"If in Ireland they prohibited the English language, what would the UK think about it?"
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has managed to drag Ireland into the conversation surrounding the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine in quite strange fashion.
Speaking during a press conference, Lavrov posited that if Ireland was to suddenly prohibit the use of the English language, the UK wouldn't be impressed.
Asked about the potential banning of the Russian language in Ukraine, he responded:
"President Zelenskiy, when he demanded that those people who think themselves part of the Russian culture [he said] – 'they should go away from Ukraine'.
"For example, if in Ireland, if they prohibited English language, what would the UK think about it?"
Lavrov also offered up the same scenario for Belgium and the French language.
"I can't imagine that a law like that would last for more than a couple of days or even hours," he added.
"But in the West, they only see it through the prism of their own egotistical interests."
https://twitter.com/brendanhughes64/status/1497157271519830017
Lavrov continued:
"When you are accused of something, you start to make all this ruckus.
"But when language, cultural [and] religious rights of millions, many millions, of people in Ukraine are being violated – you focus not on human rights, you talk about a so-called democratic regime."
In response, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney hit back at Lavarov, commanding his counterpart to leave Ireland out of it.
"Don't bring Ireland into an argument trying to justify an unjustifiable war," said Coveney.
"Ireland and the UK are an example of how two countries with a difficult past found a way to shape and sustain a peace process, guaranteeing an absence of violence."
https://twitter.com/simoncoveney/status/1497191786153795589
As of Friday, Russia's invasion of Ukraine
continues to intensify.
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy reported the deaths of 137 people – both citizen and military casualties – and the injuries of 316 additional Ukrainians
during an emotive speech on Thursday night.
"We have been left alone to defend our state," he said.
"Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don’t see anyone. Who is ready to give Ukraine a guarantee of NATO membership? Everyone is afraid."
Referring to apparent saboteurs that have infiltrated Ukraine while outlining an assassination plot against him and his family, Zelenskiy added:
"They want to destroy Ukraine politically by taking down the head of state.
"I am staying in the government quarter together with others.
"The enemy has designated me as the target number one, and my family as the target number two."
Following overnight airstrikes, military conflict continues on Friday morning as Russian forces look to advance to the capital of Kyiv.
Citizens at ground level, meanwhile, have been encouraged by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence to
construct molotov cocktails in order to "neutralise the oppressor".
Broadcast communication of a
defiant stand-off between Ukrainian border guards and a Russian warship has also emerged.
13 guards posted on the remote Zmiinyi – or 'Snake' – Island stood their ground in the face of overwhelming opposition.
The communication broadcast from the nearby Russian warship, directed at the guards, declared:
"This is a Russian military warship. I suggest you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and needless casualties.
"Otherwise, you will be bombed.
"I repeat – I suggest you surrender your weapons and capitulate otherwise I will open fire. Do you copy?"
In response, two border guards can be heard conversing with one another as the severity of the situation sets in.
"This is it," a voice says.
"Should I tell him to go fuck himself?"
At this moment, the volume is turned up and the guard states:
"Russian warship – go fuck yourself."
All guards were killed in the subsequent warship assault.
https://twitter.com/profgalloway/status/1497052056376553479
