LIVE UPDATES - Russian Armed Forces Hit Command Posts of Two Territorial Defense Brigades

©Valentin Sprinchak/TASS

The Russian Armed Forces hit the command posts of the 125th and 102nd Territorial Defense Brigades in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Zaporozhye Region, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov told a briefing on the special military operation in Ukraine on Sunday.

"The command posts of the 125th and 102nd territorial defense brigades were hit in the areas of the settlements of Yampolovka in the Donetsk People's Republic and Zaliznichnoye in the Zaporozhye region," he said.

Russian forces hit units of 77th Ukrainian Airmobile Brigade in DPR

The southern grouping of Russian troops hit units of the 77th airmobile brigade, which was trying to counterattack the positions of Russian troops in the area of the settlement of Maloilinovka in the Donetsk People's Republic, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov told a briefing on the special military operation in Ukraine on Sunday.

"Operational-tactical aviation, missile forces and artillery from the Southern Group of Forces hit units of the 77th airmobile brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were trying to counterattack the positions of Russian troops in the area of the settlement of Maloilinovka, as well as the 54th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the settlement of Sacco i Vanzetti in the Donetsk People's Republic," he said.

Russian Armed Forces also destroyed more than 45 Ukrainian military personnel, as well as an AN/TPQ-37 radar station in the Yuzhno-Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions. At the same time, losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine over the past day in the Donetsk direction reached 145 servicemen, Konashenkov added. The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson direction over the past day amounted to more than 30 servicemen, he added.

Russian forces intercept 13 HIMARS, Smerch, HARM missiles, shoot down 4 Ukrainian UAVs

Over the past day, Russian air defense systems intercepted 10 HIMARS and Smerch MLRS, as well as 3 HARM anti-radar missiles, and also shot down 4 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov told a briefing on the special military operation in Ukraine on Sunday.

"Over the day, air defense systems intercepted 10 HIMARS and Smerch multiple rocket launchers, as well as 3 HARM anti-radar missiles. In addition, 4 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed," he said.

Special operation, 14 April. Main:

▪️The Wagner detachments are conducting high-intensity combat operations in the west of Artemovsk, the Airborne Forces are supported on the flanks, the Russian Defense Ministry said;

▪️The Leopard tanks delivered to Kyiv are already operating in the Kherson direction, one of them was captured by Russian troops and flooded in a swamp, an officer of the Sokol battalion said;

▪️European allies of Ukraine no longer expect a breakthrough from a possible counteroffensive, a 30 km advance is seen as a realistic goal, writes Bloomberg;

▪️Orban said that Ukraine is financially a non-existent country, as soon as the US and Europe stop supporting it, the conflict will end;

▪️The conflict in Ukraine may last for several more years, said Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki;

▪️The Ukrainian TV channel "2+2" showed a film calling for "extrajudicial punishment" of the Russian military, authorities and journalists;

▪️Ex-deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Kiva said that the Russian special services in the fall of 2022 prevented an attempt on his life;

▪️The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the DPR announced the arrest of suspects in the attempt on the life of the head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Mariupol, whose car was blown up in March;

▪️Four residents were killed, 10 were injured during the shelling of Yasinovataya in the DPR from the MLRS, the representative office of the republic in the JCCC reported.

Special operation, 15 April. Main:

▪️The Russian Armed Forces in the Kupyansk direction destroyed three Ukrainian DRGs and disrupted two rotations of troops, the Ministry of Defense reported;

▪️ Ukrainian troops destroy urban infrastructure and residential buildings in Artyomovsk while retreating to slow down Russian troops, the MoD said;

▪️Ukrainian businessman Akhmetov can hardly count on compensation, as he supported the coup d'état in Kyiv and allocated money to the national battalions, adviser to the acting head of the DPR Gagin told RIA Novosti;

Ukrainian troops are active in the Zaporozhye direction, Russian artillery began to work more, said the crew commander of the Msta-B gun

▪️Kyiv leaves a large number of bodies of its soldiers who died in Artemovsk, not trying to agree on their evacuation, a fighter of the Wagner group told RIA Novosti;

▪️The situation in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is calm on Great Saturday, the priests of the UOC held a divine liturgy, local media reported;

The correspondent of RIA Novosti filmed a work on the enemy of the fighters of the Wagner group advancing in Artemovsk in the direction of the railway

▪️A monument to Russian lieutenant general Roman Kutuzov has been unveiled in Mariupol, Pushilin said.

