Latest news with #KievRegime
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Zelensky is ‘politically dead' – Russia's top UN diplomat
Ukraine's 'expired' leader Vladimir Zelensky is 'politically dead' and refuses to step down to avoid accountability for his actions, Russian UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia has told RT's Rick Sanchez. In an interview on Sanchez Effect aired on Friday, Nebenzia accused Zelensky of betraying the promises that brought him to power and dragging Ukraine into a wider conflict. He referenced Zelensky's campaign pledge to end the fighting in Donbass, which the Kiev regime and its Western backers derailed by violating the 2014-15 Minsk agreements. 'Zelensky came to power on the promise to end the war in Donbass... He promised one thing, but he turned 180 degrees… Politically, Zelensky is already dead,' Nebenzia stated. Nebenzia said Zelensky is holding on to power to avoid the consequences of prolonging the conflict with Russia and misusing Western funds provided as aid. 'The end of his presidency may entail something for him that he is trying to avoid at all costs: Reporting on the money stolen and the loss of the people whom he failed miserably,' Nebenzia stated. 'So he has all the reasons... to cling to power and not to hold elections.' Ukrainians are our brothers, no doubt about it. But the clique that came to rule them – it is a regime, it is not a government. 'They stole billions of dollars out of the aid they were receiving. That's an open secret,' he said, adding that Kiev has already been asked to report on the aid but has failed to do so. 'I think that when finally it comes to it, the revelations will be very dire.' Zelensky has remained in office since his term expired in May, suspending elections due to martial law. He insists that he has the right to remain in office, though the constitution stipulates that presidential duties should pass to the parliament speaker. Russia has said it is open to talks with Ukraine but questions the legality of any deals made with the current government in Kiev. President Vladimir Putin recently said he would meet with Zelensky but called into question his authority to sign a treaty, as 'the signature must come from legitimate authorities, otherwise, whoever comes after [Zelensky] will toss it to the dumpster.'
Russia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Staff at Europe's biggest nuclear power plant attacked by Ukrainian drone
Workers at Russia's Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) were targeted by a Ukrainian drone just a few hundred meters from the reactor units, the facility's management reported on its official Telegram channel on Friday. The ZNPP, Europe's largest nuclear power plant, came under Moscow's control in March 2022. The region's residents soon thereafter voted in a referendum to become part of Russia. The plant has since frequently been at the center of hostilities, as both Moscow and Kiev have traded accusations of endangering its safety. The latest attack took place near the plant's hydraulic structures, approximately 350–400 meters from the reactor units, according to the ZNPP's statement. The drone is said to have damaged a service vehicle but caused no injuries. Personnel involved in clearing operations at the water intake canal managed to take cover before the explosion. The plant emphasized that operations continue under full safety precautions. The ZNPP's management condemned the Ukrainian drone strike as a 'terrorist act' and called the deliberate targeting of civilian nuclear staff 'a new level of inhumanity' by the Kiev regime. Russian officials have repeatedly accused Ukraine of nuclear terrorism over strikes on the Zaporozhye facility. The plant has been the target of drone attacks on multiple occasions in recent years. In April 2024, unmanned aircraft struck near the reactor containment areas, including a direct hit on the dome of Reactor Unit 6. Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has a monitoring mission deployed to the ZNPP, also confirmed that its team heard repeated rounds of gunfire and multiple explosions during what appeared to be a drone attack on the plant's training center. That incident marked the fourth time this year that the area had been targeted by Kiev. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi responded at the time by stating that 'any attack on any nuclear power plant, in particular Zaporozhye, is absolutely unacceptable.' He warned that such actions must stop immediately due to the risk of 'potentially serious consequences.'
