LIVE UPDATES — Russian forces hit shops for assembling armored vehicles for Ukrainian army

Russian forces hit shops for assembling armored vehicles for Ukrainian army — top brass

©Russian Defense Ministry

Shops for assembling tanks and armored vehicles for the Ukrainian army at the Malyshev machine-building plant in Kharkov was hit by Russia’s high-precision weapons, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.

"A high-precision missile strike delivered by the Russian aerospace forces in Kharkov, shops for the assembly of tanks and armored vehicles for the Ukrainian army at the Malyshev plant were hit," he said.

Soldiers of the 1st Slavic brigade with drones are clearing the positions abandoned by the Ukrainian military in the Donetsk direction. At the disposal of RIA Novosti - footage of the precise work of the drone operator

US-made AN/TPQ-50 counterbattery radar station destroyed by Russian forces near Kherson

Ukrainian self-propelled howitzers and one US-made AN/TPQ-50 counterbattery radar station were destroyed by Russian forces in the Kherson direction during the past day, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.

"In the past day, in the course of the counterbattery fighting in the Kherson direction a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer and an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer, and a US-made AN/TPQ-50 counterbattery radar station were destroyed near the settlement of Kuibyshevo in the Kherson region," he said.

78 Ukrainian artillery units destroyed by Russian forces in past day — top brass

Seventy-eight Ukrainian artillery units were destroyed by Russian forces in the course of the special military operation during the past day, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.

"Russian warplanes, missile and artillery forces destroyed 78 Ukrainian artillery units on combat positions in 119 localities during the past day," he said, adding that a Ukrainian Osa-AKM air defense system was destroyed near Krasny Liman.

A ZVO reconnaissance officer showed weapons supplied by the West to Kyiv, left during the retreat of Ukrainian troops on the Kremensky sector of the front in Donbass, including the MILAN anti-tank systems

Over 250 Ukrainian troops neutralized by Russian forces in Donetsk direction — top brass

More than 250 Ukrainian troops were neutralized by Russian forces in the Donetsk direction during the past day, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.

"In the Krasny Liman direction, Russian warplanes and artillery units of the Southern group of forces neutralized more than 250 Ukrainian servicemen during the past day," he said, adding that a combat infantry carrier, four cars, two US -made M777 artillery systems, a US-made M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer, an Akatsya self-propelled howitzer, a Giatsint field gun, and two Rapira antitank guns were destroyed.

Apart from that, according to Konashenkov, a Ukrainian munitions depot was destroyed near the settlement of Belogorovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic.

Up to 100 Ukrainian troops neutralized in Krasny Liman direction

"In the Krasny Liman direction, Russian warplanes, artillery and assault groups of the Center group of forces hit Ukrainian army units near the settlements of Torskoye and Yampolovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Stelmakhovka, Nevskoye, Chernopopovka, and Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic, and in the Serebryansky forestry," Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman added. "During the day, up to 100 Ukrainian soldiers were neutralized in this direction, a combat infantry carrier, five armored vehicles and an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer were destroyed."

Ukrainian army loses 50 troops in southern Donetsk direction in past day

"The enemy’s daily losses in this direction exceeded 50 soldiers, one tank, two armored infantry carriers, and a Msta-B howitzer," Konashenkov reported.

📹 Assault of Russian artillery and airborne assault units of the Airborne Forces on a Ukrainian strongpoint (video by Russian MoD)

With the help of UAVs, scouts discovered a subdivision of the Armed Forces of Ukraine advancing to the forest plantation to equip a strong point and an ammunition depot.

Their coordinates were transmitted to the artillery control point. With precise blows, the enemy was destroyed.

Massed fire from the standard weapons of the BTR-82A and automatic grenade launchers AGS-17 "Flame" suppressed the resistance of the remaining militants.

According to him, units of the East group of forces hit Ukrainian army units near the settlements of Pavlovka and Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

📹 Orlan-10 UAVs assist Akatsiya artillery system crews in launching strikes as part of the special military operation in Ukraine (video by Russian MoD)

The crews of the Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicles launch drones for reconnoitering and searching for targets, further fire adjustment, as well as recording the damage to the facilities, manpower, and vehicles of the enemy.

Once the targets are received, the Akatsiya self-propelled artillery systems head to their positions.

