[Jpost] Authorities are investigating a human trafficking ring which saw Thai women held prisoner in Georgia and their ovum harvested, according to international media reports.
The three women were transported from Thailand under the guise of being surrogate mothers, according to ABC News.
One woman spoke to a press conference in Thailand in February, where she explained that she responded to a social media advertisement offering 25,000 baht (approx. NIS 2,711) a month and accommodation in exchange for surrogacy.
JOURNEYING TO THE TRAFFICKING FARM
The woman alleged she was trafficked by two Chinese nationals through Dubai and Armenia. Her passport was also allegedly confiscated from her, and she recounted that she was told she risked being arrested if she returned to Thailand.
"They took us to a house where there were 60 to 70 Thai women. The women there told us there was no (surrogacy) contracts or parents," she said. "[The women] would be injected to get treatment, anaesthetised, and their eggs would be extracted with a machine. After we got this information and it was not the same as the advertisement, we got scared, we tried to contact people back home.
The woman added that she acted sick to avoid having her ovum harvested.
The women who refused to give up their ovum were required to pay a ransom of up to 70,000 baht to secure their release, according to National Thailand.
While the three women have now returned to Thailand, the Pavena Hongsakul Foundation for Children and Women warned that around 100 women remain prisoners.
The foundation has also demanded that Thai authorities engage with China to crack down on the trafficking ring, National Thailand.
Georgia's interior ministry confirmed four foreign nationals had been questioned as part of the investigation.
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"Due to adverse weather conditions (wind with gusts up to 28 m/s), mass power outages are occurring in the region. According to operational data, the power outage affected more than 59,895 people," the Telegram channel says.
It is specified that the Ministry of Energy is monitoring the situation with the restoration of power supply in the region. 192 teams, consisting of 392 people and 205 units of equipment, are participating in emergency recovery operations.
The department added that massive power outages due to wind also occurred in Khakassia, Altai Krai and Kuzbass, where 155 teams are involved in repair work.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, earlier on April 5, the aftermath of a hurricane wind in Krasnoyarsk Krai, where its gusts reached a speed of 33 m/s, was captured on video. These shots show how a strong wind lifted all the dust and dirt high into the air and its gusts with flashes tore off high-voltage wires.
Later that day, it became known that the number of people injured by the strong wind in Khakassia had risen to 11. Against this background, all medical institutions in the republic were put on high alert.
Kotyukov warned of a possible second wave of hurricanes in Krasnoyarsk Krai
“The first wave has passed, but experts do not rule out that there will be another one, so we are working actively, preparing forces and equipment for a possible repeat,” RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
Kotyukov said that disaster response headquarters are being held every hour. On April 7, there will be information about the region on how to eliminate the consequences of the hurricane.
Even more from regnum.ru Power outages in three Siberian regions due to bad weather
Power grids in the Kemerovo Region, Khakassia and five districts of Altai have switched to a special operating mode due to mass power outages caused by hurricane-force winds. This was reported by the press service of Rosseti-Siberia.
It is noted that power engineers have been on high alert since April 4. Forecasters predicted gusts of up to 30 m/s.
"In the Altai Territory and Kemerovo Region, a squally wind has caused technological disruptions to the grid. Outages in different areas are being eliminated by 48 emergency recovery teams, 105 people and 48 units of equipment. Power engineers are doing everything possible to restore power supply to residents' homes as soon as possible," the company's Telegram channel says.
At the same time, the Kemerovo Region faced a cyclone on the morning of April 5: wind, snow and rain disrupted the operation of the networks in Tisulsky, Gurevsky, Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Kemerovsky districts, as well as in Novokuznetsk and its environs. The main cause of the accidents were foreign objects carried by the wind onto the lines. For example, in Tisulsky District, the shutdown occurred due to the roof of a house collapsing onto the wires.
