Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov
- London police suspect yet another Russian of poisoning Skripal. This time it's a Sergei Fedotov. At least, that's what the Daily Telegraph writes. It's another leak to the media. The British authorities again don't comment on the information. Again, they are cautious. Because if there's no official statement, one can't be accused of telling lies. At least, that's what they think. They try to use these tactics not only in the Skripal case.
Mrs. Zakharova, thank you for your openness. I belong to those thinking that it's great that you comment on every event. I think the more comments you make, the better. Our country was closed for so long that it's good that we now outperform others in our openness. So, what's going on, Mrs. Zakharova? Maybe it's time for us to repent, to say that GRU is to blame, that we've hacked everything and poisoned everybody? And that it was us who killed the Saudi journalist in Turkey? We are to blame for everything.
Maria Zakharova, Official Representative of the MFA: Actually, I think that we have enough issues and problematic cases directly connected to our agenda that are worth discussing. But I want to say that the more we learn about the journalist's case, (it's hard to determine whether he was Saudi, Turkish, or American, he was a multicultural person and worked for various people and organizations) the more scared we get. Do you know why we get scared? Because they are constantly throwing at us, in the course of the play, claims that Russia must join the group of civilized states. When we watch what happens in those civilized countries, we start shivering with terror. And what's going on there, that case, of course, must be confirmed by facts and investigated. But even the first things we've learned about life in those civilized countries are horrifying.
As for the events in Salisbury and Amesbury, the Skripal case, Petrov and Boshirov, etc., you can see what's going on. I'm answering your question. I think it's a genius question: Actually, what is going on? Because you're one of the few people asking such categorical and profound questions. Mostly, I'm asked to confirm the identity of Petrov, whether the Insight quoted Bellingcat correctly, and Bellingcat quoted someone else, and that the ears on this photo and the ears on that one look the same, and that one man's hairstyle on this photo looks like another man's hairstyle on that photo.
Actually, you're absolutely right. The question is what's going on. I'll tell you because I know. What's going on is very simple. Great Britain, unfortunately, succeeds, judging by what I've read, in making everybody play their game. By the way, it has historically done this. For decades, London has been the best at devising games, imposing them on other countries, and making them play by its rules, including the general public. There isn't anyone better. So, in this case, we are witnesses, and I want us to remain witnesses but not players in this very game, which they're imposing on us.
They've imposed a game on us. The game where we have: a) God knows what happened in Salisbury; b) God knows to whom it happened in Salisbury; c) God knows who did it in Salisbury. That was the "given" of our primary school math problem. Later, the students of more serious educational institutions encounter the same criteria. Everything that was given still hasn't been clarified despite the fact that six months have passed. We still don't know who did what to whom. For half of a year, London has remained completely silent and I mean silent in terms of presenting at least some factual information. And then, the provocations began. Why? The audience wanted proof. The audience wanted facts. Facts that can be proven and that are based on the three criteria of the story that was so carefully pieced together by London. London couldn't present those facts. So they began to use their fake media to leak, sorry for my slang, various facts that seem to be related to the case, but actually have nothing to do with it. Who? How? What? Looks like who? Neither answers the main question: What happened in Salisbury? Can we get a timetable accurate to the minute? Who's the victim? Can we see Skripal and his daughter in person?
Although I think they could've done anything to them over the last six months. One can learn a language over six months. One can change their political views. One can turn to religion or become atheist. With professional help, people can dramatically change over six months. We haven't seen them. London hasn't shown them.
Now, speaking of the culprits. London has shared its official version with two ultra-supermen Petrov and Boshirov who aren't actually Petrov and Boshirov and so on. I have a single question. It all seems clear. In addition, the audience seems to have become experts in the matter. Each commenter knows a lot about intelligence services and understands the peculiarities of their work. But I have a single question for the British authorities: What do those people have to do with the incident? Everything is a mystery, as always. London won't stop at that. There will be more provocations. And there will be even more of a global information campaign. The stakes are high.
- I completely agree with you, Ms. Zakharova. When those Bellingcat experts were asked if they believed Petrov and Boshirov were the poisoners they said they couldn't prove it. So they have no proof…
- Look, that's why I say they make all of us play their game. Check the Russian-speaking blogosphere and media. What do they quote? Bellingcat didn't investigate the Salisbury incident. Bellingcat remained silent for six months without revealing a single clue that could link the events in Salisbury to any particular people. Bellingcat simply leaked the information that it received the day before the British delegation spoke at the UN General Assembly. That's it. They did their part.
And many of us bought it. People know nothing about the so-called investigation of Bellingcat but still, comment on it. Bellingcat didn't conduct any investigation. Bellingcat pretended that it was investigating the MH17 tragedy in Ukraine. Yes, it was investigating it once again, using materials supplied by Western intelligence services as we now understand. But the incidents in Salisbury and Amesbury haven't been investigated. London is using fake media to spread such information leaks. That's it.
