A passenger plane with 72 people on board has crashed in Nepal, killing at least 32

Locals watch the wreckage of a passenger plane in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan.15, 2023. A passenger plane with 72 people on board has crashed near Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, the daily newspaper Kathmandu Post reports. The plane was carrying 68 passengers and four crew members.
Ashish Puri/AP

A passenger plane of Nepalese Yeti Airlines crashed on Sunday near the country’s Pokhara city, the Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.

There were 68 passengers and 4 crew members on board the plane. The crash occurred on takeoff.

All the 72 people who were on board the crashed passenger plane in Nepal were killed, the News-18 TV channel reported.

Earlier it was reported about at least 40 casualties.

There were four Russians on board the crashed plane .

At least 32 people were killed on Sunday when a 72-seat passenger aircraft crashed in Pokhara, a resort town in central Nepal, an official said.

Rescuers were scouring the crash site near Pokhara International Airport and expected to find more bodies, said Tek Bahadur K. C., a senior administrative officer in the Kaski district. The plane was carrying 68 passengers and four crew members, the Kathmandu Post newspaper reported, quoting a spokesperson for Yeti Airlines.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said the plane was flying from the capital, Kathmandu, to Pokhara and he urged security personnel and the general public to help with the rescue efforts.

Pokhara, located 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Kathmandu, is the gateway to the Annapurna Circuit, a popular hiking trail in the Himalayas.

Images and videos shared on Twitter showed plumes of smoke billowing from the crash site as rescue workers and crowds of people gathered around the wreckage of the aircraft. Nepalese soldiers were also involved in the rescue efforts at the crash site.

It was not immediately clear what caused the plane to crash.

Local television showed thick black smoke billowing from the crash site as rescue workers and crowds of people gathered around the wreckage of the aircraft.

Locals watch the wreckage of a passenger plane in Pokhara (Yunish Gurung/AP Photo)

“Responders have already reached there and trying to douse the fire. All agencies are now focused on first dousing the fire and rescuing the passengers,” local official Gurudutta Dhakal said.

The craft made contact with the airport from Seti Gorge at 10:50am (05:05 GMT), the aviation authority said in a statement. “Then it crashed.”

“Half of the plane is on the hillside,” said Arun Tamu, a local resident, who told Reuters he reached the site minutes after the plane went down.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Kathmandu, Ramyata Limbu said locals in Pokhara asserted weather and visibility was “good” when the plane crashed.

“So its (the crash) shocking and surprising,” said Limbu. “Eyewitnesses said the plane was having problems before it crashed into a gorge close to the airport.”

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has called an emergency cabinet meeting after the plane crash, a government statement said.

“I am deeply saddened by the sad and tragic accident of Yeti Airlines ANC ATR 72 which was flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara with passengers,” he posted on Twitter.

“I sincerely appeal to the security personnel, all agencies of the Nepal government and the general public to start an effective rescue.”

“I sincerely appeal to the security personnel, all agencies of the Nepal government and the general public to start an effective rescue.”

The crash is Nepal’s deadliest since March 2018, when a US-Bangla Dash 8 turboprop flight from Dhaka crashed on landing in Kathmandu, killing 51 of the 71 people on board, according to Aviation Safety Network.

In May, a plane owned by Tara Air crashed less than 20 minutes after taking off from Pokhara.

At least 309 people have died since 2000 in plane or helicopter crashes in Nepal – home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest – where the weather can change suddenly and make for hazardous conditions.

California Continues to be Ravaged by Rain and Snow in ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Storm

“We've had less people die in the last two years of major wildfires in California than have died since New Year's Day related to this weather,” Governor Gavin Newsom said. “These conditions are serious and they're deadly.”

On Saturday, one to three inches of rain poured over the lowlands of Central and Northern California, with additional rain in the mountains. Snow pelted down in Sierra Nevada and continued to threaten the state of California with more flooding, landslides, and hail. The state, which has been experiencing its worst megadrought in 1,200 years, has been drenched by major storms since December 20. Those catastrophic storm systems have even prompted emergency evacuations in Santa Cruz County.

