Russia hits key Ukrainian military sites in retaliation to Bryansk terror attacks

©Russian Defence Ministry

Russia delivered a massive retaliatory strike on key Ukrainian military sites with precision weapons, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, in response to Kiev’s terror attacks in the Bryansk Region, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov reported on Thursday.

"In response to the terror attacks carried out by the Kiev regime in the Bryansk Region on March 2, the Russian Armed Forces delivered a massive retaliatory strike. Long-range air-, sea-and ground-based high-precision weapons, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, hit key Ukrainian military infrastructure sites, enterprises of the military-industrial complex and related energy facilities," the spokesman said.

The goal of the strike was achieved and all the designated targets were struck, the general stressed.

Two civilians were killed and a ten-year-old boy injured last week after a group of saboteurs penetrated the Russian-Ukrainian border in Russia's Bryansk region and opened fire on civilian vehicles and infrastructure. NATO-provided weapons were found at the crime scenes. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the incident a "terrorist attack."

Russia carried out massed missile strike on targets inside Ukraine in retaliation to last week's terrorism in Bryansk region, the Russian Ministry of Defense has announced.

A Ukrainian police van drives on the highway for evacuating civilians in Khromove near Bakhmut, Ukraine.Evgeniy Maloletka / AP Photo / TASS

All of the designated targets were hit, the officer said, with the strikes said to have destroyed sites hosting Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, knocked out railway infrastructure involved in the transfer of foreign weapons, and disabled facilities involved in the production of ammunition and the repair of military equipment.

Ukraine said it downed nearly half of the missiles launched by Russia over at least 10 regions, with fighting raging in eastern Bakhmut.

The conflict has revived tensions in the neighboring pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria in Moldova, where Moscow-backed authorities accused Ukraine of plotting a "terror attack."

The Russian barrage on Thursday struck the relatively peaceful Lviv region in Ukraine's west, causing the first civilian deaths there in a long time, and left the country's second city of Kharkiv in the northeast without power, water or heating.

"The enemy fired 81 missiles in an attempt to intimidate Ukrainians again, returning to their miserable tactics," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

'Very scary'

For months Russia has been pummelling key infrastructure facilities in Ukraine with missiles and drones — disrupting water, heating and electricity supplies for millions of people.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two people were injured, and 40 percent of the population were without heating following explosions in two areas of the Ukrainian capital.

On Prospekt Peremogy, or Victory Prospect, in the west of Kyiv, three cars parked near a high-rise apartment building were charred and the ground was littered with shattered glass from windows, an AFP reporter saw. 

"I'd seen (the missile) flying towards my block of flats and when I got there I saw a big fire. My car was on fire. The flames were powerful and it was pointless to try to save the car," said local resident Igor Yezhov, 60, a car dealer who was walking in a park at the time of the strikes. 

Transnistria claims

On the ground, Russia reported gains in the battle for the industrial city of Bakhmut, which has been the focus of months of fierce combat. 

Russia's Wagner mercenary group, which has spearheaded the attack on Bakhmut, claimed on Wednesday to have captured the eastern part of the city.

"We cannot rule out that Bakhmut may eventually fall in the coming days," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on the sidelines of an EU defense ministers meeting on Wednesday.

A total of 81 missiles were used in a "massive attack" on Ukrainian infrastructure, including six Kinzhal ballistic missiles that have the ability to elude Kyiv's air defenses, the Ukrainian military said.

"The attack is really large-scale and for the first time using such different types of missiles. We see that this time as many as six Kinzhal were used. This is an attack like I don't remember seeing before," Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Air Force Command of Ukraine, said on Ukrainian television Thursday.

Murka Keluarga Korban Tewas Kebakaran Depo Plumpang Usai Disodori Surat Pernyataan Tak Tuntut Pertamina

Ria Putri (30) tiba sendiri untuk menjemput dua dari empat anggota keluarganya yang menjadi korban kebakaran Depo Pertamina Plumpang, RS Polri Kramatjati, Jakarta Timur, Rabu (8/3/2023).(kompas.com / Nabilla Ramadhian)

Beredar kabar bahwa PT Pertamina diduga meminta korban kebakaran Depo Plumpang untuk tidak menuntut atau mengajukan gugatan beredar luas. Kabar tersebut diungkapkan oleh sejumlah keluarga korban tewas dalam kebakaran.

