A Russian MiG-31 fighter jet was scrambled to intercept a pair of US strategic bombers approaching Russia’s state border over the Barents Sea, the Defense Ministry of Russia reported.
"On March 24, 2024, Russian airspace control capabilities spotted an aerial target over the Barents Sea approaching the state border of the Russian Federation. A MiG-31 fighter jet from air defense quick reaction alert forces was scrambled to identify the aerial target and prevent it from violating Russia’s state border," the ministry said. "The fighter’s crew identified the aerial targets as a pair of B-1B strategic bombers of the US Air Force, it said.
"As the Russian fighter approached it, the US bombers U-turn from the state border of the Russian Federation," it said, adding that the Russian aircraft safely returned to its home airbase, preventing the violation of Russia’s state border.
The Russian fighter jet strictly followed the international rules of using the airspace over neutral waters, complying with safety measures, the ministry added.
Russian Forces Carry Out Strike Against Ukrainian Energy Facilities
Russian Ministry of Defense reported on the progress of special military operation.
The Russian aerospace forces carried out high-precision missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian power facilities over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
"Tonight, the Russian Aerospace Forces launched a group strike with long-range airborne precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles against electric power facilities, gas production facilities, and assembly and testing sites for unmanned boats," the ministry said.
All of the targets were hit, the ministry added.
"As a result of the strike, the work of industrial enterprises for the production and repair of weapons, military equipment and ammunition was disorganized, and foreign military equipment and means of destruction transferred to Ukraine by NATO countries were destroyed," the ministry said.
At the same time, Russian air defense systems destroyed 172 Ukrainian drones, 11 Storm Shadow cruise missiles and three Neptun anti-ship missiles, as well as 22 multiple launch rocket system shells and other targets, the military said.
Russian Airstrikes on Kharkov Eradicate Roughly 30 Ukrainian Servicemen
Around 30 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in an attack by Russian forces on targets in the city of Kharkov, including the location of the Lyut assault brigade, Nikolaev underground network coordinator Sergei Lebedev told Sputnik.
"On March 23, there was a series of attacks on military facilities in Kharkov, which hit the dormitories of the Kharkov National University of Internal Affairs, known in Kharkov as the Interior Ministry's school Bandurki," Lebedev said.
Neo-nazis from various regiments resided in the dormitory and the university itself, Lebedev said, adding that it the presence of foreign servicepeople was being verified. On Saturday night, a sanatorium in the Herzen settlement in Kharkov, where Ukrainian soldiers were stationed, was also hit, Lebedev added.
"Kharkov residents say that there was a military camp in the sanatorium. Whether it was the Ukrainian armed forces or the national battalions is still unclear. What is known is that the military who were in the sanatorium had a lot of weapons and equipment. Our agents say that the number of deaths is approximately 30," Lebedev added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia a great tragedy, adding that the West, in fact, launched a war in Europe at that time.
In 1999, an armed confrontation between Albanian separatists from the Kosovo Liberation Army and the Serbian army and police led to the bombing of Yugoslavia by NATO forces, which started on March 24 and lasted for over two months. The Serbian authorities say that about 2,500 people, including 89 children, were killed and about 12,500 people were injured in the bombings. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the use of depleted uranium weapons caused an increase in the number of cancer patients in the country.
"A great tragedy. What the West has done is unacceptable. Without any resolution of the UN Security Council they started direct military actions, in fact, a war in the center of Europe," Putin said in an interview for a documentary that was broadcast by Russia's TV channel on Sunday, on the 25th anniversary of the start of the NATO bombing.
25 Years Since NATO Bombing of Sovereign Yugoslavia
The world learned that the US and NATO see the globe as their own playground where they do as they please a quarter of a century ago. On March 24, 1999, Western nations started bombing the city of Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia, under the far-fetched pretext of "protecting" Kosovars.
Despite the NATO bloc not having any mandate from the United Nations, Western countries saw no problem in carrying out the bombing.
Czech leader Vaclav Havel – who recently dragged his nation into NATO despite negative public opinion – coined the term of “humanitarian intervention” and penned an article where he justified Western aggression against the sovereign European state.
“The air attacks, the bombs, are not caused by a material interest. Their character is exclusively humanitarian: What is at stake here are the principles, human rights which have priority above state sovereignty," Havel wrote.
In reality, the bombing of Yugoslavia caused a humanitarian catastrophe with over one thousand killed and national infrastructure being damaged. The list of destroyed "military objects" included hospitals, schools and kindergartens. Yugoslavia collapsed as a nation into several states and the Balkans became a foothold for NATO forces.
Explore Sputnik’s infographic to learn about this aggression:
Russia’s law enforcement and security services have detained a total of 11 suspects following Friday’s terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue in the outskirts of Moscow. The detainees include the four alleged perpetrators of the massacre that has claimed the lives of more than 130 and left over 150 injured, according to Russian domestic security service the FSB.
Details about the suspects’ identities and the circumstances of the attack are still emerging. According to the FSB, the assault was carefully planned and designed to maximize casualties. An investigation into the incident is underway. Here is what is known so far:
Detention
The four primary suspects were detained in the early hours of Saturday in Russia’s Bryansk Region, bordering Ukraine, an FSB statement said. The alleged perpetrators were traveling in a white Renault Symbol/Clio car they used to flee the scene, according to the 78.ru news media outlet.
Following a brief chase by Russian law enforcement officials, the suspects abandoned the car. One of them was detained at that scene while three others sought to hide in woods, prompting a large-scale manhunt, media are reporting.
Later, several videos showing the detention and interrogation of the alleged perpetrators surfaced online. Two of the videos were published by RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, with another one released by journalist Aleksandr Kots. At least one suspect was injured during a standoff with law enforcement officers and was hospitalized, the Mash Telegram channel reported.
Russian officials have not commented on the information about the alleged hospitalization of one of the suspects. On Saturday, the FSB released a statement in which it said that a total of 11 people had been detained in connection with the incident, including four alleged attackers.
“The criminals intended to cross the Russia-Ukraine border and had relevant contacts on the Ukrainian side,” it added, referring to the four primary suspects. The other seven detentions took place in Moscow and the Moscow region, according to Russian media.
Identity of the suspects
Russian law enforcement officials have not released any data on the names or nationalities of the eleven being held. The Russian Interior Ministry only confirmed that none of the primary suspects had Russian citizenship.
“The Interior Ministry’s migration department, together with our FSB colleagues, is carefully studying the grounds for stay and the length of stay on Russian territory for each of those detained,” ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk said.
Footage of the questioning of the suspected perpetrators shows one of them speaking in broken Russian and another talking to officers through an interpreter. One of the suspects claimed he had been to Türkiye and had only come to Russia in early March. No information has been made public about the identities of their seven alleged accomplices.
Weapons and equipment
Footage taken at the scene and released by the Russian Investigative Committee shows that the attackers were armed with what appeared to be assault rifles and were equipped with a large number of ammunition rounds. At least one such weapon resembling an AK assault rifle can be seen in the clip, along with almost a dozen dispenser magazines still loaded with ammunition rounds.
Russia’s Lenta news outlet also reported that a Saiga hunting rifle had also been found at that scene. A Makarov handgun and one more dispenser magazine were also discovered in the suspects’ car during their detention in the Bryansk region, according to Russian media.
One of the suspects claimed during questioning that a weapons cache had been arranged for them by curators they did not know personally and only contacted via Telegram. A vehicle they’d used in the attack was also allegedly bought from one of the suspects’ relatives shortly before the terrorist act.
Motives
One of the suspects filmed during his interrogation by law enforcement officers claimed that he had committed the crime “for money.” The man stated he had been promised 500,000 rubles ($5,418) and had half of this transferred to his debit card before the attack.
The alleged perpetrator also said he had been “listening to sermons… by a preacher” on Telegram for some time before being approached by the supposed masterminds of Friday’s attack “around a month ago.” When further pressed about what he did in Crocus City Hall on Friday, the man said that he “shot down … people,” adding that he was just tasked with killing people and it “did not matter,” whom he would kill.
None of the suspects explicitly pledged allegiance to any extremist group during the questioning that was made public.
Possible masterminds
The Russian investigative authorities did not name any suspected organizers behind the attack. Neither have they signaled any links between the primary suspects and any extremist groups or outside forces, except for some Ukrainian “contacts” that were supposedly ready to aid them with crossing into Ukraine, according to the FSB.
Some Western media, including Reuters and CNN, reported that Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack. The terrorist group also allegedly published a photo of the four suspects posing against the backdrop of an IS flag. The photo, which has since been shared by some media, shows four men wearing baseball caps with their faces covered. Moscow has not commented on the IS claims.
In this way, it can be said that the perpetrators conspired with some western media, because the western media knows the perpetrators, while there has been no official statement from the Russian authorities who made the arrests.
First interrogation of Moscow terrorist attack suspect
RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan has posted a video clip of the interrogation of one of the suspected terrorists behind Friday’s shooting spree at Crocus City concert hall near Moscow. Earlier on Saturday, Russia’s FSB security service confirmed that eleven suspects, including four of the alleged perpetrators, had been detained in Bryansk Region, not far from the Ukrainian border.
The footage shows a bearded man lying on the ground and describing in broken Russian how he’d been paid to commit the terrorist attack.
The man says that before committing Friday’s atrocity, he had been to Türkiye. When asked what he did at the Crocus City concert venue on Friday evening, he replied: “I shot down... people.” The suspect added that he had committed the crime “for money,” detailing that he had been promised 500,000 rubles ($5,418).
The alleged perpetrator claimed that half the sum had already been transferred to his debit card.
The man also said that the curators, whom he supposedly does not know personally, had contacted him via Telegram messaging app, and arranged an arms cache for the assailants.
According to the suspect, he had been “listening to sermons… by a preacher” on Telegram for some time before being approached by the supposed masterminds of Friday’s attack “around a month ago.”
Shortly after publishing the first video clip, Simonyan posted more footage, in this instance depicting another suspected terrorist speaking through an interpreter.
The man describes how an acquaintance who he'd befriended on Telegram “ten to twelve days ago” had purchased a car, presumably with a view to using it as a taxi.
The terrorist attack, which, according to estimates, has left 133 dead and over 120 injured, occurred on Friday evening at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, on the western outskirts of the Russian capital. The concert venue, with an estimated capacity of 7,500, was nearly full when the terrorists burst into the building.
After gunning down dozens of fleeing patrons, the assailants then set fire to rows of chairs inside the hall. The blaze quickly engulfed much of the building, including its roof.
By Dmitry Trenin, a research professor at the Higher School of Economics and a lead research fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations. He is also a member of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC).
Strategic stability is usually understood as the absence of incentives for a nuclear-armed power to launch a massive first strike. Typically, it’s viewed primarily in military-technical terms. The reasons why an attack may be contemplated are usually not taken into account.
This idea emerged in the middle of the last century, when the USSR had achieved military-strategic parity with the US and the Cold War between them had entered a “mature” phase of limited confrontation and some predictability. The solution to the problem of strategic stability was then seen in the constant maintenance of contacts between the political leadership of the two superpowers. Which led to arms control and transparency in arranging their respective arsenals.
However, the first quarter of the 21st century is ending in conditions very different from the relative international political stability of the 1970s. The US-centric world order established after the end of the Cold War is being seriously challenged and its foundations are visibly shaken. The global hegemony of Washington and the position of the collective West as a whole is weakening, while the economic, military, scientific and technological might and political importance of non-Western countries –first and foremost China, but also India– are growing. This is leading to a deterioration in relations between the US and other power centers.
The two largest nuclear powers, Russia and the US, are in a state of semi-direct armed conflict. This confrontation is officially regarded in Russia as an existential threat. This situation has become possible as a result of the failure of strategic deterrence (in its geopolitical dimension) in an area where Russia’s vital interests are present. It should be noted that the main cause of the conflict is Washington’s conscious disregard –for three decades now– of Moscow’s clearly and explicitly expressed security interests.
Moreover, in the Ukrainian conflict, the US military and political leadership has not only articulated, but has publicly expressed, the mission of using its proxy to inflict a strategic military defeat on Russia, despite its nuclear status.
This is a complex undertaking in which the collective economic, political, military, military-technical, intelligence and informational capacity of the West is integrated with the actions of the Ukrainian armed forces in direct combat against the Russian army. In other words, the US is trying to defeat Russia not only without using nuclear weapons, but even without formally engaging in hostilities.
In this context, the declaration by the five nuclear powers on January 3, 2022, that “nuclear war should not be waged” and that “there can be no winners,” seems like a relic of the past. A proxy war between the nuclear powers is already underway; moreover, in the course of this conflict, more and more restrictions are being removed, both in terms of the weapon systems used and the participation of Western troops, as well as the geographical limits of the theater of war. It is possible to pretend that a certain ‘strategic stability’ is being maintained, but only if, like the US, a player sets the task of inflicting a strategic defeat on the enemy at the hands of its client state and expects that the enemy will not dare to use nuclear weapons.
Thus, the concept of strategic stability in its original form – the creation and maintenance of military-technical conditions to prevent a sudden massive nuclear strike – only partially retains its meaning under current conditions.
Strengthening nuclear deterrence could be the solution to the real problem of restoring strategic stability, which has been seriously disrupted by the ongoing and escalating conflict. To begin with, it is worth rethinking the concept of deterrence and, in the process, changing its name.
For example, instead of a passive, we should talk about an active form. The adversary should not remain in a state of comfort, believing that the war he is waging with the help of another country will not affect him in any way. In other words, it is necessary to put fear back into the minds and hearts of the enemy’s leaders. The beneficial sort of fear, it’s worth stressing.
