Terrorist Groups, Ukrainian Intel Probed for Having Hand in Crocus Attack - Moscow

Terrorist Groups, Ukrainian Intel Probed for Having Hand in Crocus Attack - Moscow

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Russian investigators are probing terrorist organizations Ukraine's special services for involvement in organizing and financing the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall, the Russian Investigative Committee said on Friday.

"The implementation of a set of investigative actions and operational measures to verify the involvement of representatives of the Ukrainian special services and international Islamist terrorist organizations in the organization and financing of the terrorist attack continues," the committee wrote on Telegram.

Russian investigators have obtained data from the mobile phones of those accused of the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall near Moscow, who tried to destroy the devices, the Russian Investigative Committee said on Friday.

"The investigation obtained data from the mobile phones of those accused of committing the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall ... The results of an expert study of the mobile phones that the terrorists tried to destroy made it possible to obtain information that is significant for the investigation about the circumstances of the preparation for the crime," the committee wrote on Telegram.

Photos of people in camouflage with the Ukrainian flag near destroyed houses and a Ukrainian postage stamp with an obscene gesture were found in the phone of the one of those accused, the committee said, adding that this may indicate a link between the terrorist attack and Russia’s special military operation.

"On the morning of February 24, 2024, that is, on the anniversary of the start of the special military operation, at the direction of the curator, one of the accomplices found on internet resources and sent him screenshots of images of the entrances to the Crocus City Hall building and the access roads to it," the committee said.

On March 22, several armed men broke into Crocus City Hall and started shooting at people. They also started a fire in one of the auditoriums, which was full of people ahead of a concert. The attack left 144 people dead, according to the latest data from the Russian Emergencies Ministry.

The four main suspects in the case — all of them citizens of Tajikistan — tried to flee the scene in a car but were detained and charged with terrorism. Russian authorities believe their plan was to flee to Ukraine, where the masterminds of the attack had arranged a safe haven for them. An investigation is underway.

Russia Unleashes Massive Retaliation in Response to Ukraine's Bid to Damage Oil & Gas Facilities

The Russian Armed Forces have carried out 39 strikes on Ukrainian energy and military facilities in response to the Kiev regime's attempts to damage Russian oil and gas and energy facilities, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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"From March 31 to April 5, the Russian armed forces have carried out 39 massive strikes with high-precision long-range land- and air-based weapons, unmanned aerial vehicles, on Ukrainian energy industry facilities, as well as enterprises of military-industrial complex, air defense systems, arsenals, fuel depots, temporary deployment sites for Ukrainian units and foreign mercenaries in response to attempts by the Kiev regime to cause damage to oil and gas industry and energy facilities in Russia," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry added that "the objectives of the strikes were achieved and all the targeted objects were hit".

Ukraine has lost more than 2,110 soldiers in the Donetsk area over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.

Over the given period, the Russian armed forces have repelled 15 counterattacks by Ukrainian military in the Donetsk region, as well as have taken control of the village of Vodyane in the Donetsk People's Republic in the Avdeyevka area.

"The enemy lost more than 2,110 soldiers, six tanks, 11 armored fighting vehicles, 89 vehicles and 40 field artillery pieces [in the Donetsk area]," the ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine has also lost more than 1,695 soldiers in the Avdeyevka area, over 760 soldiers in the South Donetsk direction, up to 270 soldiers in the Kupyansk region, and more than 240 soldiers in the Kherson area

Chef Jose Andres says Israel targeted his aid workers 'systematically, car by car'

Chef José Andrés speaks out after 7 World Central Kitchen staffers killed by Israeli air strike

World Central Kitchen, which was founded by chef Jose Andres, described the airstrike that killed the workers as a "military attack that involved multiple strikes and targeted three WCK vehicles."

World Central Kitchen founder Chef José Andrés spoke out after seven of the humanitarian organization's staffers were killed by an Israeli air strike.

The renowned chef and restaurateur said that his group was in communication with Israeli armed forces and said humanitarian workers and civilians should never pay the consequences of war, adding that it's a basic principle of humanity.

