NATO is an instrument of confrontation rather than of peace, a veritable "war machine" approaching Russia’s borders, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
"It is a war machine. And it has been approaching our borders all this time."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the U.S.-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an instrument of confrontation.
"NATO is not an instrument of peace; it is an instrument of confrontation. NATO was designed and made this way, as an instrument of confrontation. It is a war machine. And it has been approaching our borders this whole time," he said.
"We were uncomfortable and we warned them and told them: ‘Let us discuss our concerns.’ But they did not want to," he noted, adding that the West is seeking cover up with silence or lies.
"Nevertheless, it was so and we must remember that; we must not forget about it and we must talk about it, and not shy away, to be confident about it," Peskov stressed.
According to the Kremlin spokesman, 120 foreign companies have left Russia since the country launched its special military operation in Ukraine. "Before the start of the operation, there were about 1 404 foreign companies in the country. These had 2 405 subsidiaries."
Referring to the anti-Russia sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its European allies, Peskov said they are "a double-edged sword" and it shows as the entire eurozone is experiencing an all-time high in inflation.
Since February last year, more than 12 600 new restrictive measures against Russia have been activated in addition to the nearly 2 700 already in place, according to the Castellum.AI database, which tracks sanctions against Russia.
"The pressure on Russia will not be reduced," Peskov said, adding that this does not represent an obstacle to the country's development. Alternative directions for trade and economic cooperation with new partners are opening up, the Russian diplomat said
Tucker Carlson will no longer be able to carry on his self-generated battle against lying, pomposity, smugness, and groupthink at Fox News Channel.
Fox News announced on Monday that the network and its prime-time anchor Tucker Carlson have mutually agreed to end their association after more than a decade.
“FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” the US broadcaster said, adding that Carlson aired his final show last Friday.
Carlson, Fox News Channel’s most-watched primetime host, will leave the network in an abrupt and surprise exit, leaving the network without a fill-in for one of its most popular hours and with dozens of questions hanging over it as it grapples with pressures resulting from a $787 million settlement it will have to pay to Dominion Voting Systems
Fox expressed gratitude to Carlson “for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”
“Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” the company said in a statement Monday. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.” A spokeswoman for Fox News declined to elaborate.
Carlson will not appear on Fox News again in his current role. His last broadcast, Fox News said, took place on Friday –meaning he will not be given the opportunity to bid viewers farewell.
Neither Fox nor Carlson have offered an explanation for the break-up. The network did say that last Friday’s episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight will be the last, and that a newscast will be aired in its stead starting Monday evening.
Shares in the network’s parent company, Fox Corporation, slid by 4.7% after the announcement.
Carlson had given no hints of the show ending last week, announcing instead a new season of his documentary series for Fox, titled Tucker Carlson Originals. On Friday, he gave a keynote speech at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, again not mentioning anything about parting ways with Fox.
The host’s exit comes just days after corporate parent Fox Corp. agreed to pay $787.5 million in a settlement to Dominion Voting Systems after being accused of defaming the ballot-technology company by passing along specious conspiracy theories about its role in the 2020 presidential election. Carlson, who has passed along reports tilting at the veracity of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2020 and filled Fox News’ 8 p.m. hour with a litany of diatribes against subjects ranging from Black Lives Matter to Senator Tammy Duckworth over the years, was expected to have to testify in the matter and the goings-on at his show were expected to be analyzed in a separate suit Fox is navigating involving Abby Grossman, a former producer.
Fox News appears to be cleaning house of some of its most rightward-leaning elements. Last week, the network failed to come to renewal terms with weekend host Dan Bongino, a popular pundit in ultra-conservative circles.
Rivals will likely seize on Carlson’s absence. “For a while Fox News has been moving to become establishment media and Tucker Carlson’s removal is a big milestone in that effort,” said Christopher Ruddy, CEO of the conservative news outlet Newsmax, in a statement on Monday. “Millions of viewers who liked the old Fox News have made the switch to Newsmax and Tucker’s departure will only fuel that trend.”
In the absence of an official explanation, there has been widespread speculation that the break-up might be related to a recent lawsuit against Fox by Dominion Voting Systems. The company had sued the network for defamation in a Delaware court, alleging that Fox hosts had promoted “baseless” claims by former president Donald Trump about the 2020 election. Fox settled the lawsuit for $787.5 million last week.
