Russian defense chief discusses weapons supply to troops at Joint Group of Forces HQ

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu
©Russian Defence Ministry/TASS

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has chaired a meeting with his deputies at the headquarters of the Joint Group of Forces, focusing on the continuous provision of troops with arms and ammunition, the Defense Ministry told reporters on Saturday.

"As part of his work at the headquarters of the Joint Group of Russian Forces, the Defense Minister of the Russian Federation, Army General Sergey Shoigu, heard reports by deputies of the defense minister of the Russian Federation on organizing the uninterrupted provision of troops with armaments, military hardware and ordnance," the ministry said.

As the ministry specified, the focus was on organizing combat training for reserve units, military and political activities and other ways of troop maintenance.

Additionally, Shoigu talked to service members and thanked them for operating exemplarily in the special military operation area. The defense minister awarded military decorations to the soldiers. Among them were the Gold Star, the Order of Courage, the Order of Saint George and the For Valor medals.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Shoigu had inspected the frontline command post of one of the formations of the Vostok Grouping of Forces in the southern Donetsk direction.

Ukraine’s Mi-8 helicopter, 12 HIMARS rockets, 11 drones downed by Russian air defenses

A Mi-8 helicopter, 12 HIMARS rockets and 11 Ukrainian drones were downed by Russian air defenses in the past day, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported during a briefing on Saturday.

"A Mi-8 helicopter of Ukraine’s Air Force was shot down by Russian air defenses near the locality of Novosyolovka in the Zaporozhye Region," he said. Also in the past day, 12 HIMARS rockets and 11 Ukrainian drones were downed near Petrovka and Veliky Vyselok in the Kharkov Region, Stelmakhovka, Golikovo, Zhitlovka and Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic and Malaya Kardashinka and Novaya Zburyevka in the Kherson Region, he added.

In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 394 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 215 helicopters, 3,324 unmanned aerial vehicles, 408 surface-to-air missile systems, 8,145 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,049 multiple rocket launchers, 4,273 field artillery guns and mortars and 8,722 special military motor vehicles since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine.

FSB nabs Moscow woman for funding Ukrainian armed forces

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in cooperation with the Russian Interior Ministry detained a female resident of Moscow for high treason, the FSB told TASS on Saturday.

"The illegal activities of a female resident of Moscow who committed high treason by rendering financial assistance to Ukraine’s armed forces in their actions to undermine security of the Russian Federation were stopped," the FSB said, referring to a crime under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code.

The suspect was detained in Moscow as she attempted to leave Russia. A Moscow court ruled to send her into custody for two months.

FSB investigators are currently conducting searches.

Offenses under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code are punishable with prison terms of 12 to 20 years and a fine of up to 500,000 rubles ($6,600).

Kapolri Sebut Kebakaran di Depo Plumpang Terjadi Saat Pengisian Pertamax

Kapolri Jenderal Listyo Sigit Prabowo berbincang saat mendatangi langsung lokasi kebakaran Depo Pertamina Plumpang, Jakarta Utara, Sabtu, 04/03/2023.
(Liputan6.com/Herman Zakharia)

Kapolri Jenderal Listyo menjelaskan kebakaran depo Pertamina Plumpang terjadi saat pengisian BBM jenis Pertamax terjadi gangguan teknis yang menyebabkan munculnya tekanan kuat dan lantas terjadi kebakaran di lokasi yang berasal dari kilang minyak Balongan.

Kebakaran Depo Plumpang Koja, Jakarta Utara diduga disebabkan kesalahan teknis pada saat pengisian bahan bakar Pertamax.

Dugaan tersebut disampaikan Kapolri Jenderal Listyo Sigit Prabowo setelah bersama jajarannya bersama tim dari Depo Pertamina melakukan pengecekan awal mengidentifikasi penyebab kebakaran di Depo Plumpang.

“Jadi sementara yang bisa kita jelaskan pada saat kejadian kemarin kurang lebih jam 20.00 WIB sedang terjadi pengisian atau penerimaan minyak jenis Pertamax dari Balongan diterima di Depo Plumpang,” kata Jenderal Listyo Sigit Prabowo di Depo Pertamina Plumpang, Sabtu (4/3/2023).

Pada saat proses pengisian BBM jenis Pertamax di salah satu tabung, terjadi gangguan teknis di lokasi. Hal itu menyebabkan munculnya tekanan kuat sehingga terjadi kebakaran.