"Two Ukrainian munitions depots were destroyed near the settlements of Yelizavetovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Druzhelyubovka in the Zaporozhye region," Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman added.

The latest briefing from Russia's MoD on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️Russian troops inflicted a strike with long-range precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles on critical facilities of the energy system that ensures the functioning of enterprises of the military-industrial complex and the transport system. All assigned objects were hit. The work of energy-intensive industries of the military-industrial complex was stopped. The transfer of foreign weapons, ammunition and reserves by rail to the areas of hostilities was also blocked.

▪️In the LPR and Kharkov region, Russian air strikes and artillery fire inflicted a defeat on the troops and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Up to 40 Ukrainian soldiers, two vehicles and a D-30 howitzer were destroyed. In addition, the depot of artillery ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed.

▪️In the DPR and LPR, as a result of Russian air strikes, artillery fire and heavy flamethrower systems, enemy units were defeated. Up to 120 Ukrainian soldiers, an infantry fighting vehicle, four armored fighting vehicles, a Grad MLRS, and two D-20 howitzers were destroyed.

▪️In the Donetsk People's Republic, as a result of the offensive of Russian troops, air strikes and artillery fire, more than 140 Ukrainian troops, two infantry fighting vehicles and six vehicles, two US-made M777 artillery systems, a Polish-made Krab self-propelled howitzer, and Giacint-B howitzers were destroyed alongside a D-30, as well as a US-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar. In addition, three ammunition depots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed.

▪️Russian aviation and artillery inflicted a complex defeat on the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Ugledar, Pavlovka and Novoselka of the Donetsk People's Republic. Enemy losses were more than 95 Ukrainian troops, four tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, two vehicles, an M109 Paladin artillery system made in the USA, three D-20 howitzers, and a Giacint-B howitzer. In addition, three ammunition depots were destroyed.

▪️In the Kherson region, two Msta-B and D-30 howitzers were destroyed during a counter-battery fight. The ammunition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was also hit.

▪️Russian aviation, missile forces and artillery defeated the 92nd Artillery unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 116 districts.

▪️In the Nikolaev region, the radar guidance station of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system was destroyed. In the Kharkov region, a radar station for detecting air targets 35D6 was destroyed. Nineteen unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by means of air defense.

Russian forces successfully advance near Kremennaya — LPR officer

Lieutenant Colonel of the LPR, retired Andrey Marochko
©Alexander Russian/TASS

Units of the Russian armed forces are successfully advancing past Ukraine’s defense lines near Kremennaya, Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) retired Lieutenant-Colonel Andrey Marochko has told TASS.

"With regard to the city of Kremennaya and its outskirts, I can confirm that our servicemen are maneuvering successfully. They had taken over a number of advantageous positions, driving out Ukrainian militants from their hideouts," he said. "Simply put, our offensive action has produced positive results."

A unit of Ukrainian militants sent to positions near Avdiivka was destroyed by Russian artillery fire

Marochko did not specify how far the Russian forces advanced.

"It does not matter how far they progressed. What really is important are the positions that have been taken over, because the areas that had been taken over include commanding heights and advantageous positions, allowing to control wide swaths of the territory," he said.

The retired colonel said Russian forces near Kremennaya have enough manpower to fulfill their combat tasks.

Russian forces wipe out two Ukrainian Msta-B, D-30 howitzers — top brass

The Russian Armed Forces destroyed two Msta-B and D-30 howitzers in counter-battery fire in the direction of Kherson over the past day, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday.

"In the Kherson direction, two Msta-B and D-30 howitzers were destroyed in counter-battery fire in the past 24 hours," Konashenkov said.

In addition, according to the general, an ammunition depot belonging to the Ukrainian armed forces was hit near the city of Kherson.

ZVO scouts showed RIA Novosti the strongholds recaptured from the enemy during the offensive in the Kremensk direction in the Donbass. Most of the Ukrainian troops were destroyed, the retreating left the bodies of the dead on the battlefield.

Special operation, February 11th. Main:

▪️The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that on Friday the RF Armed Forces delivered a massive blow to critical facilities of the energy system that ensure the functioning of Ukrainian defense industry enterprises;

▪️According to the Defense Ministry, more than 390 Ukrainian militants were destroyed in the main areas;

▪️Rogov said that Ukrainian saboteurs are trying to penetrate the Zaporozhye region under the guise of Russian military;

▪️The task force of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation arrived at the site of the shelling of the private sector of Melitopol and found fragments, presumably from HIMARS missiles;

▪️Kulemzin said that three direct hits on the school building were recorded as a result of the shelling of Oleksandrivka by Ukrainian militants, a local resident was wounded;

▪️The President of Serbia expects an increase in the intensity of hostilities in Ukraine in the next six months;

▪️Radio LRT stated that Lithuania sent dozens of Bofors L70 anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine.

Why Hersh's Nord Stream Bombshell May Become Legal Nightmare for Team Biden & Its Nordic Allies

©Sputnik / Sergey Guneev / Go to the mediabank

The White House has denounced Seymour Hersh's Nord Stream bombshell as "fiction". Oslo claimed that the Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist's allegations are "nonsensical." Still, the denials are unlikely to satisfy the public given that EU probes in the attack remain top secret, Sputnik's interlocutors say.

"Many people - including myself - determined at the time that blowing up the pipeline was a US/NATO operation that was being falsely blamed on Russia," Hans Mahncke, a US investigative journalist and lawyer, told Sputnik

"Many of the details of Seymour Hersh's reporting were already known but not reported by western media, including the fact that the Danish and American governments had agreed to station US military personnel in Bornholm and the fact that NATO's BALTOPS military exercise in June 2022 took place in the area of the Nord Stream 2 bombing. Hersh has added some details about the exact modalities of how the sabotage was carried out, which he attributes to a source. Hersh's track record is solid and there is no reason to believe that the source is not credible."

On February 8, Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh published an article on the US online platform Substack detailing the Biden administration's plot to destroy Russia's Nord Stream pipeline network. The blasts occurred on September 26 at three of the four strings of Nord Stream 1 and 2 underwater pipelines, which were built to carry a combined 110 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Europe annually. According to Hersh, the plan was carried out by US operatives in coordination and collaboration with the Norwegian Secret Service and Navy.

Why Norway?

"(NATO Secretary General) Stoltenberg is one reason. Another reason is the competence (excellence) of our Navy Special Forces," Norwegian investigative journalist and intelligence veteran Geir Furuseth told Sputnik.

Furuseth believes that only a very few Norwegian politicians and officers were in the know about Washington's alleged covert operation.

"Norway has highly experienced military personnel, especially in connection with underwater and naval operations," echoed Wall Street analyst and investigative journalist Charles Ortel while speaking to Sputnik.

"Norway's involvement is natural though it seems highly ill-advised. Another set of questions concerns why the governments of Sweden and Denmark [were] willing to play along, as they were informed at high levels concerning this scheme, according to Hersh."

Hersh revealed that "The Norwegians joined the Americans in insisting that some senior officials in Denmark and Sweden had to be briefed in general terms about possible diving activity" in their respective territorial waters. He specified, however, citing his source, that what Swedish and Danish officials "were told and what they knew were purposely different."

Remarkably, following the sabotage, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden kicked off separate inquiries into the attack. Sweden was reportedly the first to leave the planned joint investigation team; Denmark followed suit. Thus, Germany was left to investigate the matter on its own.

European states didn't invite Russian investigators to participate: at that time the western media actively disseminated an ungrounded assumption that Moscow blasted the pipelines itself. What's more, neither of the European countries made their findings public.

Why hasn't Sweden or any other of the implicated governments made their investigations public? This secrecy undermines all western credibility!

Geir Furuseth Norwegian investigative journalist and intelligence veteran

It appears suspicious that Sweden, Denmark and Germany are continuing to keep their cards close to their chest. The only thing European investigators and officials have admitted so far is that there is no evidence that Russia destroyed its own pipelines. Moscow had no motive to do this, while several international actors were interested in destroying Russia's natural gas infrastructure in the Baltics, the US mainstream media acknowledged, adding that the truth about the real culprit may never come out. Hersh's bombshell appears to have proven the western mainstream media wrong.

Cold War Parallels

In some sense, the secrecy and controversies surrounding the blasts and subsequent investigations resemble Cold War-era cases. "I'm not an expert on the covert ops of the Cold War, but that said, I certainly see similarities," said Furuseth.

During the Cold War era, Washington routinely attempted covert subversive operations against the USSR, its major rival at that time. Some of those ops have remained a subject of heated debate up to this day.

In February 2004, the US press reported an alleged CIA plan to destroy a Siberian natural gas pipeline which was supposedly approved by then-President Ronald Reagan in 1982. Thomas C. Reed, a former Air Force secretary who was serving in the National Security Council at the time, described this episode in his book "At the Abyss: An Insider's History of the Cold War." The USSR did not acknowledge that the explosion had ever taken place.

Still, the Nord Stream sabotage is especially scandalous because it brought the West even closer to a nuclear war, according to Furuseth.

The attack came at a time when the US and its NATO allies have been providing Kiev with sophisticated weapons to counter Russia's special operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine. In April 2022, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin proclaimed the weakening of Russia as Washington's top priority.

For their part, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Undersecretary Victoria Nuland openly expressed their satisfaction with the destruction of Nord Stream pipelines. Months before the attack, US President Joe Biden directly threatened to nix the pipelines during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on February 7, 2022. "I promise you, we will be able to do it," Biden asserted to the press at the time. It seems that the US is overtly provoking Russia, while Moscow is showing wise restraint, according to observers.

Investigation Could be Damning for Team Biden

Apparently, Hersh's source came forward because he/she was concerned about the escalation of NATO involvement in the Ukraine conflict, suggested Hans Mahncke.

"If Hersh's source is right – and we have no reason to doubt the source – the executive branch under Biden has unilaterally decided to wage war against Russia," the lawyer said. "Aside from the obvious folly of such a decision, there are many legal problems, such as failure to inform Congress or even the congressional Gang of Eight. It is ironic that the military service chiefs - who for many years considered it their primary job to keep (then-US President Donald) Trump under control, including having clandestine conversations with Chinese counterparts behind Trump's back - did not raise any alarms when Biden decided to blow up Nord Stream 2."

If responsible investigators go further, they would see that "the covert operation clearly increased energy prices substantially to the detriment of countless persons worldwide and likely to the benefit of energy companies, especially including Burisma," assumed Ortel, referring, in particular, to the Biden family ties to the Ukrainian energy firm and the nation's notorious oligarchy.

"During the 2020 campaign, we now know that credible allegations of corruption involving payments to the Biden family were suppressed in corporate-owned media and in social media while manifestly ludicrous allegations were intensely fanned against Trump and against Russia," the Wall Street analyst said.

If Hersh's allegations are proven true – as Ortel suspects they shall be – then the world will see how US political families are using the US, its military power and sophisticated intelligence to undermine their competitors and pursue their own vested interests, according to the Wall Street analyst. "Peace through strength seems to have been turned on its head to become perpetual war using graft," he stressed.

"In 2016, Hersh explained to me that inside many governments there are always pitched battles when it comes to making decisions," continued Ortel. "In his career, Hersh has distinguished himself by bringing atrocities to light, while protecting his sources. Doing so using Substack, as he has, gave him the needed element of surprise as Hersh did not need to involve editors and others in the mainstream press, he just clicked a button on his Substack control panel and off his bombshell reporting went."

The Wall Street analyst highlighted that Hersh's revelation came on the heels of a series of other exposes which had also been almost completely neglected by the western mainstream media.

One of them, written by US investigative journalist Jeff Gerth, told the story of how the mainstream press brazenly promoted allegations against Donald Trump and then refused to attempt to atone.

Earlier, Matt Taibbi and others shed light on inconvenient truths about former Twitter employees, their censorship of free speech and their collusion with the US federal government.

"I suspect more revelations are coming that will connect dots concerning bipartisan corruption in service of the false god of unregulated globalism," Ortel pointed out. "The Biden administration has crises over trust, over competence and over decency. No one can puzzle through a disagreement rejecting facts or logic (…) The known facts about Biden family corruption in Ukraine and elsewhere are damning."

What's Next?

If Hersh is right, all relations between the US and Europe and within the Old Continent will be weakened, according to Furuseth.

"Plausible deniability may be a useful tool at times, but it doesn't work that well with credibility," the Norwegian journalist remarked.

He doubts that Norwegian parliamentarians will exert pressure on Oslo to launch an investigation into what Hersh revealed. According to him, the Nordic state's lawmakers don't have the guts and the liberty to do it. "As long as our mainstream media buys into the official narrative, they do as they want," he added.

Furuseth quoted another Norwegian investigative reporter, Alf R. Jacobsen, who wrote a detailed analysis of the Nord Stream sabotage in October 2022, challenging an idea of Russia's involvement in the blasts. According to Jacobsen, Hersh's piece is credible and along the lines he indicated in his October article. Jacobsen hopes that the bombshell will increase the pressure on Sweden to release their findings.

"Several other nations ought to question their own governments' involvement, too. That includes my own, for sure," Furuseth added.

Meanwhile, Germany emerged as the big loser in this story, according to Mahncke.

"Germany should be extremely upset with the US but won't say anything because Germany is effectively a vassal state which, like all western countries, is completely dependent on US security guarantees," the US investigative journalist said. "The reality is that the US is running the show among western countries. US contributions to Ukraine exceed those of other countries by a factor of 20 or more. So if the US decides to blow up the pipeline, everyone else will toe the line, irrespective of what their own views are."

Not only Germany's industrial base was thrown under the bus, the US establishment did everything to undermine Russo-German relations, according to Imelda Ibanez, specialist in the history of Russian diplomacy and foreign policy of the Saint Petersburg State University.

"In general terms, the (Nord Stream sabotage) was a terrorist attack against the alliance between Germany and Russia, which was formed many years ago, and which in geopolitical terms (the United States) wanted to prevent, because the potential that would be generated by both sides would have lessen the United States," Ibanez argued citing the dichotomy of "maritime" and "continental" powers described by British geostrategist Halford Mackinder in early 20th century.

The attempt to shatter the Russo-German partnership also involves dark symbolism pertaining to Berlin's decision to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine 82 years after Nazi Germany's Panthers and Tigers brought death and destruction to the USSR. Washington is believed to have twisted Berlin's arm into sending the armored vehicles to Kiev.

Sputnik's interlocutors doubt that the US and European nations will launch an all-out investigation into the sabotage plot discovered by Hersh anytime soon. However, it appears that the Pulitzer-prize-winning reporter won't let the potential culprits off the hook. "You are assuming I am done reporting...not so," Hersh told Sputnik.

Dramatic rescues as Turkiye-Syria quake toll nears 25,000

Dramatic rescues as Turkiye-Syria quake toll nears 25,000

Rescuers pulled children and the elderly from the rubble Saturday as miraculous survival stories coincided with hasty mass burials five days after an earthquake devastated parts of Turkiye and Syria, leaving almost 25,000 dead.

Tens of thousands of local and international rescue workers are still scouring through flattened neighborhoods despite freezing weather that has compounded the misery of millions now in desperate need of aid.

However, amid the destruction and death, survivors continue to emerge.

“Is the world there?” asked 70-year-old Menekse Tabak as she was pulled out from the rubble in the southern city of Kahramanmaras — the epicenter of Monday’s 7.8-magnitude tremor — to applause and cries praising God, according to a video shared on state broadcaster TRT Haber.

In southern Hatay, a two-year-old girl was found alive 123 hours after the quake, reported the Hurriyet daily online, adding to numerous children saved long after the disaster, and a pregnant woman who was found on Friday.

Meanwhile, in southern Turkiye, families clutched each other in grief at a cotton field that has been transformed into a cemetery, with an endless stream of bodies arriving for swift burial.

Compounding the anguish, the United Nations has warned that at least 870,000 people urgently need of hot meals across Turkiye and Syria. In Syria alone, up to 5.3 million people may have been made homeless.

Turkiye’s disaster agency on Saturday said nearly 32,000 people from Turkish bodies are working on search and rescue efforts. In addition, there are 8,294 international rescuers.

However, 82 Austrian soldiers on Saturday suspended rescue operations in Hatay over a “worsening security situation,” an army spokesman told AFP.

“There have been clashes between groups,” he said, without giving details.

The UN rights office had on Friday urged all actors in the affected area — where Kurdish militants and Syrian rebels operate — to allow humanitarian access.

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which is considered a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies, announced a temporary halt in fighting to ease recovery work.

In rebel-held northwestern Syria, about four million people rely on humanitarian relief, but there have been no aid deliveries from government-controlled areas in three weeks.

The Syrian government said it had approved the delivery of humanitarian assistance to quake-hit areas outside its control.

Only two aid convoys have crossed the border this week from Turkiye, where authorities are engaged in an even bigger quake relief operation of their own.

A decade of civil war and Syrian-Russian aerial bombardment had already destroyed hospitals and created electricity and water shortages.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the Security Council to authorize the opening of new cross-border humanitarian aid points between Turkiye and Syria. The council will meet to discuss Syria, possibly early next week.

Turkiye said it was working on opening two new routes into rebel-held parts of Syria.

The winter freeze has left thousands of people either spending nights in their cars or huddling around makeshift fires that have become ubiquitous across the quake-hit region.

Five days of grief and anguish have been slowly building into rage at the poor quality of buildings as well as the Turkish government’s response to the country’s worst disaster in nearly a century.

Five days of grief and anguish have been slowly building into rage at the poor quality of buildings as well as the Turkish government’s response to the country’s worst disaster in nearly a century.

Officials in the country say 12,141 buildings were either destroyed or seriously damaged in the earthquake.

“Damage was to be expected, but not the type of damage that you are seeing now,” said Mustafa Erdik, a professor at Istanbul-based Bogazici University.

Police on Friday detained a contractor trying to flee the country after his building collapsed in the catastrophic quake.

Authorities in Kahramanmaras and Osmaniye have launched investigations into the buildings that have collapsed, according to the Anadolu state news agency.

The tremor was the most powerful and deadliest since 33,000 people died in a 7.8-magnitude tremor in 1939.

Officials and medics said 20,937 people had died in Turkiye and 3,553 in Syria. The confirmed total now stands at 24,490.

The disaster and resulting fury at how the Turkish government has handled it, comes just months before a presidential election in June.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conceded for the first time on Friday that his government was not able to reach and help the victims “as quickly as we had desired.”

Thousands of foreign volunteers willing to join Russia’s special op — politician

©Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

Several thousands of volunteers from various countries, including Western ones, are seeking to take part in Russia’s special military operation, Vladimir Rogov, the leader of the movement We Are Together With Russia, told TASS on Saturday.

The list of countries includes not only former Soviet republics, or Mideastern and Latin American countries, he said. "These are not only [people from] former Soviet republics, but there are citizens of the developed world - the United States, Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Middle Eastern and Latin American countries, including Brazil and Argentina," Rogov specified. If these people can access Russia after necessary checks, several thousands of volunteers can join the special op in the near term, he added.

"Their motivation is quite strong, they would like to preserve traditional society and help Russia, they want to battle Nazism," Rogov explained as he underscored that their assistance would be both on battlefield and in the field of information. Also, the bulk of those people have some combat experience and hold a license to carry arms, and their participation might undermine the morale of the enemy, the politician said.

Earlier, Rogov said that volunteers from more than 40 countries were seeking to sign up for action as part of the special military op, and to fight on the side of Russia. According to Rogov, people that want to join the military operation face logistical problems and this issue requires a solution at the government level.

According to RT Media, there are more than 16,000 foreign fighters, many of them from the Middle East and experienced in the fight against jihadists, wanting to go to Ukraine and join forces with the Russian-backed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, the Russian defense minister said on Thursday. Friday. During a meeting of the National Security Council, he suggested giving them the go-ahead.

“We believe it would be right to positively respond to those requests, especially since they are doing it not for money, but because that is their wish. We know many of those people – they helped us fight against ISIL (the terrorist group Islamic State) at the most difficult time in the past 10 years,” Sergey Shoigu recalled.

President Vladimir Putin said he supported the idea, pointing out that Russia’s opponents in Ukraine were recruiting foreign volunteers.

“The Western sponsors of Ukraine, of the Ukrainian regime, don’t hide it, do it in the open, in violation of international law,” Putin said, after labeling foreign fighters traveling to fight for Ukraine “mercenaries.”

Kiev has allowed foreign volunteers to come to Ukraine and fight against Russian troops there. Some Western nations warned their active-duty military service members against responding to the call. Nonetheless, Kiev claims some 20,000 foreign citizens from 52 nations have agreed to help its cause.

Later in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the volunteers discussed at the Security Council meeting would come from the Middle East, and particularly from Syria. He stressed that there had been no discussion about allowing Russian citizens to go to the frontline in a voluntary capacity.

During the meeting in Moscow, Shoigu also suggested arming with more advanced weapons the forces of Ukraine’s breakaway regions, which Moscow has recognized as sovereign states. He said Russian troops had captured plenty of military hardware from Ukraine, including West-supplied anti-aircraft and anti-tank portable missiles, which, he said, the rebels could put to good use.

The Russian president also approved this proposal, saying he would sign the relevant orders if needed.

The minister also raised the issue of NATO buildup in Eastern Europe, which has been done amid the hostilities in Ukraine. The Russian military has plans on how to counter it, Shoigu reported. Putin said this issue required further deliberation.

Moscow attacked its neighbor in late February, following a seven-year standoff over Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, and Russia’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics in Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered protocols had been designed to regularize the status of those regions within the Ukrainian state.

Russia has now demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.

Russian troops kill over 140 Ukrainian troops, destroy 3 foreign howitzers near Donetsk

The Russian Armed Forces have killed over 140 Ukrainian servicemen and destroyed two US-made M777 howitzers and a Polish Krab howitzer near Donetsk, the Russian Defense Ministry’s spokesman, Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov, reported on Saturday.

"As a result of a successful offensive by the Southern Group of Forces in the Donetsk direction, more than 140 Ukrainian servicemen were killed, and two US-made M777 howitzers, a Polish-made Krab self-propelled howitzer, Giatsint-B and D-30 howitzers, and a US-made AN/TPQ-50 radar system were destroyed," he specified.

Russian Forces Conduct Massive Strike on Ukraine's Energy Facilities - MoD

The Russian armed forces conducted a massive strike at Ukrainian energy facilities with the use of missiles and drones on February 10, hitting all targets, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

"Over the course of February 10, the Russian armed forces inflicted a massive strike with high-precision long-range air, sea and ground-based weapons, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles on critical objects of the energy system that ensure the functioning of enterprises of Ukraine's military-industrial complex and transport system. The goals of the massive strike have been achieved," the ministry said.

All the targeted facilities were hit and the work of energy-intensive production facilities of Ukraine's military-industrial complex was suspended, the ministry added.

"The transfer of foreign weapons, ammunition and reserves by rail to combat areas has also been blocked," the ministry said.

Masjid Al Jabbar Diserbu PKL, Pemkot Bandung Ambil Tindakan Tegas

Petugas Satpol PP menertibkan PKL di sekitaran Masjid Raya Al Jabbar, Kota Bandung, Jawa Barat, hari Jumat, 10/02/2023. (ANTARA/HO-Humas Pemkot Bandung)

Pemerintah Kota Bandung menertibkan para pedagang kaki lima (PKL) di sekitaran Masjid Raya Al Jabbar, Kota Bandung, Jawa Barat, karena kian menjamur.

Sekretaris Daerah Kota Bandung Ema Sumarna mengatakan di bulan sebelumnya tercatat ada 269 PKL yang berdiri di sekitar kawasan itu. Tetapi saat ini, kata dia, jumlahnya meningkat menjadi lebih dari 420 PKL.

"Artinya ini sudah menjadi masalah yang harus dicarikan solusinya," kata Ema saat meninjau Masjid Al Jabbar, Kota Bandung, Jawa Barat, hari Jumat, 10/02/2023.

Berdasarkan Peraturan Daerah (Perda) Kota Bandung Nomor 4 Tahun 2011 tentang Pembinaan dan Penataan PKL, area sekitar tempat peribadatan merupakan zona merah. Sehingga menurutnya para PKL tidak diperkenankan berjualan di zona merah tersebut.

Untuk itu, ia pun menyarankan para PKL itu untuk pindah ke selain area yang termasuk zona merah. Selain itu, ia pun memerintahkan petugas Satpol PP dan Dishub untuk mencegah berdirinya PKL baru di area itu.

Menurut dia Pemkot Bandung tidak anti terhadap PKL karena merupakan salah satu sumber penggerak ekonomi. Tetapi, kata dia, para PKL pun harus mengikuti peraturan yang telah disahkan.

Dia menjelaskan, Masjid Raya Al Jabbar merupakan aset milik Pemerintah Provinsi (Pemprov) Jawa Barat. Menurut dia Pemprov Jawa Barat juga telah menyediakan fasilitas lahan untuk para PKL di sebelah barat kolam yang bisa menampung 35 PKL.

