Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Syria, Sanctions and Hostile Actions Against Its Media
by Stephen Lendman
(stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
Briefings by Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova are refreshingly candid.
They’re an exercise in truth-telling - polar opposite US dissemination of disinformation, fake news and Big Lies, disgraceful deception, suppressing what’s most vital to report, how the world’s leading human rights abuser operates.
“The situation in and around Syria is marked by increasingly positive trends,” said Zakarova (MZ below).
ISIS presence in the country is a shadow of its earlier strength, Syrian and allied forces smashing its fighters - with enormous help from Russian airpower, turning the tide of battle, committed to continue battling for the country’s liberation.
Yet much work against al-Nusra and other US-supported terrorists remains, including hostile Pentagon forces in the country, invaders, operating illegally, Syrian liberation unattainable as long as they occupy parts of its territory, aiming to replace its legitimate government with pro-Western puppet rule.
“The fight against terrorists in Syria is ongoing,” MZ explained. US-supported fighters continue attacking government forces, other targets and civilians, committing atrocities unreported in the West.
After weeks of heavy fighting, ISIS stronghold Deir Ezzor was fully liberated, a major achievement. Syrian and Iraqi forces are combatting terrorists in areas bordering both countries.
Since Russian aerial operations began in September 2015, its government delivered nearly 2,300 tons of humanitarian aid - none from America, NATO, regional states hostile to Syria or the UN.
Illegal unilateral US sanctions on Russia clearly show its hostile intentions. New ones aim to harm the country’s defense and energy industries, including its important pipeline projects underway and planned.
Moscow “adjusted (to) circumstances” long ago, “reap(ing) significant benefits from this situation, as numerous industries have received a powerful growth impetus and our trade is diversifying,” MZ explained.
US sanctions provided more clear evidence of its villainy. They’ve been counterproductive, harming America’s business interests.
Washington’s imperial agenda “further deteriorat(ed) Russian-US relations.” MZ’s hoped for eventual improvement isn’t likely to be achieved, things likely to get worse, not better.
Pressured by Washington, Twitter banned RT and Sputnik ads on its platform. “(W)e are closely monitoring (the) public response to this decision,” said MZ.
Numbers of dissatisfied Twitter users are “growing,” believing its actions amount to unacceptable censorship, exclusively targeting Russian media - a flagrant First Amendment violation.
Twitter acted after it proposed a multi-million dollar ad deal with RT last year during the US presidential campaign, a proposal it declined to accept “for commercial reasons.”
MZ: “In our opinion, Twitter’s ban is evidence of its failure as a business and its absolute dependence on the US security establishment, which directly controls decision-making on Twitter, as we can conclude from its subsequent decisions.”
“We urge all users of this social networking service to draw conclusions from this situation.”
“Today Twitter has banned ads by Russian media outlets, namely RT and Sputnik, and tomorrow it may decide, seeking to suit the changing political situation, to label media outlets or businesses from any other country the ‘enemies of America.’ ”
“These media outlets and businesses, which are investing in Twitter advertising or joint projects just as RT did, could be paying for potential reputational losses.”
Hostile actions by Twitter, Facebook and Google are clear attempts at censorship, wanting alternative sources of news, information and analysis silenced in America and other Western countries - supporting their tyrannical regimes.
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