Pada saat proses pengisian BBM jenis Pertamax di salah satu tabung, terjadi gangguan teknis di lokasi. Hal itu menyebabkan munculnya tekanan kuat sehingga terjadi kebakaran.

"Saat ini tim gabungan dari Polda dan Bareskrim sedang melaksanakan olah TKP awal di mana di dalamnya ada Puslabfor kemudian ada Pusiden, Pusinafis dan tentunya kita mendatangi titik awal terjadinya kebakaran dan saat ini sedang dalam pendalaman," kata Listyo Sigit kepada awak media.

Listyo mengaku, pihaknya melakukan berbagai langkah penyelidikan hingga penyidikan untuk mengungkap penyebab kebakaran.

Jenderal Sigit menjelaskan tim gabungan Polri masih mendalami sumber api yang memicu kebakaran.

Jajaran Polri mengumpulkan saksi hingga rekaman kamera pengawasan di Depo Pertamina Plumpang.

“Tentunya untuk mencari tahu sumber apinya dari mana ini sedang dilakukan pendalaman oleh tim,” ucap Listyo Sigit.

Kapolri menyebut, mereka sedang mengumpulkan saksi-saksi terkait peristiwa kebakaran.

Polisi juga mengumpulkan CCTV dan hal-hal teknis lain yang diperlukan untuk mendalami peristiwa kebakaran di Depo Pertamina Plumpang secara scientific crime investigation, terutama soal sumber api.

LIVE UPDATES - Over 90 Ukrainian servicemen eliminated in Russian attacks near Kupyansk

Russia’s Western group of forces eliminated more than 90 Ukrainian servicemen in the Kupyansk direction in the past day, according to Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov.

The group’s delivered air and artillery attacks against Ukrainian positions near Novosyolovskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic and Gryanikovka, Timkovka and Tabayevka in the Kharkov Region, also destroying a tank and six cars, Konashenkov said at a briefing.

All routes of supply and withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Artemivsk are in the zone of fire destruction of the artillery of the Wagner group, a fighter of the unit told RIA Novosti. RIA Novosti correspondents, together with the fighters, visited one of these roads.

Russian forces attack 83 Ukrainian artillery units, top brass reports

Russian forces attacked 83 Ukrainian artillery units in the course of the special military operation in Ukraine in the past day, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday.

A Ukrainian S-300 radar was destroyed in an attack near Druzhkovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, he added.

Prigozhin said that earlier a professional Ukrainian army fought in Artemovsk, but now there are more and more old people and children

Russia’s defense chief inspects Vostok group of forces in south Donetsk

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has inspected the control post of a unit of the Vostok group of forces in the south Donetsk direction where he heard the commander’s report on the current situation and the operations of the troops, the top brass told reporters on Saturday.

"The Russian Defense Minister, Army General Sergey Shoigu, has inspected the advance control post of a unit of the Vostok group of forces in the south Donetsk direction during operations in the course of the special military operation. At the control post, Shoigu heard a report by the commander of the group, Colonel-General Rustam Muradov, and staff officers on the current developments and the actions of the troops," the Defense Ministry reported.

According to the ministry, the Russian defense chief focused on the organization of support of troops, including the availability of conditions for safe accommodation of the personnel, and inspected the work of medical and logistics units.

Shoigu thanked the servicemen accomplishing tasks in the zone of the special military operation for their selflessness and heroism and gave them awards.

The Ukrainian army is destroying infrastructure in settlements near Artemivsk in order to stop the encirclement.

On the outskirts of the city, almost all bridges were blown up, a fighter of the Wagner group told RIA Novosti.

"These are well-deserved awards. You are fighting bravely! There is still much work to do. I very much hope that you will continue to faithfully serve our country," the defense minister told the servicemen, wishing them to return home safe and sound.

Special operation, March 3. Main:

▪️In Krasnolimansk, Kupyansk, Donetsk, Yuzhnodonetsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson directions, Kiev’s losses exceeded 600 people per day, 3 tanks, 6 infantry fighting vehicles, 11 howitzers, 3 Grads, as well as 4 self-propelled guns, including the Polish Krab, were destroyed. Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

▪️Prigozhin said that the fighters of the Wagner group had practically surrounded Artemovsk

▪️ The base of submariners-saboteurs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Nikolaev, where instructors from Britain arrived, was destroyed by a Russian strike, underground workers told RIA Novosti. According to them, the British were preparing drones there for attacks on Russian ships in the event of an attack by Kyiv on Transnistria.

