NEW: Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov speaking to @SkyNews@markaustintv denies that Russia's war in Ukraine is a humiliation.
He admits to "significant losses" of Russian troops in Ukraine, which he says is a "huge tragedy for us".
@SkyNews@markaustintv Peskov says that the bombing of the maternity hospital in Mariupol is faked - "we insist on that".
He claims that Ukraine "has become an anti-Russian centre" & that Russia is "concerned" about its security.
@SkyNews@markaustintv Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov says the killing of innoxent civilians in Bucha is "a well-staged simulation - nothing else"
The dead, he says, "are not victims of Russia military personnel"
He says we're "living in days of fakes and lies".
@SkyNews@markaustintv Peskov insists that satellite images from Bucha - which show at least 9 bodies lying in a street in Bucha for weeks, during Russia's occupation - "were made after Russian troops were withdrawn" from the area news.sky.com/story/ukraine-…
@SkyNews@markaustintv Peskov makes the claim that the Ukrainian military were "trying to use civil people as a shield" & didn't let civilians flee.
He says Russian military "were never shelling civil objects" but attacking "military infrastructure of Ukraine".
@SkyNews@markaustintv Peskov says Putin isn't worried about ending up in a war crimes court. We don't see any possibility for that", he adds, saying it's not realistic.
@SkyNews@markaustintv Putin's press secretary on the vote in the last hour to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council: "we're sorry about that" but he says Russia will "continue to defend its interests through every legal means" & explain itself.
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"NATO is a machine for confrontation, not a peaceful alliance", Peskov says on point made by @markaustintv that NATO is more united after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
@markaustintv Putin's spokesperson on what would happen if Finland or Sweden joined NATO says Russia would "take additional measures to strengthen our potential"
"We'll have to rebalance the situation. We'll have to make our Western flank more sophisticated in terms of ensuring our security."
@markaustintv Peskov says "no, I don't think so" when asked by @markaustintv if NATO enlargement was an existential threat.
Reports from BFM that travel restrictions from UK to France are to be tightened from Sat:
- Negative antigen/PCR test taken within 24 hours before arriving regardless of vaccination
- Essential reason only for travel, which rules out tourism
- Obligatory isolation until -ve test
Full details set to be announced later but sharp rise in Omicron is worrying the French government. It’s convening a health defence council tomorrow.
Just look at this - 240 cases of Omicron in France according to latest figures this morning. Compare that to 10,017 in the UK.
French gov spox confirming new UK/France travel restrictions, from Saturday:
-pre-departure test taken within 24 hours
-Reasons for visiting limited to essential for French nationals/residents, i.e. not tourism.
-7-day isolation, lifted after 48 hours with -ve test on arrival
Lots of developments in Catalonia today, the day of a general strike:
- 5th night of protests in the region, with reports of police using tear gas and rubber bullets on demonstrators
- One police officer taken to hospital after being hit with rock
- 37 people injured today
- More than 1/2 million pro-independence supporters descend on Barcelona after marching from around region
- Website for indy platform organising demonstrations @tsunami_dem has been closed down by authorities
- Spanish interior minister has just said that violent pro-independence supporters will feel the full force of the law, warning of prison sentences of up to 6 years.
- Fernando Grande-Marlaska confirms 128 people have been arrested since Monday.