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Tuesday, 11 July 2023

LIVE UPDATES - Russian Air Defenses Intercept Five Ukrainian S-200 Missiles

©Andrei Rubtsov/TASS

Russian air defense forces intercepted five Ukrainian S-200 missiles over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Monday.

"Air defense capabilities intercepted five missiles of the S-200 surface-to-air missile system fired by the Ukrainian military," the spokesman said.

In addition, Russian air defense systems destroyed eight Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Khleborobnoye in the Zaporozhye Region, Gorlovka and Maryinka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Novokrasnyanka and Svatovo in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

Russian forces destroy 65 Ukrainian troops in Kupyansk area over past day

Russian forces destroyed roughly 65 Ukrainian troops and an infantry fighting vehicle in the Kupyansk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

Servicemen of the Southern Group of Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed a stronghold and two vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donetsk direction

"The enemy’s losses amounted to 65 Ukrainian personnel, an infantry fighting vehicle and two motor vehicles," the spokesman said.

During the last 24-hour period, operational/tactical and army aircraft and artillery of Russia’s western battlegroup struck the Ukrainian army’s manpower and military equipment in areas near the settlements of Liman Pervyi, Pershotravnevoye and Sinkovka in the Kharkov Region, the general reported.

In the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces successfully repelled enemy attacks and thwarted the activity of a Ukrainian subversive/reconnaissance group near the settlement of Novosyolovskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic, he said.

Russian forces destroy 85 Ukrainian troops in Krasny Liman area over past day

Russian forces struck Ukrainian army units in the Krasny Liman area, destroying roughly 85 enemy troops over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

Soldiers of the Southern Group of Forces of the Russian Federation using a drone with ammunition destroyed an ammunition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Avdiivka in the DPR

"As many as 85 Ukrainian personnel, four armored combat vehicles, two pickup trucks and an Akatsiya self-propelled artillery gun were destroyed in the past 24 hours," the spokesman said.

During the last 24-hour period, Russian forces repelled enemy attacks in that direction near the settlements of Chervonaya Dibrova and Karmazinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the general reported.

Russian forces destroy 275 Ukrainian troops, mercenaries in Donetsk area over past day

Russian forces destroyed roughly 275 Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries in the Donetsk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"As many as 275 Ukrainian personnel and foreign mercenaries, one tank and four motor vehicles were destroyed in the battles," the spokesman said.

Weapons and more than 1.5 thousand ammunition, including for a Kalashnikov machine gun, were found by representatives of the power structures of the LPR at the former positions of the Ukrainian army in the village of Privolye (a suburb of Lisichansk).

Near Toretsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Russian forces obliterated an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army’s 24th mechanized brigade, the general reported.

Russian forces eliminate 150 Ukrainian troops in south Donetsk, Zaporozhye areas

Russian forces eliminated about 150 Ukrainian troops in the south Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the south Donetsk direction, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems of the battlegroup East repelled enemy attacks in areas near the settlements of Rovnopol in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Rabotino in the Zaporozhye Region. Near the settlement of Priyutnoye in the Zaporozhye Region, the activity of a Ukrainian subversive/reconnaissance group was thwarted. In the Zaporozhye direction, Russian troops inflicted damage by their well-coordinated actions on the amassed manpower and equipment of the 106th territorial defense brigade near the settlement of Lugovskoye in the Zaporozhye Region," the spokesman said.

The enemy lost as many as 150 Ukrainian personnel, five armored combat vehicles, two motor vehicles and two D-20 howitzers in those directions in the past 24 hours, the general reported.

Russian forces destroy over 30 Ukrainian troops in Kherson area in past day

Russian forces destroyed over 30 Ukrainian troops and eight vehicles in the Kherson area in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kherson direction, over 30 Ukrainian personnel and eight motor vehicles were destroyed as a result of damage inflicted by firepower," the spokesman said.

Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian ammo depots in Kramatorsk, Nikolayev

Russian forces destroyed Ukrainian ammunition depots in Nikolayev and Kramatorsk over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the areas of the cities of Nikolayev and Kramatorsk, ammunition depots of Ukraine’s combined battlegroup Kherson and the Ukrainian army’s 56th mechanized brigade were destroyed," the spokesman said.

Near the town of Orekhov in the Zaporozhye Region, Russian forces destroyed a command post of the Ukrainian army’s 47th mechanized brigade, the general reported.

During the last 24-hour period, operational/tactical and army aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groupings of forces struck 63 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and military hardware in 89 areas, the spokesman said.

In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 453 Ukrainian warplanes, 241 combat helicopters, 4,956 unmanned aerial vehicles, 426 surface-to-air missile systems, 10,615 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,137 multiple rocket launchers, 5,399 field artillery guns and mortars and 11,565 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, Konashenkov reported.