▪️ Peskov commented on Kadyrov's idea to introduce martial law in the border area with Ukraine: this is the president's prerogative, no decisions have been made now

▪️ The Investigative Committee opened criminal cases on the fact of an attack in the Bryansk region under several articles, including a terrorist act

▪️Russian Ambassador Antonov said that the United States is responsible for the terrorist attack in the Bryansk region, as the perpetrators were inspired by American support

▪️ The United States is providing Ukraine with a new $400 million military aid package that includes ammunition for MLRS, howitzers and armored vehicles, as well as bridge layers, Blinken said

▪️ The Serbian Ministry of Defense stated that they did not supply ammunition to the end user in Ukraine

1.085 warga mengungsi akibat kebakaran pipa Pertamina

BPBD DKI mencatat data sementara ada 1.085 warga mengungsi akibat kebakaran terminal penerimaan BBM milik Pertamina di Plumpang, Jakarta Utara, Jumat malam, 03/03/2023. ANTARA/HO-BPBD DKI/aa.

Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah (BPBD) DKI mengungkapkan, sebanyak 1.085 warga mengungsi akibat kebakaran pipa penerimaan Bahan Bakar Minyak (BBM) di Terminal BBM Plumpang, Jakarta Utara, Jumat malam, 03/03/2023.

"Lokasi pengungsian tersebar di delapan titik," kata Pelaksana Harian (Plh) Kepala Pelaksana BPBD DKI Muhammad Ridwan di Jakarta, Sabtu.

BPBD DKI mencatat sebaran lokasi pengungsian berdasarkan data sementara hingga Sabtu pukul 07.00 WIB. Yakni di Kantor Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI) Jakarta Utara sebanyak 132 jiwa.

Kemudian di Masjid As Sholihin sebanyak 63 jiwa, Kantor Kelurahan Rawa Badak Selatan (79), Gedung Golkar Walang (258), Kantor Suku Dinas Tenaga Kerja dan Energi Jakarta Utara (74).

Selanjutnya di Masjid Al Muhajirin (60), Masjid Al Kuroma (63) dan RPTRA Rasella sebanyak 356 jiwa.

Kebakaran melanda pipa penerimaan BBM di Terminal BBM Plumpang, Jakarta Utara, pada Jumat malam, 03/03/2023, sekitar pukul 20.11 WIB.

Sebanyak 52 unit mobil pemadam kebakaran dikerahkan memadamkan "si jago merah" didukung 30 personel Tim Reaksi Cepat (TRC) BPBD, petugas dari PLN, PMI, AGD Dinas Kesehatan, Dinas Perhubungan, Satpol PP, Tagana Dinas Sosial, Polsek, Koramil hingga relawan.

Kobaran api berhasil dipadamkan pada Sabtu dini hari sekitar pukul 02.20 WIB.

Berdasarkan data sementara yang diterima BPBD DKI tercatat 17 korban tewas, 49 orang luka berat dan dua orang luka sedang.

Para korban dilarikan ke sejumlah rumah sakit terdekat untuk mendapatkan penanganan medis di antaranya RSUD Koja, RS Tugu, RS Mulyasari, RS Pelabuhan dan RS Firdaus.

Jakarta siap tangani dan rawat korban kebakaran Depo Plumpang

Pemerintah Provinsi DKI Jakarta menyatakan siap menangani dan memberi perawatan medis kepada seluruh korban kebakaran Depo Pertamina di Plumpang, Koja, Jakarta Utara.

Penjabat (Pj) Gubernur Provinsi DKI Jakarta, Heru Budi Hartono mengatakan, petugas gabungan terus bekerja menyisir tempat kebakaran di Depo Pertamina Plumpang, Koja Jakarta Utara, untuk mencari para korban yang belum ditemukan dan mungkin tertimbun reruntuhan bangunan di sekitar Jalan Koramil dan area kejadian.

"Kami sudah mempersiapkan semuanya, obat-obatan semoga cukup, paramedis cukup, ambulans kami kerahkan," Heru Budi Hartono di Jakarta Utara, Sabtu.

Seluruh korban yang dirawat ​​​​​di RSUD Koja sudah ditangani. "Mudah-mudahan, kami doakan bisa teratasi dan bisa melewati, jika yang kritis semoga bisa sembuh kembali," katanya.