These Afghan teachers float to school in tubes

Every day, teachers cross this river to reach Bili High School. This river belongs to Kunar province and is a big river. When the spring season starts, the amount of water increases. We all cross this river using inner tubes, and we face many problems and challenges when crossing the river since it can be quite risky, and it is really hard work

Every morning, the teachers of Bili High School in Afghanistan make their way to the river carrying inner tubes.

They use them to commute to the school they teach at in the country’s eastern Nangarhar province, paddling their rafts across fast-moving water to get to the other side of the 46-meter-wide river.

There are no bridges or boats to make the journey easier and for years, 12 of the 15 staff have used this means of transport, weathering higher water levels after rain.

The school they teach at currently has 1,040 students, including girls attending primary classes. It was opened in 2004, but the education ministry told them just three years later the school complex was too dilapidated for use. There are only three classrooms left now and most of the classes are held outdoors.

“You can see the school building is damaged and all the windows are broken,” said Noor Rahman, who has been teaching the Pashto language at the school for 15 years.

“We don’t have enough textbooks, we don’t have books for Grades 9, 10, 11, and 12,” he said, adding it has been four years since books were last distributed to the province.

Teachers like Rahman have no other way to make a living. The meagre salary of between 6,000 and 8,000 Afghani ($69 to 92) per month is hardly enough to support his family, Rahman says, even though transport to the school is free.

“Life goes on anyway; there is poverty in general,” he says.

After decades of war, Afghanistan remains one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. Its financial crisis has only worsened since the return of the Taliban to power in mid-August, 2021.

Brazilian President Warns US Against 'Encouraging' Ukraine Conflict

© AFP 2023 / EVARISTO SA

Washington and its allies have already provided Kiev with billions of dollars worth of arms, which Russia says adds to prolonging the Ukraine standoff.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has warned Washington against further instigating the conflict in Ukraine, where Russia continues its special military operation.

He told reporters after his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing that "the United States needs to stop encouraging war and start talking about peace."

"The European Union needs to start talking about peace so that we can convince [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr] Zelensky that peace is in the interest of everyone and that war is only interesting, for now, to the two of them," Lula pointed out.

He also revealed that during his sit-down with the Chinese president, they, in particular, discussed forming a group of like-minded leaders to grapple with the Ukraine conflict.

"I have a theory that I have already defended with [French President Emmanuel] Macron, with [Chancellor] Olaf Scholz of Germany, and with [US President Joe] Biden, and yesterday, we discussed at length with Xi Jinping. It is necessary to constitute a group of countries willing to find a way to make peace," Lula emphasized.

He spoke after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made it clear that the US will keep on giving military aid to Ukraine. Washington and its allies ramped up their military assistance to Kiev shortly after Russia launched the special operation in Ukraine.

Moscow has repeatedly warned countries who send weapons to Kiev it sees their military shipments as legitimate targets, and that such an aid will add to prolonging the Ukraine conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, for his part, stressed that NATO allies arming and training Ukrainian forces is tantamount to a direct involvement in the standoff.

Prajurit Gugur, Panglima TNI Kerahkan Kekuatan Maksimal Selamatkan Pilot Susi Air

Kapuspen TNI Laksamana Pertama TNI Julius Widjojono di Mabes TNI, Cilangkap, Jakarta Timur, Minggu (16/4)/RMOL

Upaya penyelamatan Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI)2 terhadap Pilot Susi Air Capt Philip Mark Mahrtens mendapat serangan dari kelompok separatis teroris (KST) Papua

Meski mendapat serangan dari kelompok separatis teroris (KST) Papua, TNI tidak akan mundur sejengkal pun untuk menyelamatkan pilot Susi Air Capt Philip Mark Mahrtens yang disandera.

Hal itu ditegaskan Kepala Pusat Penerangan TNI (Kapuspen TNI) Laksamana Pertama (Laksma) TNI Julius Widjojono saat jumpa pers di Mabes TNI, Cilangkap, Jakarta Timur, hari Minggu, 16/04/2023.

"Panglima TNI dengan tegas menyampaikan untuk ambil tindakan jangan ragu-ragu," kata Julius.

Hingga saat ini, TNI mengakui masih kesulitan menjalin komunikasi akibat kondisi cuaca di lokasi yang tidak menentu.

"Untuk itu Panglima TNI secara terus menerus memerintahkan untuk melakukan pencarian dan bantuan tempur dengan kekuatan maksimal," pungkas Kapuspen TNI.

