Embassy of Russia in Singapore

Embassy comment We have read the article “With promises of good pay, Russia lures more foreign fighters to Ukraine” in today's edition of the Straits Times newspaper by its global affairs correspondent Jonathan Eyal. The richness of the author's imagination when it comes to spreading anti-Russian myths never ceases to amaze us. In this case, the myth is dedicated to mercenarism, on which the author seems to be the only real expert. We dare to remind you that a myth is a formula of collective memory and tradition, based on real experience and supported by material evidence. This is exactly what is lacking in this and many other articles by the author, who does not bother to back up his fabrications with evidence. Something else is particularly galling. Fantasising and speculating a lot about the alleged “Russian aggression” in Ukraine, the author completely ignores the crying truth of the real steps taken by the United States and the collective West, reflected and recorded in state-level decisions, aimed at pumping money and weapons to the Nazi regime in Kiev, the direct consequence of which is the ongoing and utterly senseless bloodshed. This is the real cause of the Ukrainian tragedy. And no myth can conceal it...

📰 Article by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Y.Rudenko in the Philippine newspaper “Business Mirror” (25 November 2024) 🔗 Read in full Key points: 💬 Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1976, Russian-Philippine friendship has gone through a test of endurance, including changes in the domestic and international political and economic spheres following the collapse of the USSR. 💬 Amid the ongoing global transformation associated with the changing balance of power in the international arena, primarily due to the increasing role of the Global South and Eastern countries, the Philippines remains an important and promising partner of Russia in the Asia-Pacific region. 💬 We therefore appreciate the constructive attitude of the present administration, headed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, which demonstrates the continuity of the policy of maintaining friendly relations with our country. 💬 Recent years have seen an active development of interregional contacts. The city of Cebu maintains twinning relations with Vladimir, in 2022 an agreement on cooperation with Vladivostok was signed. In 2024 the province of Cebu concluded an agreement on cooperation in trade and economy, science and technology, and the humanitarian area with St. Petersburg. Moscow has cooperation programs in place with Manila and Cebu. 💬 Russia opposes the militarization of the region and the "creeping expansion" of NATO into Southeast Asia. Such narrow-bloc organizations as the Indo-Pacific Four (Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand), the AUKUS military alliance with a nuclear component (the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia) are fully involved in this scenario. We note attempts to pull other ASEAN countries into similar narrow-bloc entities, with the aim of forming new "trios" and "quartets". 💬 Russian-Philippine cooperation has great potential for further successful development and translation into mutually beneficial projects.

📄 Excerpts from the Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence, approved on November 19, 2024 by Russia's President Vladimir Putin General Provisions 1. The present Basic Principles are a strategic planning document in the defence sphere and reflect the official views on the essence of nuclear deterrence; they define military dangers and threats, whose neutralisation is the aim of nuclear deterrence, as well as the principles of nuclear deterrence and the conditions under which the Russian Federation will transition to using nuclear weapons. 2. The assured deterrence of a potential adversary from launching an aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies ranks among the top state priorities. Deterring an aggression shall be ensured by the entire combined military power of the Russian Federation, including its nuclear weapons. <...> The essence of nuclear deterrence 9. The Russian Federation exercises nuclear deterrence with regard to a potential adversary understood as individual states and military coalitions (blocs, alliances), which regard the Russian Federation as a potential adversary and possess nuclear and/or other types of mass destruction weapons, or a considerable combat potential in the shape of general-purpose forces. Nuclear deterrence is also exercised with regard to states which provide the territory, airspace and/or maritime space under their control, as well as resources, for preparing and carrying out an aggression against the Russian Federation. 10. An aggression by any state member of a military coalition (bloc, alliance) against the Russian Federation and/or its allies shall be considered as an aggression by this coalition (bloc, alliance) as a whole. 11. An aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies by any non-nuclear state with the participation of or support from a nuclear state shall be considered as their joint assault. <...> Conditions for the Russian Federation’s transition to the employment of nuclear weapons 18. The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to nuclear and/or other types of mass destruction weapons being used against it and/or its allies, as well as in the case of an aggression with the use of conventional weapons against the Russian Federation and/or the Republic of Belarus as a member of the Union State, an aggression creating a critical threat to their sovereignty and/or territorial integrity. 19. The conditions determining the possibility of nuclear employment by the Russian Federation are as follows: a) arrival of reliable information on the launch of ballistic missiles attacking the territories of the Russian Federation and/or its allies; b) an adversary’s use of nuclear or other types of mass destruction weapons against the territories of the Russian Federation and/or its allies, military units and/or facilities of the Russian Federation, located outside of its territory; c) an adversary’s attack on critically important state or military facilities of the Russian Federation, whose incapacitation will lead to the disruption of retaliatory actions by the nuclear forces; d) aggression against the Russian Federation and/or the Republic of Belarus as a member of the Union State with the use of conventional weapons, which creates a critical threat to their sovereignty and/or territorial integrity; e) arrival of reliable information about a massed launch (takeoff) of aerospace assault weapons (strategic and tactical aircraft, cruise missiles, and unpiloted, hypersonic or other air vehicles) and their crossing of the state border of the Russian Federation. 20. The decision on using nuclear weapons shall be taken by the President of the Russian Federation. <...>