While the rain was moderate on Saturday, evacuations were prompted by an atmospheric river which swept inland and posed a threat for areas. An atmospheric river is like a long, narrow river that runs through the sky and acts as a transportation vessel for tropical water vapor. Once these rivers fall on land, they can threaten the area with extreme rainfall, floods, and induce mudslides. Downed trees left more than 40,000 homes in California without power on Saturday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.

Atmospheric rivers have dropped about 24 trillion gallons of water onto the state since late December.

At least 19 people in California have been killed by the deadly storms, while a five-year-old boy remained missing on Saturday after being swept from his mother’s car by flood waters earlier in the week. Local authorities were forced to suspend a search for the missing child due to unsuitable weather, according to a social media post from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.

Ocean water flooding into Rio Del Mar in Santa Cruz County, from Aimee at the Rio Sands hotel pic.twitter.com/WQFysU7Og9

— Kurtis Alexander (@kurtisalexander) January 5, 2023

The 4100 block of Stage Road near Pescadero is closed due to a partial collapse of the road. #CaWx #California pic.twitter.com/ZqFahH3iyA

— CAL FIRE CZU (@CALFIRECZU) January 14, 2023

The rain has also impacted the state’s prized redwoods, whose future remains somewhat uncertain after the heavy rain and flooding. While other areas have experienced destabilized soil, sinkholes, mudslides and fallen trees, the condition of the redwoods---which are known as Earth’s tallest trees---remains unknown, with California State Parks spokesperson Adeline Yee saying that they will not have a full assessment of the damage until after the storm.

California’s governor warned his constituents that the next few days would remain challenging and he cautioned Californians to prepare for the state’s ninth atmospheric river which will roll in once Saturday’s storm ends.

In #MontereyCounty: One-way traffic control on #Hwy68 at Scenic Dr., just north of Community Hospital. Crews on site for slide removal. Please use caution driving in the area. pic.twitter.com/oNHTR3cKfp

— Caltrans District 5 (@CaltransD5) January 14, 2023

“The challenges may present themselves over the course of the next few days rather acutely. Particularly because everything’s saturated, particularly because the grounds are overwhelmed,” Newsom said. “What may appear less significant in terms of the rainfall may actually be more significant on the ground in terms of the impacts on the ground and the flooding and the debris flow.”

The storm is predicted to ease on Sunday before another major blow that Sunday night at about 10 PM which could last until Monday or Tuesday. The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab also reported on Saturday morning that they received 21.3 inches of snow in just 24 hours---that snowpack will increase by 10 feet by Monday.

Scientists warn that while some storms during the winter are normal, climate change has worsened the effects of extreme weather, creating a “weather whiplash” in the Golden State. The enormous amounts of rain also won’t end California’s megadrought.

"I know how fatigued you all are," Newsom said Friday, urging caution ahead of incoming storms. "Just maintain a little more vigilance over the course of the next weekend."

Sacramento and the surrounding area saw extensive flooding.

Networks of small rivers and creeks overflowed. Local levees breached. Stretches of one of the city’s main highways were submerged and farmlands flooded. The deluge engulfed cars, and some homes were filled to their second floors with water.

Winds with gusts topping 60 mph sent trees crashing onto rooftops and brought down power lines. Officials said more than 1,000 trees have fallen in Sacramento since the beginning of the month. Two people experiencing homelessness were killed when trees fell onto their tents, authorities said.

Many trees were already diseased and weakened by the ongoing drought, making them vulnerable to toppling. But the rains turned the ground into mush, enabling the winds to pull otherwise healthy trees from the soil, roots and all.

The surge carried parts of piers out to sea and dumped huge amounts of driftwood and other debris across the sand. In the nearby town of Capitola, the waters split a wharf in half.

In the Central Valley, overflow from a small creek caused outsize damage in Merced, a city of 89,000 people known as the “Gateway to Yosemite” for its proximity to the national park.

Bear Creek, which flows across the north side of town, swelled over its banks, prompting evacuations and road closures. The waters turned entire neighborhoods into lakes, covering yards, rising into the first floors of homes and causing cars to float away.

Mandatory evacuations were also in effect this week for all 4,000 residents in Planada, which was similarly devastated by the overflow of a small river.

Drought conditions proceeding the recent onslaught of storms have so far helped stave off catastrophic flooding in many of the state’s major rivers. But the flooding of minor waterways could foreshadow more severe problems elsewhere if the rains continue, said Pinter, of UC Davis.

“What we’ve been seeing is a progressive escalation of flood issues,” Pinter said. “The big question now is whether you’re going to see the large-scale flood impacts.”

Mudslides also blanketed patches of road in Santa Cruz and Montecito, the ultrawealthy seaside town that’s home to numerous celebrities, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Nearby, in Santa Barbara, mudslide hazards prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders on the five-year anniversary of a deadly mudslide in the area.

Wildfires throughout the state create ideal conditions for mudslides. When the flames char the undergrowth on hills and mountains, the soil can’t hold water as easily. Downpours can send mud, debris and rocks tumbling downward.

“You add one drop of water and it all slides down the hill,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist in the Bay Area. “As gravity takes it downhill, you have an avalanche that can wipe out houses and cars and people.”

The storms’ effects were also pronounced in California’s urban centers. In Los Angeles, flooding and mudslides shuttered streets, and waters poured into the tunnels in the city’s historic Union Station

Emergency crews have set to work digging out mud, clearing debris and patching roadway, while residents wring out their homes and belongings, hoping the next storms will spare them.

“We’re not out of the woods,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a news conference this week. “These conditions are serious and they are deadly.”

Russian forces wipe out three D-20 howitzers in Kharkov Region, DPR — top brass

©Andrey Rubzov/TASS/ARCHIVE

Russian forces wiped out three D-20 howitzers in the Kharkov and the Donetsk People’s Republic in the past day during the counter-battery warfare, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Saturday.

"In the counter-battery warfare, three D-20 howitzers were destroyed near Scherbakovka in the Kharkov Region, as well as near Orlovka and Dyleevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

Ukrainian troops used phosphorus ammunition on gumconvoys with refugees in Soledar, Mercenaries from Poland and Britain were part of the Ukrainian forces in Soledar, a resident of the city.

Konashenkov added that two 2C3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzers were eliminated near Vasilyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic. A D-30 howitzer and a 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer were also wiped out near Novodmitrovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Gulyai Polye in the Zaporozhye region.

Over 30 Ukrainian troops wiped out in Kupyansk area in past day - Russian top brass

Russian forces have eradicated more than 30 servicemen of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Kupyansk area in the past day as part of the special military operation, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday.

"In the direction of Kupyansk, artillery and army aviation aircraft of the Western Military District hit the units of the 14th mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces and the 103rd territorial defense brigade near the inhabited localities of Pershotravnevoye and Berestovoye in the Kharkov Region as well as Novosyolovskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic," he said.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation showed footage of the use of new-generation precision-guided munitions at enemy military facilities in the special operation zone. On the first one - the destruction of military armored vehicles and weapons of the Ukrainian troops, on the second - the targeted destruction of firing points in a fortified point.

"In the past 24 hours, more than 30 Ukrainian servicemen, two tanks, two armored fighting vehicles and three vehicles have been wiped out in that direction," he added.

According to Konashenkov, two enemy subversive/reconnaissance groups were eradicated near Tabayevka and Pershotravnevoye in the Kharkov Region.

Russian MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️The Russian Army eliminated two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the Kharkov region;

▪️Russian troops eliminated two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the DPR;

▪️Russian forces eliminated more than 30 Ukrainian servicemen in the Kupyansk direction;

▪️The Russian Army eliminated more than 30 Ukrainian servicemen in the South Donetsk direction;

▪️Russian forces eliminated more than 70 Ukrainian servicemen in the Donetsk direction;

▪️Russian air defense systems destroyed 4 Ukrainian UAVs and intercepted 7 HIMARS and Olkha rockets;

▪️Russian troops destroyed two Ukrainian ammunition depots in the DPR and Zaporozhye region;

▪️Russian forces destroyed an M777 artillery system, as well as an AN/TPQ-36 and an AN/TPQ-50 radar system in the Kharkov region.z

Tank Supermortar Tulipa 2S4 yang Dimiliki Rusia

©Sputnik / Kirill Kallinikov / Go to the mediabank

Militer Rusia telah mengerahkan berbagai sistem artileri berat di Donbass untuk melawan posisi Ukraina yang dijaga ketat, termasuk mortir self-propelled 2S4 Tyulpan (“Tulip” red) – senjata yang berasal dari tahun 1950-an. Apa karakteristik sistemnya, dan apa yang membuatnya begitu mematikan?

Militer Rusia merilis rekaman sistem mortir berat 2S4 Tylupan yang sedang beraksi minggu lalu, menunjukkannya menggempur posisi Ukraina yang dibentengi dengan bantuan drone pengintai.

Apa Perbedaan Antara Mortir dan Howitzer?

Mortir adalah jenis artileri yang dirancang untuk menembakkan peluru pada lintasan sudut tinggi. Senjatanya bisa portabel dan kompak, menembakkan peluru kecil, atau membutuhkan penggunaan pembawa mortir, baik itu sasis truk atau sasis berat.

Biasanya, semakin besar senjata mortir, semakin jauh jarak tembak efektifnya, dan semakin besar persenjataan peledaknya. Sementara mortir portabel yang lebih kecil seperti US M224 memiliki jangkauan hanya beberapa kilometer, Tyulpan dapat secara akurat menembakkan peluru besar dengan jarak antara 9,6 km dan 20 km (yang terakhir menggunakan amunisi jarak jauh khusus).

Dalam pengertian itu, 2S4 hampir melampaui definisi standar mortir yang pada umumnya berarti kemampuan tembakan jarak pendek, dan pendekatan jangkauan yang lebih khas dari senjata berat, sedangkan howitzer memiliki jangkauan tembak bervariasi antara 20 dan 30 km, dan dapat melontarkan selongsong peluru. hingga beberapa ratus kilogram.

Mengingat desain mereka untuk menembak jarak jauh, howitzer memiliki elevasi maksimum yang lebih rendah daripada mortir, biasanya 70 dan 75 derajat. Lintasan ini berarti ada zona mati berbahaya di mana howitzer tidak dapat menembak, membuat mereka rentan terhadap serangan musuh jika musuh mendekat terlalu dekat.

Apa itu Mortar 2S4, Berapa Banyak yang Dimiliki Rusia, dan Berapa Harganya?

8

Tyulpan 2S4 adalah mortir self-propelled paling kuat di dunia, menampilkan laras kaliber 240 mm yang mampu menembakkan putaran eksplosif tinggi konvensional dengan berat antara 130 kg dan 230 kg, dipandu laser, penusuk lapis baja, dan munisi tandan yang disesuaikan, dan , jika perlu, bahkan nuklir taktis medan perang.

Sistem ini dirancang dan dibangun pada akhir 1960-an di perusahaan perkeretaapian dan pertahanan Uraltransmash di Omsk, Siberia oleh tank veteran dan desainer platform meriam self-propelled Georgy Sergeevich Efimov, yang desain lainnya termasuk penghancur tank, senjata anti-pesawat self-propelled, dan howitzer self-propelled 2S3 Akatsiya.

Lebih dari 580 Tyulpan diproduksi antara tahun 1969 dan 1988, dengan sistem yang diperkenalkan ke militer Soviet pada tahun 1972. Selain Rusia, Tyulpan digunakan oleh republik Soviet lainnya, serta Cekoslowakia.

Sejumlah sistem diekspor ke Irak, Libya, dan Suriah. Rusia diperkirakan memiliki sekitar 390 Tyulpan dalam penyimpanan, dan 40 sistem operasional, pada tahun 2021. Harga Tyulpan pada tahun 1972 adalah 210.000 rubel Soviet – sekitar $240.000 AS – atau $1,7 juta dalam dolar saat ini.

