Diplomats of Russia

"How can a heart expression find? How should another know your mind? Will he discern what quickens you? A thought once uttered is untrue."

"After tumbling down the mountain, a stone lies in a valley. How did it fall away? Right now, no-one knows. Did it tear from the heights on its own? Or was it cast down by the will of another? Aeons have flowed by, yet no-one knows the reason why."

"I love May's first storms: chuckling, sporting spring grumbles in mock anger; young thunder claps."

"Separation has this lofty meaning: if love lasts years, if but a day it takes, love's just a dream and we're a moment dreaming, and whether early, whether late the waking, the time must finally arrive when we awake."

"Who would grasp Russia with the mind? For her no yardstick was created: Her soul is of a special kind, By faith alone appreciated."

"Well I believe all participants of the six party talks should use their bilateral channels to send necessary messages to North Koreans. Some of us like China and Russia have more channels if you wish. Japan and South Korea have their own. And the United States could also help by stating their strong commitment to the negotiating process, to the six party talks, and I am glad that that's what we hear from Washington in response to the North Korean announcement."

"I am very pleased to be here in Israel, the land of our friends, friends who are going through a complex period like their neighbors. We are convinced that the efforts of all countries and governments in the region will find a way to reach peace and long-term security. I have arrived here after visiting Beirut and Damascus and I want to tell the Prime Minister and all other ministers that today, everyone wants peace more than ever, peace and security.Now, the preferred position is that of those who do not want to live amidst endless arguments about who was right first and last. Everybody wants to sit around the negotiating table. Everyone aspires to reach decisions that will be acceptable to all and certainly to Israel. We always point out the Russian Federation’s full agreement that the State of Israel has the full right to peace and security. We are convinced that that there is no other way to resolve this problem except through peace.We are certain that UN Security Council Resolution #1701, that we all worked on together, will be carried out in full by all sides. We think that the abductees should be released as soon as possible and we are also convinced that the military blockade of Lebanon must be lifted and that the Lebanese army needs to deploy in southern Lebanon in order to facilitate the Israeli army’s withdrawal as quickly as possible. But we are convinced that peace is attainable only if an international conference - with the participation of all sides - convenes. Lastly, I would like to point out that we are very much looking forward to the Prime Minister’s visit to Moscow in order to discuss bilateral relations."

"As to the second question about Gabala Radar Station, I think that you are under the influence of what was previously customary to call "western propaganda." As Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said in public, which was reconfirmed during his preliminary consultations with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, we perceive no threat from Iran. We do not understand why to justify construction of elements of a US missile defense system in Europe they should be using a thesis about a threat from Iran. We have repeatedly adduced facts, assessments, and professional estimates showing that there is no such threat, which President Putin particularly emphasized. If the American side has suspicions about the presence of any such threat, they can easily be removed by the real-time use of information from Gabala Radar Station. Today I told my friend and colleague, Mr. Mottaki, as well as the President of Iran, Mr. Ahmadinejad, about this. My firm impression is that our explanation was received with full understanding."

"There was an attack on our citizens in South Ossetia since most people had a Russian passport and thus Russian citizenship."

"Ha! I’ve heard about these reports. I think it’s another provocation, coming just before NATO war games on Georgian territory that were in complete disregard of Russia’s warnings. If this is aimed at drawing other participants of the war games into the conflict — prompted by statements from the Georgian government — then this only proves that we were 100% right when we warned those taking part in the war games not to do so as it will lead heighten tensions sharply."

"Instead of the negative and relative stability of Cold War times, we all need positive stability based on collective interaction, an indifferently correct neighborhood is impossible on our continent. The principle of indivisibility of European security should be legally binding, relations between the US, Europe and Russia need a qualitatively new interaction that could help solve common and global challenges."

"We believe that the coalition's intervention in the civil war in Libya has not, essentially, been sanctioned by the UN Security Council resolution, its only purpose is to ensure the protection of the civilian population."

"We think that additional steps, including the cancellation of the no-fly zone, should be taken."

"Members of the international community, first of all our Western partners, have chosen the path of supporting one of the sides in the civil war – probably the party that represented the Libyan people's legitimate aspirations, but this still increased the number of casualties among the civilian population."