Special operation, 10 July. Main:

▪️Kyiv made an unsuccessful attempt to strike at the Kerch transport crossing, an airfield in the Rostov region and an airfield in the Kaluga region with converted S-200 anti-aircraft missiles, the Russian Defense Ministry said

▪️Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces Gerasimov ordered to additionally protect Russian facilities from air strikes as soon as possible

▪️Attempts by the Kyiv regime to strike targets in the Crimea, Rostov and Kaluga regions would not have been possible without the assistance of the US-led "Western coalition", the Russian Foreign Ministry said

▪️Putin met with Prigozhin in the Kremlin 5 days after the rebellion, on June 29, gave his assessment of what happened and offered employment options to PMC representatives, Peskov said

▪️Russia considers the transfer of Azov battalion commanders to Kyiv by Turkey as a violation of the agreements, expects to receive explanations from Ankara on this issue, Peskov said

▪️Against the background of the failure of another wave of mobilization, Kyiv has stepped up the recruitment of mercenaries in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, the Russian Defense Ministry said

▪️More than 11,000 mercenaries from 84 countries have arrived in Ukraine since the beginning of the NMD: most of the people came from Poland, the USA, Georgia, Britain, Romania, France, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense

▪️In Ukraine, they began to build a plant for the production of Bayraktar UAVs, said the Minister of Strategic Industries

▪️When deciding to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions, the United States took into account that Kyiv is in the middle of a counteroffensive, this requires a huge amount of artillery resources, and the available stocks of shells are declining, the State Department said

Persiapan AMM ke-56, Indonesia pimpin pertemuan tingkat pejabat senior

ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) atau Pertemuan tingkat Menteri Luar Negeri ASEAN dijadwalkan berlangsung pada 11-14 Juli 2023 di Hotel Shangri La, Jakarta. Sebelum agenda tersebut, para pejabat senior negara-negara yang terlibat telah melakukan pertemuan di bawah kepemimpinan Indonesia, yang membahas berbagai isu untuk nantinya dibawa ke pertemuan tingkat menlu.

Pertemuan pejabat senior Kementerian Luar Negeri di ASEAN PERTEMUAN Menteri Luar Negeri ASEAN ke-56 dan Mitra Wicara ASEAN atau 56th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting/Post Ministerial Conference (AMM-PMC) akan dimulai besok 11 Juli, hingga 14 Juli 2023.

“Pertemuan Pejabat Senior ASEAN telah diselenggarakan hari ini di Hotel Shangri-la, Jakarta, mendahului rangkaian AMM-PMC,” ujar Dirjen Kerja Sama ASEAN Kementerian Luar Negeri Sidharto R. Suryodipuro, selaku ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) Leader Indonesia dan memimpin berjalannya pertemuan dimaksud.

Para pejabat senior dari kesepuluh negara ASEAN dan Timor Leste hadir membahas program prioritas Keketuaan Indonesia di ASEAN, penguatan kerja sama dengan mitra eksternal ASEAN, serta persiapan rangkaian Pertemuan Menlu ASEAN ke-56.

Telah dibahas juga sejumlah prioritas Keketuaan Indonesia diantaranya penguatan kapasitas dan institusi ASEAN serta implementasi ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

Pertemuan Pejabat Senior ASEAN kemudian dilanjutkan dengan pertemuan Komite Eksekutif Komisi Zona Bebas Senjata Nuklir Asia Tenggara (Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone-SEANWFZ) yang menegaskan pentingnya kerja sama regional dalam menjaga kawasan bebas senjata nuklir serta memperkuat keamanan regional.

Hasil dari kedua pertemuan ini akan dibahas lebih lanjut pada tingkat menteri luar negeri ASEAN esok hari.

Para Menlu ASEAN dan negara-negara mitra wicara akan mulai membahas sejumlah isu dalam rangka mendorong kawasan ASEAN yang lebih kuat dalam menghadapi tantangan serta kerja samanya dengan pihak-pihak di luar kawasan.

Dengan tema ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth, Indonesia mendorong pentingnya sentralitas ASEAN dalam menghadapi berbagai tantangan global dan meningkatkan kerja sama antarnegara anggota di bidang ekonomi, keamanan dan pembangunan.

Rangkaian AMM-PMC akan diikuti oleh 29 negara, bersama Sekretariat ASEAN and Uni Eropa, serta dihadiri oleh lebih dari 1.100 anggota delegasi.

PRESS BRIEFING MENLU RI PERSIAPAN PERTEMUAN KE-56 AMM/PMC 7 JULI 2023

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
Rekan-rekan media yang saya hormati,

Pada hari ini, saya ingin sampaikan beberapa informasi terkait persiapan penyelenggaraan AMM/PMC minggu depan dan juga mengenai Myanmar.

