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Defense Minister Thandi Modise. Photo: Malherbe Nienaber
- The Russian embassy has blasted US Ambassador Reuben Brigety for allegations South Africa loaded arms on a Russian ship last year.
- The embassy has called the US hypocrites, stating it has been arming Ukraine since 2014.
- Defence Minister Thandi Modise says no arms were shipped to Russia, adding she is frustrated by claims South Africa has picked sides.
The Russian embassy in South Africa has hit back at claims by US Ambassador Reuben Brigety that South Africa loaded ammunition onto a Russian ship last year.
This after Defence Minister Thandi Modise criticised the narrative South Africa had chosen sides in the Russia-Ukraine war.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Russian embassy said Brigety's claims came as no surprise as the "US seems to have lost its ability to interact with partners on an equal basis long ago", adding it could not "punish" South Africa for being "non-aligned".
Last Thursday, Brigety said the US did not view South Africa as non-aligned in the Russia-Ukraine war and its choosing of Russia could risk trade deals with the US.
Hitting back at Brigety, the Russian embassy said the weapons allegedly sent to Russia did not match "neither the types nor the calibres of the systems currently in service with Russia's armed forces".
The embassy questioned the impact of a "minuscule" number of firearms and ammunition allegedly distributed by South Africa in the conflict.
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The statement read: "[The] docking of [the] Lady R in Simons Town is being used as a pretext - totally fabricated and as false as the notorious tune presented by US State Secretary Colin Powell at the United Nations Security Council, which was followed by a full-scale invasion of Iraq."
Speaking to the Mail and Guardian on Tuesday, Modise pleaded for the country to be left alone because it had not provided "f..kol", not even "chappies" to Russia.
Modise's remarks came hours after news emerged South Africa's army chief, Lieutenant-General Lawrence Mbatha, and his Russian counterpart, Oleg Salyukov, discussed measures to enhance combat readiness and cooperation between the two countries.
She said the two armies had relations, referencing the exercise hosted by South Africa, adding Russia would host the next one, which is planned two to three years in advance.
Expressing frustration over "anti-Russia phobia", Modise told the Mail and Guardian she expected criticism in Parliament again this year after the Moscow International Security Conference.
On Tuesday, International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor said she met with Brigety on Friday who "unreservedly apologised" but had yet to make a public apology and maintained the allegations he made.
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