Penembakan gerombolan KST dilakukan terhadap Prajurit TNI dari Satgas Yonif R 321/GT di wilayah Mugi-Mam, Kabupaten Nduga, Provinsi Papua Pegunungan pada hari Sabtu, 15/04/2023, pukul 16.30 WIT.

Serangan ini mengakibatkan satu Prajurit atas nama Pratu Miftahul Arifin tertembak dan jatuh ke jurang sedalam kurang lebih 15 meter. Akibatnya, Pratu Miftahul Arifin meninggal dunia.

"Panglima TNI turut berdukacita atas gugurnya prajurit terbaik TNI Pratu Arifin yang gugur pada 15 April pukul 16.30," kata Kepala Pusat Penerangan TNI (Kapuspen TNI) Laksamana Pertama (Laksma) TNI Julius Widjojono di Mabes TNI, Cilangkap, Jakarta Timur, pada hari Minggu, 16/04/2023.

Julius meluruskan pemberitaan sebelumnya yang menyebut ada enam prajurit yang gugur. Dia pun menegaskan informasi terkait serangan ini akan disampaikan satu pintu melalui Puspen TNI.

"Menindaklanjuti kesimpangsiuran informasi di medsos, saya sarankan awak media merujuk kepada informasi dari Mabes TNI," tegasnya.

Julius juga membeberkan, setelah melakukan penyerangan, gerombolan KST kembali melakukan penembakan kepada personel TNI lainnya yang sedang melaksanakan evakuasi Prajurit korban meninggal sehingga terjadi kontak tembak.

Hingga saat ini, TNI mengakui masih kesulitan melakukan komunikasi akibat kondisi cuaca dan berkabut.

Fatma Meninggal Di atas Jok Motor Ketika Akan Berobat ke RS

©KOMPAS.COM/TAUFIK NADJAMUDDIN

Fatma Samania (30) warga Kecamatan Pinogu, meninggal dunia dalam perjalanan menuju RS, meskipun tukang ojek khusus yang membawanya berusaha mempercepat laju motor di tengah hutan sepanjang 41 kilometer.

Fatma meninggal di atas jok motor dalam perjalanan setelah keluar hutan di Desa Tulabolo, Kecamatan Suwawa Timur, Kabupaten Bone Bolango.

Fatma Samania yang dibonceng ojek terkulai mengembuskan nafas terakhirnya sebelum mencapai Rumah Sakit Toto Kecamatan Kabila, padahal jarak tinggal 28 kilometer dengan jalan beraspal.

“Kemarin pagi ada kabar dari ayahanda (sebutan untuk kepala desa di Gorontalo) Pinogu bahwa Ibu Fatma dirujuk ke Rumah Sakit Toto Kabila, namun belum sampai di rumah sakit Ibu Fatma sudah meninggal di jalan,” ujar Taufik Nadjamuddin, warga Pinogu, pada hari Minggu, 16/04/2023.

Taufik menjelaskan, Desa Pinogu dan desa-desa lainnya yang berada dalam satu Kecamatan Pinogu merupakan daerah enclave yang letakknya di tengah hutan belantara Taman Nasional Bogani Nani Wartabone.

“Kemarin pagi ada kabar dari ayahanda (sebutan untuk kepala desa di Gorontalo) Pinogu bahwa Ibu Fatma dirujuk ke Rumah Sakit Toto Kabila, namun belum sampai di rumah sakit Ibu Fatma sudah meninggal di jalan,” ujar Taufik Nadjamuddin, warga Pinogu, pada hari Minggu, 16/04/2023.

Taufik menjelaskan, Desa Pinogu dan desa-desa lainnya yang berada dalam satu Kecamatan Pinogu merupakan daerah enclave yang letakknya di tengah hutan belantara Taman Nasional Bogani Nani Wartabone.

Tidak ada jalan mulus bagi warga yang hendak keluar masuk daerah ini, sebagian kecil ruas jalan sudah dibeton dengan lebar 2 meter, namun sisanya berupa tebing terjal yang susah dilalui, apalagi jika musim hujan.

Taufik yang bertugas di Balai Taman Nasional Taman Nasional Bogani Nani Wartabone ini menambahkan posisi Fatma Samania meninggal berada di atas motor, tukang ojek baru mengetahui saat sudah berada di Desa Tulabolo pada pukul 11.30 Wita.

Sebelum meninggal dunia, Fatma sempat ditelepon kerabatnya yang menanyakan sakit yang dideritanya

Kerabatnya sempat merekam percakapan yang menyebutkan Fatma sakit syaraf sehingga dirujuk ke RS Toto.

