Readers' letters: Russia is turning reality on its head

I read with incredulity Russia’s defence ministry’s response to Sunday's missile strike in Kyiv.

According to them, it could be due to a failure of Ukraine’s air defence system. In other words, it’s the Ukrainians’ fault that a residential building was hit.

That’s akin to a bully saying to the child he’s just thumped, “You should have thumped me first, and run away”.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has declared that Russia is no longer under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights. Is that something to be proud of?

The UN suspended Russia from its seat on the Human Rights Council on April 7 this year, due to the alleged civilian murders committed by Russian troops in Ukraine.

We’re now living in the 21st century. Technology is bringing changes to our lives every day, including faster and easier communication.

What it can’t do is change the human propensity for aggression against our own species, as well as our capacity for destroying our planet, and eradicating multiple species as we blunder along.

Carolyn Taylor, Broughty Ferry.

Healthcare buffer zones are welcome

After the horrendous ruling in America, we welcome the Scottish Government’s plan to impose buffer zones around medical clinics to protect already stressed women trying to access legal health care.

All views on abortion are legitimate but there is no ignoring the strong religious motivation of the majority of those who would deny women’s rights in this way.

If you don’t believe in abortion then don’t have one. If you don’t believe in marriage equality then don’t marry a same sex partner. If you don’t believe in assisted dying you don’t need to choose it. Once again the religious compulsion to impose views on others raises its ugly head.

Neil Barber, Edinburgh Secular Society

Limit indyref2 funds to Scotland

I am sure all UK residents will be made welcome in a progressive, economically successful independent Scotland, but if they not on the voters roll here there is no reason why they should have a vote on independence.

EU citizens living in the UK were not allowed a vote on the EU referendum, which was merely advisory, but was supported by Labour and the Lib Dems. Now these parties are in bed with the Tories as democracy deniers, so far as Scotland is concerned.

As well as limiting the referendum vote to those on the electoral roll in Scotland, the same criteria should apply to the funding of the respective Yes/No campaigns.

As Brexit showed, dark money can be funnelled through third party organisations and so-called think tanks funded from outside Scotland – or the UK in the case of Brexit.

As in 2014, the pro self-government campaign already faces an overwhelmingly hostile media controlled from London, so the least we can do is to restrict campaign funding to identifiable individuals living in Scotland.

Mary Thomas, Edinburgh.

Don’t say B-word

Why are Westminster politicians and the media afraid to mention Brexit when they try to explain rising prices, workers pay strikes, cost of living crisis and looming recession?

Apparently only Covid and war in Ukraine are to blame, according to the imploding premiership of Boris Johnson and his dysfunctional government. Yet the misinformed still cry “freedom from Europe”!

Grant Frazer, Newtonmore.

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