AMM/PMC

Saya mulai dengan isu pertama persiapan AMM/PMC.

Rangkaian pertemuan ASEAN Ministerial Meeting/Post Ministerial Conference (AMM/PMC) akan dilakukan di Jakarta, 11-14 Juli 2023.

Akan diikuti oleh 29 negara, plus ASEAN Secretariat, plus Uni Eropa.

Tingkat kehadiran pada tingkat Menlu sangat tinggi, regardless beberapa hari sebelum pertemuan, akan berlangsung pertemuan tingkat Menteri NATO di Vilnius.

Hingga hari ini sudah terdaftar 1.165 delegasi dan 493 wartawan yang akan hadir di rangkaian AMM/PMC.

Di dalam 4 hari pertemuan, terdapat 18 Pertemuan, yaitu:

SEANWFZ

AICHR

56th AMM dalam bentuk plenary

56th AMM dalam bentuk Retreat

PMC dengan India

New Zealand

Rusia

Australia

China

Jepang

Korea

Uni Eropa

Kanada

ASEAN Plus Three (APT)

EAS; dan

Disamping itu, juga terdapat beberapa pertemuan Trilateral, antara lain:

Chair ASEAN + ASEAN Secretariat + Norway;

Chair ASEAN + ASEAN Secretariat + Turkiye.

Rekan-rekan,

Selain memimpin berbagai pertemuan AMM/PMC, saya juga akan lakukan sejumlah pertemuan bilateral.

Sejauh ini, terindikasi 13 pertemuan bilateral.

Namun, tentunya angka ini masih akan terus bergerak, disesuaikan dengan dinamika di lapangan dan alokasi waktu.

Mendahului pertemuan AMM/PMC, Pertemuan tingkat teknis, SOM dan CPR, sudah akan mulai besok, tanggal 8 Juli 2023.

Dari pertemuan-pertemuan tersebut, terdapat 12 outcome documents yang akan dihasilkan.

Negosiasi masih terus berjalan sampai saat ini dan tentunya masih akan terus berlanjut sampai pertemuan berlangsung, termasuk Joint Communique para Menlu ASEAN yang merefleksikan berbagai perkembangan kerja sama ASEAN selama setahun, prioritas kerja sama ke depan, dan isu-isu kawasan serta global yang menjadi perhatian ASEAN.

Rekan-rekan media yth,

Situasi dunia saat ini masih dipenuhi rivalitas yang tinggi.

Perang di Ukraina, masih terjadi sampai saat ini.

Situasi ini sangat berdampak bagi upaya pemulihan ekonomi pasca- pandemi Covid-19

Situasi ini juga berdampak pada suasana pembahasan di semua forum multilateral dan internasional.

Di dalam situasi seperti ini, maka menjadi semakin penting bagi ASEAN untuk memperkuat soliditas dan kesatuannya agar dapat terus memainkan sentralitas.

Dan dengan sentralitas ini, maka ASEAN akan dapat memainkan peran untuk menjaga perdamaian dan stabilitas di kawasan.

Di saat yang sama, ASEAN juga masih menghadapi masalah Myanmar.

Krisis politik yang dipicu oleh kudeta militer telah berlangsung lebih dari 2 tahun.

Selama pendekatan yang diambil oleh para pihak adalah pendekatan zero sum, maka perdamaian yang durable tidak akan terjadi.

Selama spirit perdamaian tidak dimiliki oleh para pihak, maka perdamaian yang durable tidak akan terjadi.

AMM/PMC merupakan salah satu mekanisme ASEAN yang memiliki peran penting sebagai convening power, dimana culture of communication, culture of dialogue, terus berusaha dijalankan berdasarkan prinsip-prinsip Piagam PBB, Piagam ASEAN dan Hukum Internasional.

Dalam kaitan ini dan untuk menjaga stabilitas, perdamaian dan ketahanan ekonomi kawasan, beberapa hal yang akan dikedepankan dalam pertemuan AMM/PMC kali ini antara lain:

Pertama, memperkuat penegakan prinsip-prinsip di ASEAN Charter dan berbagai tata perilaku seperti TAC, SEANWFZ, maupun AOIP guna terciptanya perdamaian, keamanan, stabilitas, dan kemakmuran kawasan.

Kedua, terus memperkuat Confidence Building Measures/CBM sambil mulai memperkuat preventive diplomacy.

Dalam kaitan ini, saya akan mendorong agar mekanisme China, Japan, Korea dapat direvitalisasi kembali. Mekanisme ini sangat penting bagi stabilitas dan kemakmuran kawasan.

Ketiga, mendorong Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) untuk aksesi Protokol Traktat SEANWFZ

Keempat, menyelesaikan Guidelines untuk mempercepat penyelesaian negosiasi Code of Conducts di Laut Cina Selatan.

