothing,” he told VICE World News.  “If I think I can go and support in a way that’s going to contribute to the security of Ukraine and the safety of Europe, then I will. But I don’t want...

© Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS   New York Times : What if Putin Didn’t Miscalculate?   The conventional wisdom is that Vladimir Putin catastrophically miscalculated.  He thought Russian-speaking Ukrainians would welcome his troops. They didn’t. He thought he’d swiftly depose Volodymyr Zelensky’s government. He hasn’t. He thought he’d divide NATO. He’s united it. He thought he had sanction-proofed his economy. He’s wrecked it. He thought the Chinese would help him out. They’re hedging their bets. He thought his modernized military would make mincemeat of Ukrainian forces. The Ukrainians are making mincemeat of his, at least on some fronts.   Read more ....   WNU Editor : What if the conventional wisdom is wrong? What if the West is only playing into Putin’s hands once again?  I do not know the answer.  But I do know that a lot of things happen in war, and it is too soon to judge if Putin is playing a wi...

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.   New York Times: U.S. intelligence suggests that Putin’s advisers misinformed him on Ukraine.   WASHINGTON — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has been misinformed by his advisers about the Russian military’s struggles in Ukraine, according to declassified U.S. intelligence.  The intelligence, according to multiple U.S. officials, shows what appears to be growing tension between Mr. Putin and the Ministry of Defense, including with the Russian defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, who was once among the most trusted members of the Kremlin’s inner circle.  Speaking in Algiers, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken acknowledged Mr. Putin had been given less than truthful information from his advisers. “With regard to President Putin, look, what I can tell you is this, and I said this before, one of the Achilles' heels of autocracies is that you don’t have people in those systems who speak ...

RT: Russia's Putin and Germany's Scholz talk gas for rubles   Vladimir Putin assured his German counterpart that gas contracts wouldn’t be affected by the switch to Russian currency Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke by phone on Wednesday to discuss Moscow's demand that Berlin pay for Russian gas with rubles, rather than in euros or dollars.  According to the German version of events, Putin agreed that payments would continue for the moment in either of the two Western currencies, with the Kremlin stating that these payments would then be converted into the Russian currency.  Moscow claimed that Putin explained to Scholz that his government is now demanding payment in rubles “due to the fact that, in violation of international law, the foreign exchange reserves of the Bank of Russia were frozen by the EU member states.” However, Putin told Scholz that the switchover would not result in less advantageous contract conditions for Ge...

BBC: Ukraine War: Putin demands Mariupol surrender to end shelling   Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that shelling of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol will only end when Ukrainian troops surrender.  Mr Putin made the comments during an hour long phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday night, the Kremlin said in a statement. But French officials said the Russian leader had agreed to consider plans to evacuate civilians from the city. It comes as new satellite photos showed the destruction caused by the shelling.   Read more ....  Update #1: Macron urges Putin to declare ‘truce’ in Mariupol (Euractiv)   Update #2: Putin tells Macron ‘nationalists’ in Mariupol must lay down arms (AFP)   WNU Editor : The city is 90% destroyed. There is nothing to give-up. from War News Updates https://ift.tt/cUEfyX0 via IFTTT

US European Command chief Gen. Tod Wolters CNN: US troops in Poland are training Ukrainians on how to use weapons sent by the West   President Joe Biden said on Monday that US troops stationed in Poland have been “helping train the Ukrainian troops” in that country. The troops were deployed there to help bolster NATO’s eastern flank amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  The training is another way in which the US has aided the Ukrainian military while attempting to not directly engage Russian forces, which would potentially touch off a wider war.  Biden had heard from the troops while he was in Poland about how they were providing the tactical weapons training to the Ukrainians there, the sources said.   Read more ....   WNU Editor: You got to love the language that the Pentagon is using. According to the Pentagon US troops are providing some instructions to the Ukrainians at a military base in Poland, but it does not amount to “formalized” training?!?!?...

At DSA 2022, defense exhibition in Malaysia, the Turkish company FNSS presents its PARS 4x4 and PARS III 6x6 with the goal to grow its defense business in Asia by showcasing the latest generation of wheeled combat armored vehicles. Full Video DSA 2022 FNSS at this link ... At DSA 2022, defense exhibition in Malaysia, Turkish company FNSS showcases PARS 4x4 and PARS III 6x6 armored vehicles. Full Video Here from World Defence News https://ift.tt/pqg0Zmv via IFTTT

    CNN: Top US general in Europe says there ‘could be’ an intelligence gap in US that caused US to overestimate Russia’s capabilities   The top US general in Europe said Tuesday there “could be” a gap in US intelligence gathering that caused the US to overestimate Russia’s capability and underestimate Ukraine’s defensive abilities before Russia attacked Ukraine.  When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last month, US intelligence assessed that the country-wide assault could lead to Kyiv falling into Russian hands within days. But Russia’s military has been bogged down around the capital as the war has entered its second month, beleaguered by sustainability and logistics problems, along with an unexpected stiff resistance from Ukrainian fighters.  Testifying at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday, US European Command chief Gen. Tod Wolters was asked by Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, if there was an intelligence gap that cau...