Over the weekend, a prominent congresswoman also argued Carlson should not be allowed on air under federal law.
“When you look at what Tucker Carlson and some of these other folks on Fox do, it is very, very clearly incitement of violence – very clearly incitement of violence. And that is the line that we have to be willing to contend with,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, told former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, now a host on the rival cable channel MSNBC.
Declaring itself “the sworn enemy of lying, pomposity, smugness and groupthink,” Carlson’s evening show first aired in 2016 and quickly became the most popular in the Fox News lineup. In June 2020, he set the record for the highest-rated quarter of any cable news program, averaging 4.33 million viewers. His recent interview with Donald Trump drew an audience of 6.7 million.
Russian assault teams continue fighting Ukrainian troops in the western areas of Artyomovsk and artillery, combat aircraft and paratroopers thwarted Kiev’s attempt to counter-attack on the flanks over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Monday.
"In the Donetsk direction, assault teams continue combat operations in the western districts of the city of Artyomovsk. Operational/tactical and army aviation aircraft and artillery from the southern battlegroup jointly with Airborne Force units rendered support to the assault teams and thwarted the enemy’s attempts to counter-attack on the flanks," the spokesman said.
Russian forces strike Ukrainian army’s reserves advancing to Artyomovsk
Russian forces struck the Ukrainian army’s reserves advancing towards Artyomovsk over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the area of the settlement of Bogdanovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, a strike was delivered against the enemy’s reserves advancing towards the city of Artyomovsk," the spokesman said.
During the last 24-hour period, Russian combat aircraft flew eight sorties and artillery accomplished 76 firing objectives in the Donetsk direction, the general said.
Russian forces neutralize two Ukrainian subversive groups in Kupyansk area
Russian forces neutralized two Ukrainian subversive groups and destroyed over 70 enemy troops in the Kupyansk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Kupyansk direction, operational/tactical and army aviation aircraft and artillery from the western battlegroup struck enemy units in areas near the settlements of Stelmakhovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Sinkovka, Artyomovka, Ivanovka and Figolevka in the Kharkov Region. In areas near the settlements of Novosyolovskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic and Sinkovka in the Kharkov Region, the activity of two Ukrainian subversive/reconnaissance groups was thwarted," the spokesman said.
The strikes eliminated enemy manpower and equipment, the general said.
"Over 70 Ukrainian personnel, an armored combat vehicle and three pickup trucks were destroyed in the past 24 hours. In addition, in the area of the settlement of Stelmakhovka, an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army’s 92nd mechanized brigade was obliterated," Konashenkov reported.
Russian forces eliminate over 60 Ukrainian troops in Krasny Liman area
Russian forces eliminated over 60 Ukrainian troops in the Krasny Liman area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Krasny Liman direction, assault and army aviation aircraft and artillery from the battlegroup Center struck enemy manpower and equipment in areas near the settlements of Chervonaya Dibrova and Chervonopopovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Terny and Serebryanka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.
The enemy lost over 60 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, three motor vehicles, a D-20 howitzer and a Gvozdika motorized artillery gun in that area in the past 24 hours, the general specified.
Russian forces destroy over 280 Ukrainian troops in Donetsk advance
Russian forces destroyed over 280 Ukrainian troops and mercenaries in their advance in the Donetsk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"Over 280 Ukrainian personnel and mercenaries, an infantry fighting vehicle, an armored personnel carrier, four armored combat vehicles, 11 motor vehicles, a Grad multiple rocket launcher and a D-30 howitzer were destroyed in that area in the past 24 hours," the spokesman said.
Russian forces eliminate over 20 Ukrainian troops in southern Donetsk, Zaporozhye areas
Russian forces destroyed over 20 Ukrainian troop and two armored combat vehicles in the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
In the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, operational/tactical and army aviation aircraft and artillery from the battlegroup East struck the enemy units in areas near the settlements of Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Kamenskoye and Malaya Tokmachka in the Zaporozhye Region, the spokesman specified.
"The enemy’s losses in those directions in the past 24 hours amounted to over 20 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, three motor vehicles and a D-20 howitzer," the general said.