In the Altai Territory, Altayenergo employees are fighting the aftermath of a night storm that confirmed meteorologists' forecasts. Teams are concentrated in Krasnoshchyokovsky, Soloneshensky, Charyshsky, Altaisky districts and the suburbs of Barnaul, trying to eliminate the problems as quickly as possible.
In Khakassia, hurricane winds also caused power supply disruptions. The local branch of Khakasenergo has been transferred to a special mode. In Krasnoyarsk Krai and Tuva, a state of heightened readiness is maintained for prompt response to possible emergencies.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:42 The main topic of the meeting of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with the Chiefs of Defence Staff of Great Britain and France was security guarantees for our country and the future architecture of peace in Europe. The details of the negotiations were reported by the Office of the President.
22.17 Russian propaganda has spread another fake about the alleged encirclement of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region. This was reported by the Center for Counteracting Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC).
21.27 Cities and villages of Ukraine on Sunday, April 6, will declare a day of mourning and lower state flags for the victims of the Russian missile attack on Krivoy Rog.
21:00 Keeping silent about the fact that it is Russia that is killing children with ballistic missiles is wrong and dangerous, because it only incites the scum in Moscow. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video address .
20.20 The number of victims after the Russian missile strike on Krivoy Rog has increased to 74 people. This was reported by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA Serhiy Lysak.
19:45 Russian military intelligence (GRU) used parcels containing sex toys and cosmetics to blow up warehouses in Europe. Ukrainian citizens were involved in the operations, Reuters reported .
19:19 Ukraine has returned 45 more citizens from the temporarily occupied territory (TOT), from Russia and Belarus. This was reported by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets. The overwhelming majority of those returned are elderly people, and the oldest woman is 93 years old.
18.27 The aggressor country Russia again accuses Ukraine of violating the ceasefire agreements. This is being done deliberately to distract attention from the crimes committed by the Russians themselves against Ukrainians. This statement was published by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
18.05 In Odessa, law enforcement officers detained a man who came to the military registration and enlistment office with a gun. This was reported by the local publication Dumskaya , citing the police press service.
17:48 A video of the first minutes after the Russian missile strike on Krivoy Rog on April 4 from police body cameras has been published. The footage was released by the First Deputy Chief of the Patrol Police Department, Oleksiy Beloshitsky.
17.00 Since the beginning of the current day, 112 combat clashes have occurred on the front. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on the progress of the battles in the operational summary as of 16:00.
16:19 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the Chiefs of Defence Staff of Great Britain and France. The head of state noted tangible progress and the first details on how a partner security contingent could be deployed in Ukraine.
14.58 Drones of the Security Service of Ukraine attacked the Russian plant Promsintez – one of the leading explosives producers in Russia. This was stated to the media by informed sources.
13.59 President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was "unpleasantly surprised" by the reaction of the US Embassy, which did not use the word "Russian" when commenting on the attack on Kryvyi Rih. The head of state reported this on Facebook.
13.42 NATO is unlikely to take direct part in the peacekeeping mission on the territory of Ukraine after the ceasefire, since this will have consequences for the defense of the Alliance's territory. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in an interview with the Ukrainian publication NV.
12.31 The Armed Forces of Ukraine have significantly increased the efficiency of using unmanned systems at the front. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Telegram, citing the words of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky.
11.55 The attack on the Fiber Optic Systems plant in Saransk continued on the morning of April 5. This is evidenced by a video posted by the propaganda Telegram channel Military Informant.
11:43 The Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of France and Britain discussed with the Ukrainian side the needs and tasks of the Ukrainian army with the aim of providing it with long-term support in reconstruction and development during their visit to Kiev. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of France.
10.34 From Monday to Wednesday – April 7, 8 and 9 – days of mourning have been declared in Krivoy Rog, Dnipropetrovsk region, for those killed in Friday's attacks by the Russian army. This was announced by the head of the city's Defense Council, Oleksandr Vilkul.
