Two sides to every story...

WE TOOK note of the opinion “War destroys globally” by Mr J Peron, published in the Cape Argus on April 22.

Here is Russian Consulate-General’s reply: The Russian Ministry of Defense has stressed many times that civilian infrastructure is not considered to be the target of the Russian armed forces, while the killing of “women, children and the elderly ones” became a distinguishing feature of the Kyiv regime militants.

And one of the proofs of this is the monstrous provocation in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, that has been on the front pages of Western newspapers for several days and then suddenly disappeared. Have you ever wondered why? Numerous facts indicate that the striking elements causing the death of the unfortunate people in the mentioned city are by no means used in Russian weapons.

Metal elements and flechettes that were found in the bodies of Bucha victims were used by Ukrainian troops during the shelling of Donbass multiple times. Of course, the Western press will never write about it. There is no doubt that human lives are, as Mr Peron writes, the most valuable “resource”.

But why is this fact being mentioned so rarely, as if someone wants it to be mentioned when it is advantageous? Aren’t the lives of the inhabitants of Donbass, who lived under constant shelling for eight years, of the same value?

A lot of information has been collected about the crimes of the Kyiv regime. On May 2, 2014, in Odessa, the Euromaidan supporters, who seized power in Ukraine during a coup d'état, burned down the House of Trade Unions.

More than 40 people died in that fire – the perpetrators have not yet been found and punished. Surprisingly, no one ever looked for them.

The list of inhumane crimes committed by Ukrainian militants can be continued furthermore. But let’s recall just one of many episodes regarding the actions of the Washington curators of the Kiev Nazis.

In 2003, the US and its allies invaded Iraq to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein. The formal reason for the invasion was the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which were not found afterwards.

Instead of weapons of mass destruction, an incredibly cynical opinion of the former US Secretary of State, M Albright, was found. Giving an answer to the question of the justification for the death of 500 000 Iraqi children as a result of the invasion and sanctions imposed against this country, she said: “I think this is a very difficult choice. But we think it’s justified.”

Do you think this is how those who oppose “anti-democratic dictatorial regimes” should behave?

At the same time, accusations against Russia of posing a threat to global food security, including that in Africa, do not make any sense. Currently, more than 9 000 unilateral sanctions have been imposed on our Russia – unprecedented in history.

Nevertheless, Russia still continues to be a reliable trading partner and strictly fulfils its international obligations. Therefore, questions should be addressed to those who are deliberately trying to bring down the Russian economy, thereby, in fact, shooting themselves in the foot.

As for the rise of consumer prices, we should start with a definition of the term “inflation”. So, inflation is a depreciation of money, a decrease in the purchasing power of the population, caused, among other things, by an excessive increase in the amount of paper money in circulation.

The same M Friedman, whose name was mentioned by Mr Peron, said: “Inflation is the only form of punishment without a legal ground.” One should ask what country has assumed the role of world hegemon and considers itself entitled to interfere in whatever is happening anywhere in the world.

The answer is obvious – it is the United States of America.The US dollar is the world’s major reserve currency, and the growth of money supply is controlled by Washington. Thus, it is not difficult to guess who possesses this lever.

This argument could be classified as propaganda or conspiracy theory but for one fact: the trend towards sustainable and accelerated inflation began way before February this year, and as a matter of fact coincided with the beginning of President Joe Biden’s presidency.

Why are we talking again about the US when price increases in Africa are being discussed? The answer is simple: as long as the dollar is the world’s reserve currency and Washington and its allies have the right to punish any state that they dislike with an economic whip, internal problems in the US will inevitably affect the entire global economy.

Finally, we would like to cite the opinion of the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, M Zakharova, on the situation in the US, and there is a lot to be thought over: “The reason for inflation in the US is the crisis of the liberal economic model, the only resource of which is the imperialist and predatory way of solving internal problems.

“These developments were aggravated by the activities of the US administration. After all, (former president Donald) Trump’s mission statement ‘Let’s make America great again’ was exactly about the restoration of the greatness of the country, the economy of which was based on free competition, labour and talent.

“The dictatorship of liberalism has left nothing of these principles. Mr Biden should have opened up and expressed himself more clearly: the reason for inflation in the US is that the liberal economy has not stood the test of the pandemic, and he and his team contributed to this in every possible way.”