Russia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
‘Yapping bitches in Brussels a direct threat to Russia'
The European Union has emerged as a hostile force to Moscow, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has claimed, accusing the bloc of arming the 'neo-Nazi Kiev regime' to attack Russia. In a Telegram post on Wednesday, Medvedev stated that the old EU as an economic union has 'essentially ceased to exist,' and in its current 'perverted form is no less of a threat' to Russia than NATO. 'Brussels today is Russia's true enemy,' he wrote. 'Slowly but surely, the EU is transforming into a self-sustaining military bloc that will gradually come to compete with NATO...' The ex-president accused 'Brusselian cockroaches and narrow-minded leaders of EU countries' of advancing their militarization strategy based on an imaginary 'Russia threat,' ushering in a new 'era of rearmament.' According to Medvedev, the EU's goal is to arm the Kiev regime to the point where it becomes invulnerable to Russia, claiming Brussels is ramping up its military-industrial output and building military factories on Ukrainian soil. The EU, he said, is also sending personnel to train Ukrainian militants 'so that they can kill our citizens and carry out terrorist attacks.' He also accused Brussels of 'brazenly' using profits from Russia's frozen assets to finance its 'vile activities.' 'The EU, stuffed with weapons, rainbow freaks, and yapping bitches in Brussels, constitutes a direct threat to Russia,' Medvedev wrote. 'This, of course, should not hinder our bilateral cooperation with individual European states.' Ukraine's potential EU membership – which Russia had not objected to in the past – would now constitute a 'danger' for Moscow. While Kiev's NATO ambitions were always seen as a red line for Russia, Medvedev indicated the EU had now adopted a similar confrontational posture. Ukraine made EU and NATO membership official national goals by amending its constitution in 2019. It applied to join the bloc in February 2022 and was granted candidate status later that year. Admission requires unanimous consent from all 27 EU member states. While some members voiced objections, Brussels has backed Kiev's bid. The European Commission suggested Ukraine could join by 2029 if it made sufficient progress in areas such as political and judicial reforms, as well as in combating organized crime and corruption. In his post, Medvedev proposed two outcomes for Ukraine: 'Either the EU itself realizes that it doesn't need the Kiev quasi-state at all, or, better, there is no state left to join the EU.'
Russia Today
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Kiev regime ‘not interested in peace,' turning to terror and suffering battlefield losses – Key points from Putin's speech
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine's leadership of carrying out terrorist attacks on Russian territory in order to derail peace efforts, which he said threaten the Kiev regime's grip on power. Speaking at a government meeting on Wednesday, Putin said the recent sabotage of railway infrastructure in Russia's Bryansk and Kursk Regions was a deliberate strike on civilians intended to disrupt the negotiations. Kiev's backers have become 'accomplices to terrorists' Putin said the attacks were the result of decisions made by Ukraine's top political leadership, calling them 'undoubtedly a terrorist act.' 'This only confirms our concern that the already illegitimate regime in Kiev, which once seized power, is gradually turning into a terrorist organization, and its sponsors are becoming accomplices to terrorists,' he said. The two incidents occurred on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. In Bryansk Region, a bridge collapsed in front of a moving passenger train. In Kursk Region, a freight train derailed when a railway bridge gave way. In total, seven people died and over 120 were injured. 'Under all international norms, such actions are called terrorism,' Putin said. Ukraine's battlefield losses The Russian president accused Kiev and its Western backers of previously aiming to inflict a strategic defeat of Russia on the battlefield. Now, he said, the country's leadership is shifting tactics amid mounting losses and as Ukrainian forces retreat along the front line. 'Today, amid heavy losses and retreating along the entire line of contact, the Kiev leadership has turned to organizing terrorist acts in an attempt to intimidate Russia,' Putin said. He questioned the competence of Ukraine's leadership, under whose orders the Ukrainian armed forces have suffered 'senseless and enormous losses' – including during their now-repulsed incursion in Kursk Region – and continue to face defeat on the battlefield. 'What kind of authority can the leaders of a thoroughly rotten and completely corrupt regime possess?' Putin added. Deliberate strikes to disrupt talks Putin called Kiev's railway sabotage an 'intentional strike on the [Russian] civilian population.' He said the 'crimes' committed against Russian civilians – including women and children – were timed to disrupt the peace process. Both attacks came shortly before the second round of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul and amid a surge in Kiev's drone raids into Russia, which Moscow says are aimed at derailing attempts to reach a settlement in the conflict. Speaking about Kiev's apparent attempts to undermine the peace efforts, Putin noted that Ukrainian officials simultaneously requested a ceasefire lasting 30 to 60 days, along with a top-level meeting. 'But how can such meetings be held under these conditions?' he said. 'What is there to talk about? Who conducts negotiations with those who rely on terror – with terrorists?' He warned that any pause would only allow the Ukrainian forces to regroup, receive more Western arms, and prepare for renewed hostilities. Kiev regime not interested in peace Ukraine has repeatedly rejected Russia's proposals for a short-term ceasefire on humanitarian grounds, Putin said. 'It does not surprise us and only convinces us further that today's Kiev regime does not want peace at all,' he stated. 'For them, peace most likely means a loss of power.' Putin emphasized that 'power, for the [Kiev] regime, is apparently more important than peace, more important than human lives.' Kiev's lack of political culture Putin also accused the Ukrainian leadership of lacking basic political culture, pointing to recent public remarks. This week, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky referred to Russia's negotiators as 'idiots' after Moscow proposed a brief truce to recover fallen soldiers' bodies. 'Apparently, we are dealing with people who not only have no real competence in anything but also lack even a basic political culture if they allow themselves to make certain statements – including direct insults – against those they claim to want to negotiate with,' Putin said.
