‘People are waking to hysterical headlines’: British RT host goes on the defensive over Putin’s invasion – as Vince Cable appears on Russian state TV channel just HOURS after tanks rolled into Ukraine
- Nikki Aaron made the remarks while presenting on RT International’s live stream
- She trumpeted Kremlin lines about Russia’s invasion being ‘military assistance’
- It comes as Alex Salmond’s latest show was broadcast despite criticism by SNP
- Former SNP leader, now of Alba, interviewed ex-Lib Dem leader Vince Cable
- Yesterday, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries called for Ofcom to review RT
A British RT host has today gone on the defensive over Vladimir’s Putin invasion of Ukraine, accusing western media of pumping out ‘hysterical headlines’, while trumpeting Kremlin statements about the attack simply being ‘military assistance’ of pro-Russian separatists.
Nikki Aaron, a presenter on the state-controlled TV channel, said Britons and Americans would be ‘waking up to sensational headlines’ about Russia sending troops into Ukraine – a move which has attracted widespread condemnation from across the world.
The Emmy-award nominated journalist made the comments while presenting live from her broadcaster’s Moscow studio – as the news ticker ‘Russia: Our aim is to protect People from Kiev’s genocide’ displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Ms Aaron also regurgitated Kremlin lines claiming civilians were safe, that Russia did not plan to occupy Ukraine and that the invasion was a ‘military operation’ launched by Putin in the defence of separatist in the Donbass region.
It comes as Scottish politician Alex Salmond today remained silent over his presenting job at the Russian state-funded broadcaster, despite criticism from current SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon who said she was ‘appalled’ by the former First Minister continuing to host his show on RT.
Today the channel broadcast the latest edition of the Alex Salmond show, featuring the former SNP chief interviewing ex Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable.
MailOnline understand the interview was recorded yesterday, prior to Russia’s invasion. The pair did not discuss the situation with Russia and Ukraine during the half-hour broadcast.
It comes after Nadine Dorries yesterday told television watchdog Ofcom to review RT. The Culture Secretary said the channel was ‘demonstrably part of Russia’s global disinformation campaign’ during the Ukraine crisis.
Nikki Aaron, a presenter on the state-controlled TV channel, said Britons and Americans would be ‘waking up to sensational headlines’ about Russia’s decision to send troops into Ukraine – a move which has been widely condemned across the world
The Emmy-award nominated journalist made the comments this morning while presenting live from her channel’s Moscow studio while the ticker ‘Operation Donbass’ displayed on the screen
Ms Aaron also spouted Kremlin lines claiming the invasion was a ‘military operation’ launched by Putin after a call for ‘military assistance’ by pro-Russian separatist in the Donbass region
Nikki Aaron: The glamorous Emmy-award nominated journalist trumpeting Kremlin lines on Russia’s state-backed TV show
Nikki Aaron is one of the faces of Russian state-backed TV station RT International
Nikki Aaron is one of the faces of Russian state-backed TV station RT International.
Based in Moscrow, the Emmy-nominated journalist, boasts previous experience at the BBC and ITV on her Linkedin profile.
She is said to have left the UK, with a degree from the University of Leicester, to relocate to communist China in 2007, where she launched a fashion and lifestyle magazine in Bejing.
Aaron, who, according to her public Instagram page, lives in Moscow with her husband and two children, moved to China’s state backed CNC outlet to work on their World News team.
While there she was awarded several Golden Eagle Awards for excellence in television production.
In late 2015, she relocated to Moscow to join the RT team at the Moscow HQ, where she now appears as a regular news anchor and reporter on the flagship world news programme.
In late 2015, she relocated to Moscow to join the RT team at the Moscow HQ, where she now appears as a regular news anchor and reporter on the flagship world news programme
In 2019, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role in presenting RT’s coverage of the 2018 tragic shopping mall fire in Siberia’s Kemerovo, which claimed the lives of 64 people, many of them children.
On her website she describes herself as ‘a well-trusted and capable host, guiding audiences through some of the most significant events in recent years, from marathon coverage of the Brexit referendum to the 2016 US Presidential election, and picking up several awards along the way for her role in presenting coverage of the 2017 German election and Catalonia protests’.
According to her website she is studying a Masters Degree in International Relations and World Order at the University of Leicester.
Ofcom said it has ‘already stepped up our oversight of coverage’ of the crisis by broadcasters in the UK.