9.27 Ukrainian troops have hit four Russian command posts in the past 24 hours. There have been 145 combat clashes on the front in 24 hours. This is evidenced by the morning report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
8.31 The losses of the Russian army at the front over the past 24 hours amounted to 1,390 soldiers. This is evidenced by the morning report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
7.29 Russian aggressors attacked Krivoy Rog with drones late in the evening, April 4. As of the morning of April 5, the number of victims has increased. This was reported in Telegram by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
06.30 In the city of Chapayevsk in the Samara region of the Russian Federation, drones attacked an enterprise. Social networks write that this is the Promsintez plant for the production of explosives. It was already under attack by UAVs several weeks ago.
03.20 In the Russian city of Saransk in Mordovia, UAVs attacked the Optic Fiber Systems plant, the only plant in the Russian Federation that produces optical fiber used to control drones. A fire broke out at the plant.
02.50 The Russian Defense Ministry said that they had struck Krivoy Rog, where a meeting with foreign instructors and commanders was allegedly taking place, and killed up to 85 foreign soldiers. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine denied this lie, emphasizing that the Russian missile had hit a residential area and a children's playground.
01.50 An elderly woman died as a result of a drone attack on Krivoy Rog – she burned to death in her own home. Five more people were injured. Meanwhile, the number of victims from the missile strike on the city has increased to 18, nine of whom are children. Another 61 people were injured.
00.02 Late in the evening, the Russians attacked Krivoy Rog again, this time using a UAV. A fire broke out in the private sector of the city. Houses and infrastructure are engulfed in flames.
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Belgorod direction, the Sever Group have engaged manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades of the AFU and a territorial defence brigade close to Krasnopolye and Miropolskoye (Sumy region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 75 troops, two tanks, four armoured fighting vehicles, five motor vehicles, and two field artillery guns.
The Zapad Group of Forces' units improved the tactical situation along the front line. The Russian Armed Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, an assault, and territorial defence brigades close to Komarovka, Kondrashovka, and Kamenka (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses amounted to more than 250 troops, two pick-up trucks, and seven field artillery guns including five Western-made pieces. One ammunition depot was destroyed.
The Yug Group of Forces' units improved the tactical situation. Russian troops engaged units of three mechanised brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a territorial defence brigade, and a national guard brigade near Konstantinovka, Pravdovka, Zarya, and Katerinovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy lost up to 300 troops, four tanks, two armoured fighting vehicles, nine motor vehicles, and six field artillery guns.
Units of the Tsentr Group of Forces continued advancing into the depth of enemy defences. The Russian Armed Forces inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of three mechanised brigades, an air assault brigade, and an unmanned aerial vehicles brigade of the AFU near Novoekonomicheskoye, Udachnoye, Zverevo,Yelizavetovka, Krasnoarmeysk, and Alekseyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 435 troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, 10 motor vehicles, and two artillery guns. One electronic warfare station was eliminated.
The Vostok Group's units have taken more favourable lines and positions. Russian formations hit manpower and hardware of three mechanised brigades of AFU and a territorial defence brigade close to Otradnoye and Volnoye Pole (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 140 troops, six motor vehicles, and a field artillery gun.
The Dnepr Group of Forces' units took more advantageous lines and positions. Russian forces damaged formations of a mechanised brigade, a coastal defence brigade of the AFU and a territorial defence brigade close to Stepovoye, Novopokrovka, and Lobkovoye (Zaporozhye region).
Up to 65 troops, a U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carrier, five motor vehicles, and two ammunition depots have been neutralised.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack drones, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have engaged the infrastructure of the military airfield, missile and artillery depots, an unmanned aerial vehicle assembly enterprise as well as clusters of manpower and materiel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and foreign mercenaries in 147 areas.