Keluarga korban tewas kebakaran Depo Pertamina Plumpang 'murka' usai disodori surat pernyataan tak akan menuntut perusahaan pelat merah tersebut. Mereka pun menolak perlakuan semena-mena oleh oknum pengirim titipan surat dari PT Pertamina (Persero) di RS Polri Kramat Jati.

Sepertinya PT Pertamina Persero secara diam-diam melakukan upaya agar terhindar dari tuntutan keluarga korban tewas kebakaran depo plumpang yang dibarengi dengan pemberian uang santunan Rp 10 juta

Hal itu pun memicu kegeraman keluarga korban yang masih dalam keadaan berkabung.

Keluarga dari salah satu korban atas nama Sumiati (71), Acep Hidayat (53) menuturkan bahwa kejadian itu berlangsung saat dia ingin mengeluarkan jenazah korban dari Rumah Sakit Polri Kramat Jati. Pada saat itu, ada pria yang tiba-tiba menyodorkan sepucuk surat pernyataan tidak boleh menuntut perusahaan Badan Usaha Milik Negara (BUMN) tersebut, dengan imbalan diberi uang senilai Rp10 juta per jenazah.

"Saya tolak uang tersebut, saya bilang bagaimana kalau dibalik? Saya bunuh kamu, lalu saya kasih Rp10 juta ke istrimu, mau? Kami tidak mau diperlakukan semena-mena," kata kepada wartawan di Jakarta Utara, Rabu, 9 Maret 2023.

Acep Hidayat mengaku merasa sakit hati dengan tawaran yang menurutnya tidak memiliki akhlak yang baik itu. Padahal, kedatangan pihaknya ke RS Polri Kramat Jati hanya untuk mengeluarkan empat jenazah anggota keluarganya yang sudah selesai diidentifikasi, bukan untuk meminta belas kasihan dari siapapun.

Empat dari 15 korban kebakaran yang meninggal dunia dan identitasnya sudah teridentifikasi itu merupakan keluarga Acep Hidayat. Mereka adalah Sumiati (mertua), Trish Rhea A (anak yang nomor tiga), Raffasya Zajid Attallah (keponakan), dan M Suheri Irawan (adik ipar).

Akan tetapi, oknum tersebut tiba-tiba mendekatinya dan menyerahkan sebentuk formulir yang isinya seperti sebuah surat pernyataan dari keluarga korban untuk tidak menuntut PT Pertamina (Persero) yang harapannya akan ditandatangani Acep Hidayat. Namun, dia dengan tegas menolak.

Sememtara itu yang lainya disodorkan surat saat pengambilan jenazah Rohma, anak dari salah satu korban tewas bernama Iriana (61), menjelaskan bahwa ada pihak yang mengaku dari Pertamina menyodorkan sejumlah surat kepadanya.

Acep Hidayat menduga, surat tersebut bukan berasal dari PT Pertamina (Persero) karena tidak ada kop suratnya. Hal itu diduga sengaja dilakukan, agar tidak bisa diklaim bahwa surat itu dibuat sendiri oleh mereka.

Menurut Acep Hidayat, surat yang diberikan seperti formulir kosongan dengan kolom untuk nama, dan lain-lain. Kemudian, poin tiga ada kata-kata bersedia untuk tidak menuntut Pertamina Group.

Dia juga heran, karena setelah tanda tangan pengeluaran jenazah dan diberikan surat kematian, oknum tersebut bisa masuk ke ruang administrasi di RS Polri Kramat Jati. Selain itu, oknum tersebut tidak mengaku sebagai apa di Pertamina.

