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Russian President Vladimir Putin may be one of the world's most famous animal lovers: posing with rare tigers, tagging polar bears with tracking devices, and playing with his beloved dog. But now Putin himself has reportedly admitted what many suspected: that those animal photo ops were staged for cameras. Putin is said to have justified the stunts as an effort to promote wildlife conservation.
Nonhuman animals used as weapons or resources by armies
In addition to being harmed by the armies’ weapons and being used in military experiments, nonhuman animals are also harmed while being used as resources by armies. In some cases, they have been employed as weapons to attack the enemy. There are a wide variety of ways in which this has happened throughout history
Joergen Ree Wiig of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries told the Associated Press that the whale, spotted last week in the Barents Sea by local fishermen, was wearing a strap with the words "Equipment St. Petersburg" written on it. He said "people in Norway's military have shown great interest" in the harness and the whale.
While Russia's beluga whales recently made headlines after a so-called "whale jail" was spotted illegally keeping some dozens of them in Srednyaya Bay in Russia's Far East—Moscow announced earlier this month that the animals would all be released into the wild—allegations of using the cetaceans for military purposes follow a long history of mankind using weaponizing animals for warfare.
originally posted by: interupt42
a reply to: dollukka
Dogs did not like Putin, this is what Queen Elisabeth noticed
Mr Blunkett told the BBC : “The only time I met Vladimir Putin was back in 2003 on an official visit and my then dog barked very loudly.
“I did apologise to the Queen who was obviously hosting. I don’t think I am giving anything away when I said, ‘Sorry your Majesty about the dog barking.’
She said, ‘Dogs have interesting instincts, don’t they?'”
I wonder if the dog barked around Prince Andrew ?
originally posted by: Oldcarpy2
a reply to: turretless
Sorry mate, you have clearly lost the plot.
en.kremlin.ru...
September 10, 2022 13:35
The message reads, in part:
“I wish Your Majesty success, good health and all the very best.”
originally posted by: dollukka
a reply to: turretless
How can you think anyone can go through 1000 events in a year?
en.kremlin.ru...
You know, there has not been a visit in this format for 150 years, and of course this does not just concern the protocol side of things.
We see this as is a reflection of the new quality of relations between Russia and Great Britain.
In recent years, our cooperation with the United Kingdom has been raised to a new level. Relations have become more trusting, more pragmatic. They have lost their ideological component, and become a true partnership.
All of us, not just myself – all the members of my delegation expect new breakthroughs in cooperation on the political level and in the economic sphere. And of course, the Prime Minister, Mr. Blair, and I will discuss the most important issues of the situation in various regions of the world.
........
As for political cooperation, we know that our opinions do not always coincide. But what is very important is that the nature and quality of our relations allow us to find a way out of any difficult situation, without damaging bilateral relations, maintaining a basis for inter-governmental ties, a basis for solving complex situations, including conflicts, in any region of the world.
........
The fundamental bases of relations between Russia and the United States, Russia and Great Britain have proved stronger than the difficulties which we have encountered. We want to be partners of the United States and any other nation. Partnership implies taking the other’s interests into account, not serving their interests. These are different things. And we talk about this directly, honestly and openly. I, at any rate, talk to my partners in this way.
........
You have named organisations which function in different areas and have different significance. NATO is designed to solve problems in the area of international security. We think that the head organisation here has been and should remain the UN Security Council.
At the same time, we intend to develop our relations with the North Atlantic bloc. We see that there are common threats which we can effectively resist together. They are, as I have already said, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, sea rescue, peace-keeping and humanitarian operations and so on.
I must say that we highly value the decision which was made; I mean the creation of the Russia – NATO “Twenty”. In this matter, I would like once more to note the special role of Prime Minister Tony Blair. It was his personal idea, which he proposed here, at my house, during one of his visits. And, accordingly, he was also the main “engine”, one of the main “engines” which brought this idea to its practical realisation.
We are satisfied with the way our relations are developing with NATO. And we think that this is a significant element in the system of modern international security.
As for the European Union, it is our major trade and economic partner. The EU accounts for 37% of Russia’s external trade turnover, and after the expansion of the EU this will increase to 52%. Russia is a European country in its geography, history, culture and mentality of the population. And we, of course, count on and will aspire to broaden cooperation with the EU.
This has the full understanding and support of all the leading countries of the EU and the head of the Commission of European Associations. Of course, we have certain problems at the moment, there are disputes, but on fundamental issues our positions virtually coincide.
As for the World Trade Organisation, not only Russia itself is interested in joining the WTO, our main trade and economic partners are interested in this as well. I have absolutely no doubt in this at all.
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