Russian air defence systems have shot down seven JDAM guided bombs and five U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, as well as 208 fixed-wing drones.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 660 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 49,982 unmanned aerial vehicles, 601 anti-aircraft missile systems, 22,683 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,534 MLRS combat vehicles, 23,233 field artillery guns and mortars, and 33,685 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise AFU formations on the territory of Kursk region.
In the course of offensive actions, the Sever Group of Forces' units inflicted fire damage on formations of a mechanised brigade, three air assault brigades, and a territorial defence brigade of the AFU near Gornal, Guyevo, and Oleshnya.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, and Artillery strikes engaged AFU manpower and hardware close to Basovka, Belovody, Vladimirovka, Vodolagi, Zhuravka, Loknya, Miropolye, Novonikolayevka, Privolye, Sadki, Khrapovshchina, and Yunakovka in Sumy region.
In the past 24 hours, the AFU lost over 210 troops, an infantry fighting vehicle, two armoured personnel carriers, five armoured fighting vehicles, nine motor vehicles, a mortar, and eight UAV command posts.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk direction, the AFU losses amounted to more than 72,150 troops, 404 tanks, 331 infantry fighting vehicles, 296 armoured personnel carriers, 2,252 armoured fighting vehicles, 2,618 motor vehicles, 595 artillery guns, 53 MLRS launchers, including 13 of HIMARS and seven of MLRS made by the USA, 26 anti-aircraft missile launchers, one self-propelled anti-aircraft system, ten transport-loading vehicles, 123 EW stations, 18 counter-fire radars, ten air defence radars, 56 units of engineering and other materiel, including 23 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, five bridge launchers, one engineering reconnaissance vehicle as well as 15 armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:15 Calculation of the 122mm D-30 howitzer of the West group of forcescontinuecarry out fire missions in the area where the special operation is being carried out. 21:11 Russian special forces with artillery cover places of accumulation of Ukrainian soldiers in Demidovka, where the enemy has been trying to advance from Sumy Oblast to Krasnoyarsk District of Belgorod Oblast for almost two weeks.
20:10 The crew of the T-72 tank fired its entire ammunition load directly into the enemy stronghold, –video.
19:01 The Russian Armed Forces occupied the Administration building in Guevo, Kursk Region, –MAP.
19:01 Preparation for battle, according to the commander of the 122mm BM-21 Grad with the call sign Platon, it begins with a well-coordinated crew. When everyone works together, collectively, when everyone is aware of the responsibility and understands that everyone is working for one goal, then the success of a combat mission is laid.
17:53 Attack aircraft of the "Center" group of forcesare working off the procedure for interaction with tank units and UAV crews at a training ground in the rear area of a special operation.
17:20 The unit of the "North" group was discovered enemy artillery crew in Sumy Oblast. After confirming the exact coordinates, a fiber-optic FPV drone destroyed the enemy position.
16:09 Servicemen of the 1st Separate Guards Motorized Rifle "Slavyanskaya" Brigade of the "Center" group of forces showed developed platforms on the remote control.
14:47 Operators of reconnaissance drones of the 200th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade found a whole collection of Ukrainian equipment, and our FPV calculations quickly set everything on fire.
13:16 Logistics unit specialist with the call sign "Cop"told, how bread is baked in the "Southern" group of troops.
12:02 State and departmental awards handed over to the soldiers of the 18th Guards Motor Rifle Division of the North Forces Group.
11:20 Military personnel of the "Vostok" group destroyed a T-64 tank of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the village of Bogatyr in the Donetsk People's Republic.
11:07 Operators of strike UAVs of the "North" group inflicted several strikes on enemy heavy equipment.
09:54 Fearless fighters of the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 72nd Motorized Rifle Division helped a family with a child, who was forced to survive and hide from the drones of the Ukrainian fascists, who were constantly on duty above their house, to get to a safe area. video.
08:32 Footage released show defeats workshops and warehouses for the production of explosives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the settlement of Stepnoye in the Zaporizhia region using the Geran UAV.