Kelima, menyelesaikan pembentukan ASEAN Maritime Outlook.

Rekan-rekan,

Outlook ini akan menjadi dokumen yang sangat strategis untuk memperkuat sinergi dan menghindari duplikasi kerjasama maritime, yang selama ini dilakukan oleh 12 badan sektoral ASEAN dan dan sebagai rujukan negara mitra dalam kerja sama maritim dengan ASEAN.

Keenam, membahas kerja sama konkret dalam rangka memperkuat ketahanan pangan, arsitektur kesehatan kawasan, penguatan kerja sama maritim dan transisi energi termasuk ekosistem kendaraan listrik.

Hasil pembahasan dari berbagai isu ini akan disampaikan ke KTT ke-43 bulan September mendatang.

Ketujuh, untuk pertama kalinya implementasi ASEAN Outlook on the Indo Pacific diarusutamakan dalam pembicaraan dengan negara mitra, dengan fokus pada pembahasan kerjasama konkret.

Dan sebagaimana teman-teman ketahui, prinsip utama dalam AOIP adalah inklusifitas dan membangun kerja sama konkret.

Oleh karena itu, ASEAN siap melakukan kerja sama dengan mitra manapun dalam rangka implementasi AOIP dan ini tercermin dalam berbagai dokumen ASEAN dengan mitra baik di tingkat politis maupun tingkat teknis seperti pembuatan kerja sama yang konkret.

Dalam konteks inilah, pada bulan September nanti akan dilakukan ASEAN-Indo Pacific Infrastructure Forum dalam mengimplementasikan AOIP.

Kedelapan, untuk pertama kalinya juga ASEAN meng-engage IORA dan PIF sebagai bagian dari pelaksanaan AOIP untuk menjaga stabilitas dan perdamaian Kawasan.

Engagement dengan IORA dan PIF akan dilakukan pada KTT September nanti.

Roadmap MoU kerja sama sekretariat antara ASEAN sekretariat dengan PIF sekretariat dan terus dimatangkan.

Rekan-rekan,

Sebagai tuan rumah dan Ketua ASEAN, Indonesia akan berusaha maksimal agar dialog dan pembahasan selama berlangsungnya AMM/PMC berlangsung konstruktif.

Indonesia siap menjembatani semua perbedaan yang muncul dan kita siap mencoba agar pembahasan dapat menghasilkan kerjasama konkret yang akan dapat dibawa ke KTT ke-43 bulan September nanti.

Tentunya, dukungan negara anggota ASEAN dan negara mitra ASEAN sangat diharapkan.

MYANMAR

Rekan-rekan media yang saya hormati,

Mengenai Myanmar, saya ingin menyampaikan update langkah-langkah yang telah dilakukan Indonesia sebagai ketua ASEAN dalam menangani isu Myanmar.

Beberapa prinsip yang dijalankan Indonesia yaitu:

Menjadikan 5PC, 5-Points Consensus sebagai rujukan utama;

Menjadikan keputusan para pemimpin ASEAN sebagai dasar bertindak;

Menjaga nilai-nilai dan prinsip-prinsip Piagam ASEAN;

dan siap untuk menjembatani perbedaan.

Tiga hal utama yang ingin saya sampaikan:

Pertama, mengenai engagement.

Rekan-rekan,

Engagements dengan semua pihak adalah kunci dalam mengimplementasikan 5PC.

Dalam waktu hampir 7 bulan, Indonesia telah melakukan engagements yang sangat intensif dan secara inklusif saya ulangi sangat intensif dan secara inklusif.

110 engagements telah dilakukan, baik berupa pertemuan in person, virtual, maupun melalui percakapan per telepon, termasuk engagements saya secara in person baik dengan Menlu NUG maupun Menlu SAC dalam beberapa kali .

Dan engagement kantor special envoy baik dengan Ethnic Resistance Organizations (EROs), wakil-wakil partai politik, dan CSO serta pihak- pihak lain di Myanmar.

Engagements yang intensif dan inklusif penting untuk dilakukan dan menjadi kunci untuk:

Membangun trust;

Mendengarkan posisi masing-masing pihak;

Mencoba membangun jembatan untuk mempersempit perbedaan;

Mendorong de-eskalasi kekerasan dan renouncing the use of force;

Mendorong dialog inklusif;

Dan mengajak semua pihak untuk membantu dan mendukung pemberian bantuan kemanusian dengan prinsip no-one left behind;

Engagements bukan merupakan tujuan namun merupakan alat untuk mencapai tujuan yaitu dialog inklusif untuk mencapai perdamaian yang durable.

Oleh karena itu engagements ini merupakan building block yang pertama.