Oleh karena itu, Acep Hidayat tidak percaya akan diberikan total Rp. 40 juta untuk 4 jenazah anggota keluarganya setelah menandatangani surat tersebut. Ke depan, dia ingin PT Pertamina (Persero) merespons kejadian ini dengan cara kerja sama yang baik agar ketemu solusi yang terbaik.

Keluarga korban kebakaran Depo Pertamina Plumpang lainnya atas nama Hadi (24), Maimunah (31) mengatakan bahwa setelah pemeriksaan, jenazah adiknya itu dinyatakan selesai dan bisa dibawa pulang untuk dikubur. Pihak keluarga juga didatangi salah satu oknum pengirim titipan surat dari PT Pertamina (Persero).

Saat itu, perwakilan Pertamina menyerahkan sejumlah dokumen atau surat kepada orang tua korban untuk ditandatangani. Hal itu disebut menjadi persyaratan agar jenazah bisa keluar Rumah Sakit Polri Kramat Jati.

Maimunah pun sangat menyesalkan apa yang dilakukan oknum tersebut. Apalagi, dia baru tahu jika ternyata dalam surat itu ada poin untuk tidak boleh menggugat Pertamina Group.

Menurutnya, oknum tersebut seperti ingin menjebak pihaknya, selaku keluarga korban meninggal dunia Hadi setelah menjadi korban kebakaran depo Pertamina Plumpang. Pasalnya, dia baru tahu ada poin tidak boleh menggugat itu tadi malam, dari berita. Maimunah juga tidak dapat mengecek ulang karena tidak menerima salinan suratnya.

Hadi menjadi salah satu korban meninggal dunia akibat kebakaran Depo Pertamina Plumpang. Sebelum dikebumikan di TPU Semper, jenazah korban sempat dibawa ke RS Polri Kramat Jati untuk dilakukan identifikasi tes DNA selama beberapa hari.

Senada dengan Iriyanto, anak dari korban meninggal dunia atas nama Iriana (65), yang juga menerima surat saat menunggu proses penyerahan jenazah sang ibu di RS Polri Kramatjati. Surat itu ditandatangani salah satu adiknya Sulistiawati karena tidak tahu.

Dia mengira, itu semacam surat pengeluaran jenazah. Namun, ternyata ada uang Rp10 juta yang diberikan ke adik kandungnya di RS Polri Kramatjati setelah penandatanganan surat tersebut.

Menurut Iriyanto, pihak Pertamina kurang tepat memberikan surat tersebut dan langsung meminta sang adik menandatanganinya dalam kondisi sedang kalut diselimuti duka. Dia mengaku sudah melapor ke polisi atas kasus ini dan berharap ke depannya oknum tersebut bisa dipertemukan dengan keluarga korban dan menjelaskan perbuatannya.

Respons Pertamina

Eksekutif General Manager Pertamina Patra Niaga Regional Jawa Bagian Barat Deny Djukardi mengatakan pihaknya akan mengecek adanya peristiwa kiriman surat mengatasnamakan dari PT Pertamina Patra Niaga itu. Kepastian itu disampaikan saat dia ditanya oleh wartawan kala acara takziah terhadap korban yang meninggal akibat terjadi insiden Depo Plumpang.

"Nanti saya konfirmasi lagi ya berkaitan seperti itu, karena kami juga masih mendata masing-masing korban, baik yang ahli warisnya. Tentunya itu masih kami coba data, kemudian terkait dengan pemberian nanti saya konfirmasi dengan tim kami di Plumpang," tuturnya.

Deny Djukardi menuturkan, Pertamina ikut berdoa dan mendoakan agar para korban musibah ini mendapatkan tempat yang terbaik di sisi Allah, dan tentunya ini masih ada beberapa yang sedang mengalami perawatan dapat cepat dipulihkan kembali kesehatannya. Pertamina juga menanggung beban biaya perawatan korban kebakaran depo Pertamina Plumpang seluruhnya, hingga pulih di Rumah Sakit. Kemudian kepada korban yang meninggal juga diberikan biaya pemakaman dan juga ada dana kerahiman bagi para korban yang meninggal.