Kepala Dinas Kesehatan Provinsi DKI Jakarta dr Widyastuti mengatakan, penanganan seluruh korban dilaksanakan di sejumlah rumah sakit di sekitar lokasi kejadian.

Bahkan, Rumah Sakit Pusat Pertamina dan Rumah Sakit Polri siap menangani pasien rujukan apabila diperlukan.

"Tentu kami lakukan prinsip kedaruratan, pasien sudah ada yang bisa pulang dan ada yang di atas 80 persen (luka bakar) masih dalam penanganan. Kita siagakan rumah sakit, rumah sakit rujukan dan rumah sakit pusat," katanya.

Berdasarkan data Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI) Jakarta Utara, terdapat delapan orang yang dinyatakan masih hilang setelah peristiwa kebakaran di Plumpang, Koja, Jakarta Utara.

Ketua PMI Jakarta Utara Rijal mengatakan, pihaknya sudah mendata jumlah anak-anak dan balita yang sebelumnya dinyatakan hilang yang sudah ditemukan keluarganya.

Data pukul 04.17 WIB, jumlah pengungsi yang ada di area Markas PMI Jakarta Utara sebanyak 87 Kepala Keluarga (KK) atau 332 jiwa terdiri dari dewasa 163 jiwa, anak-anak 108 jiwa, lansia 23 jiwa dan balita 38 jiwa.

Rijal mengatakan PMI menjadi garda terdepan dalam penyaluran bantuan kemanusiaan bagi para pengungsi itu bersama aparatur pemerintah terkait.

"Harapan saya mereka tertib datang ke sini dan mereka bersabar diri. Bahwa masyarakat kita, Jakarta Utara, akan siap selalu membantu mereka dalam kesulitan," kata Rijal.

US poses worst nuclear threat to world — China’s MFA

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning
©AP Photo/Liu Zheng

The US is the world's largest source of nuclear threat and it must rethink its security policy, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a news briefing on Friday.

"The United States is the world's largest source of nuclear threat. It should carefully rethink its nuclear policy, diligently fulfill its special and primary duty to disarm, thus reducing the role of nuclear weapons in the national security policy, and take meaningful practical steps to ease nuclear risks," the diplomat said.

Mao also stressed that speculations about the nuclear threat allegedly posed by China were a pretext for the United States to expand its own nuclear arsenal.

As The Wall Street Journal said in early February, citing the US Strategic Command, China had more launchers for land-based ICBMs than the United States. The authors of the publication noted that some US lawmakers were calling for an increase in the country's nuclear potential to confront China and Russia.

A Chinese military spokesperson on Thursday refuted remarks by some U.S. military officials to hype up the so-called Chinese "nuclear threat" and "bullying behaviors," saying the United States is the biggest nuclear threat to the international community and the one that undermines the rules-based international order.

Wu Qian, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said the U.S. officials ignore the facts and engage in groundless speculation for the purpose of justifying the development of the United States' own nuclear forces, as well as maintaining and strengthening its global hegemony.

"It is known to all that the U.S. has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world," Wu said.

To ensure its absolute security and military superiority, the United States has pulled itself out of several international treaties on arms control and non-proliferation, consistently pushed the deployment of anti-missile systems worldwide, sought to deploy land-based intermediate-range missiles in Europe and Asia-Pacific, and formed the Cold War-like "cliques" through multiple ways, he said.

Such moves have increased the risk of nuclear confrontation or even a nuclear war, posing a serious threat to international security, he said.

It is both unfair and unsustainable to try to build one's security on the insecurity of others, said Wu.

He reiterated China's self-defense nuclear strategy and its commitment to a nuclear policy of no first use of nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances, and not using or threatening to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones unconditionally.

Wu also said that the words chosen by the United States such as "bullying" or "undermining international rules and order" are just a reflection of itself, and show its strong Cold War mentality, hegemonic mentality and anxieties over China's peaceful rise.

He said the United States is a globally recognized rule-breaker when it comes to the rules-based international order, and it is the least qualified to blame other countries in terms of international law and rules.

The United States should accept China's peaceful development in an objective and rational manner, and stop the wrong practices of packaging its own laws and regulations as international rules to promote the U.S.-style hegemonic order, Wu said.

Update Kebakaran Depo Plumpang - 14 Tewas 24 Luka-Luka

Korban kebakaran Depo Pertamina Plumpang, Jakarta Utara dirawat di rumah sakit. (Foto IST).

