Russian MFA 🇷🇺

🗓 World Press Freedom Day is marked every year on May 3 to remind the international community about the importance of respecting media independence and pluralism and protecting the rights of journalists. The day was established by the UN General Assembly Resolution on December 20, 1993. ❗️ On this important day for the media worldwide, we would like to draw public attention to the dramatic situation with the freedom of expression and access to information in the countries of the collective West. Contrary to their international commitments, the so-called democratic countries continue to suppress any form of dissent. Investigative journalist Julian Assange remains incarcerated in a London prison, and there are also other prisoners of conscience. We are still waiting for a reaction from the concerned international human rights organisations to the death of Gonzalo Lira, a Chilean-American journalist betrayed by both his native countries, in a Ukrainian prison in January 2024.     We see that the Western governments continue with their arbitrary treatment of Russian media outlets and journalists, who have felt the full effects of the Western neo-liberal mechanism of repression. Special mention should be made of the dire situation with media freedom in the Baltic states and Moldova, whose governments, acting with the tacit approval of their Western handlers, are harassing Russian-language media under the pretext of fighting against “Russian propaganda.” Zelensky’s criminal regime has eliminated the last vestiges of the freedom of speech in Ukraine by banning all opposition media outlets and denying access to thousands of online resources. Their overseas masters’ connivance has led, in particular, to savage attacks on Russian journalists. One more name has recently been added to the list of Russian correspondents killed by Ukrainian thugs. Izvestia military correspondent Semyon Yeryomin was deliberately killed in the line of duty in a neo-Nazi drone attack. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has not condemned his cold-blooded murder or, for that matter, the murder of other Russian journalists – Darya Dugina (Platonova), Vladlen Tatarsky (Maxim Fomin), Oleg Klokov, Rostislav Zhuravlev and Boris Maksudov. ☝️ Regrettably, World Press Freedom Day, which was intended to be a universal event, is gradually becoming just another insignificant day. This situation will only change if the world takes an honest look at the situation with the freedom of the media and the safety of journalists, a look that is not distorted by Western propaganda. #FreedomOfSpeech

🇷🇺🇹🇯📞 President Vladimir Putin spoke over the phone with President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon. The two Presidents discussed taking part together in the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, since Emomali Rahmon was invited to attend these events. 🤝 The conversation also included a detailed and constructive exchange of opinions on certain topical bilateral matters, including cooperation in combatting the terrorist threat, as well as migration-related matters. In this context, the two Leaders agreed to further improve cooperation mechanisms between the corresponding ministries and agencies. ☝️ Vladimir Putin and Emomali Rahmon went on to express their certainty that they would work together to cut short the recent attempts by certain forces to use the issue of labour migrants coming to Russia, including from Tajikistan, to stir up tension, affirming that these efforts would never have any negative bearing on the time-tested brotherly relations between the two nations. #RussiaTajikistan

🔴 #LIVE: Briefing by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova on topical foreign policy issues 🔴 Ruptly 🔴 Russia's MFA website

🎙Read excerpts from the statement by Deputy Permanent Representative M.Buyakevich «World Press Freedom Day» (meeting of the OSCE PC, 02.05.2024) 📰 May 3 celebrates World Freedom Day. Today, we can ritually speculate on the significance of this day, report on achievements in the information field or about national plans to support the media and strengthen trust in society. But the evidence is such that the genuine freedom of the media no longer exists   🔻“Double standards”, targeted restrictions and illegality regarding representatives of the media sphere have become almost ordinary in the countries of the “collective West”   🔻The situation with freedom of speech in Ukraine degraded to a critical level. All the media opposition to the Kiev regime has long been prohibited, any manifestations of dissent are brutally suppressed and exhausted from the information space. In addition, the Ukrainian authorities are actively continuing the hunt for Russian representatives of the media ❗️Another victim of the NATO puppets in Kyiv was S.Eremin, a military correspondent for the Izvestiya news agency, who was killed in the performance of his professional duties. Unfortunately, we have not received any condemnation of this crime from the OSCE executive structures. 🔻The result of the silence of specialized international institutions was a rapid deterioration in the situation with the rights of reporters also in the Baltic states. The next victim of the frank arbitrariness of the Baltic authorities was the Russian-speaking journalist S.Burtseva, detained on Feb.28 for interaction with the Russian media outlet of “Baltnews”. Earlier this year another reporter - the editor of the Estland Vesti portal by Allan Hantson - was detained 🔻Moldova's information space continues to suffocate in the grip of censorship by the Chisinau regime. This time the Canal 5 TV channel was declared a "threat to state security". We also take note the attempts of the Moldova authorities to take control or close down the public television of Gagauzi

