Top stories about the Russia-Ukraine war and other international affairs on Channel One from June 5 through June 12, 2022.

By Madeline Roache

What follows is NewsGuard’s summary and translation of top news stories from Russia’s state TV Channel One. NewsGuard presents these stories in the order that they appear on the program. NewsGuard shares this summary as part of our mission to monitor and report all categories of misinformation, including Russian disinformation. Please note that these summaries of Russian state TV broadcasts may well contain falsehoods or propaganda, and NewsGuard does not vet them for accuracy or balance.

Sikorsky’s statement about the possibility of transferring nuclear weapons to Ukraine could provoke a nuclear conflict in Europe

Former Polish Foreign Minister and current MEP [Member of the European Parliament] Radosław Sikorski believes that the West has the right to transfer nuclear weapons to Ukraine. And this striking statement was made not by a marginal politician, but an active one, who is in contact with representatives of the highest circles of Europe. According to Sikorsky, who was also the Minister of Defense of Poland, Kiev needs nuclear weapons for protection.

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin believes that Sikorsky is provoking a nuclear conflict in the center of Europe and is not thinking about the future of either Ukraine or Poland, which, according to Volodin, may not exist in the event of such a transfer.

The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, noted that Sikorsky endangers all Polish people. However, political scientists are sure that the statements of the Polish politician are only rhetoric for Ukrainian channels.

Said Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Nikonov: “Until recently everyone was talking about how Ukraine would win this war, then they started talking about the need to do everything to give Ukraine as many weapons as possible so that it could resist Russia, now they have already agreed on handing over nuclear weapons….This only indicates one thing, that things are going very badly in Ukraine, and the worse things get in Ukraine, the more extravagant the ways of saving it will be offered by all sorts of Western politicians.”

On the eve Russia Day, Russian passports begin to be issued in Melitopol 

In a long-awaited and joyful event for residents, Russian passports began to be issued in the Zaporozhye and Kherson region on the eve of Russia Day [June 11]. Thirty people in Melitopol and 23 in Kherson have received passports. And this is just the beginning. Thousands more are hoping to get passports. New document processing centers are being opened to make it easier to cope with the volume of applications. For people who have been subjected to forced Ukrainization for many years, deprived of the opportunity to speak their native language and to read their favorite books, the importance of what is happening can hardly be overestimated.

Armed Forces of Ukraine continue massive shelling of Donbas settlements 

Ukrainian nationalists opened fire on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic almost 50 times in one day. At least eight civilians were injured. Donetsk, Gorlovka, Dolomite, and Golmovsky are once again under attack.

They fire using Grad and Uragan multiple launch rocket systems, as well as cannon artillery, including NATO weapons. The Ukrainian army fired on the city of Stakhanov in the Lugansk People’s Republic. The Ukrainian security forces also laid six mines in the village of Kremennay.

French volunteer Adrian Boke in Moscow spoke about what he saw in Ukraine

French volunteer Adrian Boke is an extremely inconvenient witness for the Kiev authorities. He came to Moscow especially to tell what he saw in Ukraine and to transfer all the data to Russian law enforcement agencies. In the spring, he went to Ukraine as a medical worker to help local residents. There, he witnessed the crimes of neo-Nazis, saw the executions of prisoners, shooting at residential areas by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And very quickly he figured out the difference between the methods of warfare of Ukrainian nationalists and Donbas militias, and why Russia began to protect the people’s republics and the Russian-speaking population.

Boke showed a photo on his phone to a Channel One journalist, saying: “I saw this man alive, he was on his knees and his hands were tied. My friend and I wanted to help them, but the Azov officer told us not to touch them. And then, after this, they executed him.”