Wild video captures brawl on Southwest flight after passenger bumps into mom

He then puts him in a headlock as other passengers try to separate the two men. Desert Honey's Sweet Tees.

Southwest has made a habit of creating headlines as of late. In December, its computer system went down, stranding holiday passengers for days. On Sunday, a Southwest flight had to make an emergency landing in Cuba and two days before that, a passenger passed out and others vomited during extreme turbulence and an aborted landing.

A brawl broke out on a Southwest flight between two men after one of the men accused the other of “aggressively” bumping into his wife while the plane was boarding.

The incident took place on a Monday flight from Dallas, Texas, to Phoenix, Arizona. Footage from the scene shows the man who appears to be the aggressor punching a shorter, heavily-tattooed man several times and putting him in a headlock while other passengers scream at him to stop.

Witnesses told media outlets that both of the men were escorted from the plane but Dallas Police Department said that no one was arrested due to the incident.

The woman who recorded the video said that after the tattooed man bumped into the other man’s wife, he began mouthing off. The woman also says the taller man punched the tattooed man several times before she started recording.

Dallas, TX: March 6 - Another flight, another incident. This time on a Southwest Airline, a flight from Dallas to Phoenix. A fight breaks out between two men. The tattooed man "bumped into the man in the sport jacket’s wife by accident, and he started mouthing off." pic.twitter.com/JLdLWXgd0c

— DeL2000 (@DeL2000) March 8, 2023

The taller man can be heard in the video saying: “I will sit down in jail for you approaching my family. I will die for my family. Don’t play with my family! That’s why I beat your ass!”

Southwest said that despite the ruckus, the flight arrived in Phoenix on time. “We commend [our crew] for managing the situation and ensuring the safety and comfort of the other passengers in the cabin, while also allowing that flight to arrive on time,” a Southwest spokesperson said in a statement.

The video shows the unhinged dad attacking the other man while other passengers try to separate them, yelling, “Do not hit him again,” “Let go of him” and “Stop it now.”

But the assailant flies off the handle.

“You a p—-, you a p—-,” he shouts at the victim.

The woman who recorded the fracas told Fox News Digital that when the tattooed passenger accidentally bumped into the man’s wife, “he started mouthing off.”

A Southwest Airlines passenger confronts another man who apparently bumped into his wife on a flight from Dallas to Phoenix. Desert Honey's Sweet Tees

She told the outlet that the dad punched the other man “four to five times” before she started to record the action.

When things settled a bit, the assailant claimed his victim approached his family “aggressively.”

“I will sit down in jail for you approaching my family. I will die for my family,” he says in another video. “Don’t play with my family! That’s why I beat your ass!”

Witnesses said both men were escorted off the plane, but the Dallas Police Department said no one was arrested, according to Fox News Digital.

“We commend our Crew for managing the situation as Safety professionals while also ensuring the comfort of the other passengers in the cabin,” a Southwest rep told The Post on Wednesday in an email.

“We don’t have further details to share, except that the flight arrived on-time and as scheduled,” the statement added.

The unhinged man throws punches at the heavily tattooed passenger. Desert Honey's Sweet Tees

Southwest made other headlines in recent days.

On Sunday, passengers on a flight from Havana, Cuba, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were forced to evacuate after a bird strike caused smoke to fill the cabin.

The Boeing 737, which had 147 passengers and six crew members onboard, landed safely back in Havana.

And two days earlier, a passenger aboard a flight from Maryland to North Carolina passed out due to turbulence while others were left vomiting.

G7 to reconsider price cap on Russian oil

©Getty Images / Westend61

The Group of Seven is planning to reconsider the price ceiling for seaborne exports of Russian crude oil, possibly within the next few weeks, according to Elizabeth Rosenberg, Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes at the US Department of the Treasury.

The price cap of $60 per barrel that has been applied to shipments of Russian crude came into effect on December 5, and was supported by the EU and Australia.