14 orang tewas dan 24 orang mengalami luka akibat kebakaran Depo Pertamina Plumpang, Jakarta Utara, pada Jumat malam, 03/03/2023, pukul 20.11 WIb.

"Sampai saat ini 14 meninggal dunia dan 24 mengalami luka bakar di rumah sakit," kata Kapolres Metro Jakarta Utara Kombes Gidion Arif Setyawan, pada Jumat malam, 03/03/2023.

Kombes Gidion Arif Setyawan juga meminta masyarakat yang berada di lokasi untuk mempermudah proses evakuasi. Pemadam juga diberikan akses jalan.

"Mohon bantuannya untuk mempermudah proses evakuasi dan pemadaman karena jalan juga minim tolong beri akses," katanya

Kebakaran Depo Plumpang sudah tahap pendinginan

Sementara itu dari Dinas Penanggulangan Kebakaran dan Penyelamatan (Gulkarmat) DKI Jakarta menyebutkan, bahwa kebakaran Depo Pertamina Plumpang, Koja, Jakarta Utara, sejak pukul 23.00 WIB dalam tahap pendinginan.

"Kebakaran di Depo dan permukiman warga di sebelahnya saat ini proses pendinginan, artinya tinggal pemadaman bara-baranya saja," kata Kepala Dinas Gulkarmat DKI Jakarta Satriadi Gunawan dihubungi di Jakarta, Jumat malam.

Selain itu, kata Satriadi, pihak Gulkarmat DKI juga melakukan penyisiran titik-titik yang memungkinkan masih adanya bara api yang masih menyala.

Dalam usaha pemadaman kebakaran Depo Plumpang, Dinas Gulkarmat DKI Jakarta menurunkan 52 unit mobil pemadam dan sekitar 250 orang personel untuk membantu pemadaman di fasilitas milik Pertamina tersebut.

"Secara keseluruhan sebanyak 52 unit mobil pemadam dan sekitar 250 personel yang terlibat dalam proses pemadaman kebakaran," ucap Satriadi.

Kebakaran yang terjadi sejak sekitar pukul 20.11 WIB ini bermula dari terbakarnya pipa bensin Pertamina.

Atas kejadian tersebut, diperkirakan sebanyak 14 orang meninggal dunia dan 28 mengalami luka bakar yang merupakan warga dua RW kelurahan Rawa Badak Selatan, Tanjung Priok.

Para korban telah dibawa ke Rumah Sakit rujukan antara lain RS Pelabuhan, RS Tugu, dan RS Mulya Sari.

TNI/Polri, pemadam kebakaran, dan semua stakeholder yang ada di Jakarta Utara juga saat ini masih terus melakukan pencarian korban.

Sementara pihak Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah (BPBD) DKI Jakarta mendirikan dua lokasi pengungsian yakni di Masjid Jamiatul Amaliyah, Tugu Utara, Koja, Jakarta Utara, dan juga di Madrasah Ash-Shalihin, Tugu Utara, Koja, Jakarta Utara.

Wakapolda Metro Jaya temui pihak Pertamina Plumpang

Wakil Kepala Kepolisian Daerah Metro Jaya Brigadir Jenderal Polisi Hendro Pandowo mendatangi lobi kantor Integrated Terminal Jakarta, Plumpang, Koja.

"Kami ingin mendengar dulu kronologis kejadian dari pihak Pertamina Plumpang. Penyebab kejadian masih dalam proses investigasi," kata Hendro di Jakarta Utara, Jumat.

Hendro memastikan saat ini pihaknya fokus pada penanganan kebakaran dan melakukan evakuasi terhadap pekerja maupun warga di sekitar lokasi, ke area yang lebih aman.

Pertamina Patra Niaga Regional Jawa Bagian Barat terus berupaya maksimal menanggulangi kejadian ini.

Pertamina pastikan pasokan BBM tetap aman

PT Pertamina (Persero) memastikan pasokan bahan bakar minyak tetap aman meski ada insiden kebakaran pipa BBM di Depo Plumpang, Jakarta Utara.

Direktur Utama Pertamina Nicke Widyawati mengatakan pihaknya menggunakan pasokan cadangan dari terminal bahan bakar minyak terdekat, yaitu Terminal BBM Tanjung Gerem, Terminal BBM Cikampek, dan Terminal BBM Ujung Berung.