Menurut Ayahanda Pinogu Ismet Nadjamuddin, Fatma Samania memang sudah sakit selama sepekan di rumahnya. Dari hasil pemeriksaan di Puskesmas Pinogu Fatma harus dirujuk ke RS Toto di Kabila.

“Mengetahui warga kami sudah meninggal dunia di jalan, akhirnya keluarga sepakat untuk membawa kembali jenazah ibu Fatma balik ke Pinogu, kembali menempuh perjalanan panjang di tengah hutan selama 4 jam lebih,” kata Ismet Nadjamuddin

Dikatakannya Desa Pinogu berada di tengah hutan belantara, yakni di tengah Taman Nasional Bogani Nani Wartabone.

Tidak ada akses jalan mulus bagi warga. Sebagian kecil ruas jalan sudah dibeton dengan lebar 2 meter. Namun sisanya berupa tebing terjal yang susah dilalui.

Fatma meninggal ketika dalam perjalanan ke rumah sakit. Dirinya diketahui mengalami sakit saraf sehingga dirujuk ke rumah sakit.

Fatma meninggal sebelum mencapai RS Toto di Kecamatan Kabila.

Fatma meninggal setelah keluar hutan di Desa Tulabolo.

US and alliance attempts to discredit China and Russia from Football to Boxing

Boxer from China, Zhilei Zhang Successfully Beats Joe Joyce in a Duel for the WBO Interim Heavyweight Championship at the Copper Box Arena, Sunday, April 16,2023

Zhilei Zhang vs. Joe Joyce took place April 15 at the Copper Box Arena in London, England. WBO interim heavyweight champion Joe Joyce (15-1) put his belt on the line against Zhilei Zhang (25-1-1) in the night’s main event. The fight aired live on ESPN+.

The former Team GB star hoped to retain the title - and his status as the mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk's undisputed strap - with a sixth stoppage victory in a row.

Zhang Zhilei sudah bikin babak belur Joyce, namun media barat publikasikan photo petinju inggris sebelum dan sesudah laga.
Itulah gaya barat melakukan disiinformasi tentanf China dan Rusia secara massive. pic.twitter.com/ZpN7M90Cn6

— Ahmad Hanafiah (@Ahmadhanafiah) April 16, 2023

Joe Joyce saw his fight with Zhilei Zhang waved off after the ringside doctor deemed him unable to continue.

The heavyweight's world title dreams have been hugely dented after his right eye was left gruesomely swollen.

Referee Howard Foster twice took Joyce, 37, over to the doc, who assessed the damage and extent of the injury.

Credit: BT Sport

On the second occasion, cameras caught the moment the medic covered Joyce's left eye and asked how many fingers he was holding up. The Londoner did return the correct answers - in two and one - but the damage was already done.

Foster was advised to wave off the fight and Zhang, 39, was handed a shock technical knockout win after six rounds.

Joe Joyce was beaten and battered by Zhilei Zhang across six brutal rounds at the Copper Box.

"But incredibly one judge had the Brit WINNING against the Chinese heavyweight before Joyce was pulled out."

Joyce's right eye was horribly swollen and he could barely see as Big Bang Zhang went to town on the Putney powerhouse.

Zhilei Zhang lands again as Joe Joyce bravely fought on before the fight was stopped in the sixth round at Copperbox ArenaCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun

Somehow, though, one judge had Joyce in front, sparking fury among fans.

One said: "Joyce up by one... never in a million years."

Another wrote: "Whichever judge has Joyce up on the scorecard should probably be investigated."

Boxing fans can’t believe ‘shameful’ scorecards from shocking loss of Joe Joyce to Zhilei Zhang and call for ‘investigation

The brutally beaten Joyce grins but can hardly take it after Zhang destroys him, yet the Brit was ahead on a judge’s scorecardCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun Zhang’s lopsided win means the Chinese heavyweight now has the WBO interim belt, making him her mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBA, IBF and WBO world titles.

One fan wrote: “Joyce at 1 on a judge’s scorecard. Never in a million years.”

Another wrote, “Whatever judge has Joyce on the scorecard should probably be investigated.”

And a third summed up the consensus on social media with this message: “A judge got Joyce in the cards! Crazy. Thankfully, Zhang pushed for the break. Totally deserved.”

Between belittling the Chinese boxer, Zhang Zhilei, the West believes his boxer will win so the score is made first, and wants to belittle China.