"It is no accident that the Office of UN High Commissioner on Human Rights stated today that all circumstances of his (Gaddafi's) death must be investigated and I fully agree that such an investigation will be conducted."

"If something goes wrong in Syria, many countries of the region will feel a negative impact. We can’t support isolation because of the lesson we drew from Libya."

"We believe this would be a huge mistake and we hope that this would never happen."

"As the Libyan experience has shown, sadly, a military scenario is possible. We won’t allow any more such disingenuous interpretations. We will see to it that no resolution is open to interpretation like the one on Libya."

"Absolutely no evidence."

"We discussed this issue. We welcome steps Pakistan and India have taken on confidence-building measures. Both countries are capable of settling their issues on their own without any foreign assistance"

"Congress is a very special group of people. More than 80 percent of them [have] never left the United States. They live in their own walls. So I’m not amazed about this Russophobia which is being displayed by the Congress at the moment."

"A new reality is being formed: the unipolar world is irrevocably becoming a thing of the past, a multipolar one is taking shape. It’s an objective process. It’s unstoppable. In this reality, more than one power will “rule” – it will be necessary to negotiate between all the key states that today have a decisive influence on the world economy and politics. At the same time, realizing their special situation, these countries ensure compliance with the basic principles of the UN Charter, including the fundamental one – the sovereign equality of states. No one on this Earth should be seen as a minor player. Everyone is equal and sovereign."

"As for some UN experts conducting some kind of research about the alleged crimes of the Wagner private military company, I am not aware of any UN experts being empowered to consider any aspect of war crimes, no matter who committed them."

"We have absolutely no intention of — or interest in — crossing Ukraine's borders."

"We see that our colleagues from the NATO countries are pursuing a policy of containing Russia, increasing their military activity on our borders, creating a military infrastructure on the “eastern front”, as they say, and resorting to unsubstantiated accusations instead of diplomatic methods..."

"It is also alarming that our Western colleagues use the term “international law” less and less often. Instead, they talk more about a rules-based order... something they can invent themselves... We urge our colleagues to comply with the agreements reached within the framework of international law."

"Several years ago, the United States started accusing Russia of violating the INF Treaty, without providing any evidence. We basically had to pry the information from the US, information that would help us understand... what they meant. The US eventually mentioned the 9M729 missile, claiming that it had been tested on certain days at a certain testing site, and that the range violated the treaty’s provisions. Our data concerning these tests showed the opposite. The missile’s range is allowed under the treaty."

"NATO foreign ministers met several days ago to support the US position. According to media reports, they did this after Washington presented certain irrefutable documents confirming that the treaty was violated. If this is so, we have not received any such documents from the US side. This is what we have been asking the US to do for a long time. We are still ready for a serious and professional discussion. Instead, the Americans resort to unfounded accusations, and again and again, from high rostrums, make allegations for the entire international community to hear about things that should first be clarified with the other party to the treaty. This would be a more appropriate, polite and correct approach."

"When we are accused...Every time a problem occurs, we ask very specific questions. For example, the crash of the Malaysian Boeing in Ukrainian airspace in July 2014. Where is the data from the Ukrainian radars? We provided our data. Where are the records of what the Ukrainian dispatchers said? No answer. Where is the data from American satellites that surely exists? No answer again. The questions are very specific. So in the case of Salisbury, where are the Skripals? There is no room for “highly likely” here. There can only be two answers here: yes or no, alive or not. Therefore, it is very difficult..."

"We have come up with proposals that we have repeatedly made available to the United States, including in Helsinki, when President Putin met with President Trump. I myself presented one such proposal to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. We re-submitted our proposals during a visit by US National Security Adviser John Bolton to Moscow in August and later in October, when he was in Moscow again. These proposals are about starting a serious, candid and professional dialogue on the INF Treaty, compliance with the START Treaty, and a number of other proposals regarding our approaches to ​​strategic stability. We got nothing in response from the US partners. We occasionally remind them about it. They keep saying that we need to correct our mistakes and stop the violations."