"This it seems is a war against humanity itself. And you can never win that war. Because humanity eventually will always prevail," Andrés said in an interview with Reuters.

Andrés said the World Central Kitchen charity group had clear communication with the Israeli military, which he said knew his aid workers' movements.

FILE - Jose Andres, a Spanish chef, and founder of World Central Kitchen unloads the humanitarian food packages delivered with WCK's truck in Kherson, Ukraine, on Nov. 15, 2022.
AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File

"This was not just a bad luck situation where 'oops' we dropped the bomb in the wrong place," Andrés said.

He rejected Israeli and U.S. assertions that the strike was not deliberate.

"Initially, I would say categorically no," Andrés said when asked if he accepted that explanation. "Even if we were not in coordination with the Israel Defense Forces, no democratic country and no military can be targeting civilians and humanitarians," Andrés said.

"The U.S. must do more to tell Prime Minister Netanyahu this war needs to end now," he said, adding that he spoke to President Biden on Tuesday.

In a statement, Biden said he was "outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, including one American, in Gaza yesterday. They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war. They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy."

"Israel has pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into why the aid workers' vehicles were hit by airstrikes. That investigation must be swift, it must bring accountability, and its findings must be made public," the president's statement said.

Netanyahu said in a statement Tuesday that "Israel deeply regrets the tragic incident" and the IDF will conduct a "swift and transparent investigation" with the findings made public.

Andrés called for a "neutral" investigation of the incident.

"Even if we were not in coordination with the [IDF], no democratic country and no military can be targeting civilians and humanitarians," he told Reuters.

The deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers threatened to set back efforts by the U.S. and other countries to open a maritime corridor for aid from Cyprus to help ease the desperate conditions in northern Gaza. The loss also prompted multiple charities to suspend food deliveries to Palestinians on the brink of starvation.

This comes as the president is expected to speak to Netanyahu on Thursday.

The hit on the charity's convoy also highlighted what critics have called Israel's indiscriminate bombing and lack of regard for civilian casualties in Gaza.

Netanyahu's foreign policy adviser, Ophir Falk, pushed back against claims that the attack on the WCK-branded vehicles was intentional.

"That's absurd," Falk told ABC News on Wednesday. "The last thing we would want in the world is to endanger civilian lives."

Falk said the seven workers died due to "friendly fire in the middle of the night" and called the deaths a "tragic event."

"This war is a complex war," he said. "The incident happened in the middle of the night. It should not have happened. And we'll do everything possible that it doesn't happen again."

Palestinians inspect a vehicle with the logo of the World Central Kitchen wrecked by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah

He said "we understand the outcry" from the international community over the deaths and noted that "a number of IDF soldiers" and three Israeli hostages died due to friendly fire during the war.

New images of the heavily damaged convoy show the workers traveling in clearly marked World Central Kitchen vehicles.

Menurut laporan pada bulan Maret oleh Klasifikasi Fase Ketahanan Pangan Terpadu (IPC), kelaparan “akan segera terjadi” di Gaza utara, karena seluruh penduduk di jalur tersebut mengalami kerawanan pangan tingkat tinggi di tengah perang Israel-Hamas yang sedang berlangsung.

Russia and NATO already in ‘direct confrontation’ – Kremlin

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The current state of relations between Russia and NATO can be described as a “direct confrontation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. He claimed that the US-led military bloc has been a destabilizing force in Europe rather than ensuring the continent’s security.

He made his comment on Thursday, as the bloc marked 75 years since the signing of its founding document, the North Atlantic Treaty.

Since the start of the Ukraine conflict, NATO has provided Kiev with billions worth of military aid and weaponry, as well as sharing intelligence and helping to train Ukrainian troops.

“The bloc itself is already involved in the Ukraine conflict. NATO continues to move towards our borders, expanding its military infrastructure towards our borders… In fact, our relations have now descended to the level of direct confrontation,” Peskov said at a press-briefing.