- Are you aware of the cyberwar that the Netherlands are waging against us? We appear to be at cyberwar with the Netherlands.
- Really? A cyberwar with the Netherlands?
- Right, we attacked them by sending four agents with diplomatic passports. The Netherlands first quietly expelled them and knew about it afterwards.
- These are two different stories. The incidents in Salisbury and Amesbury and the incident that the Netherlands accused us of are not related in any way. But the essence is the same: It's another hoax turned sensational in an attempt to make us all both official institutions and the audience, to play by their rules. What happened? Here's what happened in the Netherlands. Four members of an inter-ministerial group whose main task, as was posted on the official website of the Foreign Ministry, was to officially ensure the cybersecurity of the Russian Mission, officially arrived in the Netherlands with their diplomatic passports. And who greeted them? Was it another group of undercover agents or, as Sergey Minayev called them, "sleeper agents"? No, they were greeted by the Ambassador's Assistant a person who was repeatedly seen attending diplomatic galas, receptions, and other protocol events. Where did they go? Did they go to some abandoned facility or some decommissioned shipyard where some submarines or whatever were docked? No, they went downtown to check in at that hotel. Was it the special hotel of Russian intelligence? Nope, another miss by the Netherlands. That hotel has a 20-year contract with the Russian Embassy. A contract means that every Russian foreign mission rents suites at that particular hotel for every Russian official delegation. A contract is concluded to have a prerogative right to stay at the hotel to be able to rent suites in an urgent manner, to get discounts, and so on. Every official Russian delegation has stayed in that hotel over the last 20 years. That's where the group arrived. The group underwent a customs inspection where all of their luggage was X-rayed. The Dutch customs had no questions. The group proceeded to carry out their official assignment.
But six months later the Netherlands decided to turn it into a show. I'd like to emphasize that over those six months Russia had many meetings at various levels with the Netherlands. Our ministers met, our ambassadors met, our diplomats met. Russia, Moscow, the Kremlin that's currently being accused wasn't informed of having a single problem with the Netherlands. Moreover, Russia has its Special Envoy who deals with the matters of information security and presents Russian cybersecurity initiatives to the world. They could've addressed him. But they didn't. But now is the time to make a sensational revelation after six months of silence. First, they leaked it to the media and then turned it into a scandal. But why? Because recently, Russia proposed to its partners across the world to develop a framework of rules and conduct. Guess where, Mr. Solovyov?
- In Cyberspace.
- That's right, in cyberspace! Right you are! They did everything to pull the rug out from under us by saying "Oh, please!". Russia is actually trying to propose a solid framework of conduct and the development of common rules of conduct in cyberspace to the whole world? "We can do much better in the West." The West hasn't bothered to propose anything over the last few years.
- And still, the group was expelled, Ms. Zakharova. It means they were arrested, shaken down, photographed, and expelled.
- It's not like they were expelled. Generally, we use the term "expel" in relation to the full-time staff of diplomatic missions. This incident is strange. The group was detained; all of their equipment was confiscated. I repeat, it was an inter-ministerial group responsible for the maintenance of the equipment of our foreign missions. Thousands and tens of thousands of such people travel the world daily. Such people come to Russia from abroad. Same thing with diplomatic passports. Foreign ministers come to Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and other airports of our vast Motherland to fix the equipment at their embassies which operate in Russia. Our specialists were detained and taken to the airport. And that was it. Out of love for art, out of respect for our Dutch partners, out of understanding that everything that's happening is guided and orchestrated by we-know-who to drive a wedge between Russia and many other states and initiate another provocation we didn't sound the alarm back then. Even though we tried to clarify what actually happened. But in terms of public relations that outrageous case of disrespect toward people with diplomatic passports wasn't given proper meaning.
And when the first leaks occurred it happened about a month ago, in the local Dutch press we immediately addressed them through our diplomatic channels and asked them if there was some issue and if they wanted to ask us something, or accuse us of something. The silence was our answer. We repeatedly asked them to clarify the situation.
So this whole controversial campaign, this whole controversial show, I can't call it anything else, has a single goal: to demonize Russia and the main thing, to support the concept that Russia can't be trusted, and that Russia's doing something unacceptable. Come on, enough with that. We've seen people do something unacceptable. They were British intelligence agents. Remember what they were doing to the rocks in Moscow?
I believe it's time we rewatch the footage to show what crimes those people committed in Russia using their diplomatic status as a cover. Moreover, they denied everything. But we had our surveillance footage, there's no getting away from that. Several years after the incident, Britain had to apologize and admit that British agents were planting "spy rocks" and even something worse than that. I believe the current incident will soon be over. Soon, they'll have to apologize and admit that it was a massive provocation.
- Thank you, Ms. Zakharova. After a small commercial break, we'll discuss how NATO is preparing to fight Russia in the air and underwater with the help of their intelligence services. They'll be watching us with Five Eyes.
Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov
