Even though more than 100 countries are banned from using cluster munitions under a convention, the US never hesitated to use such weapons in its military campaigns.
Kiev is considering using US-made cluster munitions against Russian forces who continue their special military operation in Ukraine, a US media outlet has reported.
The outlet cited Jason Crow and Adam Smith, who both serve on the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, as saying that Ukraine is seeking the US MK-20 cluster bomb, as part of Washington’s military assistance to Kiev.
So what are cluster munitions and why are Ukrainian authorities so eager to acquire this type of weapon that is banned in scores of countries? Sputnik explores.
What is a Cluster Bomb?
A cluster munition or bomb is an extremely lethal weapon that contains multiple explosive submunitions, or bomblets.
Such bombs are typically dropped from aircraft or fired from the ground or sea, opening up in mid-air to release tens or hundreds of submunitions, which can saturate an area up to the size of several football fields, or more than 300 meters.
Opponents explain that when cluster bomblets scatter they can maim and kill civilians and have high failure rates, with duds posing a danger for years after a conflict ends.
What About the MK-20?
The MK-20 Rockeye II, also known as the CBU-100 Cluster Bomb, is an air-launched, conventional free-fall weapon manufactured in the US.
The 222 kg bomb, which is designed to mainly target enemy armored vehicles, was introduced in 1986 to replace the earlier cluster bombs used by the US Air Force (USAF) in the 1955-1975 Vietnam War.
Why Does Kiev Want to Get MK-20s?
The Ukrainian government reportedly expressed hope that the MK20 cluster bombs will give Kiev "an edge in the grinding fight against Russian forces in eastern Ukraine."
Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, was cited by a US media outlet as saying that the Ukrainian military believes these submunitions "have better armor-piercing capability" than the weapons it has been dropping from drones."
Why is Kiev So Sure of Legality of Cluster Bomb Supplies?
Speaking on the sidelines of the 2023 Munich Security Conference last month, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Alexander Kubrakov claimed that the US and its partners possess cluster munitions "for millions of shots."
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, for his part, recalled that Kiev is not a signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which is why he argued that the US providing Ukraine with such weaponry is purportedly in sync with international law.
Textron Systems Corporation stopped producing the MK-20s in 2016 after the US halted sales to Saudi Arabia, but an unnamed congressional aide told an American media outlet that there are more than one million cluster sub-munitions in the US military stockpiles.
Are Cluster Bombs Prohibited?
The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) is an international treaty that bans all use, transfer, production, and stockpiling of cluster bombs. The CCM also establishes a framework to support victim assistance, clearance of contaminated sites, risk reduction education, and stockpile destruction.
The convention was adopted on May 30, 2008, in Dublin before coming into force on August 1, 2010. As of February 2022, a total of 123 states remain committed to the goal of the document and are obliged "never under any circumstances" to:
use cluster munitions;
develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile, retain or transfer to anyone, directly or indirectly, cluster munitions;
assist, encourage or induce anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State party under current Convention.
It’s worth noting that neither Ukraine nor the US are signatories to the CCM.
Where Did US Use Cluster Bombs?
Between 1964 and 1973, the USAF used cluster bombs during the Indochina Wars, which saw 285 million US cluster submunitions dropped on targets in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, killing tens of thousands of people.
Between 60,000 and 80,000 cluster bombs were dropped on Iraqi forces’ positions by US, British, and French aircraft during the Gulf War in 1991.
During the 1999 NATO bombing of then-Yugoslavia, about 2,000 cluster munitions containing more than 380,000 bomblets were used by the US and its allies against Yugoslav security forces and civilian population. At least 25 civilians were reportedly killed as a result of the cluster bomb strikes during the three-month NATO operation.
Where Did US Use Cluster Bombs?
Between 1964 and 1973, the USAF used cluster bombs during the Indochina Wars, which saw 285 million US cluster submunitions dropped on targets in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, killing tens of thousands of people.
Between 60,000 and 80,000 cluster bombs were dropped on Iraqi forces’ positions by US, British, and French aircraft during the Gulf War in 1991.
During the 1999 NATO bombing of then-Yugoslavia, about 2,000 cluster munitions containing more than 380,000 bomblets were used by the US and its allies against Yugoslav security forces and civilian population. At least 25 civilians were reportedly killed as a result of the cluster bomb strikes during the three-month NATO operation.
In addition, the Pentagon dropped 1,200 cluster bombs containing 248,000 submunitions in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2002.
In the spring of 2003, the first three weeks of hostilities in Iraq, US-British coalition forces used almost 13,000 cluster bombs containing approximately two million sub-munitions, with some of them reportedly targeting civilians. In addition, the US tested a new 500 kg laser-guided cluster bomb in Iraq in April 2003.
