The World Blog by humble servant.

France will expel “many” Russian diplomats, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs announced in a statement on Monday. Moscow, according to Russian media, promised to respond to Paris' decision to expel the personnel. According to the French foreign ministry, “this action is part of a European [sic] approach,” and the activities of diplomats targeted by these measures are contrary to France's security interests. According to the BFM TV channel, “about 30 Russian diplomats” will be affected by the decision. In a comment to RIA Novosti, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it will respond to Paris’ actions. Multiple EU countries launched a new push to expel Russian diplomats on Monday, amid the fallout of the purported mass killing in Bucha, a small town northwest of Kiev. Ukraine was quick to blame the deaths on Russian troops, who had occupied Bucha until recently, but Moscow has firmly denied any involvement, suggesting the whole affair had been a staged “provocation.” ...

“In war, truth is the first casualty.” This quote has been attributed to Aeschylus, a 6th BCE Greek tragedian noted for his “copious use of imagery, mythic allusion, grand language, wordplay and riddles.” It is only fitting, therefore, that the man who first gave word to the concept of modern-day war-time propaganda would see his quote come to life in the present-day Ukraine. The Kiev government and their Western information warfare advisers may have coopted all of Aeschylus’ playwright devices to craft a modern-day tragedy in the Ukrainian town of Bucha that exemplifies the notion of the lie as not just a byproduct, but also a weapon of war. The main source of the Bucha tragedy reports is a videotape, taken by the Ukrainian National Police, of one of their convoys driving through a street in the town. A dozen or so corpses litter the roadway, many of them appearing to have been bound. This video has gone viral, producing a pandemic of anguish and anger that has swept over much of th...

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a decree on retaliatory visa measures against ‘unfriendly states.’ According to the document, the move stemmed from “the need to implement urgent measures in response to the unfriendly actions of the European Union, of several foreign states, and of citizens.” In line with the decree, Moscow has suspended a number of clauses in visa-facilitation agreements with the EU, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which had earlier placed restrictions on Russia in the wake of its military operation in Ukraine. The President has tasked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with informing the countries on the list about the decree. The measure should also introduce personal curbs on entering and staying in Russia on foreign citizens, “who commit unfriendly actions against Russia, its citizens and entities,” the document reads. Russia approved its list of ‘unfriendly countries’ a month ago in response to international sanctions ...

Russia’s balance of payments surplus could hit a historic high this year, amounting to $200-$300 billion, business news outlet RBC reported on Monday. Economists polled by RBC have predicted record capital inflows into the country, despite the tightening Western sanctions. They pointed to major factors behind the inflow, such as the increase in the value of Russian energy exports, and a reduction in merchandise imports to Russia by up to 50%. “The key driver of the Russian balance of payments surplus [hydrocarbon exports] still looks confident,” the Institute of International Finance (IIF) said in its review, seen by RBC. According to a Bloomberg analysis, Russia will get an estimated $321 billion in energy exports revenue in 2022, marking a surge of more than a third compared to last year. That’s despite the huge discounts the country provides. The Russian Ministry of Finance said last week that, on average, Russian Urals oil cost over $89 per barrel in March, which is a 40% rise ...

Negotiations aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal have been paused because of Washington’s position, an Iranian official has said. The talks in Vienna directly involve Iran, France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China; while the US is indirectly involved. Speaking to journalists on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said that “America is responsible for the halt of these talks,” though he noted that a “deal is very much within reach.” He urged Washington to “make a political decision for the deal’s revival,” and warned that Tehran would not “wait forever.” Last Thursday, the US State Department revealed that a few outstanding issues remain in the negotiations, adding that it was up to Iran to resolve these matters. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday that Tehran had passed on its “proposals on the remaining issues to the American side through the EU senior negotiator,” adding that “no...

Russia has closed its skies for over two dozen European countries, as well Canada, on Monday. The move came after the EU banned Russian airlines from crossing into their airspace. European nations began banning Russian-owned airlines and Russian-registered aircraft shortly after Moscow launched a military operation against Ukraine early Thursday morning. On Sunday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the closure of the entire EU airspace to Russian-linked flights. Russia launched a military attack against Ukraine on February 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin explained Moscow’s actions by the urgent need to “demilitarize” Ukraine, to protect Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and to ensure that Russia would not be put under threat by NATO from the territory of Ukraine. Ukraine said the action was entirely unprovoked and appealed to the international community for help. After several delays, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are meeting for the first...