Today, as Russian tanks crossed into Ukraine and bombs and artillery rained down in a number of regions, Ms Aaron shared several Kremlin lines with RT viewers.
With the ticker describing it as ‘Operation Donbass’, Ms Aaron said: ‘President Vladimir Putin has announced a military operation in Donbass during an address to the nation.
‘This comes after the people’s republic of Donbass turned to Russia for military assistance.
‘The president said there would be no occupation of Ukrainian terirory.’
She later said: ‘The Russian defence ministry has denied all claims of rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities.
‘A ministry spokesperson said there were no threats to the civilian population in Ukraine as high precision weapons are incapacitating military infrastructure including air defence facilities.
‘The ministry says there is no fight back from the Ukrainian border guard and air defence and air base infrastructure has been neutralised.
‘Russia also denies reports one of its military has been shot down.
As she was joined by a guest speaker, Ms Aaron went on to attack western media, who she said would be spreading ‘hysterical headlines’.
She said: ‘Of course we woke up to this at 6am in Moscow, an ungodly hour, most people won’t be awake.
‘People are waking up to it now and of course the UK being three hours behind, also waking up, the US it is still the middle of the night, so they are going to be waking up to these hysterical headlines, sensational headlines about what is going on, with the situation in Ukraine.’
It comes as RT, which is funded by the federal tax budget of the Russian government, today shared its latest edition of The Alex Salmond Show.
The former SNP First Minister of Scotland, who now heads up the pro-independence Alba party, spoke with Vince Cable about paperback version of his new book Money and Power.
The pair, who did not speak about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, discussed the possibility of a Liberal Democrat-Labour coalition.
The show was broadcast on RT today just hours after current First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was ‘appalled’ that her predecessor Alex Salmond was continuing to host his show on the Russian state-backed channel.
Ms Sturgeon said it was ‘unthinkable’ Mr Salmond’s show should continue, urging him to ‘reflect’ on matters.
Mr Salmond has always insisted he has total editorial control, while yesterday RT chiefs described her comment as ‘inappropriate’.
Meanwhile, Mr Cable today defended his decision to go on the show, saying he accepted RT’s coverage was ‘clearly slanted’ but that it was ‘free to broadcast’ under current UK regulations.
The former Lib Dem leader said the interview was recorded yesterday and that it was not related to the situation in Ukraine.
Mr Cable, who remains a Lib Dem member, told MailOnline: ‘(The interview) was about the paperback version of my book Money and Power and my earlier novel and had nothing to do with events in Ukraine.
‘It was part of a round of interviews with various outlets on the book.
‘My views on Russia were clearly set out when I was party leader during the debate on the Skripal murders.
‘In response to the invasion I fully support the NATO sanctions package package and agree with Ed Davey and Layla Moran that at the UK response has been too weak so far.’
He added: ‘RT’s political coverage is clearly slanted to give a pro-Russian position. But it is free to broadcast under UK regulated broadcasting.’
But today a Lib Dem spokesperson said his apperance was ‘wrong’. The spokesperson said: ‘Vince has many views which the party has always valued, but appearing on RT is wrong.
‘As a leader his strong criticism of the Salisbury incident and Russian oligarchs in the UK are on the record.’
The show was broadcast on RT today just hours after current First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was ‘appalled’ that her predecessor Alex Salmond (pictured) was continuing to host his show on the Russian state-backed channel
Mr Cable today defended his decision to go on the show, saying that the interview was recorded yesterday and that it was not related to Ukraine
Pictured: Nadine Dorries wrote to the broadcast regulator over the Kremlin-backed channel Russia Today, raising concern the channel may spread propaganda during the Ukraine crisis
The Russian state-backed channel facing a possible Ofcom review: What is RT?
RT, previously known as Russia Today, is a Russian state-backed news channel, based in the UK.
Launched in 2014, it is funded by the federal tax budget of the Russian government.
The UK media regulator, Ofcom, has repeatedly found RT to have breached its rules on impartiality and on one occasion found it had broadcast ‘materially misleading’ content.
In September 2015, Ofcom found RT in breach of the impartiality rules in its coverage of the events in Ukraine and Syria.
In December 2018, Ofcom ruled that seven programmes broadcast by RT between 17 March and 26 April of that year, in the wake of the Salisbury poisonings, had breached the UK’s impartiality rules.