"The people I met with yesterday, including German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, expressed concern about this situation. If they are concerned, they should talk to their ally, the United States, and have the US sit down and talk substantively, rather than accuse us without any grounds from across the ocean. We are ready for such a dialogue and suggested considering the INF Treaty at the Russia-NATO Council. In response, our NATO colleagues completely blocked all communication channels between the Russian and NATO military..."

"In 2014, our Western colleagues “swallowed” the anti-constitutional armed coup in Ukraine, and since then they’ve been unable to hold that government accountable, although they have long since understood who they are dealing with. Having once branded them democrats and partners, they cannot publicly criticise them now. That's the problem."

"President Poroshenko and his regime enjoy impunity and plan provocations like the one that occurred at the entrance to the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea. Literally a day after this blatant provocation, the text of the order...was found on one of the boats... It said that the boats should covertly, without requesting authorisation of the Russian authorities...Why?...There may only be one answer: they wanted to provoke a scandal."

"A day after that, President Poroshenko declared martial law, and three days later the US declared that they need to increase their military presence in the Black Sea.... an incident was inflated into a scandal... used to shore up the absolutely groundless hopes of the incumbent president of Ukraine... in line with the US plans to build up its military presence near our shores. If you follow the logic of “who stands to gain?” you can draw your own conclusions."

"We are concerned about what the US and its closest allies are doing with respect to Venezuela, brazenly violating all imaginable norms of international law and actually openly pursuing the policy aimed at overthrowing the legitimate government in that Latin American country... US companies operating in Venezuela are exempt from these sanctions. In other words, they wish to topple the government and derive material gains from this... According to our sources, the leaders of the opposition movement who have declared ‘dual power’ are in fact receiving instructions from Washington not to make any concessions until the authorities agree to abdicate in some way. Together with other responsible members of the international community, we will do everything to support President Maduro’s legitimate government in upholding the Venezuelan constitution and employing methods to resolve the crisis that are within the constitutional framework... Given signals coming from the EU and... Caribbean countries, as well as...China and India... we would like to figure out what the international community could do to prevent another blatant violation of international law and violent regime change... This is what I discussed yesterday with the Iranian foreign minister, who - just like us - wants to find an opportunity for external players to prove themselves useful to the Venezuelan people."

"What do they mean by insolent remarks that the countries external to the Western Hemisphere are not allowed to have any interests there?... Take a look at the map of the U.S. military bases—the whole world is dotted with red spots and each of them poses rather serious risks."

"We are already used to the fact that the United States and other Western countries simply announce in the media yet another set of accusations against Russia, be it hackers, or some kind of a sensation about the double or even triple poisoning of Navalny. All this news is funny to read, but it says only one thing -- or rather the manner in which this news is presented says only one thing -- that our Western partners do not have any ethical standards and lack skill in normal diplomatic work, and [have] unwillingness to comply with the international legal norms when it comes to finding the facts."

"In a number of Western countries, students learn at school that Jesus Christ was bisexual."

"We know the manners and the tricks that are being used by the western countries to manipulate media, we understood long ago that there is no such thing as an independent western media"

"Any human life is priceless."

"Our military personnel who are now involved in this special operation have a very strict order to only use high precision military equipment to suppress the military infrastructure."

"The questions I receive are as if no one listens."

"We are not planning to attack other countries. We didn’t attack Ukraine in the first place."

"With Ukraine... we didn't just get up and go to war against Ukraine [just because] we didn't like Zelenskyy, or because he stopped appearing in KVN [a Russian and formerly Soviet comedy TV show and international competition] and stopped maintaining his theatre, Kvartal 95 [a publicly owned television production company founded by Volodymyr Zelenskyy]. It was for a reason; we warned [Ukraine] for many, many, many years."

"We see how dangerously our Western colleagues, including in the European Union, are acting now, which, in violation of all its so-called principles and values, encourages the supply of deadly weapons to Ukraine."

"It is not the first time we have seen pathetic outcries concerning the so-called atrocities perpetrated by the Russian military"

"We will deal with Ukraine and we will resolve the future of Ukraine."