Ridho dan teman-temannya masih bocah terpaksa menelan rasa takut naik perahu menyeberangi sungai besar agar bisa bersekolah. Sementara bidan Ayu harus melayani pasien di lantai Polindes lantaran tidak ada kursi.
Tidak semua anak-anak mempunyai kemudahan untuk mengakses pendidikan, terutama bagi mereka yang tinggal wilayah terpencil, seperti anak-anak di Dusun Sarah Raja, Desa Lubok Pusaka, Kecamatan Langkahan, Kabupaten Aceh Utara, Provinsi Aceh. Ada satu syarat untuk mereka diizinkan bersekolah, yaitu mereka wajib pandai berenang! Mengapa? Karena perjalanan menuju sekolah cukup berbahaya bagi seumur mereka, siswa harus melalui sungai yang besar dan deras.
Di Dusun Sarah Raja, Desa Lubok Pusaka, Kecamatan Langkahan, Kabupaten Aceh Utara, tidak ada Sekolah Dasar (SD). Anak-anak warga dusun terpencil itu naik perahu untuk belajar di SD Dusun Sarah Gala, Gampong Sah Raja, Kecamatan Pante Bidari, Kabupaten Aceh Timur. Mereka calon penerus masa depan bangsa yang belum mendapatkan akses pendidikan layak dan mudah. Bocah-bocah tersebut harus berjuang keras, susah payah, dan berisiko besar untuk dapat mengenyam pendidikan dasar.
Sarah Raja terletak di perbatasan Aceh Utara dengan Aceh Timur dalam kawasan hutan belantara. Sebagian masyarakat dusun itu sehari-hari berkebun untuk menyambung hidup.
Menuju Sarah Raja harus menggunakan perahu menyeberangi Krueng (Sungai) Arakundo dari Dusun Bidari, Desa Lubok Pusaka, dengan waktu tempuh lebih satu jam.
Pada hari Rabu, 01 Februari 2023, siang, portalsatu.com dan seorang jurnalis lainnya berangkat dari Lhoksukon, Ibu Kota Aceh Utara, melewati jalan Kecamatan Cot Girek ke Lubok Pusaka, berjarak sekitar 30 kilometer.
Tiba di Dusun Bidari, di bibir Krueng Arakundo, tampak Camat Langkahan, Ramli Jazuli, Keuchik (Kepala Desa) Lubok Pusaka, Sulaiman S., Ketua Tuha Peut Lubok Pusaka, Abdul Wahab, Imum Mukim Rampah Langkahan, Janni, dan sejumlah personel Kesatuan Pengelolaan Hutan (KPH) III Wilayah Aceh dan Badan Kesatuan Pengelolaan Hutan (BKPH) Uring.
Ridho dan empat bocah SD lainnya bersama Durani dan ibu salah satu anak sekolah itu naik perahu dari Alue Sepoy Dusun Sarah Raja, Langkahan, Aceh Utara, untuk mengarungi Sungai Arakundo ke Sekolah Dasar di Sarah Gala, Aceh Timur, Kamis, 2 Februari 2023. Foto: portalsatu.com/Fazil
Mereka sudah menyiapkan satu perahu panjang 15 meter dan lebar lebar 1,5 meter. Rombongan 17 orang satu persatu meloncat ke dalam perahu untuk mengarungi sungai menuju Sarah Raja. Camat Langkahan dan Mukim Rampah tidak ikut bersama tim tersebut.
Berangkat dari Dusun Bidari sekitar pukul 16.20 WIB. Sepanjang perjalanan menjelajahi sungai tampak pemandangan alam asri. Terlihat pula aktivitas warga berkebun. Sejumlah warga mengangkut tandan buah segar (TBS) kelapa sawit menggunakan sampan yang dipasang jaring di kanan-kiri agar tidak tercebur ke dalam sungai besar itu. Ada juga warga naik perahu membawa pulang bahan kebutuhan pokok–yang dibeli dari pasar Lubok Pusaka–ke rumahnya di Sarah Raja.
Setelah mengarungi Krueng Arakundo, untuk sampai ke Sarah Raja harus melewati anak sungai Alue Sepoy sekitar 1 kilometer. Perahu ditumpangi rombongan tadi menepi di sungai mungil tersebut, sekitar pukul 17.40 WIB. Rombongan itu disambut Kepala Dusun Sarah Raja, Zulkifli, yang kemudian mengajak mereka ke sebuah balai untuk beristirahat hingga bermalam di sana.
Kedatangan tim KPH III Wilayah Aceh dan BKPH Uring ke kawasan hutan tersebut untuk mengecek lokasi yang akan diusulkan Camat Langkahan melalui Pemkab Aceh Utara kepada Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan agar menjadi wilayah Tanah Obyek Reforma Agraria (TORA).