It must also be recognized that the limits of purely verbal intervention have been exhausted at this stage of the Ukrainian conflict. Channels of communication all the way to the top must remain open around the clock, but the most important messages at this stage must be sent through concrete steps: doctrinal changes; military exercises to test them; underwater and aerial patrols along the coasts of the likely enemy; warnings about preparations for nuclear tests and the tests themselves; the imposition of no-fly zones over part of the Black Sea, and so on. The point of these actions is not only to demonstrate determination and readiness to use available capabilities to protect Russia’s vital interests, but –most importantly– to bring the enemy to a halt and encourage it to engage in serious dialogue.
The escalation ladder does not end here. Military-technical steps can be followed by real acts, warnings of which have already been given: for example, attacks on air bases and supply centers on the territory of NATO countries, and so on. There is no need to go further. We simply need to understand, and help the enemy to understand, that strategic stability in the real, not narrow, technical sense of the word is not compatible with armed conflict between nuclear powers, even if (for the time being) it is being waged indirectly.
It is unlikely that the enemy will accept this state of affairs easily and immediately. At the very least, they will need to realize that this is our position and draw the appropriate conclusions.
It is time for us to start revising the conceptual apparatus we use in matters of security strategy. We talk about international security, strategic stability, deterrence, arms control, nuclear non-proliferation and so on. These concepts emerged in the course of the development of Western – mainly American – political thought and found immediate practical application in US foreign policy. They are based on existing realities but adapted to American foreign policy objectives. We have tried to adapt them to our needs, but with mixed success.
It is time to move on and develop our own concepts that reflect Russia’s position in the world as well as its needs.
Ukraine and the West have resorted to false flag operations to persuade everyone that ISIS* was behind the terror attack in the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow, said Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of Sputnik's parent media group Rossiya Segodnya.
The head of the media group stressed that the names and faces of the perpetrators are already known to authorities and that the terrorists gave everything away during interrogation.
“It immediately became obvious why US media were claiming in unison that it was ISIS," she said.
Simonyan explained that the perpetrators were chosen to carry out the attack in a manner that would allow the West to persuade the international community that ISIS was behind the attack.
“Basic sleight of hand. The level of a railway thimble-rigger," she added." It has nothing to do with ISIS. It's Ukrainians."
She added that the enthusiasm displayed by Western media when they tried to persuade everyone that ISIS was responsible even before arrests were made gave them away completely.
“This is not ISIS. This is a well-coordinated team of several other, also widely known, abbreviations," Simonyan concluded.
The shooting occurred on Friday evening in the Crocus City Hall concert venue just outside Moscow and was followed by a massive fire, claiming at least 143 lives.
In the hours following the attack, Western media insisted that radical jihadist organization ISIS was behind it, while Ukrainian officials also said that they had nothing to do with the tragedy.
However, suspects were detained in Russia's Bryansk region near Ukrainian border. According to the data provided by law enforcing agencies, they had a support base on the other side of the border.
Moreover, while Kiev rushed to deny its involvement into the shooting, Ukrainian secret services have a long track record of terror attacks on Russian territory, from shelling in the Belgorod region to assassinations of political scientist Daria Dugina and journalist Vladlen Tatarsky.
Scott Ritter: Terrorist Attack in Moscow Does Not Look Like ISIS' Handiwork
Over 100 civilians were killed after a group of armed terrorists stormed a concert and started indiscriminately shooting at the audience. The perpetrators have since been apprehended by Russian authorities and an investigation has been launched to uncover the truth behind this tragedy.
Washington’s attempts to pin the blame for the March 22 terrorist attack in Moscow on ISIS* appears suspect due to the perpetrators’ behavior, former US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter told Sputnik.
Pointing out the fact that the terrorists were apprehended while fleeing towards Ukraine, Ritter remarked how “people of violence” have a tendency to “navigate towards their ‘true north’” at the end of the day.
“What I mean by that is, let's take a special forces team operating behind enemy lines: if they're compromised, they try to go home, they try to escape and evade towards the friendly lines,” he explained. “ISIS has loyalty to their perverted version of religion, God. Their ‘true north’ is to become martyrs, to navigate home to heaven.”
“But that's not what these terrorists did,” he continued. “Their true north was Ukraine, and they were navigating toward Ukraine. And that's all we need to know about this. This was an attack that was linked to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Who was behind this attack? Who are the masterminds? The Russian security services will find out. But whoever they are, they reside in Ukraine.”
*ISIS (also known as Daesh/ISIL/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.