“All I can say is that the G7 is planning to re-evaluate the ceiling in March,” Rosenberg told RIA Novosti on the sidelines of the CERAWeek energy conference in the US oil industry capital, Houston.

The official reportedly evaded the issue of the price ceiling's impact on supply-demand balance at the global crude market. She also declined to comment on the efficiency of the sanctions, or on their capacity to change policies pursued by Moscow.

Meanwhile, US Energy envoy Amos Hochstein said that price caps, imposed by the G7 and allies to force Russia to sell its crude and fuel at a discount, are working well.

The measure bans Western companies from providing insurance and other services to shipments of Russian oil unless the cargo is purchased at or below $60 per barrel.

Similar price ceilings have been applied to Russian refined petroleum products since February 5. The allies agreed to set a price limit of $100 per barrel for diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline from Russia, and a $45-per-barrel cap for other oil products that trade below the crude price, such as fuel oil used in industry.

Earlier this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the G7 nations have set a price cap for Russian oil that does not really exist, based on the level of market prices.

Perdagangan Minyak India-Rusia Berpotensi Menggeser Kejayaan Dolar

Logo produsen minyak mentah utama Rusia Rosneft terlihat di pom bensin dekat sebuah gereja di Stavropol, Rusia selatan/Net

Dominasi dolar dalam perdagangan minyak global nampaknya mulai mengikis. Dugaan itu muncul saat perdagangan minyak antara India dan Rusia dalam mata uang lain terus melonjak. Ini tentu berpotensi menggulingkan kekuatan mata uang tersebut.

Reuters dalam laporannya pada hari Rabu, 08/03/2023, mengatakan selama puluhan tahun dolar memiliki keunggulan dalam perdagangan minyak internasional karena banyak keuntungan bila menggunakan mata uang yang paling banyak diterima untuk bisnis ini.

Namun, selama beberapa bulan terakhir, sebagian besar kesepakatan antara India, salah satu importir minyak terbesar dunia, dan Rusia telah diselesaikan dalam mata uang lain, seperti rubel Rusia dan dirham Uni Emirat Arab.

India mulai mengalihkan pesanan minyaknya kepada Rusia saat Moskow memberikan diskon besar-besaran terhadap harga minyak di tengah sanksi AS dan UE.

Hanya dalam tiga bulan terakhir, transaksi perdagangan minyak antara India dan Rusia berjumlah setara dengan beberapa ratus juta dolar. India bahkan telah pasang badan dengan menyiapkan kerangka kerja untuk menyelesaikan perdagangan dalam rupee India, kalau-kalau transaksi rubel diblokir oleh sanksi lebih lanjut.

Daniel Ahn, mantan kepala ekonom di Departemen Luar Negeri AS dan sekarang rekan global di Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, mengatakan kekuatan dolar tidak tertandingi. Namun, sanksi terhadap Rusia bukan saja dapat merusak sistem keuangan Barat, tetapi juga gagal mencapai tujuannya.

Rusia juga tengah mencari alternatif pembayaran untuk energinya dalam mata uang negara-negara "ramah". Sementara, untuk negara-negara UE yang "tidak bersahabat", Rusia mengharuskan membayar gas dalam rubel.

US Only Nation That Could Have Bombed Nord Stream, Ex-Senator Says

©Sputnik / Grigory Sysoev / Go to the mediabank

Former Virginia State Senator Richard Black told Sputnik that the United States is the only country that could have blown up the Nord Stream pipelines last year, as he commented on the latest report by the New York Times.

“The day after the blasts, I commented publicly that the U.S. was the only nation that could have carried this out,” Black said when asked to comment on the report. “Even a child could see it wasn't Russia and no NATO country would dare act without U.S. approval, since the U.S. leads and dominates NATO.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the New York Times reported that US officials said intelligence indicated a pro-Ukrainian group was behind the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines last year. The saboteurs were most likely Ukrainian or Russian nationals, the report also said, adding that no US or UK nationals were involved.

The New York Times' report comes on the heels of a report by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh detailing the US’s alleged involvement in the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines, which provided a substantial amount of gas to Germany.