Sebelum tidur, sebagian anggota tim itu menyeruput kopi bersama warga di kios kecil. Siulan burung dari hutan memecah kesunyian malam yang menyelimuti Sarah Raja.
“Di Sarah Raja ini sudah ada orang tempati sejak sebelum Indonesia merdeka. Pada masa itu bukan Dusun Sarah Raja namanya, tapi Desa Ketok. Namun, seiring berjalannya waktu ada perubahan nama menjadi Dusun Serah Raja pada tahun 1953, bukan Sarah Raja. Tetapi karena sejak zaman dulu masyarakat di sini lebih familiar menyebut Sarah Raja, sehingga sampai sekarang lebih dikenal dengan sebutan itu. Sedangkan Ketok saat ini juga jadi dusun di Gampong Lubok Pusaka. Tapi, di Dusun Ketok banyak warga yang sudah pindah ke kawasan lain ketika masa konflik Aceh. Kalau tidak salah saya sekarang hanya tiga rumah ditempati warga di Ketok,” kata Razali, pemandu tim, kepada portalsatu.com, saat berbincang malam itu.
Malam semakin larut. Di luar rumah kian gelap. Teramat gelap.
Pada hari Kamis pagi, 02 Februari 2023. portalsatu.com melihat lima anak–tiga di antaranya perempuan–keluar dari rumahnya di Sarah Raja. Mereka akan menumpang perahu mengarungi Alue Sepoy dan Sungai Arakundo ke Sekolah Dasar di Sarah Gala lantaran di Sarah Raja tidak ada SD.
Empat dari lima anak tersebut memakai seragam SD. Satu anak, Ridho, mengenakan kaos dilengkapi penutup kepala warna abu-abu, celana pendek hitam, dan membawa tas sekolah.
“Saya pakai baju sekolah nanti di seberang saja. Kalau saya pakai sekarang nanti cepat kotor saat naik perahu,” ujar Ridho.
Ridho mengaku tidak takut naik perahu karena sudah terbiasa. “Malah senang, karena bisa sekolah,” ucapnya. “Tapi, bagusnya ada sekolah di sini (Sarah Raja),” kata bocah kelas satu SD itu.
Pukul 07.40 WIB, lima murid SD itu bersama seorang juragan perahu dan salah satu orang tua siswa tersebut berjalan melewati kebun cokelat ke lokasi perahu di tepi Alue Sepoy. Sebelum meloncat ke dalam perahu, anak-anak itu melepas sepatunya lantaran pinggir sungai berlumpur. Pukul 07.48 WIB, mereka berangkat ke sekolah menggunakan perahu.
“Ridho, tolong ambil kayu itu untuk mendorong perahu. Kakek mau hidupkan mesin perahu dulu,” ucap Durani (53 tahun), juragan perahu tersebut.
Anak-anak Sarah Raja harus mengarungi Sungai Arakundo sekitar 1 Km menggunakan perahu agar bisa sekolah, karena tidak ada jalan dan jembatan penghubung ke Sarah Gala. Setelah menyeberangi sungai, bocah-bocah tersebut harus berjalan kaki sejauh 800 meter baru tiba di SD Negeri Sarah Gala.
Saban hari sekolah, Durani mengantar anak-anak Sarah Raja ke Sarah Gala. Dia dengan sabar menunggu para bocah itu pulang sekolah pukul 11.00 WIB untuk dibawa kembali menggunakan perahu ke Sarah Raja.
“Beginilah kondisi kami di sini. Anak-anak setiap pagi bersekolah harus menyeberangi sungai. Menggunakan perahu itu harus bayar Rp200 ribu perbulan dari masing-masing orang tua siswa. Kami bayar kepada orang yang mengantarkan anak-anak ke Sarah Gala sebagai pengganti bahan bakar minyak perahu. Saat ini tinggal lima lagi anak-anak Sarah Raja yang sekolah (di SD Sarah Gala). Yang lainnya sudah pindah ke Lhoksukon atau tempat lain,” ujar Srimurni, warga Sarah Raja, Kamis (2/2).
Ibu lima anak tersebut menyebut tidak ada akses lain bagi warga Sarah Raja ke luar dari dusun itu selain menggunakan perahu melintasi Sungai Arakundo. Warga yang ingin berbelanja kebutuhan pokok juga menyeberangi sungai ke Sarah Gala, atau ke Ibu Kota Kecamatan Langkahan.
Masyarakat setempat membutuhkan akses jalan dan jembatan yang layak penghubung Sarah Raja dengan Sarah Gala, dan juga ke pusat Desa Lubok Pusaka. Infrastruktur tersebut paling utama dibutuhkan masyarakat.