He stated that the organization had been created as an “instrument of confrontation” in Europe, and is fulfilling its purpose to the detriment of the entire continent.

“NATO continues to fulfill its purpose, which currently, however, in no way contributes to security, predictability and stability on the continent, but on the contrary is a destabilizing factor,” Peskov explained.

Multiple Western leaders have warned that Russia may attack NATO once the Ukraine conflict is over. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed those claims.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that talk of a potential Russian attack on NATO countries is simply propaganda by their governments aimed at scaring their own population to “beat the money out of them.”

Moscow has for years voiced concerns about NATO’s expansion toward its borders, viewing the US-led military bloc’s policies as an existential threat. However, it has also warned that NATO’s more pronounced involvement in the Ukraine conflict, in particular, the possibility of a troop deployment to the front lines, would be seen as an intervention. This, according to an earlier statement by Putin, would take the conflict “one step shy of a full-scale World War III.”

Western Powers ‘Destroying Foundations of Strategic Stability,’ Russian General Staff Chief Says

Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov has said that Western countries are consistently destroying the foundations of strategic stability and international security institutions.

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"Recent events testify to the West's consistent destruction of the fundamental foundations of strategic stability and international security institutions," Gerasimov said at the opening of Thursday's meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Staff (CCS) of the armed forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which is being held in Moscow.

He noted that today's meeting of the CIS military commanders "takes place against the backdrop of the rapidly changing military and political situation, which tends to become more complicated." According to Gerasimov, "not without external influence, hotbeds of tension are emerging in various corners of the planet, and international terrorism, supported by shadowy sponsors, remains a global threat to the world."

"In these conditions, the challenges to the commonwealth countries are becoming more real and diverse, which obliges us to have well-equipped and trained armed forces," he added.

He called it symbolic that today's joint work began with a tour of the exhibition of modern weapons, as well as military and special equipment used during the special military operation.

"I am sure that acquaintance with the achievements of the Russian military-industrial complex and promising developments implemented in the military sphere was interesting and useful for you," Gerasimov said.

Later during the meeting, he suggested analyzing the military-political situation in the world and on the borders of the commonwealth countries, to discuss the issues of creation and development of joint military systems in the CIS format, to consider the directions of combat training and field training of troops taking into account the experience of combat operations in modern conditions, to discuss other issues of multilateral military cooperation of mutual interest.

Units of battlegroup West improve forward positions in Kupyansk area

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Ukraine lost up to 125 troops as units of the battlegroup West improved positions in the Kupyansk area over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily bulletin of the special military operation.

Here are the details of this and other combat actions that happened over the past day, according to the bulletin.

Kupyansk area

"Battlegroup West units improved their forward positions in active operations, inflicted damage by firepower on enemy formations near the settlements of Rozovka, Raigorod, Zhovtnevoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic and Terny in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

Ukraine’s losses in the Kupyansk area over the past day amounted up to 125 personnel and four motor vehicles.

Donetsk area

"Russia’s Battlegroup South units seized better positions and inflicted casualties on personnel and military hardware of the Ukrainian army’s 28th mechanized brigade, 92nd assault brigade and 241st territorial defense brigade near the settlements of Kleshcheyevka, Kurdyumovka and Krasnogorovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

Ukraine lost up to 340 personnel, a tank and eight motor vehicles.

In counter-battery fire, Russian forces destroyed two Msta-B howitzers, a D-20 howitzer, two 122mm Gvozdika motorized artillery systems, three D-30 howitzers and three Ukrainian arms depots.

Avdeyevka area

"Battlegroup Center units improved forward positions in the Avdeyevka area and engaged units of the enemy’s 24th, 47th mechanized brigades, 3rd assault brigade, and 25th airborne brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the vicinity of Orlovka, Berdychi and Tonenkoye settlements in the Donetsk People’s Republic. A counterattack of an assault party of the Ukrainian 25th airborne brigade was also thwarted near the Pervomaiskoye settlement in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The enemy lost up to 305 troops, two armored fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, and a US-made Paladin 155mm self-propelled artillery system.