"We proposed not creating any threat on the ground and Putin explained very clearly why he took the decision to conduct this special military operation."

"So when they say ‘How can Nazification exist if we’re Jewish?’ In my opinion, Hitler also had Jewish origins, so it doesn’t mean absolutely anything. For some time we have heard from the Jewish people that the biggest antisemites were Jewish."

"If you are worried about the prospect of war in Europe - we do not want that at all."

"The EU has evolved from a constructive economic platform, as it was created, to an aggressive and belligerent player which already displays its ambitions far beyond the European continent."

"The West has declared war on us, on the whole Russian world. The culture of canceling Russia and everything connected with our country is already reaching the point of absurdity."

"It is safe to say that this situation will be with us for a long time."

"In many Western countries, everyday Russophobia has become of an unprecedented nature, and, to our great regret, is encouraged by government circles in a number of countries."

"International officials, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and, to my great regret, the UN Secretary-General and many other UN representatives, are subjected to pressure from the West and often act as mouthpieces for fake news."

"We did not invade Ukraine. We declared a special military operation because we had absolutely no other way of explaining to the west that dragging Ukraine into Nato was a criminal act."

"Russia has an unblemished reputation and is not ashamed."

"The Russian people in Ukraine continued to be discriminated against across the board. Laws banning the Russian language were adopted and Nazi practices (theory and practice of Nazism) were established."

"I didn’t invite anyone to pose for a photo together with me."

"The geography is different. This is far from being only the DPR and LPR. It is also the Kherson region, the Zaporizhzhia region and a number of other territories, and this process continues, and continues consistently and persistently."

"We cannot allow the part of Ukraine that Zelenskyy, or whoever replaces him, will control to have weapons that will pose a direct threat to our territory and the territory of those republics that have declared their independence, those who want to determine their future on their own."

"If the West delivers long-range weapons to Kyiv, the geographic goals of the special operation in Ukraine will expand even more."

"We are determined to help the people of eastern Ukraine to liberate themselves from the burden of this absolutely unacceptable regime."

"We will certainly help the Ukrainian people to get rid of the regime, which is absolutely anti-people and anti-historical."

"This war is being controlled by the Anglo-Saxons."

"When we speak about what is happening in Ukraine - it is a war, not a hybrid one, almost a real war, that the West has been plotting for a long time against Russia."

"The political goal of the United States is directed against the friendship of Moscow and Kyiv."

"Zelenskyy smokes or injects himself or snorts so much stuff that it is impossible to comment on his words."

"The war, which we are trying to stop, which was launched against us using Ukrainian people, of course, influenced the policy of Russia, including energy policy."

"Minister Lavrov said that clearly said we cannot sit with the American to define what Syrian wants to do, this is Syrian's issue, only the Syrian people can define the future of their country and how to solve their problems."

"Unfortunately, it is a classical step, when an occupant state is trying to make legitimate its unlawful decision. It is an attempt, which will remain unsuccessful."

"On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that any U.S. presence in a CSTO country would need the approval of the alliance, which the Kremlin will veto. One might suggest that there is mistrust about the reliability of Joe Biden and company as a strategic partner, even though there is widespread concern that Afghanistan might become a rogue state. Nevertheless, Washington’s bullying in Iraq, Syria and also against Iran has failed to convince anyone that the U.S. Air Force would make a good neighbor...."

"In 18 years, he went from a professional and educated intellectual, whom many my colleagues held in such high esteem [sic], to a person who constantly … threatens the world (that is, Russia too) with nuclear weapons!"

"Talks between the Russian and US presidents are important not only for our countries, but for the entire world as well. Russia and the United States bear special responsibility for global security, so they need to act in a balanced way and avoid confrontation"

"Aimed at ensuring US hegemony in a world entangled in a network of Pentagon bases, US military spending has brought death and suffering and not freedom or democracy to people. The case in point is Iraq and Libya, where Washington has sacrificed hundreds of thousands of lives to its ambitions and destroyed countries that used to be prosperous."

"US public should think about the rationale of the US authorities’ decision to withdraw from the INF Treaty and hence to relaunch the arms race. This can only serve the interests of the US defence industry, because it holds the promise of huge military contracts. As for the American people, this will only make their lives less safe."