Russian authorities announced plans on Monday to end the ban on flights to and from 52 countries starting April 9, as Moscow continues to lift Covid-19-related restrictions. The measure would apply to “friendly countries,” Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said, referring to nations which did not join in on Western sanctions on Moscow. According to the prime minister, the step comes as Covid-19 cases have been on a steady decline over the past few weeks. The list of nations includes Algeria, Afghanistan, Argentina, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Israel, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Mauritius, Madagascar, Malaysia, the Maldives, Morocco, Mozambique, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines , Saudi Arabia, the Seychelles, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbab...

The combination of inflation, the conflict in Ukraine and Russia sanctions may “dramatically increase risks ahead” for the United States, JPMorgan’s Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said in his annual letter to shareholders on Monday. He has warned of unpredictable consequences for the nation’s economy. According to Dimon, the outbreak of the conflict in Europe has changed things, roiling markets, realigning alliances, and restructuring global trade patterns. That introduces both risks and opportunities for the US and other countries, he wrote. “The war in Ukraine and the sanctions on Russia, at a minimum, will slow the global economy — and it could easily get worse,” Dimon said. The head of the biggest US bank pointed to the uncertainty about how the conflict will conclude and its impact on supply chains, especially for those involving energy supplies. “Many more sanctions could be added — which could dramatically, and unpredictably, increase their effect. Along with the unpredictabil...

Latvia’s main gas operator says it won’t rule out paying for Russian natural gas in rubles, revealing that the new settlement method announced by Moscow is being evaluated from a legal and business perspective. “According to the first impression, the settlement procedure in Russian rubles does not formally violate the sanctions regime and is possible,” Latvijas Gaze said in a statement. Earlier, Aigars Kalvitis, the board chairman of Latvijas Gaze, which is partially owned by Russia’s Gazprom, said the company couldn’t pay for natural gas supplies from Russia in rubles, since the current contract stipulates that all transactions must be made in euro. Slovakia agrees to pay for Russian gas in rublesREAD MORE: Slovakia agrees to pay for Russian gas in rubles Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to take necessary steps to switch all payments for gas sales involving “hostile” countries to Russian currency from April 1. According to the Kremlin, the change ...

Kazakhstan is considering the introduction of temporary restrictions on the export of grain and flour to protect its domestic food market, Agriculture Minister Yerbol Karashukeev said on Monday, without specifying any dates. Kazakhstan is one of the top 10 grain exporters in the world, supplying over 70 countries. “The issue of imposing restrictions on both grain and flour exports is being worked out,” he told reporters, adding that the measure was due to the fact that local producers “do not want to sell grain to flour millers.” “Russia has imposed a ban on the export of grain, we know the situation, we are keeping it under control. Our balance of grain as of this morning is positive, and it will be positive,” the minister explained. “We have enough for the domestic market... there will still be some left for export at the level of average annual volumes. Exporters do not want to sell ​​on the domestic market, they are waiting for the export price to rise,” he said. READ MORE: Russ...

new 10,500-capacity sports venue in the Dzerzhinsky district of Perm will shun European equipment because of sanctions placed on Russia over the attack on Ukraine, with authorities looking to China as they create an arena they hope will be accredited by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Planners are said to hope that the federation will allow the new arena to host international matches, while it will also become the home of the Parma-Parimatch basketball club, which competes in top Russian championship the VTB United League. Second tier Russian hockey club Molot-Prikamye are also expected to play at the arena. “Because of the sanctions, we decided to abandon European equipment and equip the arena in favor of Asian markets," the head of the region, Dmitry Makhonin, told Tass. ‘Foreigners will apologize for Russophobia’ – ski chief "Now we are looking for Chinese [supplies] that are not inferior in quality. It is important that this equipment is certified ...

Russia and China are weighing up a joint bid for the Women’s World Handball Championship while significantly strengthening their cooperation in the sport, according to Russian official Sergey Shishkarev. “We are thinking about submitting a joint bid to host the Women's Handball World Championship in 2029 or 2031,” Russian handball chief Shishkarev said on Monday at a meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Tao. “Such a large-scale tournament has never been held in such large countries, it will be very interesting,” added Shishkarev, according to TASS. The next edition of the biennial Women’s Handball World Championship is scheduled for Denmark, Norway and Sweden in 2023, while beyond that the event will head to Germany and the Netherlands in 2025 and Hungary in 2027. China last hosted the showpiece in 2009 – when Russia won the title – while it was last held in Russia in 2005, when the hosts again won gold as part of three successive triumphs. RT Russia's women's handba...