07:33 During the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 49 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles were :
16 UAVs were over the territory of the Voronezh Region,
14 UAVs were over the territory of the Belgorod Region,
Six UAVs were over the territory of the Kursk Region,
Six UAVs were over the territory of the Samara Region,
Three UAVs were intercepted over the territory of the Republic of Mordovia,
One UAV was over the territory of the Bryansk Region,
One UAV was over the territory of the Lipetsk Region,
One UAV was over the territory of the Oryol Region, and
One UAV was over the territory of the Penza Region.
04:59 The 122mm D-30 howitzer crews of the Southern group, working together with UAV operators, are being destroyed targets in the Northern direction.
Three drone control points with Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel were destroyed at once.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Priest Igor 'Dead eye'
of the Kursk diocese destroyed two drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) with a shot from a double-barreled shotgun. This was announced on April 5 on the website of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).
"The priests of our diocese, who have been working in the military department since the beginning of the operation... took 70 residents from the city and nearby villages to Kursk for treatment and rehabilitation. They had to shoot back at drones several times, and Father Igor shot down two enemy drones with a double-barreled shotgun that were pursuing their car," says the report by Metropolitan Herman of Kursk and Rylsk.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Ukrainians do not need to know the whole truth about the military conflict, as this could lead to the emergence of "different opinions" in society. This opinion was expressed by the head of military intelligence of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov (an individual included in the list of terrorists and extremists in the Russian Federation).
"I think it's unnecessary to know the truth. Otherwise, people might have different opinions," Budanov said in an interview with Ukrainian journalist Anna Maksimchuk.
At the same time, he admitted that Ukrainians will be allowed to know the truth later. Budanov also clarified that he is not talking about "distortion" of reality. However, all information about the conflict should be given in measured doses, he believes.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, in October 2024, the European Commission (EC) in its report to the candidate states for the European Union (EU), including Ukraine, criticized the Ukrainian telethon, noting that it does not provide an objective picture of what is happening in the country. The EC also reproached the Rada TV channel for the lack of coverage of the opposition's activities.
The European Commission called on Ukraine to gradually establish a transparent, pluralistic and independent media landscape, without waiting for the end of hostilities.
Text taken from the Telegram channels of warriorofnorth and @razved_dozor Colleagues note a huge amount of destroyed enemy equipment on the section of the state border in the Krasnoyarsk district.
However, the main problem in this direction is not a large number of engineering and armored vehicles, but the infantry of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The tactics of using infantry are as follows:
Several small mobile groups of 3 militants try to infiltrate the border, occupy the nearest basement and hold it under the onslaught of artillery and FPV;
two (most likely "busified" or "Squall" units) go forward, the third ("ideological") coordinates their actions and does not give subordinates a chance to "back off";
in case of death of a group, the next one immediately moves forward, then according to the same principle.
The goal of such tactics is to gain a foothold in a certain area, diverting the attention of artillery and FPV, while the main forces, including armored vehicles, break through in the neighboring area. How such "breakthroughs" ended, you have already seen in the footage.
A similar principle was observed in Volchansk. After clearing some streets, many corpses of Ukrainian soldiers were found in the basements of houses, who were sent to hold their positions, after which they were covered by dense fire.
Indeed, the enemy is using its standard tactics of conducting military operations in populated areas. Mobile assault groups are trying to take positions in basements and cellars, while heavy equipment is breaking through in the neighboring area.
RaZved DoZor notes that the assault groups are moving in waves. The enemy can send 5-6 assault groups on foot and on mobile equipment (ATVs) along one route with a difference of several hours. It is considered a success if at least several Ukrainian soldiers reach the target, which is most often a basement or cellar.
However, the "Krasnoyarsk meat grinder" has a key difference from all previous ones arranged by the Ukrainian Armed Forces command. It is the experienced Ukrainian military personnel who have undergone training and were assigned to the 225th separate regiment from other units who are sent directly to the slaughter. At the moment, most of the assault groups are staffed by former servicemen of the mobile air defense groups, the number of which was reduced by Syrsky's personal decision.