"Current relations between Russia and the US struggle through the worst times. Historians, politicians, political scientists cannot recall any other time, when our relations were in such a miserable state. Other countries, international peace and security suffer because of this..."

"Moscow hopes that Washington will not delay its response on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) before it expires... All the more pressing issue is what will happen to nuclear disarmament after 2021, when the New START is set to expire. Due to a deep crisis in the Russia–U.S. relations it would be naive to assume that our countries are likely to conclude a new treaty on strategic offensive arms by 2021..."

"Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested... extending the New START for another five years. The Americans are silent...The Treaty...was previously regarded by the majority of countries as a 'golden standard' in disarmament..."

"US accusations against Russia of violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) are groundless... We await clear evidence and continue to deny any groundless accusations."

"The US has deployed 'Aegis Ashore' missile defense systems in its base in Romania and plans to do the same in Poland... Moreover, these systems are being deployed in direct proximity to our borders. If we were to deploy such missiles near the U.S. territory, wouldn’t it be taken in America as a direct threat to its national security?"

"There are a lot of questions on how quickly we can reach denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We support the American efforts in this area. We stand ready to back the US However, it is concerning that neither a single warhead, nor even a missile has been dismantled to this day....the DPRK has made several direct steps to meet American demands...We think it is high time to think about the whole set of restraints imposed on North Korea...Actions from one side mean that the other side should take steps as well."

"We, as many other states, are troubled by the situation in nuclear non-proliferation... we call upon all countries to clearly and explicitly adhere to their obligations within the nuclear deal. We think that the unilateral withdrawal of the U.S. from the agreement poses a threat to the non-proliferation regime."

"I would like to note a positive momentum for international stability gained during the Russia–U.S. Summit in Helsinki. It was a good talk. The intent of both presidents to bolster international security is evident. It is regretful, though, that it has not been put into tangible actions. We are ready for a constructive dialogue."

"I would like to stress, that if we want to strengthen strategic stability, we will require an equal dialogue with mutual consideration of each other’s interests. It is necessary to revive the channels of bilateral communication on strategic stability and create conditions that will allow us to advance strengthening non-proliferation of the WMD [weapons of mass destruction] and means of their delivery, to preserve and adapt, where necessary, mechanisms of arms control. It all will have a positive impact on international stability, peace and security, on the principles of equal and indivisible security for everyone,"

"If anything represents a threat to peace and security, it is the shameless and aggressive actions of the United States and their allies to oust a legitimately elected president of Venezuela (Nicolas Maduro)."

"You (Germany's delegate) have a very strange way of proposing to prevent this crisis by putting forward an absurd ultimatum. You completely disregard the sovereignty of Venezuela, imposing on it decisions that you prefer and rejecting its people the right to resolve their affairs. Germany’s delegate is calling the legitimate authorities of Venezuela to acknowledge defeat and transfer of power. What you are doing is not prevention, but incitement. How would you feel if the Russian Federation brought the situation and protests in France to the Council? The Russian Federation is proposing to help Venezuela resolve its own affairs."

"This deployment of Russian troops in our own territory is getting our Western and U.S. colleagues to say that there's going to be a planned military action and even an act of aggression ... A military action of Russia against Ukraine that they're all assuring us is going to take place in just a few weeks, if not a few days. There, however, is no proof confirming such a serious accusation whatsoever being put forward."

"This is despite the fact that we are constantly rejecting these allegations, and this is despite the fact that no threat of a planned invasion into Ukraine from the lips of any Russian politician or public figure over all of this period -- no such threat has been made. Rather, at all levels, we've been categorically rejecting such plans"

"Not a single local person has suffered from any violent action."

"Your thoughtless pumping of Ukraine with weapons leads only to the deaths of civilians, not only in Donbas but in Ukrainian cities."

"We are attacking infrastructure facilities in Ukraine in response to the shelling of Ukraine with Western weapons and Kiev's reckless calls for a military victory over Russia."

