RT News - December 18th 2022 -The Weekly

Ukraine targets a residential area in the Lugansk region with US-supplied HIMARS rocket launchers, killing three civilians and leaving five wounded. Grad rockets were also fired into Donetsk city, destroying homes and two apartment buildings; casualty list as yet unknown (TASS)

As fighting continues in the Donbass, RT correspondent follows Russian troops on the frontlines battling for key positions in the region.

Censorship: Moldova’s government is sticking to a policy of eliminating any forms of dissent. Chisinau’s decision to terminate the media licenses of six Russian-language TV channels. Around 25% of Moldovans have Russian as a first language (wikipedia). During elections, Russian is used to address voters.

A recap on the situation in Serbia and Kosovo, as tensions have risen over the past week and mass demonstrations.

The Presidents of India and Russia held a call last week.

The head of the World Bank and other economic experts praise the Indian economy's performance during global turbulence, forecasting that the world's top firms will double down on investments in the country.

The Africa Leaders’ Summit wraps up in Washington with America's top diplomat bringing up the West's colonial past to criticize Russia.

Twitter: The FBI treated treated Twitter as a subsidiary, according to leaked emails and analysis from Matt Taibbi. There could be violations of U.S's First Amendment rules.

Iran: The United Nations issued a resolution over human rights in Iran. Iran calls it economic terrorism. What's going on? Report from Caleb Maupin.
==============================

Below: Poland's grenade gift
2) Damage to Ukrainian civilian infrastructure self-inflicted
=================================

via RT website 17 Dec, 2022 07:46

New details emerge about Ukrainian ‘gift’ explosion at Polish police HQ – media

The weapon had been delivered by a special train running between Poland and Ukraine, Zet radio claim

A grenade launcher that allegedly exploded at a Polish police headquarters, injuring a top commander, had not been subjected to any border or customs checks as it arrived in the country from Ukraine, Poland’s Zet radio has reported.

The weapon had been delivered to Poland by train, which runs between Ukraine and the Polish border town of Przemysl, sources told the outlet on Friday.

“There are still many question marks in this case,” Zet radio has claimed.

Reports of a blast at the Polish police headquarters in Warsaw emerged on Wednesday, with the Interior Ministry soon confirming that the commander-in-chief, General Jaroslaw Szymczyk, had been injured by a “gift” he received from Kiev officials during his recent trip to Ukraine.

The commander and a civilian employee, who was also caught in the blast, escaped with minor injuries while the ceiling of the building was damaged by shrapnel.

Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said Szymczyk, who is considered a victim in the case, allegedly had no idea what had been presented to him in Ukraine. Poland has demanded explanations from the Ukrainian side over the incident.

Warsaw has been one of Kiev’s main backers since the launch of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in late February. Poland has reportedly donated half of its tanks as well as other weapons to Vladimir Zelensky’s government, with Moscow also saying that Polish mercenaries have been taking part in the hostilities.

Numerous officials from Warsaw, including President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, visited Kiev in recent months to signal their support to their Ukrainian counterparts.
https://www.rt.com/news/568410-poland-ukraine-grenade-launcher/
==========================================

via RT website 15 Dec, 2022 15:54

‘Gift from Ukraine’ explodes at Polish police HQ

A law enforcement commander sustained minor injuries in the blast, the interior ministry says

An explosion has rocked Poland’s police headquarters in Warsaw, the country’s Interior Ministry reported on Thursday. The blast went off in a room adjacent to the cabinet of the Commander-in-Chief of the Police, General Jaroslaw Szymczyk, with the official sustaining minor injuries.

The incident occurred at the HQ on Wednesday, with the commander remaining hospitalized "for observation." A civilian employee at the HQ also received minor injuries in the blast but did not require hospitalization. The interior ministry stressed that the explosive device was a ‘gift’ Szymczyk had received during a recent visit to Ukraine.

"The item was a gift from one of the heads of the Ukrainian services," the ministry said, without elaborating on the nature of the package or naming the Ukrainian official who'd given it to Szymczyk.

According to local media reports, the blast also inflicted minor structural damage to the building, with the ceiling of the affected room being pelted with shrapnel. Some outlets suggested the Ukrainian ‘gift’ was actually a "grenade launcher" that was accidentally discharged inside the HQ.

Warsaw has already reached out to Kiev over the blast, demanding it provide "relevant explanations" on the nature of the incident. The prosecutor’s office has also launched a probe into the explosion, the ministry noted. So far, Kiev has not made any public statements on the affair.