[Foto: portalsatu.com/Fazil]
“Memang sudah dibuka lahan untuk jalan dari Sarah Raja ke Lubok Pusaka, tapi masih tanah dasar, belum ada pengerasan, sehingga tidak bisa dimanfaatkan warga. Apalagi perlu jembatan juga untuk melewati anak sungai Alue Sepoy Sarah Raja sebagai penghubung ke jalan tersebut. Jika tidak ada infrastruktur itu sama saja tidak bisa akses,” ujar Srimurni.
Kepala Dusun Sarah Raja, Zulkifli, juga menyebut akses jalan yang sedang dibuka dari Sarah Raja ke pusat Desa Lubok Pusaka belum memungkinkan dilintasi warga. “Belum ada pengerasan, ketika hujan tanah dasar itu berlumpur, sehingga tidak bisa dimanfaatkan secara normal,” ungkapnya.
Dia menyebut jumlah penduduk Sarah Raja sebanyak 46 KK atau 250 jiwa. “Tapi, banyak warga yang sudah pindah keluar, karena di sini tidak ada akses jalan, dan fasilitas umum lainnya juga tidak memadai,” ucap Zulkifli.
Zulkifli berharap adanya akses yang singkat dan cepat, baik jalan ke pusat Desa Lubok Pusaka maupun jembatan penghubung Sarah Raja dengan Sarah Gala.
Keuchik Gampong Lubok Pusaka, Sulaiman S., mengatakan kebutuhan sangat mendesak di Dusun Sarah Raja jembatan penghubung ke Sarah Gala. Menurut dia, pada pertengahan tahun 2022, kontraktor membangun fondasi jembatan gantung bersumber dari APBN.
“Pertama dibangun fondasi dasar pada Juni 2022, setelah itu terhenti dua bulan, dan pada Oktober 2022 mereka lanjutkan lagi pekerjaan. Namun, sampai sekarang (Februari 2023) belum rampung jembatan gantung itu. Kita tidak tahu faktor apa kendalanya. Saya juga tidak ingat lagi nama perusahaan rekanan itu. Jika tidak salah itu (proyek jembatan gantung) dana aspirasi salah seorang anggota DPR RI asal Aceh,” tutur Sulaiman.
Sulaiman berharap pemerintah segera menyelesaikan pembangunan jembatan tersebut agar anak-anak Sarah Raja tidak lagi naik perahu ke SD Sarah Gala. “Sangat sedih melihat anak-anak SD setiap hari harus naik perahu menyeberangi sungai besar untuk pergi ke sekolah. Masyarakat Sarah Raja yang ingin berbelanja dan salat Jumat juga harus lewat sungai ke Sarah Gala,” ungkap Sulaiman diamini Ketua Tuha Peut Lubok Pusaka, Abdul Wahab.
“Jika pemerintah tidak membangun jembatan gantung itu sampai selesai, anak-anak Sarah Raja tetap harus menggunakan perahu ke sekolah di Sarah Gala, walaupun itu sangat rawan,” ucap Zulkifli.
Zulkifli dan Srimurni berharap pula pemerintah membangun SD di Sarah Raja, meskipun anak-anak dusun itu yang sekolah jumlahnya tak ramai.
“Bagi anak-anak Sarah Raja yang melanjutkan Sekolah Menengah Pertama harus ke Ibu Kota Langkahan, atau tempat lainnya, karena tidak ada sarana pendidikan di sini,” kata Zulkifli.
Di Sarah Raja ada Pondok Bersalin Desa (Polindes), satu-satunya fasilitas kesehatan bagi masyarakat. Di Polindes itu ditempatkan seorang bidan berstatus honorer.
“Untuk pelayanan kesehatan masyarakat saat ini, Alhamdulillah, ada satu orang yang tinggal di Polindes Sarah Raja. Jika ada ibu melahirkan sudah ada yang menangani. Ini berkat kerja keras Pak Keuchik dalam menempatkan tenaga kesehatan tersebut. Tapi, Polindes ini belum lengkap peralatannya, sehingga terkendala juga. Beberapa tahun sebelumnya, ketika ada ibu-ibu melahirkan terpaksa kita larikan ke Puskesmas Langkahan menggunakan sampan dengan risiko cukup tinggi,” ungkap Zulkifli.
Menurut Srimurni, bidan bertugas di Polindes itu hanya bisa melayani warga yang sakit ringan, seperti demam. “Apabila ibu bidan itu tidak mampu menangani jika ada warga yang sakit berat, harus dibawa ke Puskesmas Langkahan atau rumah sakit, juga naik perahu dengan jarak tempuh yang jauh,” ujarnya.
Bidan Ayu Sandi, Amd.Keb., bertugas di Polindes Sarah Raja sejak September 2022. Kendala selama ini, kata dia, jika ada pasien sakit berat butuh penanganan cepat untuk dirujuk ke Puskesmas Langkahan tidak ada akses jalan yang layak.