Russian forces destroy 40 Ukrainian troops, US-made M777 howitzer in Kherson area
Russian forces destroyed roughly 40 Ukrainian troops and a US-made M777 artillery system in the Kherson area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Kherson direction, operational/tactical aircraft and artillery destroyed as many as 40 Ukrainian personnel, an armored combat vehicle, two motor vehicles, and also a US-manufactured M777 artillery system in the past 24 hours," the spokesman said.
Russian forces strike foreign mercenaries’ site in DPR with Iskander missiles
Russian forces delivered strikes by an Iskander tactical missile system against a Ukrainian arms depot and a foreign mercenaries’ site in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"On April 21, an Iskander tactical missile system delivered a strike against the arms depot and the foreign mercenaries’ temporary deployment site located in the library building in Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The strike eliminated as many as 60 militants of the so-called Georgian legion and 15 items of equipment deployed on the adjacent territory. Another 20 mercenaries received heavy wounds," the spokesman said.
The strike eliminated militants of the Georgian legion who were complicit in brutal tortures and killings of Russian soldiers near Kiev in March last year, the general specified.
"The Russian Defense Ministry has information on each foreign mercenary complicit in the killings of Russian servicemen. All of them will face punishment they deserve," Konashenkov said.
Russian forces neutralize two Ukrainian subversive groups in DPR
Russian forces neutralized two Ukrainian subversive groups in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the area of the settlement of Terny in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the activity of two Ukrainian subversive/reconnaissance groups was thwarted," the spokesman said.
Russian forces strike Ukrainian army’s command post in DPR
Russian forces struck the Ukrainian army’s command post near Torskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the area of the settlement of Torskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the command/observation post of the Ukrainian army’s 23rd separate rifle battalion was struck. In the areas of the settlements of Orekhov and Kamenskoye in the Zaporozhye Region, two signal centers of the Ukrainian army’s 65th mechanized and 128th mountain assault brigades were struck," the spokesman said.
During the last 24-hour period, operational/tactical and army aviation aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian group of forces struck 92 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and equipment in 126 areas, the general reported.
Russian forces wipe out two Ukrainian ammo depots in Zaporozhye area
Russian forces destroyed two ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army in the Zaporozhye area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the areas of the settlements of Ravnopolye and Volnyansk in the Zaporozhye Region, two ammunition depots belonging to the Ukrainian army’s 65th mechanized brigade and 102nd territorial defense brigade were destroyed," the spokesman said.
In areas near the settlements of Novosyolka and Novomikhailovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the activity of two Ukrainian subversive/reconnaissance groups was thwarted, the general added.
Russian forces foil Kiev’s attempt to attack Sevastopol naval base with surface drones
The Kiev regime made another attempt to attack the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s naval base in Sevastopol with three waterborne drones, Konashenkov reported.
"Today, at about 3:30 a.m. Moscow time, the Kiev regime made another attempt to attack the Black Sea Fleet’s base in the city of Sevastopol with three unmanned fast-speed boats," the spokesman said.
Russian submerged anti-saboteur forces destroyed all of the enemy’s three unmanned boats as they approached the Sevastopol Bay. There are no casualties," the general said.
Russian air defenses destroy 38 Ukrainian combat drones in past day
Russian air defense forces shot down 38 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"During the last 24-hour period, air defense capabilities shot down 38 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Liman Vtoroy, Dvurechnoye and Zhovtnevoye in the Kharkov Region, Krasnorechenskoye, Chervonopopovka, Rubezhnoye and Kremennaya in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Opytnoye, Makeyevka, Nikolskoye, Novobakhmutovka, Zavitne Bazhannya and Kirillovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Shevchenko and Ulyanovka in the Zaporozhye Region, Peschanoye, Golaya Pristan and Kairy in the Kherson Region," the spokesman said.
In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 411 Ukrainian warplanes, 228 helicopters, 3,834 unmanned aerial vehicles, 415 surface-to-air missile systems, 8,821 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,094 multiple rocket launchers, 4,647 field artillery guns and mortars and 9,721 special military motor vehicles since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, Konashenkov reported.
Mercedes Formula One driver Michael Schumacher of Germany stands inside his team garage during the first practice session of the Japanese F1 Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit October 5, 2012. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
The publishers of a German magazine that ran an 'interview' with Michael Schumacher generated by artificial intelligence have sacked the editor and apologised to the Formula One great's family.