The assault groups are commanded by former prisoners, many of whom do not even have military ranks and formally hold the lowest position of "shooter".
The department specified that during this period, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) struck energy facilities in the Bryansk region four times, in the Belgorod region five times, and once each in the Voronezh, Lipetsk, Smolensk, Kherson regions and in the Lugansk People's Republic.
As a result of these attacks, power lines and other equipment for power supply, as well as units and equipment for gas pipelines that ensure the operation of communications were damaged. At the same time, a large number of household consumers were left without electricity.
“Thus, since the morning of Friday, April 4, the Kiev regime, contrary to all statements and commitments made by [the head of the Kiev regime Volodymyr ] Zelensky to the American side to cease strikes on Russian energy facilities for 30 days, has increased the number of unilateral attacks using UAVs and artillery munitions on the energy infrastructure of Russian regions,” the Defense Ministry stated.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a temporary moratorium on Moscow and Kiev's strikes on each other's energy facilities during a telephone conversation with his US counterpart Donald Trump on March 18. The head of state immediately gave the Russian army the corresponding order, after which it neutralized seven of its own UAVs aimed at an energy facility in the Nikolaev region.
Zelensky also verbally agreed with the American leader's proposal, stating that Ukraine had allegedly always supported the refusal to attack energy facilities. However, on the night of March 19, Ukrainian forces attacked a Russian oil depot in Kuban and thereby violated the agreement.
Then the Ukrainian Armed Forces continued to strike at energy infrastructure in the Russian Federation. Thus, on the evening of April 4, an FPV drone of the Ukrainian army damaged an energy facility in the Bryansk region. As a result, the power supply to household consumers in the village of Lemeshovka in the Sevsky district was disrupted.
Related from korrespondent.net Russia Lies Again About Energy - Ukrainian General Staff
The aggressor country Russia is again accusing Ukraine of violating ceasefire agreements. This is being done deliberately to distract attention from the crimes committed by the Russians themselves against Ukrainians. This statement was published by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Saturday, April 5.
Thus, today the Russian Defense Ministry again spread false statements about alleged "violations" by Ukraine of ceasefire agreements regarding energy facilities. On April 4, there were allegedly 14 such attacks against Russian energy infrastructure.
"The enemy is doing this solely to shift the world's attention from the crimes that the Russian state is committing against Ukraine and Ukrainians," the statement said.
The General Staff emphasized that the "attacks" are fake. In reality, the Defense Forces are carrying out fire strikes exclusively against military targets of the Russian occupation army.
At the same time, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine recalled that on April 4, the Russians launched a terrible attack on Krivoy Rog with an Iskander-M ballistic missile, which led to numerous casualties among the civilian population.
In addition, according to military data, over the past 24 hours, the Russian army attacked Ukraine with 92 Shahed-type attack UAVs, dropped 171 guided aerial bombs and used artillery 6,353 times.
As a result of these strikes, civilian and critical infrastructure facilities in Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava, Kyiv, Zaporizhia, Kherson, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr and other regions of Ukraine were damaged.
"The military department of a terrorist state is once again resorting to false accusations, trying to shift its own responsibility for prolonging the war and the deaths of people onto Ukraine," the General Staff said.
Ukrainian military hopes that the world will not accept Russia's lies and will condemn the next brutal Russian war crimes.
Let us recall that on April 4, Russia struck a residential area in Krivoy Rog with an Iskander ballistic missile. According to the latest data, 19 people, including 9 children, became victims of this war crime . 72 people were injured, including 11 children.
[BBC] Norway's proximity to the USSR during the Cold War led to it building many military bunkers – some of them vast secret bases for planes and ships. Tensions with Russia have brought the bunkers back into focus.