South Donetsk area

Units of the battlegroup East improved their tactical positions and inflicted firepower damage on the servicemen and equipment of the Ukrainian armed forces’ 58th motorized infantry brigade and the 72nd mechanized brigade, and the 128th territorial defense brigade near the settlements of Vodyanoye, Storozhevoye and Ugledar in the Donetsk People's Republic.

Ukrainian troops sustained up to 105 casualties and lost three cars, a US-made 155mm M777 howitzer and a 122-mm Grad multiple launch rocket system.

Kherson area

"Units of the battlegroup Dnepr inflicted firepower damage on the Ukrainian 28th mechanized brigade and 128th territorial defense brigade near the settlements of Mirnoye and Pyatikhatki in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said.

Ukrainian losses amounted to 35 personnel, three motor vehicles and a Grad multiple launch rocket system.

Air Force and air defenses

"Operational-tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of Russian battlegroups destroyed an ammunition depot, a temporary base of foreign mercenaries near the town of Merefa in the Kharkov Region and struck Ukrainian manpower and military hardware in 135 areas," the ministry said.

Air defenses shot down a Ukrainian Su-27 aircraft in the area of the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Also destroyed were 196 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles and 18 HIMARS projectiles were intercepted.

Tally of destroyed equipment

Since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed a total of 582 Ukrainian warplanes, 270 helicopters, 18,734 unmanned aerial vehicles, 495 surface-to-air missile systems, 15,687 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,264 multiple launch rocket systems, 8,654 field artillery guns and mortars and 20,596 special military motor vehicles.

Russian Su-34 Frontline Bombers Hit Ukrainian Forces With ODAB-500 Bombs

The Russian Aerospace Forces are actively using various types of bombs equipped with universal planning and correction modules (UMPK) in the special military operation zone.

Russian Aerospace Forces Su-34 crews have hit Ukrainian forces with ODAB-500 bombs, from which it is impossible to hide in trenches or dugouts, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The strike was carried out on a stronghold and enemy personnel. At the same time, ODAB-500 bombs have been equipped with universal planning and correction modules (UMPK), which have a wing, rudder, and control system that transform ordinary bombs into highly accurate munitions.

The ODAB-500 is a vacuum detonation bomb that operates in two stages: first, when detonated, it ejects an explosive liquid composition that forms an aerosol cloud that then ignites in a large volume. This creates a high-temperature explosion with a powerful shockwave that "flows" into trenches, dugouts, and other shelters, destroying the enemy.

Each Su-34 can carry four such bombs. A video released by the Defense Ministry shows four ODAB-500s being dropped by a frontline bomber. Small flashes can be seen on the ammunition, which is how the squibs are triggered, revealing the wing of the planning and correction module.

The Defense Ministry said that after the successful completion of the mission, the Su-34 crews returned to the airfield after receiving confirmation of the destruction of important objects.

Taiwan's strongest earthquake in 25 years kills 9 people, 50 missing

The strongest earthquake in a quarter-century rocked Taiwan during the morning rush hour Wednesday, killing nine people, stranding dozens of workers at quarries and sending some residents scrambling out the windows of damaged buildings.

The quake, which also injured more than 1,000, was centered off the coast of rural, mountainous Hualien County, where some buildings leaned at severe angles, their ground floors crushed. Just over 150 kilometers (93 miles) away in the capital of Taipei, tiles fell from older buildings, and schools evacuated students to sports fields as aftershocks rattled the island nation.

Rescuers fanned out in Hualien, looking for people who may be trapped and using excavators to stabilize damaged buildings. The numbers of people missing, trapped or stranded fluctuated as authorities learned of more in trouble and worked to locate or free them.

Some 70 workers who were stranded at two rock quarries were safe, according to Taiwan’s national fire agency, but the roads to reach them were damaged by falling rocks. Six workers were going to be airlifted on Thursday.

In the hours after the quake, TV showed neighbors and rescue workers lifting residents, including a toddler, through windows and onto the street. Some doors had fused shut in the shaking.