Seven-times world champion Schumacher, now 54, has not been seen in public since he suffered a serious brain injury in a skiing accident on a family holiday in the French Alps in December 2013.
His family said this week that they were planning legal action against weekly magazine Die Aktuelle, owned by the Essen-based Funke media group.
"This tasteless and misleading article should never have appeared. It in no way meets the standards of journalism that we – and our readers – expect from a publisher like Funke," said Funke magazines managing director Bianca Pohlmann.
"As a result of the publication of this article, immediate personnel consequences will be drawn.
"Die Aktuelle editor-in-chief Anne Hoffmann, who has held journalistic responsibility for the paper since 2009, will be relieved of her duties as of today."
The latest edition of Die Aktuelle ran a front cover with a picture of a smiling Schumacher and the headline promising 'Michael Schumacher, the first interview'.
The strapline added: "it sounded deceptively real".
Inside, it emerged that the 'quotes' had been produced by AI.
Schumacher's family maintains strict privacy about the former driver's condition, with access limited to those closest to him.
"We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he's comfortable, and to simply make him feel our family, our bond," Corinna Schumacher said in a 2021 Netflix documentary.
"We're trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives."
Rebellions have begun among Ukrainian servicemen in Chasov Yar and Konstantinovka, as they are dropping their arms and walking out, Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the PMC Wagner, said on Saturday.
"Revolts have begun among the servicemen of the Ukrainian armed forces in Chasov Yar and Konstantinovka. They are dropping their arms, rising and leaving," said Prigozhin, cited on his press service’s Telegram channel.
Russian forces destroy up to 25 servicemen, a D-20 howitzer in Kherson area
Russian troops destroyed up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen and a D-20 howitzer in the Kherson area, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday.
"More than 25 Ukrainian servicemen, two vehicles, as well as a D-20 howitzer were destroyed in the Kherson area as a result of the shelling," Konashenkov said.
Special operation, 21 April. Main:
▪️Ukraine lost up to 90 soldiers in the South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, about 105 in the Kupyansk and Krasnolymansk directions, and up to 310 in the Donetsk direction, the RF Ministry of Defense reported;
▪️The situation in Artemivsk remains tense, the Russian forces are advancing, but it is premature to talk about a "cauldron" for Ukrainian troops, Pushilin said;
▪️More than 16,000 Ukrainian servicemen received military training as part of EU assistance to Ukraine, Borrell said;
▪️The head of the German Ministry of Defense announced the start of a training program for over 100 Ukrainian servicemen to control German Leopard A5 tanks from Saturday;
▪️Conducting military operations of Ukraine on the territory of the Russian Federation is a normal phenomenon, as long as there are no attacks on cities and civilians, Pistorius said. Medvedev responded to these words by stating that "any German who wants an attack on Russia must be ready for the parade in Berlin."
Russian MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:
▪️During the day, up to 255 Ukrainian troops and mercenaries were destroyed in the DPR;
▪️An ammunition depot of the 95th Air Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was destroyed near the village of Serebryanka in the DPR. The warehouse of rocket and artillery weapons of the Ukrainian group was also destroyed;
▪️The Russian Armed Forces destroyed two groups of Ukrainian saboteurs in the Kharkov region and the LPR;
▪️The Russian Armed Forces destroyed 60 Ukrainian soldiers and counter-battery combat radars manufactured by the USA AN / TPQ-50 in the LPR in a day;
▪️An ammunition depot of the 67th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was destroyed near the village of Staritsa, Kharkov region;
▪️Russian air defenses destroyed five Ukrainian drones;
▪️The Russian Armed Forces destroyed more than 65 military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a D-30 howitzer in the DPR;
▪️In the area of the settlement of Chervonaya Dibrova, the LPR stopped the actions of two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups.
Many Russian businessmen saw their profits soar last year despite the pressure of Western sanctions and the volatile state of the global economy, Forbes reported on Friday.
The latest Forbes Russian billionaire list now includes 110 names compared to 88 a year earlier. The businessmen who managed to pass the threshold to become billionaires did so thanks to the recovery of the country’s stock market, the outlet noted. Domestic stocks initially collapsed shortly after the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, but later rebounded as the economy gradually adjusted to Western sanctions.