  Daily Mail: Four EU countries expel 43 Russian diplomats in ONE DAY in coordinated effort after the Dutch accuse 17 of being 'secretly active' spies, with Belgium, the Czech Republic and Ireland following suit   * The Dutch Foreign Ministry announced the expulsion of 17 diplomats on Tuesday  * It said that they were operating as 'secretly active' intelligence officers  * Belgium, Czech Republic and Ireland followed suit, with Brussels expelling 21  * Move is the latest in an series tit-for-tat expulsions between Europe and Moscow  A total of 43 Russian diplomats have today been expelled from four different European countries - Ireland, The Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic - in coordinated action taken in the shadow of Moscow's war in Ukraine.  The Dutch Ministry announced the expulsion of 17 diplomats that it said were 'secretly active' as intelligence officers.  Belgium's government followed suit, announcing the expulsion ...

  Daily Mail: Russia begins withdrawing forces and reducing bombardments around Kyiv after vowing to 'radically reduce' military activity during 'meaningful' peace talks with Ukraine attended by Roman Abramovich   * US and UK intelligence have identified battalion movements and a reduction in bombardment in Kyiv  * Deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin said the move will 'increase mutual trust' in the negotiations  * Ukraine's neutral status was discussed and both camps said =talks could happen between Putin and Zelensky  * Roman Abramovich sat in on the meeting as an unofficial mediator a day after his poisoning was revealed  Russia is already starting to withdraw some of its forces from the Kyiv region after announcing it would 'radically reduce' military activity at peace talks in Turkey today.  US and UK intelligence has identified movements in Kremlin Battalion Tactical Groups around the capital after deputy defence minister Alexande...

  RFE: Ukraine-Russia Talks Show Signs Of Progress, Moscow Pledges To Ease Up   Russia and Ukraine appeared to make progress in their first face-to-face talks in more than two weeks, with Moscow saying it was scaling down its military operations around Kyiv and northern Ukraine, while Ukraine said it would accept being neutral.  Delegations from the two sides held talks in Istanbul on March 29 as Russia, more than a month into its unprovoked invasion, continued to encounter stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces, which made gains in some areas by retaking ground on the outskirts of the capital region.   Read more ....   WNU Editor: This is a first small step, but these talks still have a long way to go before some agreement is reached. On the Ukraine side they have accepted on some intellectual level that they will never be a member of NATO and have offered some proposals on being neutral. But from what I am reading and hearings, the Ukraine governmen...

  Daily Mail: Biden STANDS BY his comment that Putin 'cannot remain in power' but insists he was 'expressing moral outrage not policy change': Claims three Russia gaffes DIDN'T HAPPEN despite White House having to walk them back   * President Joe Biden on Monday faced a barrage of questions about Putin  * On Saturday he said: 'For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power'  * Under pressure, he said he was not 'walking anything back'  * And he said he had been expressing outrage rather than announcing new policy  President Joe Biden on Monday tried to clarify his comments about not allowing President Vladimir Putin to stay in power, insisting he was expressing his outrage at the Russian leader's brutality in Ukraine rather that unveiling a new U.S. policy.  The U.S. president alarmed allies and partners on Saturday when he said at the end of a speech in Warsaw: 'For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power.'  The Wh...

The Korea Herald: Kim says N.Korea will arm forces with ‘more powerful means of attack’   S.Korea, US detect signs of N.Korea restoring Punggye-ri nuclear testing site   North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the country will develop and deploy more powerful means of attack, while seeking to bolster up its “nuclear war deterrent more expeditiously,” according to state media Monday.  In an article published in Monday’s edition of the Rodong Sinmun, Kim stressed that “genuine defense capability equates to powerful attack capability” while taking a group photograph with officials, scientists, and defense industry workers who contributed to the “successful test-launch” of a Hwasong 17 intercontinental ballistic missile on March 24.  The Rodong Sinmun is an organ of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.   Read more ....   WNU Editor: South Korean media is saying that North Korea may be preparing a nuclear test .... Kim Jong-un Says North Korea Is Developi...

