Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Mantytskiy on Wednesday said anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the West cannot hurt their development and sought stronger ties with Bangladesh. He dismissed "ungrounded accusations" of Russia being responsible for a global food and energy crisis. Mantytskiy was speaking at the discussion "Six Months of the Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine: Its Results and Perspectives. Russia-Bangladesh Relations in the Context of Economic Crisis." The Russian Embassy in collaboration with Russian news agency and radio Sputnik hosted the event. The envoy listed the causes and aims of the Russian SMO, exposed "unlawful methods of war" used by the Ukrainian Army, and outlined the major shifts in the world order that are gaining momentum after February 24, 2022. Vasily Pushkov, director of international cooperation at Sputnik, said the world is now in an era of unprecedented changes and the global media market is not an exception. The monopoly of the Western media is fading, which is quite logical considering the importance of first-hand information, he added. Read: Russia slams sanctions, seeks to blame West for food crisis "That is why we consider direct international cooperation between media the most precious thing nowadays and invite our colleagues from Bangladesh to strengthen the professional ties,' Pushkov said. Members of political parties and scholars from universities and think tanks joined the event. Bangladesh is now in touch with Russia to buy crude and refined oil from the country. Mantytskiy said the supply of Russian crude and refined oil is being discussed both at the intergovernmental and business-to-business levels. "The two countries are also exploring ways to find alternatives to dollars in bilateral trade."