A sniper who goes by the code name Chernika (meaning 'Blueberry') was awarded Russia's 'For Courage' medal for her role in repelling the Ukrainian counteroffensive last summer. What may come as a surprise to some is that this war hero is a girl.
Chernika witnessed the initial days of Russia's special military operation as a civilian, which triggered her passion about enlisting.
"I've been interested in military service since my childhood. I went to military training classes at school. There we learned to take apart a machine gun and do some other things. That is, I have always been drawn to this, and when the opportunity arose I decided to enlist. My friends recommended a wonderful military unit to me. I went to the interview, listened to the commanders, and I really liked everything. And so, after the interview, I joined my squad," she revealed.
Why Chernika? Which means Blueberry in Russian. "I have no idea where it came from," the young girl responded when asked about her nom de guerre. "It just stuck with me," she claims.
Perhaps, it's because Chernika loves eating mulberries straight off the tree. She often indulges in this treat during the summer, leaving her hands stained dark violet. Chernika mentioned that removing this pigment is quite challenging, joking that her nickname may have stemmed from her love of these berries.
Chernika's was inspired to become a sniper by the story of World War II heroine Lyudmila Pavlichenko, recognized as the most successful female sniper in history, with a total of 309 confirmed kills.
"When I was just starting to study what the military profession is, my role model was Lyudmila Pavlichenko, our Soviet sniper," said the female sharpshooter.
Pavlichenko fought on the front lines during the Siege of Odessa and Sevastopol against Hitler's Nazi forces, and was nicknamed "Lady Death" by the enemy.
In 1942, Pavlichenko traveled to the US as part of the Soviet delegation to muster up support for the opening of a second front in Europe. "Gentlemen, I am 25 years old and I have killed 309 fascist occupants by now. Don’t you think that you have been hiding behind my back for too long?" the female sniper asked the crowd while delivering a speech in Chicago.
Like Pavlichenko, Chernika is trying to learn more and continuously polishes up her skills. Her weapon of choice is the Lobaev Arms DVL-10 "Urbana".
"I have a Lobaev Urbana rifle in 308 [Win] caliber. Roughly speaking, it’s like our [7.62mm Dragunov] SVD sniper rifle. The range is approximately the same - 800-900 meters. I'm fully satisfied with it. Some guys who have different caliber rifles have some shortcomings in their weapons, as they say. But my rifle has never let me down throughout my entire service," Chernika emphasized.
"I have a Lobaev Urbana rifle in 308 [Win] caliber. Roughly speaking, it’s like our [7.62mm Dragunov] SVD sniper rifle. The range is approximately the same - 800-900 meters. I'm fully satisfied with it. Some guys who have different caliber rifles have some shortcomings in their weapons, as they say. But my rifle has never let me down throughout my entire service," Chernika emphasized.
When asked whether it's hard for a girl to serve in a military squad, she answered in earnest that it's equally hard for both men and women. And no, her commander never makes allowances for her.
"It seems to me that we have a unit that even guys find it not so easy to serve in," the female sniper admitted.
"Sometimes guys, seemingly healthy athletes, leave the service because they are strained mentally or physically. However, our commander is very wise in this regard. If they were to make exceptions for me now, it could potentially hinder me when I am on a mission. If I receive special treatment now, there will be no one to assist me when I am on the front line. It doesn't matter whether I am a boy, girl, or my age at that point. Everyone needs to have the same level of confidence that my fellow soldiers can depend on me, just as I can depend on them," she explained.
Both men and women are scared when a battle breaks out, she added.
"Is it scary? It's scary for everyone, guys and girls alike. You can’t just waltz in, get caught under mortar fire, and then stroll out as if nothing had happened," the female sniper said.
Chernika was the first girl to be awarded the "For Courage" medal for repelling the Ukrainian counteroffensive attempt last summer. Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseev, the first deputy chief of the Main Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, personally presented her with the award.
"I actually had mixed emotions," she confessed when asked about the ceremony. "I don’t even know what they can be compared to. It was, first of all, unexpected for me, and, secondly, very exciting."
"Unfortunately, I am unable to reveal all the details right now for what I was awarded and how, because the special military operation is still in progress, and the fighting continues. [Disclosing] the story could have a negative impact on the guys who are currently operating there."
The female sharpshooter is presently focused on fighting until victory, but she shared her thoughts about what she would do when the conflict ends.
"I am very interested in working as a journalist, as a war correspondent," Chernika revealed. "I want to travel to hot spots. Wars are still raging across the world, unfortunately. This is a very interesting profession. And it is very useful. If it weren't for journalists, ordinary civilians would have no idea what is going on here, or what developments are unfolding in the world, how the fascists gun down and slaughter civilians here. Journalism is a very important profession."