"Kalau PKL-nya mau bersatu padu, saya pikir di atas 50 sampai 100 PKL itu bisa ditampung. Jadi idealnya ada 100 PKL di wilayah barat," kata dia.

Selain itu, ia juga mengingatkan kepada masyarakat untuk tidak melakukan kegiatan makan bersama di pelataran Masjid Raya Al Jabbar. Karena, kata dia, masjid merupakan tempat untuk beribadah.

"Nanti kita tempatkan petugas yang permanen dan ini harus konsisten supaya terjaga tetap kondusif," kata Ema.

PKL di Masjid Al Jabbar Semrawut Tak Tertata, Pemkot Bandung Minta Pemprov Jabar Tegas Ambil Sikap

Pedagang Kaki Lima (PKL) di sekitaran Masjid Al Jabbar makin hari makin bertambah. Hal ini mengakibatkan kesemrawutan di sekitaran masjid megah tersebut.

Pemkot Bandung meminta Pemprov Jabar tegas menerapkan hukum dalam persoalan ini, menutup permanen pagar sekitaran masjid, sehingga PKL tidak bisa berjualan di zona tersebut.

PKL diminta untuk berjualan di lokasi yang sudah disediakan Pemprov Jabar.

Sekda Kota Bandung Ema Sumarna meninjau Masjid Al Jabbar yang dipadati PKL. (FOTO: ARIF BUDIANTO

"Sekarang itu makin hari PKL makin bertambah. Sebulan yang lalu kita rapat, ada 269 PKL di sana, sekarang sudah 420 lebih. Artinya ini sudah menjadi masalah yang harus dicarikan solusinya," ujar Ema seusai meninjau kondisi Masjid Raya Al Jabbar, Jumat, 10 Februari 2023.

Larangan untuk PKL

Berdasarkan Perda Nomor 4 Tahun 2011 tentang Pembinaan dan Penataan PKL, kata Ema, masjid merupakan zona merah, selain institusi pemerintah baik sipil, polisi, dan TNI.

"Itu tidak boleh ada PKL, termasuk di perempatan-perempatan jalan dan titik-titik yang sudah di-SK-kan oleh wali kota," ujarnya.

Atas dasar itu, Pemkot Bandung meminta Pemprov Jabar untuk menegakan hukum tegas, tidak boleh ada PKL di zona merah.

"Kita tidak anti ekonomi karena ekonomi bagian daripada judul kita juga di RKPD, tapi tidak dengan kebebasan seperti ini," tegasnya.

Penutupan permanen

Kemudian, Pemkot Bandung mengusulkan kepada Pemprov Jabar agar menutup permanen pagar sekitaran masjid sehingga PKL tidak bisa berjualan di zona tersebut.

Pemkot Bandung meminta Pemprov Jabar tegas menerapkan hukum dalam persoalan ini, menutup permanen pagar sekitaran masjid, sehingga PKL tidak bisa berjualan di zona tersebut. /Humas Pemkot Bandung

"Kalau kita lihat kasat mata begini, usulnya tutup permanen dengan pagar saja supaya nanti tidak ada akses orang beraktivitas di sana, selain untuk kegiatan ibadah," jelasnya.

Penyediaan fasilitas lahan

Selain itu, tambah Ema, Pemprov Jabar juga sebenarnya telah menyediakan fasilitas lahan untuk para PKL.

Letaknya di sebelah barat kolam yang bisa menampung 35 PKL. Namun, sebenarnya bisa lebih dari itu.

"Tapi kalau ini PKL-nya mau bersatu padu, saya pikir di atas 50 sampai 100 PKL itu bisa ditampung.

Jadi idealnya ada 100 PKL di wilayah barat, kemudian 200 PKL di lahan milik masyarakat yang sekarang dikelola oleh Haji Maman yang baru jadi 20-30 persen," ungkapnya.

Dan sistem lahan tersebut adalah sistem sewa. Namun, berbeda dengan lahan PKL di sebelah barat, tidak boleh ada pungutan karena itu merupakan fasilitas disiapkan pemerintah.

Larangan botram atau makan bersama di masjid

Kemudian, selain itu, Ema juga mengimbau agar para pengunjung terutama ema-ema untuk tidak membawa makanan dan berkumpul untuk botram di area masjid, karena peruntukan masjid hanya untuk ibadah.