⚡️ FM Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s comment on marking 10 years since the May 2, 2014, tragedy in Odessa 💬 Exactly ten years ago, the Ukrainian Nazis perpetrated a terrible and heinous crime in Odessa. ▪️ On May 2, 2014, the Maidan supporters unleashed their cruelty on an unprecedented scale against those who refused to support the bloody unconstitutional armed government coup in Kiev and did not accept nationalist radicals coming to power with their detrimental, anti-national policies. <...> On May 2, they [nationalists] attacked a peaceful procession in the city centre during a rally for federalisation. Under attack, the demonstrators sought refuge inside the Trade Unions House where they tried barricading themselves from the Nazis in their beastly frenzy. However, this did not save them. The radicals set the building on fire, while finishing off those who tried to flee the flames and jumped through the windows. This resulted to an official death toll of at least 48 people who were burnt alive, died after inhaling too much carbon oxide or fell from the windows of the building’s upper floors. <...> ❗️The methods the Nazis used demonstrated the human hating nature of the new regime in Ukraine. International organisations pressured Kiev into launching an investigation on what happened on May 2, 2014, but it turned into a farce. The court returned the indictment to the prosecutor’s office many times <...> These efforts went hand in hand with a blatant attempt by the radicals to interfere into the proceedings. <...> Zelensky came to power in 2019 <...>, but the glimmer of hope he brought quickly faded away. <...> Zelensky failed to live up to his promises. ☝️ Today, as we pay tribute to the victims of the bloody reprisals in Odessa, we have no doubt that sooner or later those who perpetrated and inspired this barbaric crime, which has no statute of limitations will have to face the punishment they deserve. Read in full

🇷🇺🇺🇸 Comment by the Russian Embassy in the United States We drew attention to the latest report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom with anti-Russian passages. ❌ We categorically reject unsubstantiated accusations of Russia’s alleged failure to respect the rights of believers. By spreading false theses, Washington is trying in vain to find a reason to interfere in our internal affairs and undermine interfaith dialogue. ☝️Over the centuries mutually respectful relations have been formed in the Russian Federation between representatives of different ethnic groups and religions. This is one of the supporting pillars of Russian statehood. ❗️Instead of moralizing, Washington should analyze the human rights problems in the United States itself. The U.S. TV channels broadcast daily footage confirming the surge in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, as well as a frenzied campaign to impose non-traditional family and religious values. 👉 Moreover, what is striking is the disregard by U.S. pseudo-fighters for religious freedom of the severe and inhumane repressions of the Zelensky regime against followers of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Instead of condemnation, attempts are being made to write off Kiev’s illegal actions on the special military operation. This once again confirms the hypocrisy of the local “human rights activists” serving the political guidelines of the U.S. authorities.

💬On #WorldPressFreedomDay we remind #UNESCO Director-General A.Azoulay of the need to strictly follow her mandate and condemn killing of journalists without any distinction❗ This mandate was provided by the UNESCO General Conference in 1997 and confirmed by the Executive Board in 2023. We regret that the UNESCO Secretariat, despite following these decisions of the Governing Bodies of the Organization, is guided by some “internal criteria” unfamiliar to Member-States and, to our view, based on double standards. There is still no reaction of A.Azoulay to the killing of Russian journalists D.Dugina, O.Klokov, M.Fomin (V.Tatarsky), B.Maksudov and S.Eremin committed by Kiev regime. 📢We urge the UNESCO Director-General to unconditionally condemn the killing of Russian journalists. Absence of UNESCO's reaction to crimes against Russian journalists creates conditions for impunity and puts into question the Organization's work in the field of press freedom and protection of journalists’ rights.