Poland has been among Ukraine's top supporters amid the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev, which broke out in late February. Warsaw has actively supplied Kiev with assorted weaponry, including heavy armor, while Polish mercenaries have been taking active part in the hostilities, according to the Russian military. Multiple top Polish officials have repeatedly traveled to Ukraine amid the conflict, demonstrating their support for various authorities there.
https://www.rt.com/news/568315-ukrainian-gift-poland-explosion/
=========================================

via RT website 17 Dec, 2022 12:48

2) Damage to Ukrainian civilian infrastructure self-inflicted – Russia

‘Unprofessional actions’ by Kiev's air-defense units during missile strikes on Friday are to blame, Moscow claims

Mistakes made by Ukrainian forces in their attempt to repel Russian missiles on Friday has damaged civilian infrastructure, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed in a statement on Saturday. Earlier, Kiev had blamed Russian forces for hitting residential apartments in the strike, which killed four people, including a toddler.

“Unprofessional actions of the Ukrainian air defense units resulted in damage to civilian infrastructure on the ground,” the ministry said, without providing any further details.

Earlier, the governor of the Ukrainian Dnepropetrovsk Region, Valentin Reznichenko, said that four civilians had died in Krivoy Rog in Friday's strike, including a one-year-old boy. A total of 13 people were injured, including four children, he added. According to Reznichenko, it was a Russian missile that supposedly had hit a residential building, leading to four deaths.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the “high-precision weapon strike” was targeting the Ukrainian military command and administration system as well as the military industrial complex and relevant power-supply networks. The strike had in particular “disrupted foreign weapons and munition transportation” and had “blocked the advancement of the Ukrainian reserves,” the ministry said. Production at some military industrial facilities was stopped as well, it added.

“The strike’s goal was reached. All the designated targets were hit,” the Russian ministry claimed. Ukraine's General Staff claimed on Saturday that Russia had launched a total of 98 missiles the day before. It did not elaborate on how many were shot down.

On Friday, Ukraine’s state-owned energy giant Ukrenergo declared a state of emergency following reports of the Russian strikes hitting critical infrastructure. The operator called the situation a “system breakdown,” adding that it had registered a 50% fall in nationwide electricity consumption.

In recent weeks, Russia has ramped up its airstrikes against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, through missile and drone barrages across the country. This followed Kiev's launch of several sabotage operations against civilian infrastructure in Russia, including the Crimean Bridge truck-bomb attack.

The Russian Defense Ministry had previously said the Russian forces only target military sites in Ukraine. In October, the Russian military started targeting energy facilities that the Defense Ministry believes to be crucial for Ukraine’s military capability. As a result, the Ukrainian energy system has been significantly degraded.
https://www.rt.com/russia/568422-civilian-infrastructure-damage-strike-ukraine/
===============================================

via RT website 17 Dec, 2022 19:51

Russia slams Moldova over ‘totalitarian censorship’ move

Moldova’s government revoked the media licenses of six Russian-language TV channels on Friday

Moldova’s government is sticking to a policy of "eliminating any forms of dissent," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a damning statement on Saturday. Moscow’s anger was provoked by Chisinau’s decision to terminate the media licenses of six Russian-language TV channels.

Chisinau is resorting to "totalitarian censorship methods to clear the national information space of all the last alternative viewpoint centers," Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, adding that the Moldovan government is "deliberately" depriving millions of Russian-speakers living in Moldova of the last remaining news sources in their preferred language. The decision would also leave "hundreds of journalists" without a job, she said.

Moscow "views this ban as an unprecedented act of political censorship, a violation of the principle of media pluralism and a gross violation of the right to free access to information," the Russian ministry’s statement said. Russia also considers it a "cynical violation of ethnic minority rights," since the move has "grave consequences" for Russian speakers in Moldova, it added.

On Friday, the Moldovan government’s Emergency Situation Committee revoked the licenses of Orhei TV, NV6, NTV Moldova, Accent TV, RTR Moldova and Primul in Moldova TV channels, accusing them of "inadequate interpretations" of events happening in Moldova as well as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The six channels now have to halt their broadcasts by December 19.

Moscow called on the "relevant international organizations" to give an "adequate assessment" of Chisinau’s actions and to take measures to remedy the situation.

The move taken by Chisinau came on the same day as the EU slapped Russia with a fresh batch of sanctions, the bloc's ninth raft of punitive measures. The newly introduced restrictions include the revocation of licenses for Russian media outlets including NTV, NTV Mir, Rossiya 1, REN TV and Perviy Channel.

Moldova, a former Soviet republic with a population of 2.6 million and a border with Ukraine, has recently seen massive protests against the government of President Maia Sandu. The country has taken an increasingly pro-EU course since Sandu came to power in 2020. Many people in Moldova have taken to the streets over the rising cost of living and energy prices, as well as other social and economic issues, aggravated by fallout from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
https://www.rt.com/russia/568436-moldova-totalitarian-censorship-media-license/
=========================================