Taiwan is regularly jolted by quakes and its population is among the best prepared for them. But authorities expected a relatively mild earthquake and did not send out alerts. The eventual quake was strong enough to scare even people who are used to such shaking.

“I’ve grown accustomed to (earthquakes). But today was the first time I was scared to tears by an earthquake,” said Hsien-hsuen Keng, who lives in a fifth-floor apartment in Taipei. ”I was awakened by the earthquake. I had never felt such intense shaking before.”

At least nine people died in the quake, according to Taiwan’s fire agency. Most of the fatalities were caused by falling rocks, including four people who were struck inside Taroko National Park, according to the state Central News Agency. One died in a residential building that was damaged, the news agency said.

Farther north, part of the headland of Guishan Island, a tourist attraction also known as Turtle Island because of its shape, slid into the sea. In the capital, Taipei, several people were rescued from a partly collapsed warehouse, and tiles fell from buildings.

Although it was measured at 7.7 in Japan, Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency gave the magnitude of Wednesday’s quake as 7.2, making it Taiwan’s strongest since 1999, when a 7.6-magnitude quake 93 miles (150km) south of Taipei killed 2,400 and injured 10,000.

Hualien’s last big quake in 2022, recorded as 6.9 magnitude, toppled buildings and derailed a train, killing one person and cutting off power for thousands of residents.

Wednesday’s quake caused TSMC, Taiwan’s leading semiconductor manufacturer, which is responsible for the production of most of the world’s advanced semiconductors, to evacuate its production lines, according to Bloomberg News.

A general view as workers carry out operations while on an elevated platform of a firefighting truck at the site where a building collapsed, following the earthquake, in Hualien, Taiwan April 4,... Purchase Licensing Rights

Taiwan’s CST said more than 15 aftershocks exceeding a magnitude of 4.0 had occurred so far, but the magnitude had been decreasing.

Damage was visible on some buildings in central Taipei, such as outside the Howard Plaza hotel, where the earthquake had damaged brickwork and dislodged some of the lettering on the hotel’s sign.

People ride motorcycles near the site where a building collapsed, following the earthquake, in Hualien, Taiwan April 4, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Purchase Licensing Rights

Mike Hung Hsu, a hotel guest from the US, said he was woken up by the earthquake. “I’ve never felt this kind of earthquake in LA, even though we have earthquakes pretty often,” he said. “I used to live in Taiwan, in my memory we never had an earthquake like this one.”

Japanese media initially said the quake could trigger waves as high as 3 metres in some areas of Okinawa prefecture, located roughly 1,600km south of Tokyo, but the forecasts were later downgraded. Japan’s meteorological agency lifted all tsunami advisories at around noon local time, while the chief cabinet secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said there had been no reports of injury or damage.

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However, an official from Japan’s meteorological agency urged people to continue evacuating until the advisory was lifted. Some residents of the main Okinawa island had evacuated to a nearby US military base, media reports said, while footage showed others watching the sea from the safety of high ground in the prefectural capital, Naha.

The agency has warned that aftershocks, with a similar intensity to those felt in Taiwan, may be likely over the next week.

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The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake’s epicentre was 18km (11 miles) south of Taiwan’s Hualien city at a depth of 34.8km.

The Philippines’ seismology agency on Wednesday issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas fronting the Pacific Ocean, saying they were expected to experience “high tsunami waves” but later lifted the warning.

Workers walk at the site where a building collapsed, following an earthquake, in Hualien, Taiwan April 3, 2024. REUTERS/Walid Berrazeg Purchase Licensing Rights

It has been only three months since a magnitude-7.6 quake and tsunami killed 244 people and caused widespread damage on the Noto peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture on the Japan Sea coast.

Japan’s biggest earthquake on record was a 9.0-magnitude undersea jolt in March 2011 off Japan’s north-east coast, which triggered a tsunami that left about 18,500 people dead or missing.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said it was “highly concerned” about the earthquake, which was also felt in coastal cities in China’s Fujian province, and offered to provide assistance.

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