30, April 2022
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un warns of ‘preemptive’ use of nuclear force 0
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has repeated his warning that Pyongyang could “preemptively” use its nuclear weaponry to counter hostile forces, state media reported Saturday.
Kim told top military officers that to “maintain the absolute superiority” of North Korea’s armed forces, the country should be able to “preemptively and thoroughly contain and frustrate all dangerous attempts and threatening moves… if necessary,” the official KCNA news agency reported.
Pyongyang should continue to build up its arsenal so that it can have the “overwhelming military muscle that no force in the world can provoke,” Kim said, calling it the “lifeline guaranteeing the security of our country”.
The leader’s comments followed similar remarks at a military parade on Monday, when he said he could use his atomic arsenal if North Korea’s “fundamental interests” were threatened.
Kim made his latest comments at a meeting with top brass to praise their work on Monday’s parade, which commemorated the 90th anniversary of the country’s armed forces and showcased its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Despite biting sanctions, North Korea has doubled down on Kim’s military modernisation drive, test-firing a slew of banned weapons this year while ignoring US offers of talks.
Last month Pyongyang test-fired an ICBM at full range for the first time since 2017, and satellite imagery has shown signs of activity at a nuclear testing site.
The string of weapons tests comes as South Korea prepares for an incoming president, Yoon Suk-yeol, who takes a more hawkish approach to Pyongyang and has not ruled out a preemptive strike if necessary.
Analysts say Kim’s warning shows he is not open to dialogue with Seoul’s new government.
“Kim’s remarks demonstrate no interest in engaging with the incoming Yoon administration in South Korea or restarting denuclearisation talks with the United States,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul.
Source: AFP
9, May 2022
War in Ukraine: Putin says Russian troops ‘fighting for the Motherland’ 0
Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, saying it was necessary as the West was preparing to invade Russia.
Putin made the remarks at the annual Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square on Monday, marking the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
The Russian president said the West was “preparing for the invasion of our land, including Crimea,” and the military operation was a preemptive move to ward off aggression.
“NATO is actively pursuing our territory. That is absolutely unacceptable to us. We are talking about neo-Nazis in Ukraine that the US and its partners are working with,” he asserted.
Putin further said the decision for this “special military operation” was forced on Moscow, calling it the “only correct decision” as Ukraine was receiving the most modern weaponry from the NATO military bloc.
“We heard how Kiev was talking about requiring nuclear weapons,” he said. “We had to do this and it was the only right thing to do,” Putin said of what he has repeatedly dubbed “special military operation”.
He asserted that Russia was fighting for “its people in Donbas”, saying Moscow “urged Europe to find a fair compromise, but they didn’t want to hear us.”
“You are fighting for your motherland, for its future, so no one will forget the lessons of the Second World War,” Putin told his troops at the impressive parade, before observing a minute of silence.
“The death of every soldier and the officer is painful for us,” the Russian president stated. “The state will do everything to take care of these families.”
Around 11,000 soldiers participated in the parade on Moscow’s Red Square. Military parades also took place in Vladivostok and Novosibirsk.
“Glory to our armed forces, hooray to Russia,” troops yelled as they cheered Putin during the parade, as the country’s national anthem played in the background and cannons were fired in celebration.
Since 2008, Victory Day events in Russia have been used to honor the sacrifices of a previous generation, and to portray an image of post-Communist Russia restored to its former glory.
In 2008, under Putin, mechanized units took part in the Victory Day parade for the first time since 1991, and the ceremony also saw a fly-past of fighting planes for the first time in any parade on Red Square since 1957, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
The parade was broadcast live to a worldwide audience, through Russia’s RT channel.
Asked on Friday whether the parade would be overshadowed by the conflict, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called it a “sacred day” for all Russians.
“Victory Day for all Russian citizens, for all Russians, for almost all residents of the former territory of the Soviet Union, is a sacred day … filled with a sense of pain for the sacrifices that we have suffered, and a sense of pride for our country and for our victory. And nothing will overshadow it,” he said.
“From the point of view of national pride, the significance of this holiday cannot be overestimated.”
The Soviet Union lost around 27 million people in World War II, more than any other country.
Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine in late February, following Kiev’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements and Moscow’s recognition of the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Putin said one of the goals of the military operation was to “de-Nazify” Ukraine.
Source: Presstv