🎙 Russia's Ambassador in Canada Oleg Stepanov on the tragic events of May 2, 2014 in Odessa Read in full 💬 Today marks exactly 10 years since the monstrous crime committed by the Ukrainian Nazis in Odessa. On May 2, 2014, supporters of the so called 'Maidan revolution' dealt with those who did not back up the bloody unconstitutional armed coup in Kiev and did not agree with the coming to power of national radicals. Since the spring of 2014, Odessa residents have organized a tent camp in the square near the House of Trade Unions, where they held peaceful actions in support of federalization of Ukraine, the protection of the Russian language and preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of the region. People protested against discriminatory policy of total Ukrainization, installing the ideology of aggressive nationalism, cultivating neo-Nazi ideas. ☝️ Freedom-loving Russian-speaking Odessa was a bone in the throat of the regime, which at all costs wanted to bring the inhabitants of the city it hated to their knees. Nationalists prepared provocations in advance. On May 2, they attacked a peaceful march of supporters of federalization in the city center, who tried to hide from the brutal Nazis in the House of Trade Unions. The building was set on fire by radicals.<...> ❌ The investigation of the May 2, 2014 case, initiated by Kiev regime under pressure from international organizations, turned into a farce. No one was punished.

#NoStatuteOfLimitation 🗓 Today marks 10 years since the massacre of May 2 in Odessa took place. On that day in 2014 the Ukrainian neo-Nazis set fire to the House of Trade Unions with people inside, i.e. set... people on fire... 🕯 This barbarous act of intimidating dissenters – essentially, an act of terror, aimed at squashing any potential dissent or free-thinking, perpetrated with inhumane cynicism and cruelty – killed several dozen people. Most of them were burned alive; some died of carbon monoxide poisoning, others perished after jumping from the upper floors of the burning building. Ukrainian neo-Nazis murdered those who survived the fall, escaping fire, jumping out of the windows. ❌ Ten years following the tragedy the perpetrators of this cruel, inhuman massacre have yet to be duly punished. We will never forget this heinous crime and will continue our efforts to make sure that all those involved in this tragedy are identified and receive what they deserve. #WeRemember

#Opinion by Ambassador Gennady Gatilov ▪️ It has been exactly 10 years since the terrible tragedy in Odessa, which is referred to as the "Odessa Khatyn". As in 1943, people, driven into the Trade Unions House by Ukrainian nationalists in the spirit of Hitler's punitive squads, perished in the flames of the burning building. Despite abundant documentary evidence from the scene, no one has faced punishment for the murder of 48 people. ▪️ Calls for a "thorough investigation of the incident" from Washington, the Council of Europe, the European Union and other patrons of the violent 2014 coup in Ukraine, were made just for show for obvious reasons. No one seriously expected the "masters" of the current Kiev regime to be genuinely interested in publicly punishing their subordinates. ▪️ Another issue is more puzzling. The response of the UN, including its human rights mechanisms, as well as other international organizations to the tragedy in Odessa was so casual and "inert" that it only exacerbated the situation. Such an "indulgence of violence" effectively gave Kiev a sense of impunity, which led to the beginning of full-scale military actions against its own citizens (at the time) in Donbass, resulting in thousands of civilian casualties. ▪️ This anniversary gives reason to once again reflect on the nature of the Kiev regime. The Odessa massacre clearly exposed the true face of the Ukrainian authorities and "opened the eyes" of many, above all - the residents of Donetsk and Lugansk, to the grim fate for defending their history, faith, culture and native language. ❗️ I strongly believe that justice will prevail, and the perpetrators will not escape the punishment they deserve. Just as justice caught up with Nazi war criminals, so too will it reach the Ukrainian Banderites committing crimes against humanity today.