Russia Today
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Kiev regime ‘not interested in peace,' turning to terror, suffering ‘huge losses' on battlefield: Key points from Putin's speech
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine's leadership of carrying out terrorist attacks on Russian territory in order to derail peace efforts, which he said threaten the Kiev regime's grip on power. Speaking at a government meeting on Wednesday, Putin said the recent sabotage of railway infrastructure in Russia's Bryansk and Kursk Regions was a deliberate strike on civilians intended to disrupt the negotiations. Kiev's backers have become 'accomplices to terrorists' Putin said the attacks were the result of decisions made by Ukraine's top political leadership, calling them 'undoubtedly a terrorist act.' 'This only confirms our concern that the already illegitimate regime in Kiev, which once seized power, is gradually turning into a terrorist organization, and its sponsors are becoming accomplices to terrorists,' he said. The two incidents occurred on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. In Bryansk Region, a bridge collapsed in front of a moving passenger train. In Kursk Region, a freight train derailed when a railway bridge gave way. In total, seven people died and over 120 were injured. 'Under all international norms, such actions are called terrorism,' Putin said. Ukraine's battlefield losses The Russian president accused Kiev and its Western backers of previously aiming to inflict a strategic defeat of Russia on the battlefield. Now, he said, the country's leadership is shifting tactics amid mounting losses and as Ukrainian forces retreat along the front line. 'Today, amid heavy losses and retreating along the entire line of contact, the Kiev leadership has turned to organizing terrorist acts in an attempt to intimidate Russia,' Putin said. He questioned the competence of Ukraine's leadership, under whose orders the Ukrainian armed forces have suffered 'senseless and enormous losses' – including during their now-repulsed incursion in Kursk Region – and continue to face defeat on the battlefield. 'What kind of authority can the leaders of a thoroughly rotten and completely corrupt regime possess?' Putin added. Deliberate strikes to disrupt talks Putin called Kiev's railway sabotage an 'intentional strike on the [Russian] civilian population.' He said the 'crimes' committed against Russian civilians – including women and children – were timed to disrupt the peace process. Both attacks came shortly before the second round of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul and amid a surge in Kiev's drone raids into Russia, which Moscow says are aimed at derailing attempts to reach a settlement in the conflict. Speaking about Kiev's apparent attempts to undermine the peace efforts, Putin noted that Ukrainian officials simultaneously requested a ceasefire lasting 30 to 60 days, along with a top-level meeting. 'But how can such meetings be held under these conditions?' he said. 'What is there to talk about? Who conducts negotiations with those who rely on terror – with terrorists?' He warned that any pause would only allow the Ukrainian forces to regroup, receive more Western arms, and prepare for renewed hostilities. Kiev regime not interested in peace Ukraine has repeatedly rejected Russia's proposals for a short-term ceasefire on humanitarian grounds, Putin said. 'It does not surprise us and only convinces us further that today's Kiev regime does not want peace at all,' he stated. 'For them, peace most likely means a loss of power.' Putin emphasized that 'power, for the [Kiev] regime, is apparently more important than peace, more important than human lives.' Kiev's lack of political culture Putin also accused the Ukrainian leadership of lacking basic political culture, pointing to recent public remarks. This week, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky referred to Russia's negotiators as 'idiots' after Moscow proposed a brief truce to recover fallen soldiers' bodies. 'Apparently, we are dealing with people who not only have no real competence in anything but also lack even a basic political culture if they allow themselves to make certain statements – including direct insults – against those they claim to want to negotiate with,' Putin said.