RT said it was ‘extremely disappointed by Ofcom’s conclusions’, but it was fined £200,000.
It closed for TV broadcasting on 30 July 2021. But it still runs live streams via its English-speaking website.
Nadine Dorries yesterday ordered Ofcom to take ‘timely and transparent’ action against Russia Today amid growing concerns it is spreading propaganda during the Ukraine crisis.
The Culture Secretary wrote to the broadcast regulator to raise concerns that the Kremlin-backed outfit could ‘look to spread harmful disinformation’ in the UK.
It comes as Nadine Dorries yesterday ordered Ofcom to take ‘timely and transparent’ action against Russia Today amid growing concerns it is spreading propaganda during the Ukraine crisis.
The Culture Secretary wrote to the broadcast regulator to raise concerns that the Kremlin-backed outfit could ‘look to spread harmful disinformation’ in the UK.
But Boris Johnson rejected calls for an outright ban, saying it should be up to Ofcom to ban media organisations rather than politicians.
And RT responded provocatively last night, saying that the BBC should also be subject to a review by Ofcom over its ‘state sponsorship’.
In a letter to Melanie Dawes, the chief executive of Ofcom, Miss Dorries said the Russian government was conducting an ‘aggressive’ disinformation campaign.
Ofcom is an independent body that has the power to fine RT or even revoke its licence to broadcast in the UK.
It has previously fined the broadcaster £200,000 for breaching impartiality rules over the 2018 Salisbury novichok poisoning.
Miss Dorries said RT was ‘demonstrably part of Russia’s global disinformation campaign’ and said certain states sought to ‘exploit and undermine’ the UK’s media landscape.
She pointed to its editor-in-chief, who has previously referred to the broadcaster as an ‘information weapon’ that can be deployed against the West. She said it was essential that the UK looked to limit Russia’s ability to spread propaganda.
She added that while she respected Ofcom’s independence, it was essential that it kept RT under review.
But in the Commons yesterday, the Prime Minister rejected a call from Labour leader Keir Starmer for an outright ban on RT.
He said: ‘We live in a democracy, Mr Speaker, and we live in a country that believes in free speech and I think it’s important that we should leave it up to Ofcom rather than to politicians to decide which media organisations to ban. That’s what Russia does.’
Sir Keir told the Commons that Vladimir Putin’s ‘campaign of misinformation’ should be tackled.
RT’s coverage of Ukraine has been from a pro-Russian perspective, with reports of celebrations in Luhansk and Donetsk after President Putin sent in tanks.
Ofcom said: ‘All licensees must observe Ofcom’s rules, including due accuracy and due impartiality.
‘If broadcasters break those rules, we will not hesitate to step in. Given the seriousness of the Ukraine crisis, we will examine complaints about any broadcaster’s news coverage of this issue as a priority.’
It is understood that the regulator has no plans to expel RT and it has had fewer than 50 complaints about its Ukraine output.
Anna Belkina, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of RT, told MailOnline: ‘RT’s operational and editorial independence from all governments is legally protected and always has been. Ofcom recognizes this and has long-endorsed RT as a license holder.
‘Even in the face of undue political pressure it has continuously found RT to be in line with other UK broadcasters, without a single breach of broadcasting Code to be found in the last 4 years – not something that can be said about many other channels in the country.
‘Yet UK politicians are now openly and brazenly interfering in institutions they have long touted as supposedly independent and wholly free from political pressure, exposing their self-proclaimed commitment to such values as free speech and regulatory independence as nothing but a sham.
‘Also, no one can be surprised that those who attack Mr Salmond on all fronts now leap at the chance to do so once more. We are certain that Mr Salmond is not one to listen to the inappropriate remarks of Ms Sturgeon or others, or succumb to such pressure.’
How the Ukraine invasion unfolded minute-by-minute: Russian shells rain down on Mariupol at 3.30am, Putin declares war two hours later and then all hell breaks loose across nation and capital Kiev
By Rory Tingle for MailOnline
Russian launched total war on Ukraine today, with missiles raining from the sky, tanks rolling across the border from Belarus, and masses of paratroopers descending on eastern regions after Vladimir Putin personally gave the order to attack.
‘Hundreds’ of Ukrainian troops have already been killed in early clashes, Kiev said, as the fight came to them on all fronts at a moment’s notice. Cruise missiles, guided bombs and GRAD rockets took out targets from east to west – aimed at airfields, military bases, ammo dumps, and command posts including in the capital.