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commented on Poland’s far-reaching plans

Instead of dancing the “tango together” they “break dance alone.” This is how [Russian Foreign Minister] Sergey Lavrov described the West’s approach towards Russia, which remains open for dialogue. The foreign ministers of the CSTO countries met in Yerevan [on June 10]. The Collective Security Treaty Organization, in addition to Russia, includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Within the framework of the CSTO, the principle of the indivisibility of security has been enshrined for the first time — no country will strengthen it at the expense of others. We also discussed the situation around Ukraine.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry commented on the far-reaching plans of Poland. Lavrov said: “Polish colleagues are beginning to actively develop Ukrainian territory; and the corresponding decision taken by President Zelensky in the Verkhovna Rada on the special rights of the Poles, which, in fact, are equalized with the Ukrainians in everything except the right to vote, and the recent message that Poland is already creating some kind of parallel system of control of the tax service of Ukraine, all this clearly speaks volumes, in my opinion.”

A site of foreign mercenaries was destroyed in Kharkiv region

The Russian military destroyed a site containing foreign mercenaries in the Kharkiv region. We attacked from the air with high-precision missiles. Also, many areas containing manpower, weapons, and military equipment of the enemy were hit, including the Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system.

Moscow urges Kiev to abandon militaristic rhetoric

Constantly pumping Ukraine with Western weapons will not bring any good. This was stated by Sergey Lavrov during his visit to Yerevan. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry has already held talks with his counterpart from Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan. Later meetings are scheduled with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Vahagn Khachaturyan. The focus is on bilateral relations, the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh and, of course, the Ukrainian issue.

Lavrov said: “I hope that the Ukrainians will once again stop looking for a way out by demanding the West to arm them to the teeth, including the supply of the very anti-ship systems that Ukrainian officials say they want to use against the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. It was necessary to abandon such rhetoric long ago. … I emphasize once again that our Western partners must realize that indulging the militaristic moods of Kyiv will lead to nothing good.”

Foreign Ministers of Russia and Turkey discussed the export of grain from Ukraine

The Ukrainian problem is at the center of talks of foreign ministers in Ankara.

Sergey Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu talked for almost two hours. As previously reported, the main topics [on June 8] were the export of grain from Ukrainian ports, the prospects for the resumption of the negotiation process between Moscow and Kiev, developments in Syria, as well as trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Turkey under Western sanctions. Mevlut Cavusoglu has already called these negotiations productive.

Russian Foreign Lavrov said: “We greatly appreciate the efforts of our Turkish friends who are looking for ways to withdraw grain from Ukrainian ports and allow foreign ships to leave these ports, of which there are several dozen and which are being held hostage there.”

There are thousands of tons of wheat in the warehouses of Zaporozhye and the Kherson region, which cannot be removed because Kiеv has mined the ports

While the collective West is worrying about food security and blaming Russia for all its troubles, Ukraine actually has plenty of grain. The new crop and last year’s crop is in the bin. Why is such necessary food not being delivered to those who need it? The answer is that Kiev has mined ports and is not going to clear mine routes for the passage of bulk carriers.

How Russia deals with the blow of sanctions — Presidential statements at an economic meeting

Inflation is under control, fewer people are unemployed, the foreign exchange market is stable, the ruble is strengthening. This is only part of the results of the measures already put in place to support the Russian economy. How steadfastly Russia deals with the blow was discussed in a meeting [on June 7] with the president. While the collective West is preparing the next, already the seventh, package of restrictions, the Russian economy is confidently moving forward. And not just coping, but picking up speed.

The State Duma and the Federation Council adopted a resolution on the investigation of the work of American biological laboratories in Ukraine

Both chambers of the Russian parliament [on June 6] adopted a resolution to investigate the work of American biological laboratories in Ukraine, as well as to create a joint commission to conduct such an investigation. It will include 14 deputies and 14 senators, Vice Speaker of the State Duma Irina Yarovaya and Vice Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev.

A state system of biological security should be created in response to the actions of the Americans. Parliamentarians state that American biological research poses a direct threat to the population of Russia.

Kosachev said: “This work has military goals. The goal is to create direct threats to the population of the Russian Federation, to the security of the citizens of the Russian Federation, and their health and well-being. Of course, the same goals are pursued through other biolaboratories, which are located in states that are not friendly to the U.S. such as Iran, China and a number of other countries.”