“Kalau melalui sungai terkadang tidak selalu ada boat (perahu) yang standby, apalagi saat dibutuhkan mendadak untuk ke Langkahan, jarak tempuh pun sangat jauh. Belum lagi jika musim hujan,” ungkap Ayu.
Kendala lainnnya, Polindes Sarah Raja belum memiliki kursi, meja, tempat tidur pasien, dan timbangan badan pasien. “Selama ini kalau ada pasien, kami duduk di lantai, karena tidak ada kursi,” ucap Ayu.
Luncuran lava pijar Gunung Merapi terlihat dari Pakem, Sleman, DI Yogyakarta, Minggu, 23 Januari 2022. Terjadinya 45 guguran Gunung Merapi mengakibatkan potensi bahaya berupa guguran lava pijar dan awan panas pada sektor tenggara dan barat daya. ANTARA FOTO/Hendra Nurdiyansyah
Gunung Merai kembali menyemburkan lava pijar pada hari Selasa, 07/03/2023. Peristiwa guguran tersebut dengan jelas terekam dalam video yang diperbesar sehingga peristiwa itu terlihat sangat dekat itu, tampak batu-batu berhamburan ketika guguran terjadi disertai asap tebal.
Narasi yang menyertai video itu menyebutkan jika pada Selasa, 7 Maret 2023 pagi Gunung Merapi mengalami guguran dari kubah lava 2021 yang berada di sisi barat daya. Detik-detik ambrolnya kubah lava terekam jelas di kamera yang berjarak sekitar 9 kilometer dari puncak gunung ke arah selatan tepatnya di bibir Kali Kuning.
Kepala Balai Penyelidikan dan Pengembangan Teknologi Kebencanaan Geologi (BPPTKG) Yogyakarta Agus Budi Santosa membenarkan peristiwa itu. Ia mengatakan dalam rentang waktu 00.00-12.00 WIB setidaknya terjadi tujuh kali guguran di Gunung Merapi.
BPPTKG mengamati terjadi 3 kali guguran lava pijar pada Gunung Merapi. Jarak luncur maksimum guguran tersebut 1500 meter ke barat daya.
Selama periode pengamatan pada hari Selasa, 07/03/2023, dari pukul 00.00-06.00, terjadi 15 kali guguran, dengan amplitudo : 4-24 mm, dan durasi : 55-117.8 detik. Hybrid/Fase Banyak tercatat ada 4 kali, amplitudo : 4-10 mm, S-P : 0.4-0.5 detik, Durasi : 5.3-8.8 detik.
Vulkanik Dalam terjadi 19 kali, amplitudo : 9-20 mm, S-P : 0.6-1.2 detik, dan durasi : 7.4-12.6 detik.
Tektonik Jauh terjadi 1 kali, amplitudo : 4 mm, S-P : 5.52 detik, durasi : 44.4 detik.
Menurut pengamatan meteorologi, cuaca cerah dan berawan. Angin bertiup lemah hingga sedang ke arah barat. Suhu udara 13-20 °C, kelembaban udara 68-92 persen, dan tekanan udara 656-687 mmHg.
Secara visual, gunung jelas hingga kabut 0-I. Asap kawah bertekanan lemah teramati berwarna putih dengan intensitas sedang dan tinggi 30-50 m di atas puncak kawah.
Secara visual, gunung jelas hingga kabut 0-I. Asap kawah bertekanan lemah teramati berwarna putih dengan intensitas sedang dan tinggi 30-50 m di atas puncak kawah.
Saat ini Gunung Merapi berstatus Siaga (Level III). Potensi bahaya saat ini berupa guguran lava dan awanpanas pada sektor selatan-barat daya meliputi Sungai Boyong sejauh maksimal 5 km, Sungai Bedog, Krasak, Bebeng sejauh maksimal 7 km.
Pada sektor tenggara meliputi Sungai Woro sejauh maksimal 3 km dan Sungai Gendol 5 km. Sedangkan lontaran material vulkanik bila terjadi letusan eksplosif dapat menjangkau radius 3 km dari puncak.
"Potensi bahaya saat ini masih berupa guguran lava dan awan panas," kata Agus Budi Santosa, Kepala Balai Penyelidikan dan Pengembangan Teknologi Kebencanaan Geologi (BPPTKG). Terutama pada sektor selatan-barat daya meliputi Sungai Boyong sejauh maksimal 5 km, Sungai Bedog, Krasak, Bebeng sejauh maksimal 7 km.
Sedangkan potensi bahaya pada sektor tenggara meliputi Sungai Woro sejauh maksimal 3 km dan Sungai Gendol 5 km. "Untuk lontaran material vulkanik bila terjadi letusan eksplosif dapat menjangkau radius 3 km dari puncak," tambahnya.