The first sign an invasion was imminent came at just before 12am Ukrainian time (10pm in the UK), when Russian-backed rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine issued a request for military assistance from Moscow in what is being widely seen as a ‘False Flag’ operation to justify Putin’s decision to attack.
Moments later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a defiant message to the nation, vowing his countrymen would ‘fight back’ in the event of an invasion, telling Moscow: ‘When you attack us, you will see our faces, not our backs.’
A frenzied string of diplomatic manoeuvres, including an emergency UN Security Council meeting in New York, were not enough to dissuade Putin, who declared a ‘special military operation’ at around 3am Ukraine time.
At around 6am, Zelenskyy declared martial law in a video message filmed on his phone, urging his people ‘not to panic’ and promising: ‘We will win over everybody because we are Ukraine.’
As Europe faced its worst military crisis for decades, here is how this morning’s dramatic events unfolded, minute by minute. All times are shown first in Ukrainian time with the GMT equivalent following in brackets.
12:00am (10pm)
‘We will fight back’: Ukrainian president delivers emotional TV address
Volodymyr Zelenskyy vows the Ukrainian people will ‘fight back’ if Putin launches a full-scale invasion.
His comments follow a request by Moscow-backed rebel leaders in the east of the country for military assistance to fend off Ukrainian ‘aggression’ – considered by the West to be a ‘false flag’ to justify an invasion.
A solemn President Zelenskyy says: ‘The people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine want peace.
‘But if we come under attack, if we face an attempt to take away our country, our freedom, our lives and the lives of our children, we will defend ourselves. When you attack us, you will see our faces, not our backs.’
The Ukrainian president says he tried to call Putin earlier in the evening, but there was ‘no answer, only silence’, adding that Moscow has around 200,000 soldiers by Ukraine’s borders.
At Ukraine’s request, the United Nations Security Council quickly schedules an emergency meeting – the second in three days.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba calls the separatists’ request ‘a further escalation of the security situation.’
Ukraine readies for conflict and enters a month-long state of emergency, effective at midnight.
3:30am (1:30GMT)
Explosions heard in strategically important port city of Mariupol
Residents in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol are woken up at 3.30am by the sound of explosions.
Video footage appears to show clouds of smoke rising up into the night sky nearby, but it is unconfirmed whether this is as a result of shelling.
Mariupol, located on the Black Sea 50 miles from the Russian border, handles 50 per cent Ukraine’s steel and mineral exports.
Taking the strategic location would give the people’s republics of Donbas access to the sea, and choke off a vital economic artery for Ukraine’s legitimate government.
4:30am (2:30am GMT)
UN meeting where Ukraine’s ambassador tells Russian counterpart: ‘war criminals go straight to hell’
The UN Security Council holds an extraordinary emergency meeting in New York to try to dissuade Russia from sending troops into Ukraine.
During the charged session, Ukrainian ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya implores the council, chaired by Russia, to ‘do everything possible to stop the war’.
He demands that Russia’s ambassador relinquish his duties as chair.
‘There is no purgatory for war criminals. They go straight to hell, ambassador,’ a visibly emotional Kyslytsya says.
At a charged UN Security Council meeting, Ukrainian ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya told his Russian counterpart: ‘There is no purgatory for war criminals. They go straight to hell, ambassador’
Secretary General Antonio Guterres urges Putin to stop his tanks.
‘If indeed an operation is being prepared, I have only one thing to say from the bottom of my heart,’ he says.
‘President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine. Give peace a chance. Too many people have already died.’
Mr Guterres says he is witnessing, ‘the saddest moment in my tenure as Secretary General of the United Nations’ and that Europe risks, ‘the worst war since the beginning of the century’.
Afterwards, he warns Russian action would not only be ‘devastating for Ukraine’ and ‘tragic’ for Russia ‘but with an impact we can not even foresee in relation to their consequences for the global economy.’
‘In a moment when we are emerging from Covid and so many developing countries absolutely need to have space for the recovery, which would be very, very difficult with the high prices of oil, with the exports of wheat from Ukraine and with rising interest rates caused by instability in international markets,’ he adds.
5am (3am GMT)
Putin’s announces ‘special military operation’ and threatens West
Putin announces a ‘special military operation’ in eastern Ukraine, claiming it’s intended to protect civilians.