2S4 Tyulpan berdemonstrasi di pameran militer ARMY di luar Moskow. File foto.
©Sputnik / Valery Melnikov / Go to the mediabank

Tylupan 2S4 menggunakan meriam M-420 – aslinya mortir tarik Soviet yang dikembangkan segera setelah periode Perang Dunia II dan diproduksi hampir sepanjang tahun 1950-an. Varian senjata yang ditarik sebagian besar telah dipensiunkan, meskipun Irak, Suriah, dan Ukraina masing-masing diasumsikan memiliki jumlah sistem yang tidak diketahui dalam inventaris mereka.

Tyulpan diciptakan selama Perang Dingin, ketika tentara NATO dan Pakta Warsawa berhadapan satu sama lain di jantung Eropa Tengah, dan dirancang untuk membantu pertahanan Eropa Timur, dan, jika perlu, untuk melakukan serangan balasan. untuk mengusir pasukan NATO dari Jerman dan keluar dari benua Eropa. Ketika senjata itu dibuat, perencana militer Soviet dan Efimov hampir tidak dapat membayangkan bahwa suatu hari senjata itu akan digunakan dalam konflik proksi antara Rusia dan NATO di Ukraina, yang dulunya adalah republik Soviet.

Apa Sistem Mortar Lainnya yang Digunakan Rusia?

Selama Perang Dunia Kedua, Uni Soviet menjadi kekuatan artileri dan penghasil mortir utama dunia, dengan peluncur roket BM-13 dan BM-31 Katyusha yang legendaris, mortir 160mm dan 280mm, senjata anti-tank, dan sistem artileri lainnya. menunjukkan pentingnya jenis senjata ini dalam pertempuran darat besar-besaran melawan Nazi Jerman dan sekutunya. Dalam beberapa dekade setelah Perang Dunia II, pembuat senjata Soviet dan Rusia membangun lusinan jenis mortir, senjata, howitzer, dan senjata angkatan laut yang berbeda.

Saat ini, inventaris mortir militer Rusia mencakup mortir meriam 2B9 Vasilek 82 mm, mortir ringan 2B11 dan 2B14, mortir berat 2S12 Sani 120 mm, dan 2S9 Nona – sistem mortir yang dipasang di atas kapal lapis baja BTR-D yang dapat dijatuhkan dari udara. sasis kendaraan untuk mendukung operasi di belakang garis musuh.

Meriam self-propelled S23 Nona-SVK, dipasang pada pengangkut personel lapis baja BTR-80, ditampilkan menjelang forum teknis-militer internasional Army-2015 di Wilayah Moskow
©Sputnik / Evgeny Biyatov / Go to the mediabank

Apa Mortir Terbesar di Inventaris Militer AS?

Pengalaman Amerika dalam Perang Dunia Kedua dan Perang Dingin berbeda, dengan perencana Pentagon memberikan fokus yang lebih besar pada pesawat tempur dan sistem pengebom jarak jauh ketika datang ke operasi melawan pasukan musuh.

Dalam persediaan senjata mortir juga Pentagon berbeda dari yang dimiliki Rusia modern. Mortir militer AS umumnya lebih kecil, sistem jarak pendek yang digunakan oleh infanteri, seperti M19 light, smoothbore, mortir pendukung infanteri ringan pemuatan moncong, dan M252, mortir rancangan Inggris yang digunakan untuk tembakan tidak langsung jarak jauh. yang terakhir memiliki jangkauan hingga 6 km).

Amerika Serikat juga memiliki lebih dari 1.000 mortir 120mm buatan Israel Soltam K6 dalam inventarisnya, dengan sistem yang mampu menembakkan 14 kg peluru peledak tinggi dengan jarak hingga 7,2 km. Terakhir, ada Sistem Mortar Perusahaan Ringan (LWCMS) M224 60 mm yang disebutkan di atas, yang menembakkan selongsong 6,5-6,9 kg, dan dengan berat sekitar 21 kg, dapat dibawa berkeliling oleh pasukan individu.