Masyarakat juga wisatawan, kata Agus, diminta tetap tidak melakukan kegiatan apapun di daerah potensi bahaya. Masyarakat juga diminta tetap mengantisipasi gangguan akibat abu vulkanik dari erupsi Gunung Merapi serta mewaspadai bahaya lahar terutama saat terjadi hujan di seputar G. Merapi. "Tingkat aktivitas Gunung Merapi
masih tetap di Level III atau Siaga," kata Agus.
Russia continues its efforts to take control of Artyomovsk –known in Ukraine as Bakhmut– Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced on Tuesday, noting that the city is an important defense hub for Kiev’s forces in Donbass.
“Taking (Artyomovsk) under control will allow further offensive actions deep into the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” he explained.
Artyomovsk has seen some of the most brutal fighting amid Russia’s ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. As well as being a stronghold for Ukraine’s forces, the city is part of a 70-kilometer line of defense created by Kiev since it initiated the fighting in Donbass in 2014.
In a months-long campaign, Russian forces have systematically captured settlements around the city and have been surrounding Artyomovsk from the north, south, and east.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, meanwhile, has repeatedly insisted that he would not surrender the city, despite his Western backers and military advisers reportedly urging him to cut his losses and withdraw.
The anti-drone gun "Harpy" was successfully tested near Donetsk on one of the most common copters in the special operation zone - DJI Mavic Pro. This enemy drone is used as a strike drone - with a warhead.
Shoigu also reported on Tuesday that Russian forces have liberated the settlements of Nikolaevka, Dvurechnoe, Krasnaya Gora, Gryanikovka and Paraskovievka, and stated that the “American strategy of ‘breaking Russia by force of arms’” had failed.
“Western countries are increasing the supply of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, expanding training programs for Ukrainian army personnel,” said Shoigu. “At the same time, the support of the Kiev regime by NATO countries is not leading to the success of Ukrainian troops on the battlefield,” he added, noting that Kiev’s losses have significantly increased.
According to the minister, in February alone the casualties suffered by Ukraine's armed forces increased by more than 40% compared to January and amounted to over 11,000 servicemen.
“In this regard, the Kiev regime’s indifference towards its people is surprising” Shoigu noted, adding that Kiev doesn’t seem to care how many people die for the benefit of its Western backers.
Russia’s priority, on the other hand, remains the preservation of the life and health of personnel and civilians, the minister stressed.
Special operation, March 6th. Main:
▪️The FSB prevented an assassination attempt on the founder of the Tsargrad TV channel Malofeev. According to the agency, the attack was planned to be carried out by detonating an improvised explosive device attached under the businessman's car - in a similar way to the murder of Dugina;
▪️The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Zakharova, said that the failed assassination attempt on Malofeev is another example of the deeply criminal nature of the Kyiv regime, which does not disdain terrorist methods;
▪️In the Donetsk, South-Donetsk, Zaporozhye, Kupyansky and Krasnolimansky and Kherson directions, Kyiv’s losses per day amounted to 490 military killed and wounded, the Russian Defense Ministry reported;
▪️Shoigu checked the work on restoring the infrastructure of Donbass, including in Mariupol, praising the work of the Military Construction Complex, the Russian Defense Ministry reported;
▪️Peskov said that no decisions have yet been made on the possible unification of new regions of the Russian Federation into one federal district, various options are being discussed;
▪️He noted that all the necessary qualifications for an emergency in the Bryansk region have already been given, measures will be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future;
▪️Prigozhin said that the Ukrainian military created groups around Artemivsk in order to block the Wagner group. According to him, Kyiv created one grouping in Slavyansk, the second - in Seversk (from two brigades) and one grouping each in Chasov Yar and Konstantinovka.
Russian paratroopers destroyed a Ukrainian reconnaissance drone "Leleka-100" in the LPR. About this, as well as about his work, RIA Novosti was told by a senior anti-aircraft gunner with the call sign "Milaga".
The main thing from Lukashenka's statements about sabotage against the A-50 aircraft near Minsk:
▪️A terrorist recruited by the Ukrainian special services was detained, as well as more than 20 "accomplices" in the attack on the plane.
Representatives of the Belarusian opposition helped the saboteur - in this regard, Lukashenka said that the country would be entrusted with a "cruel cleansing" of those who harbor terrorist plans.
The attack was carried out with a Chinese-made "small drone" that was sold to the United States.
▪️After the incident with the A-50, "hundreds, maybe thousands" of security forces were raised to prevent the Ukrainian saboteur from entering Russia.
▪️The plane itself was almost not damaged as a result of the sabotage - "scratches and one hole." But Lukashenka asked Russia to take him for service and send another one in return.