In a televised address, Putin says the action comes in response to threats coming from Ukraine.
He claimed Russia wanted to ‘de-Nazify, not occupy’ Ukraine. Putin says the responsibility for bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian ‘regime.’
Putin warns countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action will lead to ‘consequences they have never seen.’
The strongman could be seen wearing the same suit and red tie he wore on Monday to lay out his factually inaccurate version of Ukraine’s history, saying essentially that it was always part of Russia.
In hindsight, Putin’s attempts to rewrite history at his convenience, could be interpreted as evidence that he had already decided to invade Ukraine, and that he misled leaders in the West who pleaded with him for diplomacy.
5:30am (3:30am GMT)
Explosions are heard in Kiev just minutes after Putin’s speech ends
Following the end of Putin’s speech, explosions are reported in Kiev, Odessa, Ukraine’s third-largest city, as well as the city of Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region.
A CNN reporter in Kiev says: ‘I just heard a big bang right here behind me. I’ve never heard anything like it.’
Matthew Chance, Senior International correspondent for the network, says he heard between seven and eight blasts.
Chance quickly put on his flak jacket and headgear while he continued to report from a balcony in the Ukrainian capital.
A CNN reporter in the Ukrainian capital Kiev puts on a flak jacket as he hears explosions just after 5.30am
‘There are big explosions taking place. I can’t see them or explain what they are. but I will tell you the U.S has warned the Ukrainian authorities there could be air strikes and ground attacks as well around the country, including the capital.
‘I don’t know if that’s what’s occurring now but it’s a remarkable coincidence that the explosions come just minutes after Putin gave his speech,’ Chance explained.
‘This is the first time we’ve heard anything. It has been absolutely silent. This is the first time. It has to be more than just a coincidence.
‘I think it’s safe where I am. I have a flak jacket,’ Chance remarked before ducking down to put on his protective gear.
He suggested that the blasts he heard were still some distance away from the centre.
6am (4am GMT)
Ukrainian president declares martial law
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposes martial law and urges his people to stay at home and not panic as Russian troops pour into the country.
In a video message published shortly after the Kremlin began its attacks across Ukraine, Zelenskyy says Russia has carried out missile strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and border guards, and that explosions have been heard in many cities.
The Ukrainian President also says he had spoken by telephone to US President Joe Biden.
He pleads: ‘Dear Ukrainian citizens, this morning President Putin announced a special military operation in Donbas. Russia conducted strikes on our military infrastructure and our border guards. There were blasts heard in many cities of Ukraine. We’re introducing martial law on the whole territory of our country.
‘A minute ago I had a conversation with President Biden. The US has already started uniting international support. Today each of you should keep calm. Stay at home if you can. We are working. The Army is working.
‘The whole sector of defence and security is working. No panic. We are strong. We are ready for everything. We will win over everybody because we are Ukraine.’
Paratroopers drop into Ukraine’s second largest city as Russians launch multiple attacks
From around 6am and onwards
Footage appears to show masses of paratroopers landing in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s largest city.
The US appeared to know an invasion was about to happen, according to ABC’s Martha Raddatz.
She said she received a text from a senior Pentagon official three hours before the invasion saying: ‘You are likely in the last few hours of peace on the European continent for a long time to come. Be careful.’
As violence spreads, Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, writes on Facebook that the Russian military have launched missile strikes on Ukrainian military command facilities, air bases and military depots in Kiev, Kharkiv and Dnipro.
Later in the morning, five Russian jets are reportedly shot out of the sky over the Donbass before Moscow boasts of taking out all anti-aircraft defences, giving them control of the skies.
Ukrainian border guards say they have come under attack by heavy artillery, tanks and troops from Russia and Belarus – as Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko throws his forces into the fight.
Luhansk, Sumy, Kharkiv and Chernihiv in the east of Ukraine are all reported as coming under attack, but blasts are also reported in the west – in Zhytomyr and Lviv, close to the border with Poland.
Extraordinary video footage shows what appears to be a cruise missile slamming into Ivano-Frankivsk airport, also in the west.
Meanwhile pro-Russian rebel forces push out from the occupied Donbass region, capturing two villages and claiming to have shot two Ukrainian jets out of the skies. The port city of Odessa, where Ukraine’s main naval base is located, also comes under attack.
Source: Read Full Article