“There's no question Seymour's article is accurate,” Black said. “Seymour Hersh is the most respected investigative journalist on international affairs. I don't agree with him on everything, but his investigative reports are thorough and objective.”

The Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, built to deliver gas under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, have been inoperable since they were hit by explosions last September. Nord Stream's operator, Nord Stream AG, said that the damage was unprecedented and it was impossible to estimate the time repairs might take.

Russia considers the explosions of the two pipelines an act of international terrorism. There are no official results of the investigation yet, but Hersh wrote that the explosions were organized by the United States with the support of Norway. Following Hersh's report, Moscow has reiterated its calls for an impartial and thorough investigation. The US denies its involvement in the incident.

Western leaders, not pro-Ukrainian group responsible for Nord Stream explosions — expert

Representative of the Schiller Institute at the United Nations in New York Richard Black claims that The New York Times' article contains no news or evidence

"The New York Times' article reveals that the US intelligence agencies that direct to the article have hysterical reaction to the wide circulation of the article by Seymour Hersh. It has been backed up by many independent military experts around the globe. The wide circulation of Hersh`s article is echoing within the context of a rejection by the population, in Europe for instance, of the credibility of the governments," he said.

The expert claims that the newspaper article contains no news or evidence. "The content of the New York Times' article is not there. There is no news, no evidence. All they talked about is officials who they don’t name. What was the investigation? Where is the evidence, what did they find? It’s nothing," he added.

"It’s an international scandal that president Joe Biden said the intention to destroy of the pipeline at the beginning of the 2022. Chancellor Scholtz was at his side when it was done. This article is a very flimsy cover up of the fact of global leaders’ responsibility for this act of gross terrorism, which is throwing the population of western Europe into tremendous misery and impoverishment," he added.

The New York Times reported earlier, citing anonymous sources, that US intelligence has so far been unable to identify the mastermind of last September's sabotage attacks that targeted the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which transported natural gas from Russia to Europe. The anonymous officials interviewed by the newspaper said there had been no firm conclusions about those responsible, thus leaving open "the possibility that the operation might have been conducted off the books by a proxy force with connections to the Ukrainian government or its security services."

Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh on February 8 published an article where he said, citing a source, that explosives under the Russian Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were planted by US Navy divers, helped by Norwegian specialists, under the guise of the Baltops exercise in June. The story stated that the CIA and Burns took part in the preparation of the operation, and US president Joe Biden personally authorized the operation after nine months of deliberations with the administration’s national security staff

On September 27, 2022, Nord Stream AG reported unprecedented damage that occurred the day before on three strings of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 offshore gas pipelines. On September 26, 2022, Swedish seismologists registered two explosions on the pipeline routes. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office launched a criminal case based on charges of international terrorism

Russian forces take control of eastern part of Artyomovsk — Prigozhin

Founder of the Wagner PMC Evgeny Prigozhin
©Konkord Company Press Service/TASS

Russian forces have taken full control over the eastern part of Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukraine), founder of the Wagner PMC Evgeny Prigozhin said on Wednesday.

"Wagner PMC units have occupied the entire eastern part of Bakhmut. Everything east of the Bakhmutka River is completely under the control of the Wagner PMC," Prigozhin was quoted as saying by his press service on his Telegram channel.

Artyomovsk is located in the Kiev-controlled part of the Donetsk People's Republic and serves as a major transportation hub for the Ukrainian group of troops in Donbass. Intense fighting is underway for the city. Denis Pushilin, acting head of the Donetsk People's Republic, announced on February 16 that Russian forces had captured all major heights in the Artyomovsk region.

Servicemen of the Western Military District prevented an attempt by Ukrainian troops to break through, destroying an infantry group in the Krasnolimansky direction

Soldiers of the RF Armed Forces from the advanced positions of the Zaporozhye direction congratulated women on March 8, and units of the Russian Guard presented flowers to residents of the Zaporozhye region

Servicemen of the engineering troops presented tulips to the residents of Mariupol in honor of March 8