▪️Ukraine wants to draw Belarus into the war at the command of the United States, Lukashenka believes. The Belarusian president called Zelensky a "nit" - he proposes a "non-aggression pact", and at the same time coordinates sabotage on the territory of Belarus.
Russia can see no prerequisites for peace in Ukraine, so it continues to attain its goals by conducting the special military operation, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.
"The special military operation is ongoing. There are no prerequisites for transition to peace in this situation. Therefore, Russia has been achieving its tasks and goals by continuing the special op," he said, commenting on whether Beijing’s peace proposals could amend the situation.
Also, Peskov said that China as a large and powerful country "cannot but have its say on problems standing high on the global agenda." "We are very attentive to the proposals our colleagues in Beijing come up with," the Kremlin spokesman assured.
When asked how important could the issue be at the coming talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Peskov said that the two countries maintained communication at various levels and that the two leaders "have been enjoying quite a busy and trusting dialogue."
Kremlin has nothing to say about date of Xi’s visit to Russia — spokesman
The Kremlin so far has nothing to say about the date on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit to Russia, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
"So far, we have nothing to say on this matter. All visits to Russia by foreign guests are announced in due time," he told TASS when asked to comment on reports in social networks that Russian President Vladimir Putin is allegedly scheduled to meet with his visiting Chinese counterpart on March 21.
During the online talks with Xi in later December, Putin invited his Chinese counterpart to pay a state visit to Moscow in the spring of 2023. In February, the Russian leader received visiting Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and member of the CCP Politburo Wang Yi. During that meeting, Putin said he hoped that Xi Jinping’s visit would give an additional impetus to the development of bilateral relations between Moscow and Beijing.
The last offline meeting between the two leaders took plane in September 2022 on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Samarkand.
Kremlin: Ukrainian crisis orchestrated by 'Washington’s hand' seeking to continue conflict
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov disagreed with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s opinion that the crisis in Ukraine was orchestrated by "an invisible hand." According to the spokesman, it is the hand of the United States, which does not want the military conflict in Ukraine to end.
"Here, perhaps, we can disagree with our Chinese friends," Peskov told reporters at a briefing, commenting on the statement of the Chinese Foreign Minister. At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman made it clear right away that the disagreement was a joke.
"You know what the joke is? This is not an invisible hand, in fact, this hand is quite visible. This is the hand of the United States, the hand of Washington. Washington does not want this war to end, Washington wants and will do everything to continue this war. That is why this hand is visible," Peskov said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said at the annual press conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress session that efforts to promote negotiations between Russia and Ukraine had failed. According to him, "an invisible hand is pushing the conflict towards further prolongation and escalation and is trying to use the crisis in Ukraine for its geopolitical purposes."
The future Atlanta Public Safety and Training Facility called, "Cop City," was the scene of a large police presence on Sunday as equipment burned and protestors clashed with officers. (Billy Heath / FOX 5 Atlanta)
Vandals in Atlanta hurled bricks and Molotov cocktails at police officers and set cars on fire on Sunday in protest of an 85-acre training complex for the city’s police and fire departments.
It’s the latest in a series of attacks against the facility, which has been dubbed "Cop City" by its detractors.
The planned $90 million complex has been the ire of environmentalists and anti-police activists since 2021, when the Atlanta City Council approved the complex in June of that year. The facility is primarily being funded by donations to the nonprofit Atlanta Police Foundation and will include an amphitheater, classrooms and training areas for police to carry out simulated crime situations, such as shootouts, the New York Post reported
BREAKING: Atlanta PD has released footage of the Antifa militant attack on their facility this weekend pic.twitter.com/HeBccEunbn
A coalition of left-wing activists soon moved into the woods after the decision was announced, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in a bid to prevent the construction. Other left-wing activists such as antifa members, criminal justice reform activists and other environmentalists have also become involved in the protests, the New York Times reported last week.
Protests at "Cop City" hit a fever pitch back in January, when a state trooper shot and killed an environmental activist named Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, 26, who reportedly went by the name Tortuguita and identified as non-binary. Teran was shot after allegedly refusing demands from authorities and firing a gun at state troopers.
A Georgia State Patrol trooper, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was also shot in the abdomen and left injured.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency over the violence that month, authorizing up to 1,000 members of the Georgia National Guard to be called upon for any other potential incidents of violence. The order remained in effect until Feb. 9.
At least 19 people had been arrested and charged with domestic terrorism since December to March 5 in connection to protests and riots against the project, including six who were arrested during a riot in Atlanta.