Embassy Comment We have read the article “Danger Flashing; Asia must ring-fence itself from Ukraine war spillover” by the Straits Times newspaper's Senior Columnist, Ravi Velloor, which was published in today's issue. We shall refrain from going into details at this time. We would like to make only one observation. In our opinion, the main challenge of our time is not to retreat into limited formats or to react and adjust to isolated, albeit significant, political events which the author seems to be referring to. Rather, it is to foster integration and collaboration in building a new, polycentric, more humane and just world, replacing the ruins of colonialism and neo-colonialism. With regard to the situation in Asia and, more broadly speaking, in Eurasia, we would like to draw your attention to the Russian idea of forming a transcontinental Eurasian security system based on the principles of equality and indivisibility. It is intended to take the place of Euro-Atlantic security frameworks torpedoed by the collective West. We believe that the material basis for our vision of the future of Eurasia could be the concept of a Greater Eurasian Partnership, which would unite, inter alia, Russia, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and ASEAN states, while having a more open architecture. For those who would like to delve deeper into the issue, we suggest reading the texts of President Vladimir Putin's speech at the Valdai International Discussion Club meeting. It reads: “<...> The key principle of security for all without exception is that the security of one nation cannot be ensured at the expense of others’ security. I am not saying anything new. It has been set out in OSCE documents. It only needs to be implemented. The bloc policy and the legacy of the Cold War colonial era run contrary to the essence of the new international system, which is open and flexible. There is only one bloc in the world that is held together by the so-called obligations and strict ideological dogmas and cliches. <...> The future Eurasian security system, now beginning to take shape across our vast continent, is founded on a spirit of respect and mutual consideration of interests. This approach is not only genuinely multilateral but also multifaceted. My fifth point is about justice for all. Inequality is the true scourge of the modern world. Countries face social tension and political instability within their borders due to inequality”. Read in full here: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/75521