Saat ini, sudah waktunya building block kedua mulai dibangun yaitu mendorong dialog di antara para pihak menuju dialog inklusif nasional.

Oleh karena itu, dalam pertemuan saya, baik dengan Menlu NUG dan Menlu SAC, saya telah sampaikan pentingnya dialog inklusif.

Jika para pihak menginginkan perdamaian yang durable di Myanmar.

Semua pihak luar harus mendorong dilakukannya dialog inklusif di Myanmar.

Masih terkait dengan engagements, selain dengan para pihak di Myanmar, Indonesia juga melakukan engagements dengan negara- negara tetangga Myanmar, dan key players lainnya.

Dengan pesan utama agar mereka mendukung implementasi 5 Points Consensus.

Kedua, mengenai bantuan kemanusiaan.

Jadi yang pertama mengenai engagement, kedua mengenai bantuan kemanusiaan.

Terdapat langkah maju untuk bantuan kemanusiaan. Akses kepada stakeholders diberikan kepada AHA Centre. AHA Centre telah berhasil selesaikan Joint Needs Assessment. AHA Centre sudah melakukan delivery tahap awal pada Mei 2023.

Saat ini AHA Centre sedang mempersiapkan penyaluran bantuan kepada 400 rumah tangga atau sekitar 1.450 orang IDPs (internally displaced persons).

Wilayah Sagaing dan Magway akan jadi salah satu prioritas selanjutnya.

Selain itu, AHA Centre juga telah bertindak cepat membantu korban Mokha Cyclon senilai USD 1.6juta.

Secara bilateral Indonesia telah menyampaikan bantuannya pada 26 Juni 2023 sebanyak 45 ton dengan nilai lebih dari USD0,5 juta berupa makanan siap saji, terpal, tenda, peralatan pertukangan, generator, selimut, serta air minum yang diperlukan para korban siklon Mocha, khususnya di wilayah Rakhine State, Myanmar.

Dalam berbagai komunikasi, Indonesia juga mendengar adanya informasi adanya kebutuhan vaksin terutama untuk anak-anak.

Indonesia tengah meminta data mengenai kebutuhan vaksin dan siap untuk berkontribusi.

Semua pihak harus berkomitmen untuk membantu penyaluran bantuan kemanusiaan dengan prinsip no one left behind dan tidak mempolitisir bantuan kemanusiaan.

Kepentingan masyarakat harus menjadi prioritas semua pihak.

Ketiga, mengenai tindakan kekerasan.

ASEAN masih sangat prihatin dengan masih meningkatnya penggunaan kekerasan di Myanmar yang mengakibatkan korban sipil dan hancurnya fasilitas umum.

Hal ini harus segera, saya ulangi, harus segera dihentikan.

Di semua engagements yang dilakukan Indonesia dengan semua pihak di Myanmar, dorongan untuk menghentikan tindakan kekerasan ini terus disampaikan dan menjadi prioritas.

Tanpa penghentian kekerasan, tidak akan ada situasi kondusif.

Tanpa situasi kondusif, maka tidak mungkin dapat dilakukan dialog yang inklusif dialog yang inklusif, maka tidak akan ada penyelesaian damai yang diterima semua pihak dan tidak akan ada perdamaian yang durable di Myanmar.

Rekans,

Saya ingin ulangi bahwa sebuah konflik hanya dapat diselesaikan jika para pihak memiliki semangat dan komitmen sungguh-sungguh untuk mewujudkan perdamaian.

Perdamaian yang durable tidak akan dapat dicapai jika pendekatan yang diambil adalah zero-sum.

Mari kita terus dorong semangat dialog dan damai para pihak di Myanmar.

Isu mengenai Myanmar ini tentunya akan dibahas kembali dalam pertemuan Retreat para Menlu ASEAN.

Rekan-rekan yang saya hormati,

Sebagai penutup, AMM/PMC adalah bagian penting dari mekanisme ASEAN untuk menjadikan ASEAN matters dan menjadikan Asia Tenggara sebagai epicentrum of growth.

Demikian beberapa update persiapan Pertemuan AMM/PMC mendatang yang dapat saya sampaikan per hari ini.

Demikian teman-teman, terima kasih

‘I lived, fought, and was ready to die for Russia’: A young writer-turned-soldier who took up arms against Ukraine tells his story

The war in Ukraine attracts all kinds of people to the front, including creative people. Vladislav Efremov is one of them. Before the outbreak of hostilities, he lived in St. Petersburg and worked in journalism. In March 2022, the young man “beat plowshares into swords” and went to the front as a volunteer, where he fought until April 2023. Having lost his leg in combat, he now offers media support for fighters on the front lines and plans to write a book about his experiences.