SOUTH RIVER FOREST AND CLAIMS PROJECT WILL PROMOTE THE MILITARIZATION OF POLICE FORCE
The planned project has galvanized environmentalists and anti-police protesters to stand together against the project. Anti-cop protesters say the police tactics learned at the facility will not lead to a decrease in crime and have slammed the project as one that promotes the militarization of the police department.
"To be clear — cop city is not just a controversial training center. It is a war base where police will learn military-like maneuvers to kill black people and control our bodies and movements." Kwame Olufemi, of Community Movement Builders - a group that advocates for police forces to be defunded and "eventually" abolished - states on the site "Stop Cop City."
"The facility includes shooting ranges, plans for bomb testing, and will practice tear gas deployment. They are practicing how to make sure poor and working class people stay in line. So when the police kill us in the streets again, like they did to Rayshard Brooks in 2020, they can control our protests and community response to how they continually murder our people," Olufemi added.
Environmentalists say the facility will destroy the South River Forest, also called the "Weelaunee" by the Muscogee Creek people.
"The period of planetary climate collapse that we are all living in will continue to pose urgent and unsettling questions to our species as we fight for dignity in a world of increasingly dangerous wildfires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and mass extinction. Rather than address the problems as they really present themselves, world and local leaders are hurling us into the fire," the group "Defend the Atlanta Forest" states on its website.
Last year, vandals targeted the office of a contractor working on the facility, breaking windows at the Birmingham, Alabama, office and scrawling graffiti on the building, Fox 5 reported. The contractor said the incident caused $80,000 in damages.
Their demands were clearly written in one graffiti message at the office: "Drop Cop City or Else."
Stop Cop City posted an open letter to its website this year calling for Atlanta to cancel the lease for the planned project. A handful of liberal activist groups signed the letter, including A World Without Police, the Unitarian Universalist Association, NW Yonkers for Black Lives Matter, and the ikiyA collective - which describes itself as a "group of femme, queer, two-spirit Black, Indigenous, and people of the global majority."
Defend the Atlanta Forest did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. A contact option on Stop Cop City’s website only redirects to its open letter, with no apparent contact information on its website.
'INTERNATIONAL GROUP OF PEOPLE'
This week, protesters will reportedly carry out a "week of action" against the planned facility, with state leaders gearing up to "hold everybody accountable that is engaged in violent activity," according to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr.
At least 35 people were detained for the violence on Sunday, and some of those allegedly involved were from foreign countries. The Atlanta Police Department on Monday released the booking photos of 23 people who were charged with domestic terrorism for the incidents the day prior.
Atlanta police released video of fires set to equipment at the construction site of a police and fire training facility dubbed "Cop City." (Atlanta Police Department)
"Some of those arrested yesterday were from Massachusetts and New York and France and Canada. So this is a national network, an international group of people that are organized to come to our state to undermine a public safety training center," Carr said in an appearance on Fox News Monday morning.
'THIS WAS ABOUT ANARCHY'
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the violence seen on Sunday marked a "significant escalation" in violence and the number of suspects involved.
"This wasn’t about a public safety training center. This was about anarchy, and this was about an attempt to destabilize. And we are addressing that quickly," Schierbaum told reporters Sunday. "Actions such as this will not be tolerated. You attack law enforcement officers, you damage equipment, you are breaking the law. This was a very violent attack that occurred this evening."
Schierbaum said he has been clear on what a protest is versus violence, and that "legitimate protests" would have the "the full protection of the Atlanta Police Department."
Instead, Schierbaum said the incidents on Sunday were "criminal activity."
"This is not a protest. This is criminal activity. And the charges that will be brought forth will show that," he said.
Both Schierbaum and Carr have highlighted to the media this week that the majority of suspects detained on Sunday were not from the state of Georgia, let alone Atlanta. Out of the 23 charged, two were from the Peach State.
"We have video of all these individuals and we will continue to investigate this case based on all the facts and evidence that we have. And we will hold everybody accountable that is engaged in violent activity. This is not peaceful protest," Carr said Monday on Fox News’ "America’s Newsroom." "Protesters use words, rioters use violence. And again, in Georgia, you can be charged with domestic terrorism for engaging in this type of behavior."
RESOLUTION TO DESIGNATE ANTIFA AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATION
The attacks on Sunday spurred Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to announce she will introduce a resolution that would formally designate antifa as a terrorist organization.
"Antifa are domestic terrorists and I'm introducing my resolution to officially declare them a terrorist organization on Tuesday," the congresswoman wrote in a tweet Sunday night.
"This is domestic terrorism. It was planned for weeks and announced on social media. Antifa are self proclaimed communists and consistently organize to attack our government over and over again. They should be taken seriously and not tolerated anymore," Taylor Greene added.
It has not been confirmed by state officials whether members of antifa have taken part in the violence in Atlanta. Fox News Digital reached out to the AG's office but did not immediately receive a reply.