"Damage to residential buildings and civilian casualties are due to the failure of the Ukrainian air defense"

"The Russian Armed Forces do not fight against the civilian population and do not subject them, unlike the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to targeted strikes."

"Western countries are widely known for their love of the topic of fighting impunity, especially if it does not concern their own crimes"

"All the solidarity of the West with Ukraine is not free, ordinary Ukrainians will have to return the money."

"Call Putin, call Lavrov to stop aggression."

"There is no purgatory for war criminals. They go straight to hell, Ambassador."

"Ambassador Nebenzya has called Kyiv the clients of the West. Actually, Kyiv is fighting to be independent of anybody."

"People all over the Earth whether they praise America or bitterly criticize her, look upon you as the only hope for mankind's survival and the last stronghold of freedom. Some may not think in these idealistic terms, but they certainly enjoy the fruits of your civilization often forgetting to be grateful for them."

"My dear friends, I think you are in very big trouble. Whether you believe it or not, YOU ARE AT WAR. And you may lose this war very soon together with all your affluence and freedoms unless you start defending yourselves."

"As I mentioned before, exposure to true information does not matter anymore. A person who is demoralized is unable to assess true information. The facts tell him nothing, even if I shower him with information, with authentic proof, with documents and pictures. ...he will refuse to believe it... That's the tragedy of the situation of demoralization."

"We remind you that Russia has never attacked anyone throughout its history. And Russia, which has survived so many wars, is the last country in Europe that even wants to utter the word ‘war.’"

"The Russian troops don’t conduct any strikes against civilian infrastructure and residential areas."

"Russian forces do not fire on civilian targets."

"A real Russian is never ashamed to be Russian."

"Many people show themselves to be what we in Russia like to call traitors. They disappear from our lives on their own. Some resign from their jobs, some withdraw from their professional lives, and some leave the country and move to other places. That’s how the purification happens."

"Right now, everyone is very emotional about what’s going on. And you know what? The overwhelming majority are those who support the president emotionally. There are so many people who want to support the president — not just emotionally, but also in their actions. They’re the overwhelming majority."

"We are speaking of a special military operation that is going on, and it is going strictly in accordance with the plans, and there were purposes, they were established in beforehand of course. First, I think we have to speak about the reasons for this operation. I mean, because speaking of the morale against, in the morale against, among our military. Of course you operate data and information coming from different media and from your intelligence. But you would probably have to doubt it, and you have to think twice whether it is true or not."

"No one would think from the very beginning about a couple of days. It's a serious operation with serious purposes. And I think if we try to remember those purposes, those main goals of the operation, it is to get rid of the military potential of Ukraine, and this is why our military is targeting only military objects on the territory of Ukraine. Not civil ones. Russia military are not hitting civilian aims, civil targets. Number two, it is to ensure that Ukraine changes from entire Russian centered to a neutral country. And in this sense, let's remember that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the neutral status fixed with us in the declaration of independence of the country. Three, to get rid of the nationalist battalions and regiments who are opposing Russian troops, who are now trying to cover themselves under the shield of civilians, thus paving a way for civil casualties."

"Also to ensure that Ukraine acknowledges the fact that Crimea is also an untakable part of Russia, and that People's Republic of Luhansk and Donetsk are independent states. Ukraine has lost them after the coup that happened in 2014."

"The strategic goal is to clear up the Mariupol from nationalistic regiments who are there in a heavily-covered environment, and so, by the way they're simply not letting people out from this thing, from the town. And this is a problem, because now we're receiving lots of refugees coming from there, and they simply tell us that they were used like a shield. They were used under heavy bombardment, and then those nationalists, they were, they were killing people who would want to leave the city. And now the main goal is to get rid of those bad guys there."

"Russian soldiers are not shooting at civilians. They’re not attacking them but helping them."

"We do not accept the jurisdiction of ICC [International criminal court of justice]. We did not — we did not acknowledge it before, and we do not accept it right now. And we are not going to accept it further."

