Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
https://www.rt.com/news/565351-germa...ined-z-symbol/
German man fined over letter ‘Z’
Displaying the last letter of the Latin alphabet in the rear window of his car could cost a German man €4,000 ($3,988). A court in Hamburg found the 62-year-old guilty of supporting Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, ruling that ‘Z’ is a symbol of support for Moscow’s actions.
The verdict was handed down on Tuesday, a court spokesperson told German media.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, the defendant had attached a white sheet of paper with a blue ‘Z’ to his vehicle, and on March 29, drove along one of Hamburg’s central streets.
“Therein, in the court’s opinion, lies an endorsement of the Ukraine war through solidarization with Russia, which is a war of aggression as per international law,” the court ruled.
Samsung drops letter ‘Z’ READ MORE: Samsung drops letter ‘Z’
While the man did not deny displaying the symbol, he argued before the court that it merely represents the last letter of the alphabet. The defendant added that trying to establish a connection between the letter and the Ukraine conflict was a “very, very bold hypothesis.”
He also offered some other possible interpretations, including the French-Algerian film ‘Z’, as well as a now-defunct bar in Hamburg which bore the same name.
The defense team claimed the letter was a reference to media reports on ‘Generation Z’.
The defendant has the right to appeal the verdict.
The man was originally given a €1,800 fine. He lodged an appeal and was given a public hearing. Having failed to prove his innocence, he has now ended up with an even bigger fine.
The ‘Z’ symbol was first spotted on Russian military hardware soon after the Kremlin launched its military operation in the neighboring country. It quickly gained currency among Russians who support the campaign. Over the past few months, the letter has been incorporated into banners and billboards by regional officials.
In Germany, as well as several other European nations, the use of the symbol in contexts where it is seen as supportive of Moscow’s actions has been outlawed.
https://www.rt.com/business/565373-p...y-nord-stream/
Putin urges increased security after Nord Stream attack
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) should strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure facilities, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday while meeting with the group’s security chiefs.
The CIS is a regional intergovernmental organization covering Eastern Europe and Asia that was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Russian president said that “increased security measures should be taken in relation to critical transport and energy infrastructure. It is these facilities, as well as high population areas, that should be protected as much as possible."
Putin stated that the Nord Stream incident demonstrates that sabotage poses a threat to the whole European energy network.
“They have no aversion to direct sabotage. I mean organizing explosions on the international gas pipelines of Nord Stream. In fact, we are talking about the destruction of the pan-European energy infrastructure,” Putin said.
Nord Stream saboteurs plunged EU into ‘energy poverty’ – Moscow READ MORE: Nord Stream saboteurs plunged EU into ‘energy poverty’ – Moscow
According to the Russian leader, such acts are committed despite the fact that they cause enormous damage to the European economy and significantly worsen the living conditions of millions of people.
“And, in fact, they keep quiet about who did it, whose interest it serves,” he said.
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were rendered inoperable on September 26 following a series of powerful underwater explosions off the Danish island of Bornholm. The Nord Stream operator described the state of emergency on the gas pipelines as unprecedented and said it was impossible to estimate the repair time.
Moscow has denounced the incident as a terrorist attack and called for an investigation. Meanwhile, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden, who do not rule out targeted sabotage, have said they will not grant Russia access to the investigation. The Kremlin then declared that it would not recognize the results of the probe unless Russian experts are invited to take part.
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https://www.rt.com/russia/565364-zap...eign-fighters/
Kiev turning Zaporozhye into new Mariupol – Russian official
Kiev is turning the city of Zaporozhye into a heavily fortified stronghold, with foreign fighters bolstering Ukrainian forces, the top Russian official in the region has claimed.
“Zaporozhye is being turned into something like Mariupol. There is a large number of foreigners there, in the thousands,” Evgeny Balitsky, the acting governor of Zaporozhye Region, told Russian TV on Wednesday.
He said this information comes from people living in the Ukrainian-controlled provincial capital who talk to relatives and friends on the Russian side of the frontline. People see military preparations with their own eyes and hear people talking in Polish, German, and English in the streets, he explained.
Russia incorporated the region as part of its territory this month, after residents in the eastern part voted in a referendum to split with Ukraine and join Russia. The city of Zaporozhye, which is located in the northwest, has remained under Kiev’s control. The Ukrainian government called the vote a “sham” and pledged to retake all territories that it claims as its own.
Ukraine's neo-Nazi Azov Battalion has built a 'state within a state,' and it despises both Russia and the liberal West
Ukraine's neo-Nazi Azov Battalion has built a 'state within a state,' and it despises both Russia and the liberal West
The comparison to Mariupol refers to the Black Sea port city which was fully captured by Russia in May after the last Ukrainian troops surrendered. The fighters, many of them members of the neo-Nazi Azov regiment, spent weeks defending the Azovstal steelworks, a huge Soviet-built factory with a massive underground area designed to serve as a bunker during times of war. According to Balitsky, the AvtoZAZ automobile plant in the south of Zaporozhye is being prepared to be used the same way Azovstal was in Mariupol.
The Russian official also cited reports that the foreigners in Zaporozhye were acting “very brash” with the local population. “They simply take over places they want and turn them into military outposts,” he claimed.
The mercenaries, he added, were mostly “soldiers of fortune” and thrill-seekers.
“They came to hunt, to loot, to act here in our lands with total impunity,” the official said, adding that there have been reports of foreigners harassing locals.
He blamed Washington and Kiev for this, saying neither of them care about the people in the city and are fine with the troops acting as occupiers rather than defenders.
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