The combined fortune of Russians in the new Forbes ranking grew from $353 billion to $505 billion since last March. The ten most successful billionaires increased their fortunes by a combined $77.4 billion. Out of those present in both last year’s and this year’s rankings, 58 people saw their fortunes grow – by a total of $140.3 billion.
Andrey Melnichenko, whose businesses include the fertilizer producer EuroChem and the coal producer SUEK, was the biggest winner, topping the Russian Forbes list for the first time. His fortune more than doubled since last March, soaring to $25.2 billion from $11.1 billion.
However, there were also those whose wealth shrunk throughout the year. Thirteen businessmen lost a total of $8.5 billion in 2022. While sanctions affected some of them, many of those whose major assets are located abroad also saw their fortunes dwindle on the drop in the S&P and the Nasdaq indexes. The US Federal Reserve's rate hikes and the deflating big-tech bubble also had an impact, Forbes notes.
The biggest loser among Russia’s billionaires was Pavel Durov, the owner of the Telegram messaging app, who was considered the third-richest Russian businessman in March 2022. He saw his fortune shrink by $3.6 billion compared with 2021, to $11.5 billion.
Russia's richest people added $152 billion to their wealth over the past year, buoyed by high prices for natural resources and rebounding from the huge loss of fortunes they experienced just after the Ukraine war began, Forbes Russia said.
Russia has 110 official billionaires in the list, up 22 from last year, according to Forbes' Russian edition, which said their total wealth increased to $505 billion from $353 billion when the 2022 list was announced.
The list would have been longer had not five billionaires - DST Global founder Yuri Milner, Revolut founder Nikolay Storonsky, Freedom Finance founder Timur Turlov, and JetBrains co-founders Sergei Dmitriev and Valentin Kipyatkov - renounced their Russian citizenship, Forbes said.
"Last year's rating results were also influenced by apocalyptic predictions about the Russian economy," Forbes said, adding that the total wealth of Russia's billionaires was $606 billion in 2021, before the war began.
After President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year, the West imposed what it casts as the most severe sanctions in modern history on Russia's economy - and some of its richest people - in an attempt to punish Putin for the war.
Putin said the West was trying to destroy Russia and has repeatedly touted the failure of Western sanctions to destroy the Russian economy, or even stop Western luxury goods - let alone basic parts - from ending up in Russia.
Russia's economy shrank 2.1% in 2022 under the pressure of Western sanctions, but it was able to sell oil, metals and other natural resources to global markets, in particular to China, India and the Middle East.
The International Monetary Fund this month raised its forecast for Russian growth in 2023 to 0.7% from 0.3%, but lowered its 2024 forecast to 1.3% from 2.1%, saying it also expected labour shortages and the exodus of Western companies to harm the country's economy.
The price of Urals oil, the lifeblood of the Russian economy, averaged $76.09 per barrel in 2022, up from $69 in 2021. Fertiliser prices were also high last year.
Andrei Melnichenko, who made a fortune in fertilisers, was listed as Russia's richest man by Forbes with an estimated worth of $25.2 billion, more than double what he was estimated to be worth last year. Melnichenko could not be reached for immediate comment on the Forbes ranking.
Vladimir Potanin, president and biggest shareholder of Nornickel (GMKN.MM), the world's largest producer of palladium and refined nickel, was ranked as second richest in Russia with a fortune of $23.7 billion. Potanin could not immediately be reached for comment on the Forbes ranking.
Vladimir Lisin, who controls steelmaker NLMK (NLMK.MM) and was ranked last year as Russia's richest man, was placed third in the Forbes Russia list with a fortune of $22.1 billion. Lisin could not be immediately reached for comment on the Forbes ranking.
Many Russian billionaires cast Western sanctions as a clumsy, and even racist, tool.
Building fortunes as the Soviet Union crumbled, a small group of tycoons known as the oligarchs persuaded the Kremlin under late President Boris Yeltsin to give them control over some of the biggest oil and metals companies in the world.
The privatisation deals often propelled the tycoons into the league of the world’s super rich, earning them the enduring dislike of millions of impoverished Russians.
But under Putin, some of the original oligarchs, such as Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Boris Berezovsky, were stripped of their assets, which eventually ended up under the sway of state companies often run by former spies.
New Russian names in the Forbes list include billionaires who made their money in snacks, supermarkets, chemicals, building and pharmaceuticals, indicating that Russian domestic demand has remained strong despite the sanctions.