"From the very beginning of these special operations, Russian military had a very strict order from the chief commander not to aim at civilian targets. And they are not doing that. They are not shelling houses. They are not shelling apartments. They are not shelling civil objects. They are only shelling and they're aiming of military infrastructure, in the context of one of the main goals of the operation, demilitarization of Ukraine. Then who is ruining the infrastructure, the civil infrastructure of Mariupol, for example? Those Nazi battalions inside Mariupol, they're simply killing those who would like to escape from the city. And these Nazi battalions, they are using the apartments as a shelter for their guns, for their armaments, for their tanks, for their snipers. That is causing the reciprocal fire. So, it is not Russian military who are doing that."

"The West is an oasis for criminals from Russia."

"Ukraine is a very difficult country, very difficult for us. In its current state it is hostile towards us."

"We categorically deny any accusations."

"The situation is undoubtedly serious and we would ask that many international leaders not rush with their statements, not rush with their baseless accusations, request information from different sources, and at least listen to our explanations."

"We have significant losses of troops and it is a huge tragedy for us."

"We are in fact now living in the conditions of a perfect storm and the moment of truth, that very storm and moment of truth that will ensure and protect our interests, and make it so that your lives are better, more comfortable, more stable, and more secure."

"Our president knows where he is leading our country."

"The whole country supports him."

"We will win and achieve all our goals."

"We accuse Western countries of taking a series of unlawful actions that has led to the blockade."

"We will never trust the West again."

"Russian Armed Forces do not work with civilian targets."

"The creation of a demilitarised zone around the ZNPP [Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant] is not being considered."

"The operation is being conducted as planned, its goals will be achieved."

"Not at this point. No, we are not discussing that."

"We will continue to consult with the people who live in those regions."

"You should rely only on the data published by the Ministry of Defense of Russia."

"Russians don’t wage war. We’re trying to preserve infrastructure and human lives."

"Waging war is a completely different thing. It entails total destruction of infrastructure, complete destruction of cities. We’re not doing that."

"If a company doesn’t fulfil its obligations, then, of course, it goes in the category of naughty companies. We say goodbye to those companies. And what we do with their assets after that is our business."

"Ukraine was heavily militarized at the time of the start of the [special military operation]. And, as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin said yesterday, one of the tasks was the demilitarization of Ukraine. In fact, this task has been largely completed. Ukraine is using less and less of its weapons. And more and more it uses weapons systems supplied to it by Western countries."

"Russia does not strike at civilian infrastructure."

"There are currently no grounds for an agreement. We will continue the operation for the foreseeable future."

"We just want to control all the land we have now written into our constitution as ours."

"Although elections are a requirement of democracy and Putin himself has decided to hold them, theoretically it’s possible not to hold them, Because it’s already obvious that Putin will be elected."

"Our presidential election is not really democracy, it is costly bureaucracy... Mr. Putin will be re-elected next year with more than 90% of the vote."

"The tragedy is that these lies aren't meant to be believed. What they're meant to do is they're meant to convince Russians that there is no such thing as the truth and that everybody's as bad as the other."

"Dmitri Peskov has served as Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson since 2008. In this capacity, he has played a key role in propaganda and disinformation campaigns to cover up the Kremlin’s links to the 2006 polonium poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko, the 2018 Novichok poisoning of former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skirpal and his daughter Yulia, and the 2020 Novichok poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. In all these cases, official and independent sources have debunked the Kremlin’s disinformation and established the Kremlin’s direct responsibility. Serving Putin has been lucrative for Peskov, and despite being a civil servant for his entire career, he and his family are now multimillionaires."

"Before Putin launched his unprovoked and brutal war of choice against Ukraine, Peskov repeatedly denied Russia had any intentions to invade its neighbor. He falsely asserted that Russia did not pose a threat to Ukraine, that Russia had never attacked any other nation, and that Russia would be the “last country in Europe” to think about starting a war. Attempting to discredit Western media reports that exposed the Kremlin’s invasion preparations, Peskov called them “provocations,” an “unfounded fomenting of tension,” “Western hysteria,” “irresponsible fakes,” and “maniacal information insanity.” Russia’s war in Ukraine validated the media reports and undermined Peskov’s credibility."

"Peskov has been one of the key implementers of the Kremlin’s standard disinformation playbook of denial, lies, and obfuscation."