Vladislav shares his thoughts on what inspires young people to go to the trenches, the routine life of soldiers, the technological revolution happening on the Donbass battlefields, and the new generation of war writers.

‘I’ve always been attracted to war

RT: Why did you decide to go to the front as a volunteer?

Vladislav Efremov (VE): I’ve always been kind of a peculiar young man. At the time of the Russian military intervention in Syria, I wanted to go there as a war correspondent. Then, I occasionally thought of going to Donbass. But in 2014, I was only 19 years old and you had to be 21 to fight as a volunteer. Then, after 2015, there were no active hostilities in Donbass, so there was nothing much to do. The militia wasn’t allowed to attack the enemy while the Minsk agreements held. The guys who served during this time told me that actual seals were placed on their guns so that no one would shoot. Anyway, since then, this ‘unresolved gestalt’ has been gnawing at me.

When the current war started in 2022, I was at home in St. Petersburg and agonized over the fact that I was sitting there doing nothing. Everything I did felt like nonsense – writing articles, doing DIY, at home. My regular life seemed meaningless compared to what was happening in Ukraine. I was ready to take up any role and become a war journalist, a humanitarian volunteer, a serviceman. In the beginning, I felt like going into journalism since I liked it and had experience in this field. I wanted to work in the media, but in a military context. But actually, I ended up becoming a serviceman.

RT: How did you join the army?

VE: It’s an unbelievable story. It was in the early days of the conflict when you still couldn’t cross the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) border due to coronavirus restrictions. The only way to get over was if you had relatives or if you were going to the DPR to work. The guys from the The Other Russia [political] party helped me cross the border and join the DPR army. They told me to go to Rostov-on-Don and wait for further instructions.

I packed my things, but didn't even know what I would need at war. So I packed a load bearing vest, thermal underwear, and some clothes. Later, on my third combat trip to Donbass, I bought half a million rubles (about $5,500, at present exchange rates) worth of equipment, but during that first trip, I spent 20,000 rubles ($220), tops.

On the way, I met an 18-year-old guy who also wanted to volunteer but didn’t know what to do. He was just going to Rostov to see how things would go from there. I thought the guy was really mature and decided to take him along. Later I saw that I was right – he turned out to be a great fighter.

To cross the border, we were given employment contracts stating that we were going to work as legal assistants in Makeyevka, a satellite city of Donetsk. We joined the Pyatnashka International Brigade and became the first volunteers to arrive at the front with the help of the The Other Russia party. We kind of opened a Pandora’s box, and later, most volunteers from The Other Russia party also joined this unit.

‘You need to fight in a totally different way’

RT: How did your service in the Pyatnashka brigade go? What combat missions did you have?

VE: Well, what kind of missions can combat bums have? (laughs). We were positioned near Avdeevka. I still remember my first combat experience. We arrived in a field and there was a dugout. We dragged our things there, it was night, you couldn’t see a thing. Our task was to defend this position. If the enemy attacked, we would face certain death but, if possible, we had to inform headquarters of what was happening. Our efforts would have delayed the offensive by ten minutes at most.

Our combat missions were mostly like that – to arrive at a specific location and just sit there, or go on guard duty. It wasn’t really fun or interesting. Except I remember how once we came under a targeted mortar attack. Or there was the time when I repaired broken wires – we were constantly attacked by artillery and the cables got cut by the shell fragments. But mostly, our job was to sit in the mud under constant shelling.

The only thing that stood out was my experience in the Avdeevka industrial zone, where the fighting did not stop even during the Minsk agreements. There was a group of Abkhazian volunteers there and after the first battle, two young guys realized that war wasn’t really their thing. So the command ordered two good fighters to come and replace them. For some reason, they sent me and my – now deceased – comrade, who used the military call sign ‘Latvian’ and had never participated in a gun battle before. Our only combat experience was limited to sitting under shelling.

But in the industrial zone, there was constant shooting. We were positioned at a small fortified firing point, grenade launcher shots flew overhead, it was dark, we couldn’t see anything and could only hear shooting and flashes of light from the explosions. At the time, the only thing I could think of was how I hadn't been killed yet. That was a tough mission.

Once we even participated in a real assault operation. The evening before, our unit was assembled and we were told that tomorrow at 4am, we were to get up and receive weapons. But this assault was a total failure. No one knew what to do, we just jumped into the truck and were dropped off near Avdeevka. It was only later that I realized – you need to fight in a totally different way. But that was how the volunteer units operated back then. In general, both sides had less experience and you could get away with mistakes which the war would not forgive today. At that time, you could still fight badly and survive as an unprofessional soldier.

For about ten hours, we sat under intermittent shelling. Then, the truck simply came back for us and we were told that we were going back to the base because the artillery did a poor job, the armored vehicles got damaged, and the assault couldn’t be carried out. I am very grateful to the command for this decision. Though in general, our actions weren’t really professional. So after I got wounded, I decided to leave the unit.