US may lose control of world finance due to conflict in Ukraine — French expert

©

AP Photo/Libkos

The Ukrainian conflict is existential for the United States, which, in the event that friendly European economies become exhausted, will run the risk of losing its grip on world finance, French historian and anthropologist Emmanuel Todd said in an interview with Le Figaro.

In his commentary, he recalls a piece of analysis offered by Professor John Mearsheimer, of the University of Chicago, who argued that whereas for Russia this conflict was "existential," for the United States it was just another game among other countries, and that victory or defeat in it would be of little importance to the US. "But this analysis is insufficient. [U.S. President Joe] Biden now has to hurry. America is fragile and the Russian economy’s resistance is pushing the US imperial system towards the abyss. Nobody had expected the Russian economy would be able to withstand the ‘economic power’ of NATO," Todd said.

He is certain that the United States is in a phase of long-term decline and, against the backdrop of its waning influence in the world, it has decided to press for greater influence in its "original protectorates," acquired after World War II, in other words, Europe and Japan. Against this background the European economy’s collapse, the expert notes, is fraught with great risks for the United States itself.

"If the Russian economy offers long-term resistance to sanctions and manages to bleed the European economy white and manages to survive with Chinese support, US monetary control of the world will collapse, and with it, the US’ ability to finance its mammoth trade deficit for next to nothing. This war has become existential for the United States. It cannot get out of the conflict before Russia. They cannot let go. This explains why we are now in an open-ended war, in a confrontation that is bound to result in the collapse of one side or the other," Todd says.

Economic and social problems

The conflict in Ukraine "leads to a real economy that allows for gauging the real wealth of states and their productive capacity," the expert states. In particular, he points to a two-fold increase in Russia’s wheat production after the first major sanctions were introduced in 2014, as well as Russia's leading position in building nuclear power plants, not only at home, but also abroad.

The outcome of the conflict "will depend on the ability of both systems to produce weapons," Todd believes. The historian notes that the transition to a war of attrition reduces the influence of advanced US military technologies, being used by Ukraine. It brings to the forefront the availability of skilled personnel, material resources and industrial potential. "At this point the

West’s fundamental problem of globalization begins to intervene: we have moved so many industries [from our territory] that we don’t know now whether our military plants will be able to maintain the desired production pace," he added.

In addition to natural and industrial resources the expert notes the great role of human resources and education. He points to the United States’ more than twofold advantage over Russia in population, but advises his readership to remember that in the United States only 7% of students master engineering professions, while in Russia there are about 25% of them, which ultimately gives Russia a competitive edge.

"The United States is filling this gap with foreign students, mostly Indians and even to a greater extent, Chinese. This substitution resource is unreliable, though, and is already dwindling," he said.

Clash of ideologies

Todd also urged not to forget about the "ideological and cultural balance of power." He recalled that during the Soviet era, the Communist ideology was used as soft power, which won acclaim in China, and partly in India and Europe. However, for the Muslim world, that ideology was not attractive due to its official atheism, the expert believes. "Today, Russia, which is again positioning itself as a great power, not only anti-colonial, but also patrilineal and conservative in relation to traditional mores, can attract far greater support," he explained.

"Western newspapers are tragically funny: they keep saying: 'Russia is isolated. Russia is isolated.' But when you take a look at the votes at the UN, it will turn out that 75% of the world does not follow the West, which at such moments looks very small," Todd says. "The current conflict, which our media tend to describe as a clash of political values, at a deeper level is a conflict of anthropological values. It is this lack of awareness and depth that makes the confrontation dangerous."

Global confrontation

"The reality is that World War III has already begun. It is obvious that the conflict, initially a limited territorial war, has evolved into a global economic confrontation between the entire West, on the one hand, and Russia, supported by China, on the other, to have become a world war," Todd believes. He speculates that given current economic and demographic factors, the hostilities should be expected to end within five years.

He believes that one way or another the European countries are "participating in killing Russians" by supplying military equipment to Ukraine, even though they do not put themselves at risk. "The Europeans are primarily focused on the economy. We can feel the real involvement in the war through inflation and shortages of various goods," the expert stressed.

