Pressure piles on Russia ahead of Kasane meeting

Russia’s ambassador to Botswana, Andrey Kemarskiy, was scheduled to leave for Kasane on Thursday ahead of the week-long meeting of a top diamond industry organisation, whose members include both Moscow’s friends and foes, as well as the ongoing target of its hostilities, Ukraine.

Prior to his departure, on Wednesday, Kemarskiy, as Russia’s point-man in Botswana, held a briefing for local journalists, presenting a nine-minute video tracing the origins of the conflict in Ukraine and essentially justifying Moscow’s actions.