‘I was in a constant state of adrenaline rush’

RT: But you chose to stay in the army?

VE: Yes, but I realized that I need to join a more professional unit. In Pyatnashka, I started practicing operating a drone, then bought one and continued sharpening my skills. The next time I went to the front line it was as a UAV pilot as part of the Troy special unit. It was a really cool experience.

At the spot, we were met by the Main Intelligence Directorate. They said they needed a drone pilot and so I went with them. As a result, I lived with the guys from intelligence, they had their own camp. I used the drone to search out the enemy, guide the artillery, and drop munitions. I felt like I was needed. What did I do in the former unit? I sat in a dugout under shelling and didn’t even see the enemy. But here I saw that I was useful, and didn’t even want to leave for rotation. But unfortunately, the unit was disbanded.

RT: So what did you decide to do next?

VE: I realized that I needed to continue fighting. My second trip to Donbass showed that, in general, I like it. During my third combat trip, I joined the Imperial Legion volunteer unit. In terms of training, everything was great – we had regular training both before leaving for the front and later. I was constantly learning something new, working with equipment, different types of weapons and fortifications. We constantly practiced shooting, I had more shooting practice during this training than in the two previous combat trips.

Soon we found ourselves positioned near Ugledar. I was a UAV pilot there and really liked it in Ugledar. I was in a constant state of adrenaline rush, always busy with something, spinning like a hamster in a wheel and never sitting still.

By that time, Russian troops in the area were attempting to storm Ugledar. We also participated in the assault operation. We were positioned around the town in fields and forests. We couldn’t move without smoke screens since Ugledar is located on a hill and from our positions it resembled a fortress. Drones flew in from there all the time – the Ukrainians had a lot of them – and we came under constant artillery fire.

Drones were everywhere. Both sides used them to drop munitions and to guide artillery, tanks, and mortars. We basically used them to grind each other down. One day, while waiting out the shelling in the basement of a house, we made up a dark joke – counter-battery fighting is when you wait until the enemy gets bored of shooting at you. I don’t even know whether the nature of fighting near Ugledar can change. This combat trip was very interesting, but it was brief because I stepped on a mine and lost a leg.

I don’t regret anything. I have to use a prosthesis for the rest of my life… But I did what I had to and I did it well. I am a happy person simply because most people have meaningless lives, but I had and still have meaning in life. I lived, fought, and was ready to die for Russia. And I go on living.

‘No one wants to play Counter Strike in real life anymore’

RT: You saw the conflict in its early days and then returned to the front nearly a year later. How has the situation on the front lines changed over the past year?

VE: First of all, drone activity has increased to a dramatic extent. There’s something constantly buzzing above your head, someone is constantly watching you. FPV drones are getting really common and I think this will greatly impact how we fight. We’ll need to get better at hiding. But even this won’t prevent an FPV drone from flying right into the dugout and blowing it up. You can’t hide from it anywhere, it’s small and fast, you can only run as fast as you can and hope that it won’t go after you.

One of my comrades was with PMC Wagner and fought near Bakhmut. On two occasions, he personally saw how FPV drones hit evacuation vehicles with wounded fighters who the enemy was targeting specifically. FPV drones are mass-produced and they are cheap barrage ammunition. This means that field fortification will become less important and military equipment will be even easier to destroy. After my second trip, I saw that in this war, there are two types of people – those who operate the drones and those who hide from them. This trend is increasing by the month, and soon we will come to a point where drone pilots fight against other drone pilots. In such circumstances, who will need the rest of the army? Why invest huge money into maintaining and operating a tank when it can be blown up by a cheap drone that’s ready to launch anytime?

That’s where combat is headed. We’re constantly searching for new tools and if they prove effective, they are implemented on the battlefield while the old tools become a thing of the past. For example, infantry fighting vehicles, which are supposed to cover the advance of the infantry, are nearly impossible to use like that nowadays. Now it’s just a gun on the move and an evacuation vehicle. The same goes for tanks. If they are loaded with enough explosives, FPV drones easily destroy heavy equipment which can’t do anything to stop them.

Of course, for every new attack mechanism, new protection mechanisms are being developed. This will become an engineering war between drone developers and the developers of UAV suppressors and anti-drone guns. The war is becoming increasingly more technical and professional. It no longer needs non-professional fighters – like there’s no real need for ordinary people with machine guns. For example, during my three combat trips, I never used a machine gun the way it’s supposed to be used, and I rarely heard about someone shooting the enemy down.