Ukraine has accused Russian troops of committing war crimes in the city of Bucha near Kiev. Moscow said the allegations were baseless and implied that the Ukrainian government was manipulating the media to smear Russia. Bucha is a small city of around 35,000 residents, located some 10km northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kiev. From the early days of the Russian attack against Ukraine, it was under the control of Russian troops, but last week they were pulled out. Days after the withdrawal, Kiev accused the Russian military of committing numerous atrocities in Bucha. Moscow denied the allegations and unsuccessfully called a UN Security Council meeting to discuss what it claims to be a framing attempt. Russia’s foreign intelligence service earlier warned that Kiev was working to downplay footage of what appeared to be Ukrainian soldiers torturing Russian prisoners of war. The Russian military had warned that provocations could be staged in Ukraine to smear them. Here is a timeline of...

Russia’s energy revenue is expected to skyrocket this year if trading partners continue purchases of oil and gas from the sanction-hit country. Russia will get an estimated $321 billion in energy exports in 2022, marking a surge of more than a third compared to last year, according to a Bloomberg analysis published Friday. “The single biggest driver of Russia’s current account surplus continues to look solid,” Bloomberg quoted economists at the Institute of International Finance (IFF), as saying in a report. “With current sanctions in place, substantial inflows of hard currency into Russia look set to continue.” The IFF analysts highlighted that a potential energy embargo by the EU, the UK, and the US would lead to an inevitable decline in output of more than 20% and could cost Russia as much as $300 billion in export receipts, depending on price swings. The country is also on track for a record current-account surplus that experts say may reach as high as $240 billion. Russia wi...

British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is hoping to persuade German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz to step up pressure on Russia when the two leaders meet in London on Friday, the Times reported. According to the outlet, London is concerned that other NATO allies will force Ukraine to “settle” the conflict as soon as possible, while London strongly opposes the idea of signing a peace deal with Russia at any cost, insisting that Kiev should first of all be in the strongest possible position. Johnson is reportedly going to urge Scholz to exert more diplomatic, economic and military pressure on Moscow. The meeting later this week will be the German Chancellor’s first visit to London in his current capacity. On Sunday, the British premier vowed to slap Russia with yet more sanctions and provide additional military support to Kiev. Johnson cited the alleged killing of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, accusing the Russian military of committing atrocities and promising that the UK “wi...

During the last week of March, multiple major media outlets in the UK and the US ran stories about Ukraine’s ‘Azov Batalion’, seeking to whitewash almost a decade of previous reporting that clearly identified the unit’s Nazi sympathies and ethos. Supposedly acting independently, they nonetheless stuck to the same talking points and often the same verbiage, suggesting a concerted effort to spin the unit as heroic defenders of Ukraine against the alleged “real” fascists – the Russians. The latest wave of the lionization of Azov began sometime before the Russian military operation – notorious was the much-publicized image of an AK-47-wielding Ukrainian granny training to repel invaders in the regiment’s camp. The last week of March, however, saw the puff pieces come in a tight group, like the bullet holes after an AK burst. Ukrainian grandma with AK-47 shown off to Western press by neo-Nazi fighters – reports Read more Ukrainian grandma with AK-47 shown off to Western press by neo-Nazi...

The Pentagon has defended its decision to cancel a planned test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, saying it would be reckless to disregard risks of escalating the Ukraine crisis with Russian nuclear forces on high alert. “We are trying to help Ukraine defend itself; we’re going to make sure NATO can defend itself,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Sunday in a Fox News interview. “But we also have to be mindful that Russia’s a nuclear power. And so as we make these decisions, it would be irresponsible for us not to think about making sure we don’t escalate this conflict any bigger than it already is.” The test in question involved an LGM-30G Minuteman III missile, a silo-mounted ICBM that can carry multiple nuclear warheads. The launch had been delayed a month ago, shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his country’s nuclear deterrent forces to be in a higher state of readiness, or “special regime of combat duty.” US makes call on nuclear missile testREA...