Tourists in their hundreds of thousands visit northern Norway each year. But there is a secret world they never see. For hidden away in mountain caverns are jet fighters and nuclear submarines.
Norway is a land with many bunkers. At the peak of the Cold War, the sparsely populated, mountainous country had around 3,000 underground facilities where its armed forces and allies could hide and make life difficult for any invader. Dating back to when the Scandinavian country was part of Hitler's Atlantic Wall during World War Two and even earlier, their existence was barely known to the Norwegian public.
Now as a European war engulfs eastern Ukraine, Norway is reactivating two of their most iconic underground structures of the Cold War.
Close to Norway's border with Russia north of the Arctic Circle, the hangars of the Bardufoss Air Station and the naval base at Olavsvern feel like they belong in a spy film, with their rough rock walls, gleaming concrete and military equipment. Carved out of a mountain side, protected by around 900ft (275m) of tough gabbro rock, the Olasvern base is particularly evocative with its 3,000ft-long (909m) exit tunnel complete with massive blast door.
Why are these huge bunkers needed today? The Soviet Union – the reason they were built in the first place – no longer exists. Does it really make sense to pour money into such expensive structures?
Now, Bardufoss looks like it may be needed once more.
The role of the reactivated base which has had structural and equipment upgrades is to help the "resilience and survivability" of Norway's F-35s in the face of a Russian attack. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has shown the world how vulnerable expensive military aircraft like these $80m–$110m (£64m to £80m) F-35s can be when on the ground, particularly to attacks by "kamikaze" drones that can cost as little as $300 (£230).
Instead of placing tyres on wings or constructing hangars out of wire mesh, as the Russians have done in Ukraine, the drone threat can be limited by dispersing targets to many different locations, or, even better, by keeping the aircraft safe in hardened shelters – the hardest of which is a mountain.
All it takes is one look at the map to explain why Olavsvern naval base was built. Located close to where the Norwegian Sea meets the Barents Sea, the 400 miles (650km) or so between Norway's coastline, Bear Island and Svalbard is sometimes called "the Bear Gap" because this was, and still is, a choke point for Russian submarines and warships hearding out to the Atlantic.
The reason for the reactivation of these bases is simple: Russia.
Norway's security concerns didn't start in 2022 – when Russia invaded Ukraine – or in 2014, when it invaded Crimea, but even earlier. "In around 2006-2008, there was a confluence of things. There was a lot of investment going into Russia's Northern Fleet," says Andreas Østhagen, a senior research fellow at Fridtjof Nansen Institute, a Norwegian foundation, "along with the resumption of Russian military exercises in the Arctic for the first time since the Cold War, and Russia's growing interest in the exploitation of Arctic resources".
"Putin's Russia is not the Soviet Union," Østhagen adds. "But from a Norwegian security point of view there are the same issues. How do you deter Russia and, if you end up in a war, how do you fight Russia?"
The Norwegians aren't the only ones reactivating Cold War bases. The Russians have also in recent years reactivated around 50 Cold War bases of varying kinds across the Arctic. The Swedish navy has returned to its underground naval base on Muskö island, about 25 miles (40km) from Stockholm.
Other countries have gone further than simply reactivating bunkers built decades before; they are building new underground structures. China has built a massive new underground submarine base on Hainan Island in the contested South China Sea. It is also building a vast new underground command centre near the capital, Beijing. Iran has built its own underground naval base in the Persian Gulf and showed off its "underground missile city."
"The psychology of nuclear bunkers is really, really powerful," says independent cold war researcher, and military blogger known as Sir Humphrey, the blogging name of the author of the Thin Pinstriped Line blog, which studies the Cold War. "I think they are deeply rooted into our psyche and our understanding of the Cold War, particularly of a Dr Strangelove command centre with an out-of-control general sitting there."
#2
With 40 plus years to wargame options you'd think that maybe putting all your eggs in one basket (1/3 of the B2 fleet) might not be exactly prudent.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