Statement by the President Vladimir Putin: I would like to inform the military personnel of the Russian Federation Armed Forces, citizens of our country, our friends across the globe, and those who persist in the illusion that a strategic defeat can be inflicted upon Russia, about the events taking place today in the zone of the special military operation, specifically following the attacks by Western long-range weapons against our territory. The escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, instigated by the West, continues with the United States and its NATO allies previously announcing that they authorise the use of their long-range high-precision weapons for strikes inside the Russian Federation. <...> On November 19, six ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles produced by the United States, and on November 21, during a combined missile assault involving British Storm Shadow systems and HIMARS systems produced by the US, attacked military facilities inside the Russian Federation in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. From that point onward, as we have repeatedly emphasised in prior communications, the regional conflict in Ukraine provoked by the West has assumed elements of a global nature. <...> I wish to underscore once again that the use by the enemy of such weapons cannot affect the course of combat operations in the special military operation zone. <...> ❗️ In response to the deployment of American and British long-range weapons, on November 21, the Russian Armed Forces delivered a combined strike on a facility within Ukraine’s defence industrial complex. In field conditions, we also carried out tests of one of Russia’s latest medium-range missile systems – in this case, carrying a non-nuclear hypersonic ballistic missile that our engineers named #Oreshnik. The tests were successful, achieving the intended objective of the launch. In the city of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, one of the largest and most famous industrial complexes from the Soviet Union era, which continues to produce missiles and other armaments, was hit. <...> As a reminder, Russia has voluntarily and unilaterally committed not to deploy intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles until US weapons of this kind appear in any region of the world. ⚠️ To reiterate, we are conducting combat tests of the Oreshnik missile system in response to NATO’s aggressive actions against Russia. Our decision on further deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles will depend on the actions of the United States and its satellites. We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against military facilities of those countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities, and in case of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond decisively and in mirror-like manner. I recommend that the ruling elites of the countries that are hatching plans to use their military contingents against Russia seriously consider this. It goes without saying that when choosing, if necessary and as a retaliatory measure, targets to be hit by systems such as Oreshnik on Ukrainian territory, we will in advance suggest that civilians and citizens of friendly countries residing in those areas leave danger zones. We will do so for humanitarian reasons, openly and publicly, without fear of counter-moves coming from the enemy, who will also be receiving this information. <...> Air defence systems currently available in the world and missile defence systems being created by the Americans in Europe cannot intercept such missiles. It is impossible. ☝️ I would like to emphasise once again that it was not Russia, but the United States that destroyed the international security system and, by continuing to fight, cling to its hegemony, they are pushing the whole world into a global conflict. We have always preferred and are ready now to resolve all disputes by peaceful means. But we are also ready for any turn of events. If anyone still doubts this, make no mistake: there will always be a response.

#EAEU: Technological Sovereignty for Sustainable Development The 6th Eurasian Business Forum "Integration" took place on November 15, with the plenary session focusing on the theme: "Technological Sovereignty and Industrial Cooperation in the EAEU: Implementation Mechanisms." 🎙️ Arzybek Kozhoshev, Member of the Board for Energy and Infrastructure of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), stated: 💬 "Undoubtedly, in today's world, technological sovereignty is becoming an important factor in ensuring sustainable development. At the same time, energy and transportation are factors that provide not only physical infrastructure for the development of economic sectors, but also promote independence from external risks. Eurasian cohesion is becoming a certain competitive advantage for our countries”. ⚡ The importance of the "EAEU Five" countries pursuing a coordinated energy policy and their joint efforts in forming common energy resource markets is becoming particularly relevant.

✍️ Russia's President Vladimir Putin approved the new Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence, signing the attendant Executive Order on November 19, 2024. Key items: • State policy on Nuclear Deterrence is defensive by nature, it is aimed at maintaining the nuclear forces potential at the level sufficient for nuclear deterrence, and guarantees protection of national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the State, and deterrence of a potential adversary from aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies. • The Russian Federation considers nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence, their use being an extreme and compelled measure, and takes all necessary efforts to reduce nuclear threat and prevent aggravation of interstate relations, that could trigger military conflicts, including nuclear ones. • The Russian Federation ensures nuclear deterrence toward a potential adversary, which is understood to mean any individual states or military coalitions (blocs, alliances) which see the Russian Federation as a potential adversary and possess nuclear arms and/or other weapons of mass destruction or conventional forces with a significant combat capability. • Nuclear deterrence is also ensured toward any states which provide the territory, airspace, and/or maritime space under their control as well as resources for preparing and conducting an aggression against the Russian Federation. • An aggression of any single state from a military coalition (bloc, alliance) against the Russian Federation and/or its allies will be regarded as an aggression of the coalition (bloc, alliance) as a whole. • An aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies of any non-nuclear state with the participation or support of a nuclear state will be regarded as their joint attack. • The decision to use nuclear weapons is taken by the President of the Russian Federation.