Ukraine's deputy prime minister Yuliya Sviridenko declared today that an estimated $564.9billion (£431.5billion) worth of damage had been inflicted since Russian troops rolled across the border on February 24 In a stunning Facebook post, Sviridenko, who is also Ukraine's minister of economic development and trade, said the damage to her nation's infrastructure alone totalled $119bn (almost £91bn) - damage in Mariupol pictured   Daily Mail: Ukrainian government say they will be seeking compensation of £431.5BILLION (and counting) from Russia for damage it has done to the country during the devastating invasion   * Yuliya Sviridenko said $564.9billion worth of damage has been dealt by Russia  * Sviridenko is Ukraine's deputy prime minister and minister for finance  * She said Russia should be made to pay for the rebuilding of Ukraine after the war  * This echoes sentiments expressed earlier this month by Zelensky and the governor of Ukraine's national ban...

People cross a destroyed bridge during evacuation from Irpin, city north of Kiev, March 6. Photo: AFP   Interfax Ukraine: Ukraine's GDP may reduce by third from pre-war - IMF head   The Ukrainian economy is suffering greatly from the war unleashed by Russia, the decline in its GDP could be a third of what it was before the war, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a Foreign Policy Live discussion on Tuesday.  The head of the IMF noted that the destruction of the Ukrainian economy breaks her heart and we will probably see a contraction that could be a third of what it was before the war.  She said that on Tuesday she spoke with a family of her relatives who remain in Kharkiv in a multi-storey building: their area was not bombed, but they hear bombs several times almost every day and suffered from a loss of water supply. Nevertheless, Georgieva said that the spirit of the Ukrainian people is incredible. There are very ...

Mr Abramovich was pictured at Tel Aviv airport on 14 March, ten days after the alleged poisoning   Daily Mail: Roman Abramovich and two Ukraine peace negotiators 'suffered a suspected POISONING that caused the skin to peel off their faces after attending talks this month': Ex Chelsea boss also 'lost his sight for hours and was hospitalised in Turkey'   * Roman Abramovich suffered a suspected poisoning on March 3 after attending peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Kyiv  * Abramovich, another Russian entrepreneur and Ukrainian MP Rustem Umerov all developed symptoms consistent with poisoning by chemical weapons  * They all developed symptoms including red eyes and peeling of skin on faces  Roman Abramovich has suffered a suspected poisoning along with Ukraine peace negotiators earlier this month that caused the skin to peel off their faces and temporary blindless, sources said.  The Chelsea FC owner was reportedly poisoned just weeks ago after a...

Russian soldiers ride in a truck to the Perekop checkpoint on the Ukrainian border. Sergei Malgavko / TASS   Politico: Germany to prosecute use of ‘Z’ symbol to support Russia’s war   Move raises questions over whether measure can be implemented and draws accusations of tokenism.   BERLIN — German officials plan to prosecute people who display the "Z" symbol associated with Russia's war in Ukraine.  The Interior Ministry said Monday it welcomed announcements by several regional states that people who use the symbol will face legal action on the basis of a law that forbids the public approval of illegal acts.  Germans could fall foul of the law if they paint the symbol on property, display it during demonstrations or publish it online. If found guilty, they could be fined or jailed for up to three years, according to the criminal code.   Read more ....   WNU Editor: Lithuanian MPs also want to ban the symbol .... Lithuanian MPs want to outla...

AFP: Last EU train out of Russia arrives in Helsinki   Just after 7pm on Sunday, the Allegro express train from St Petersburg pulled into the Finnish capital, marking the closure of the last rail link between Russia and the EU.  Finnish railway operator VR announced on Friday that it was suspending the Allegro service, which since Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been regularly sold-out with Russians eager to get out before Western sanctions make leaving all but impossible. "Now that I've picked up my cats I don't have a reason to go back, I have everything that's most valuable to me," said Alex, who got off the train wheeling a carry case containing his two long-haired pets.  The Muscovite who has lived for some years in Helsinki gave only his first name.   Read more ....  WNU Editor : The only way to now leave Russia is flights via Turkey and Belgrade, or by car. from War News Updates https://ift.tt/7q0doLB via IFTTT

The attack on an Aramco oil storage and shipping facility filled the skies over Jiddah black with soot  DW: Saudi Aramco oil facility burns after attack by Yemen Houthi rebels   Yemen's Houthi rebels said they carried out several attacks on Friday, the largest being on an oil storage and shipping facility in Jiddah. Sunday's F1 Grand Prix there will go ahead as scheduled, organizers said.   Yemen's Houthi rebels on Friday attacked several targets in Saudi Arabia, including a Saudi Aramco oil storage and shipping facility in the coastal city of Jiddah. "We did several attacks with drones and ballistic missiles," including an "Aramco installation in Jiddah [and] vital installations in Riyadh," the rebels said in a statement.  The Jiddah facility, which was previously attacked last Sunday, was struck by missiles before two storage tanks caught fire, sending huge plumes of smoke into the air.  No casualties were reported.   Read more ....   WNU...