Belarus

“I note that we’ve never, even in the days of tsarist Russia, killed people for dissent. This, by the way, is the great strength of our people.”

“We love and are proud of President Vladimir Putin, because he is a friend of Palestine and not only Palestine, but all the people who are seeking freedom. President Putin succeeded in restoring Russia’s authority in the international arena and forced all to respect Russia.”

“…the proportion of people who want friendship between Russia and Ukraine remained the same over the past 10 years. This is despite a campaign of anti-Russian propaganda in Ukraine and numerous infringements of Russian speakers’ rights which have been taking place since the 2014 replacement of the lawfully-elected Ukrainian government with a pro-Western regime in the course of violent protests known as ‘Maidan’.”

“Do not believe the stupid Western propaganda that Russia grabbed a piece of Ukrainian holy land from Ukraine. Nothing like that. Crimea has been Russian since very long time and it will be forever”

“This demonstration of power potential is taking place in close proximity to Russian borders and has a clear anti-Russian orientation. Northern Europe and the Baltic region, previously calm militarily, are turning into a training ground for simulating large-scale military operations, setting up public opinion for the possibility of their transformation into a real theater of war.”

“Russia fully complies with the Treaty on Open Skies. The US accusations are completely groundless.”

“Russia is ready to host the World Cup. The stadiums are open. The cops are polyglots. That is a quick recap of many years of work.We're not going to lose face in front of the planet. It’s not for nothing we terrified [the planet] with a missile. In general, all is well. But there is only one “but”: Our team, frankly, is sh-t.”

I will start with an assessment of increased threats. Since 2012, the number of military contingents deployed by NATO near Russia’s western frontiers has increased threefold. Four battalion tactical groups have been deployed in the Baltics and Poland as well as a U.S. Army armored brigade and command staffs of NATO’s multinational divisions in Poland and Romania. The number of engagement-ready forces of the alliance has grown from 10,000 to 40,000 troops, while their notice period has been reduced from 45 to 30 days.

“It indicates that they, the Americans in the first place, are preparing to start a war in Europe, and you can wage a war in Europe against Russia only.”

“[A] U.S. State Department claim that Russia’s military strength eclipses that of European Union states is especially ludicrous... [I]t [Russia] is not stronger than the European Union, by any measure, and the State Department’s [Brian] Hook [senior policy advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State] is spreading clear disinformation. All to serve an agenda that has nothing to do with Europe’s security.”

“Today, Washington is losing allies even faster than the USSR did during its period of decline. Old and experienced [U.S.] partners are turning in the direction of Russia and China, and many are simply waiting for the right moment to escape the sinking ship of American ‘democracy’."

“Linking the reduction in the number of [U.S. diplomatic] staff with the processing of [U.S.] visas does not stand up to scrutiny, since no one expelled the Americans, no one dictated or specified who to send home and who to leave. Accordingly, if Washington decides to reduce the number of people engaged in visa matters, it will be Washington’s decision -- sovereign, deliberate and by no means forced."