"If a Russian spokesman (e.g. Dmitri Peskov) must be cited, it must be mentioned that this specific figure has lied about every aspect of this war since it began. This is context. Readers picking up the story in the middle need to know such background."

"Let me speak or you will really hear what Russian missiles sound like!"

"I have no detailed information about what soldiers you are talking about."

"We have no laws to stop this."

"We noticed the unprecedented campaign launched in Greece to defame Russia’s policy. Senior officials in Athens allow themselves to make crude accusations against our country and its leadership, they are literally competing with their like-minded people. They hypocritically speak of an “unprovoked attack” against Ukraine, for the first time since World War II, a “mass invasion” and so on."

"We are not responsible for the lives of our citizens who have opted to take part in illegal armed activities in Ukraine. Any armed activities against Russian forces will be immediately stopped and armed groups of foreign mercenaries will be eliminated."

"It is well known to everyone that the Russian armed forces do not bomb cities."

"These terrible, criminal fake (images) were published in order to justify another pre-arranged sanctions package, including a large-scale expulsion of diplomats from different countries."

"YouTube has signed its own warrant."

"Who are the masters of provocation? Of course the United States and NATO."

"The Russian Armed Forces are carrying out precision strikes against military targets and are going to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties."

"We have issued all our warnings both publicly and through bilateral channels. They [Sweden and Finland] know about it, they will have nothing to be surprised about, they were informed about everything, what will it lead to."

"The Ukraine that you and I had known, within the borders that used to be, no longer exists, and will never exist again. This is evident."

"The European Parliament has passed a resolution recognising Russia as a "sponsor of terrorism". I propose that the European Parliament be recognised as a sponsor of idiocy."

"This is no longer Russophobia, it's a perversion on a level I can't even name."

"Ukraine has become the global centre of Nazism, and this issue goes far beyond Eastern Europe. All reasonable anti-fascist and anti-Nazi forces must work together to ensure that the broader society learns the truth."

"To justify their aggressive aspirations, representatives of the North Atlantic bloc are deliberately fueling hysteria around an imaginary Russian ‘threat’, including actively spreading insinuations about Russia’s plans to attack the organization’s member states."

"The Crimean Bridge is once again in the crosshairs."

"I would like to warn Washington and Brussels that any aggressive actions against Crimea are not only doomed to fail, but will also be met with a devastating revenge strike."

"Any Danish move to restrict the freedom of navigation of Russian ships in the Baltic straits will be seen as a hostile act and draw retaliation."

"Western media are in a state that can be called obsession bordering on complete madness: For three years they talked about Russia’s isolation, and today they saw the red carpet used to welcome the Russian president in the USA."

"Even cookery books, they were also banned. Why? Because it was impossible to share borscht. Well, you can't. It should only belong to one person. To some one people, one nationality ... And so that it is common? And so that in every city and in every region every housewife could cook it in her own way? No. They don't want to compromise. So this is what we are talking about: xenophobia, Nazism, extremism in all forms..."

"Here’s Maria Zakharova, who, in essence, has a strong aversion towards Jews and openly opposes Israel, without any attempt to conceal it. Another woman who drinks heavily, yet she serves as a spokesperson for our Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

"For twenty years of my diplomatic career I have seen different turns of our foreign policy, but never have I been so ashamed of my country as on February 24 this year. The aggressive war unleashed by Putin against Ukraine, and in fact against the entire Western world, is not only a crime against the Ukrainian people, but also, perhaps, the most serious crime against the people of Russia with a bold letter Z crossing out all hopes and prospect for a prosperous free society in our country."

"The invasion of Ukraine made it impossible to deny just how brutal and repressive Russia had become. It was an unspeakable act of cruelty, designed to subjugate a neighbor and erase its ethnic identity. It gave Moscow an excuse to crush any domestic opposition. Now, the government is sending thousands upon thousands of drafted men to go kill Ukrainians. The war shows that Russia is no longer just dictatorial and aggressive; it has become a fascist state."

"Putin has failed in his bid to conquer Ukraine, an initiative that he might have understood would be impossible if his government had been designed to give honest assessments."

"Boris Bondarev is a hero."