"Pasokan BBM juga diamankan melalui dukungan dari Kilang Cilacap dan Balongan yang disalurkan lewat laut ke Terminal BBM Tanjung Priok," kata Nicke di Jakarta, Jumat.

Terminal BBM Tanjung Gerem memilik stok Pertamax sebanyak 6.559 kiloliter yang cukup untuk 15 hari dan Pertalite sebanyak 17.189 kiloliter (9,6 hari).

Kemudian, Terminal BBM Cikampek memiliki stok Pertamax sebanyak 6.137 kiloliter (11 hari) dan Pertalite sebanyak 20.399 kiloliter (10 hari).

Selanjutnya, Terminal BBM Ujung Berung punya stok Pertamax sebanyak 22.004 kiloliter (29,2 hari) dan Pertalite sebanyak 24.250 kiloliter (11,5 hari).

Lalu, Terminal Transit Utama Balongan punya stok Pertamax sebanyak 50.626 kiloliter (170 hari) dan Pertalite sebanyak 24.250 kiloliter (57 hari).

Kegiatan penambahan pasokan bahan bakar minyak dari Kilang Balongan dan Kilang Cilacap dapat dilakukan melalui laut ke Terminal BBM Tanjung Priok.

Moscow: Bryansk Terror Committed Using NATO Weapons, Leading to Question of Alliance's Culpability

©Sputnik / Screengrab of video courtesy of the FSB

Two civilians were killed and a 10-year-old boy injured on Thursday after a group of Ukrainian saboteurs infiltrated a border village and seemingly randomly opened fire on residents and infrastructure. President Putin characterized the incident as a "terrorist attack" of a kind typically committed "by the neo-Nazis and their masters."

The use of NATO weaponry in Thursday's "outrageous terrorist act" in Bryansk region sparks questions about the Western bloc's culpability in the acts of terrorism, the Russian Foreign Ministry has announced.

"Ukrainian officials have repeatedly acknowledged that all their actions are carried out with the approval and support of the United States and other NATO countries. The murders in Bryansk region were committed using NATO weapons. In this regard, a logical question arises about the qualification of these countries as accomplices in such crimes and as sponsors of terrorism," the ministry said in a press statement Friday.

"We have drawn the appropriate conclusions from the events. Russian investigators have launched a probe. This crime will not go unpunished," the statement said.

"By supplying Ukraine with high-tech weapon types, the United States and other NATO countries are turning the country into a personal laboratory and testing ground for their developments," the ministry said, referencing the ongoing NATO-Russia proxy conflict in Ukraine.

Earlier in the day, Russia's Federal Security Service released footage of the aftermath of Thursday's deadly attack in Bryansk, showing victims, vehicles riddled with bullet holes, and weapons, including landmines, bazookas and bullet casings (warning, some viewers may find the footage disturbing).

The ministry also commented on recent media reports on plans for the forcible recruitment of Russian and Belarusian nationals trapped in Ukraine to fight in the Ukrainian army, emphasizing that Moscow is ready to take in "all the victims of the Kiev regime in Russia."

Earlier in the day, Russian lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein said judging by the FSB footage, most of the weapons found in Bryansk region were foreign-made, with most of them apparently hailing from Germany. "What is this if not direct encouragement of terrorist activities?" the lawmaker asked.

West's Plans in Ukraine Will Fail

The Foreign Ministry accused Washington of continuing to implement its "geopolitical plan to destroy Russia" by pumping more and more weapons into Ukraine, determining targets and coordinating strikes. Moscow suggested Kiev's recent decision to impose sanctions on Russia's financial sector lasting 50 years is an indication of how long the Ukrainian regime and its Western patrons hope the current crisis will last.

The ministry accused the "the collective West which has nurtured the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev" for years of now demanding "that Kiev continue offensive operations and the occupation of the territory of the new Russian regions," but assured that "such plans are doomed to failure."

"They don't care that the price of this policy is the lives of thousands of innocent people," Moscow said. "The other day, US deputy secretary of state Victoria Nuland said at a Carnegie Center event that military targets in Russian Crimea are "legitimate targets" for Ukraine. It seems that Washington expects to earn extra political points in a 'Crimean campaign' for the upcoming [presidential] elections," the statement said.

US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland on Washington's support for strikes on Crimea: "These are legitimate targets. Ukraine strikes at them. And we support it."
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The Foreign Ministry also slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's peace plan, suggesting that "in fact, it's aimed not at establishing peace, but at putting together an anti-Russian coalition."