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Russian Def Min Conveys Concerns About Dirty Bomb To Rajnath

By LokMarg 26th October 2022

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday held a telephonic conversation with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh and conveyed his concerns about the provocations by Ukraine on the possible use of a ‘dirty bomb’.

“On October 26, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, and Rajnath Singh discussed the situation in Ukraine. Sergei Shoigu conveyed his concerns about possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a ‘dirty bomb’,” tweeted Russian Embassy in India.
Responding to Shoigu’s telephonic talks, Rajnath Singh tweeted, “He briefed me on the evolving situation in Ukraine, including his concerns about possible provocations through the use of ‘dirty bomb’. I reiterated India’s position on the need to pursue the path of dialogue and diplomacy for an early resolution of the conflict.”

Singh also pointed out that the nuclear option should not be resorted to by any side as the prospect of the usage of nuclear or radiological weapons goes against the basic tenets of humanity.

In the telephone conversation, both leaders discussed bilateral defence cooperation as well as the deteriorating situation in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, in a briefing on radiation security threats by the chief of nuclear, biological and chemical protection troops Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the Russian Ministry of Defence said that it has information about the Kyiv regime’s planning to commit a provocation by exploding the so-called ‘dirty bomb’ or low-power nuclear warhead.

“The provocation is aimed at accusing Russia of using mass destruction weapons at the Ukrainian theatre of operations that would launch a powerful anti-Russian campaign in order to undermine the confidence in Moscow,” added a press release of Kirillov.

The Ministry of Defence has arranged to counter Ukraine’s possible provocations: the means and forces are alerted to operate amid radioactive contamination.

Meanwhile, the US and other Western officials have dismissed Moscow’s claim that Ukraine is planning to use a so-called dirty bomb as a Russian false-flag operation.

A “dirty bomb” is a conventional bomb laced with radioactive, biological or chemical materials disseminated in an explosion.

The term is often used interchangeably with radiological dispersal device (RDD), a bomb where radioactive materials are used.

In a joint statement, the US, France and Britain — three of the other nuclear powers on the United Nations Security Council — said Sunday that Russia’s claims were “transparently false”.

They and Kyiv suspect that Russia might use a dirty bomb in a “false flag” attack, possibly to justify Moscow’s use of conventional nuclear weapons as it finds itself on the back foot in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Russia on Tuesday also flagged allegations to the UN Security Council that Ukraine is preparing to use a “dirty bomb” on its own territory. (ANI)

France, India Adopt Joint Roadmap On Green Hydrogen

By LokMarg 18th October 2022

India and France on Tuesday adopted the “Indo-French Roadmap on the Development of Green Hydrogen” to work in a number of areas including industrial partnerships on energy and for greater knowledge sharing and skill development.

“The Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships of France, H.E. Ms Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, and Shri R.K. Singh, Hon’ble Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, today adopted the “Indo-French Roadmap on the Development of Green Hydrogen,” French embassy in New Delhi said in a press statement.
According to the embassy statement, France and India believe that decarbonized hydrogen holds immense potential to decarbonize our economies, and both have adopted ambitious national hydrogen strategies.

On May 4, on the occasion of their meeting in Paris, President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a clear mandate to foster bilateral cooperation on hydrogen. The adoption of this roadmap delivers on this mandate.

“It aims to bring the French and Indian hydrogen ecosystems together in order to establish a reliable and sustainable value chain for decarbonized hydrogen and achieve our common goal to be world leaders in decarbonized hydrogen,” the embassy said.

On this occasion, Minister Chrysoula Zacharopoulou said: “Today, I am proud to open this ambitious new chapter in the Indo-French partnership for the planet. France and India are teaming up to power the decarbonized hydrogen industry of the future. Coming a few weeks ahead of COP27, it sends a strong message of our two countries commitment to a low-carbon future. This ambitious and tangible roadmap will help accelerate our clean energy transitions and meet our carbon neutrality targets”.

Through this Roadmap, France and India commit to working together on establishing a regulatory framework for developing a decarbonized hydrogen value chain, covering production, storage, transportation, and consumption.

It also aims at developing robust carbon-content certification methods to certify the carbon content of decarbonized hydrogen throughout its lifecycle. “Knowledge sharing and skill development programs between certification bodies will be encouraged.”

Both countries wish to foster R&D to improve hydrogen technologies. “To this end, France and India will facilitate cooperation between their relevant research institutions, including by facilitating visa issuance for researchers,” the embassy said.

The roadmap will also help support the industrial partnerships between the French and Indian energy industries. “France and India will facilitate contacts between economic actors, facilitate administrative procedures, and support pilot projects where suitable,” the release said. (ANI)

G7 Warns Of Severe Consequences If Russia Uses Nuclear Weapons

By LokMarg 12th October 2022

A day after Russia’s large-scale missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, Group of Seven (G7) nations condemned the attacks and warned that the use of nuclear weapons on Ukraine will have severe consequences, according to a statement released by the White House.

Leaders of G7 states (the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, the US, France, and Japan) said, “We deplore deliberate Russian escalator steps, including the partial mobilization of reservists and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, which is putting global peace and security at risk. We reaffirm that any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences.”
Earlier, on Monday, Russia conducted that large-scale strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other locations on Monday, which drew condemnation from several countries.

The statement came after the G7 held a meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that took place against the backdrop of the recent missile attacks against civilian infrastructure and cities across Ukraine, leading to the death of innocent civilians.

Talking about Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s four regions, the G7 said that Russia has blatantly violated the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. “They cannot and do not give Russia a legitimate basis to change Ukraine’s borders. We call upon all countries to unequivocally reject these violations of international law and demand that Russia ceases all hostilities and immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its troops and military equipment from Ukraine,” the statement said.

G7 in the statement said that they have imposed and will continue to impose further economic costs on Russia, and even on other countries who are providing political or economic support for Russia’s illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory.

“We reiterate our call on the Belarusian authorities to stop enabling the Russian war of aggression by permitting Russian armed forces to use Belarusian territory and by providing support to the Russian military. The announcement of a joint military group with Russia constitutes the most recent example of the Belarusian regime’s complicity with Russia. We renew our call on the Lukashenko regime to fully abide by its obligations under international law,” the statement said.

“We reaffirm our full support for Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty in its internationally recognized borders. In line with international law, in particular the UN Charter, Ukraine has the legitimate right to defend itself against Russian aggression and to regain full control of its territory within its internationally recognized borders,” the statement added.

G7 also said that they are looking forward to the outcomes of the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction, and Modernisation of Ukraine, which is taking place on October 25.

Talking about the “deliberate damage” in Nordstream pipelines, G7 said that they strongly condemn deliberate disruption of critical infrastructure.

“We will act in solidarity and close coordination to address the negative impact of Russia’s aggression for global economic stability, including by continuing to cooperate to ensure energy security and affordability across the G7 and beyond,” G7 said in the statement. (ANI)