Russia, he says, while participating in an economic war [with the West], is partially restoring the military economy, but at the same time it is doing its utmost to take care of the people."

"This is the purpose of the pullback of troops from Kherson that followed the pullback from the Kharkov and Kiev regions. We are counting the square kilometers captured by the Ukrainians, while the Russians are waiting for the fall of the European economies. We are their main frontline," Todd stated.

Russian troops complete liberation of Soledar, top brass reports

Soledar
©AP Photo/Libkos

Russian troops completed the liberation of Soledar from the Ukrainian military on the evening of January 12 during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Friday.

"On the evening of January 12, the liberation of the town of Soledar, which is vital for the continuation of successful offensive operations in the Donetsk area, was completed," the general said.

Full control of Soledar makes it possible to cut off the supply routes of Ukrainian troops in Artyomovsk located southwest and subsequently block the city and entrap the Ukrainian military there, the general explained.

Residents of Soledar told RIA Novosti how the Russian military, who liberated the city, helped their family with food and medicine

The seizure of Soledar by Russian troops was facilitated by continuous air, missile and artillery strikes on Ukrainian army positions, Konashenkov reported.

"Soledar was seized thanks to continuous strikes delivered on the enemy by assault and army aviation aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian group of troops (forces). They continuously delivered concentrated strikes on the Ukrainian army positions in the town, denying the enemy the redeployment of reserves, ammunition supplies and its attempts to retreat to other defensive lines," the spokesman said.

Russian forces destroyed over 700 Ukrainian troops and more than 300 weapon systems in the past three days of battles in Soledar, Konashenkov said.

"In the past three days alone, over 700 Ukrainian troops and more than 300 weapon systems were destroyed in the area of the town of Soledar," the spokesman said.

Among the Ukrainian military in Novoselovsky (LPR) were Americans, a prisoner told RIA Novosti

Russian paratroopers wiped out Ukrainian army positions in the liberation of Soledar after gaining commanding heights and blocking the town from the north and the south, Konashenkov reported.

"In the course of operations for the liberation of Soledar, the Airborne Force units conducted a stealth maneuver from another direction and successfully attacked Ukrainian army positions from the march, having gained commanding heights, and blocked the town from the northern and southern sides," the spokesman said.

Russian fighter jets destroyed three Ukrainian warplanes and a helicopter in the liberation of Soledar, Konashenkov reported.

"In their operations for the liberation of the town, fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed three planes and a helicopter of the Ukrainian Air Force that provided air support for Ukrainian troops," the spokesman said.

Russian air defense systems shot down nine rockets of US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, Olkha and Uragan rocket launchers fired by the Ukrainian military against the strongholds taken by Russian troops in the Soledar area, the general specified.

Russian electronic warfare (EW) forces and capabilities knocked out the enemy’s command and control in the liberation of Soledar and thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack, Konashenkov reported.

"The electronic warfare forces and capabilities of the Russian group of troops amassed in that area disabled the enemy’s command and control and thwarted an attack by Ukrainian UAVs," the spokesman said.

"Looting and intimidation": a resident of Soledar told RIA Novosti how the Ukrainian troops behaved

The measures implemented by Russian combat teams provided for the successful offensive of assault units in the liberation of Soledar, the general said.

The Russian Defense Ministry issued an explanation on the liberation of Soledar from Ukrainian troops

• offensive actions that ended in the defeat of the Ukrainian troops and the capture of Soledar were carried out by a heterogeneous grouping of Russian troops (forces) according to a single plan and plan, which provided for the solution of a complex of combat missions



• these combat missions included, as already reported, blocking the city from the north and south, isolating the combat area, preventing the enemy from transferring reserves to the city from neighboring areas and preventing the exit of Ukrainian units from Soledar, as well as fire support for the offensive by attack aircraft and artillery



• As for the direct assault on the quarters of Soledar occupied by Ukrainian troops, this combat mission was successfully solved by the courageous and selfless actions of the volunteers of the Wagner assault squads