Even stormtroopers try to open fire as little as possible. These days, almost everyone knows that if the enemy is in the building, they need to be brought down with artillery fire, there’s no need to go in and storm the building. You enter the building only to confirm that it’s empty. But even then, grenades are used. No one wants to play Counter Strike in real life anymore, it has become useless. It’s easier to bring the enemy down with grenade launchers until it no longer shows signs of life, and then carry out a building clearing operation. In this regard, group types of weapons work a lot better compared to individual weapons. The best kind of assault operation is the one that didn’t happen.

‘I hope this war doesn’t create another Remarque’

RT: Back at the front, you started writing stories, and many other fighters also have Telegram channels. Is this just self-reflection for the servicemen, or is front line prose socially significant?

VE: It certainly is socially significant. War is kind of a world in itself and only a small number of people come in contact with it. At the same time, it has its own charisma and attracts attention. Most people want to understand what war is, what’s going on there, and what it’s actually like.

I don’t think that war prose should be used for moralizing. Rather, it gives people a taste of the world they will never experience but one they want to understand. Demand creates its own supply, and I expect a lot of material to appear. But it will not always be high-quality literature. For the author, it isn’t really self-reflection, but a way of self-expression. I often saw the average man who hasn’t experienced or seen anything at war saying how he wants to write a book about the war. Basically, he thinks that writing books is fun, it gives you money and women, so why not do it? But how many will actually sit down and write the book? To be honest, very few. And how many will write something considered worthy? Even fewer.

I really wouldn’t want us to have a genre of low-quality war literature. This happened in the USSR after World War II, when tons of books were published about the war. These books are often impossible to read. War literature should not be a propaganda tool, you don’t need to sit down and write a book about the war so your descendants know what you fought for. You would just create something disgusting. War literature should be primarily literature, not military propaganda.

I hope this war doesn’t create another [Erich Maria] Remarque (laughs). I read ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ when I already had combat experience and I was shocked by the amount of whining and naive thinking about how we are all humans and so let the defense ministers do the fighting, not the soldiers. But hey, the world is like this, people kill each other. We have been doing this since the beginning of time and will do it until the end of time. But, I repeat, any literature about the war has a right to exist if it really is literature. In this case, the author’s personal opinion on the war doesn’t matter. It’s just that I think someone who is excited about the subject will have a lot more interesting stuff to tell you about it.

Perkuat Ekonomi Nasional, Pemerintah Ingin Pangkas Hambatan Perdagangan ke Luar Negeri

Menteri Koordinator Bidang Perekonomian, Airlangga Hartarto/Net

Perekonomian dalam negeri masih cukup kuat dan mampu menjadi insentif dalam penguatan output sektor manufaktur.

Terlebih, status Indonesia yang sudah lepas dari pandemi Covid-19 sehingga membuat kegiatan ekonomi kembali normal.

"PMI (purchasing managers’ index) meningkat menjadi 52,5, dan kita sudah 22 bulan berturut-turut di atas 50, jadi ini sifatnya ekspansif," kata Menteri Koordinator Bidang Perekonomian, Airlangga Hartarto, pada hari Senin, 10/07/2023.

Airlangga menambahkan, Indeks Kepercayaan Industri (IKI) di bulan Juni 2023 juga mencatatkan angka bagus, yakni mencapai 53,94 atau meningkat 3,03 poin dibandingkan bulan sebelumnya sebesar 50,90.

Permintaan dalam negeri juga meningkat sehingga mendukung ekspektasi perusahaan manufaktur bertahan di level positif. Kenaikan penjualan ini, kata dia, didorong oleh permintaan dalam negeri menjadi sentimen utama untuk prospek positif ekonomi nasional ke depannya.

Berdasarkan data Kementerian Investasi/BKPM, kontribusi industri pengolahan terhadap total investasi Indonesia pada triwulan pertama 2023 sebesar 42,5 persen atau mencapai Rp328,9 triliun. Angka ini meningkat 32,5 persen dibanding tahun sebelumnya.

Pada triwulan pertama 2023 pula, kontribusi industri pengolahan terhadap sektor industri secara keseluruhan mencapai 18,57 persen, dan subsektor yang menjadi kontributor terbesar yakni industri makanan dan minuman sebesar 6,47 persen.

Sektor industri tekstil dan pakaian juga diyakini akan tumbuh positif lantaran permintaan terus meningkat.

Akan tetapi, Airlangga tidak menutup mata ada hambatan yang harus dilalui, misalnya bea masuk yang tinggi saat diekspor ke luar negeri, seperti ke pasar Amerika dan Eropa

“Indonesia sedang berkonsentrasi untuk menyelesaikan EU-CEPA sehingga diharapkan pasar akan lebih terbuka. Dalam IPEF juga pada pilar pertamanya membahas fasilitasi perdagangan. Pemerintah berharap hambatan di negara-negara itu bisa dikurangi,” jelas Airlangga.

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