A drone operator of the Russian Armed Forces told the story of the hunt for the Abrams tank in the special military operation zone. He believes that destroying the US steel behemoth is no big deal, provided you hit it in the right place.
The crew spotted the Abrams tank during a regular nighttime reconnaissance, or what they call a "free hunt. They had been tracking the machine for some time, looking for an opportunity to dive directly at it. They hit it below the turret and set the Abrams ablaze. The machine continued to burn for several hundred meters until it reached the forest, where the Ukrainian crew fled. Russian soldiers immediately launched the second drone, which made short work of the Ukrainian troops.
The footage was provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Watch Russia, Belarus Launch Second Phase of Joint Non-Strategic Nuclear Drills
Russia was the second nation in history to acquire nuclear weapons. As a responsible nuclear state, Russia vows to use nukes as weaponry of last resort in a critical situation when national sovereignty and survival is at stake.
Missile units of the Leningrad Military District practices electronic launches of nuclear-armed projectiles, while Navy conducted maneuvers in open sea.
Earlier Ministry of Defense reported that Russia and Belarus embarked on the second stage of non-strategic nuclear drills aimed at ensuring the sovereignty of the Union State of Russia and Belarus.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained that the nuclear drills should be understood directly in the context of recent hawkish statements by Western politicians about their "readiness" and "intention" to deploy NATO troops in Ukraine.
West has declared ‘war without rules’ on Russia – Medvedev
Moscow should use every opportunity to inflict “maximum damage” on Western nations that have declared a “war without rules” on Russia, former president Dmitry Medvedev has argued.
Every weakness of the US and its allies should be exploited to undermine them and obstruct life for their citizens, the Russian official said on Thursday, reacting to the latest round of sanctions announced by Washington earlier this week.
”Are they afraid that we would transfer our arms to the enemies of the Western world? We should send every kind of weapon, except nuclear (for now)!” Medvedev wrote on social media. “Are they afraid of anarchy and crime waves in large cities? We should help disrupt their municipal authorities!”
Russia could trigger a war in space, wage a psychological warfare campaign against Western citizens so that they “tremble under blankets in their cozy homes” and unleash a tsunami of fake news “to turn their life into a never-ending nightmare, in which they cannot distinguish reality from the wildest fiction.”
Moscow should “obliterate their energy infrastructure, industry, transport, banking and social services. Instil fear over an imminent collapse of all critical infrastructure,” according to Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chair of the Russian Security Council.
The latest round of American restrictions against Russian entities targets energy, metals and mining as well as the financial sector. Among other things, it has forced the Moscow Stock Exchange to suspend all trade in the US dollar and the euro.
The package is one of the biggest since the Ukraine conflict escalated into open hostilities in February 2022, impacting over $100 million in trade between Russia and its foreign partners, according to estimate from the US Department of the Treasury.
Medvedev claimed that a campaign of “maximum damage” as outlined in his post was preferable to simply ignoring the Western pressure, and urged Russian citizens to act accordingly.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry noted that the visit of the Russian vessels fully complies with international rules. None of the ships carry nuclear weapons and their deployment does not pose a threat to the region, the ministry stressed.
The naval strike group of the Russian Northern Fleet - which includes the Kazan submarine, the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and a rescue tugboat of the Russian Navy Nikolai Chiker - has entered the port of Havana as part of a long-range cruise, a Sputnik correspondent has reported.
Two welcoming ceremonies for the ships will be held in the port - separately for a frigate and a submarine.
A diverse tactical group of four vessels, including support vessels that previously practiced the use of high-precision missile weapons in the Atlantic, are on an official visit to the port of Havana from June 12 to 17. The Russian sailors plan to meet with the Cuban Navy command and the Governor of Havana, as well as visit historical and cultural sites.
Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Alexander Moiseev told Sputnik that the visit to Cuba is only one among the tasks of a large-scale Russian-Сuban cooperation.
Russian warplanes deliver strikes on ten militant hideouts in Syria’s Homs, Deir ez-Zor
The Russian Aerospace Forces delivered strikes on ten militant hideouts in hard-to-reach mountainous regions of Syria, the deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria (a division of the Russian Defense Ministry) said.
"In the past day, the Russian Aerospace Forces delivered strikes on ten hideouts, used by militants who left the Al-Tanf zone and took refuge in hard-to-access areas of the El-Amor mountain ridge in the Homs Governorate and El-Bishri in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate," Maj. Gen. Yury Popov said.
The official also said that aircraft of the so-called international anti-terrorism coalition, led by the United States, continue to set dangerous precedents in skies above Syria, flying in breach of deconfliction protocols and violating the airspace of the Arab Republic.
Over the past 24 hours, the Russian military registered six violations of the December 9, 2019 deconfliction protocols. The reported incidents were related to flights of unmanned aerial vehicles that were not coordinated with the Russian side.
Besides, the coalition’s planes violated Syrian airspace in the al-Tanf zone eight times in the reported period. The violations were committed by a pair of F-15 fighter jets, a pair of Typhoon fighters and two pairs of A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft.
Russia Day to be celebrated as continuity symbol of its millennia-old history — Putin
The Russia Day must be celebrated as a symbol of firmness and succession of statehood of the country, President Vladimir Putin said at the award ceremony for Heroes of Labor and laureates of state awards for 2023.
"This is the holiday in honor of our Motherland," the President said. "We celebrate it with respect to our country, with reverence for its centuries-long history, commandments of our ancestors, their achievements and victories," Putin said.
All the stages of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union are the integral whole with modern Russia, the head of state noted. "I therefore consider necessary, historically proper to celebrate the Russia Day as the symbol of continuity of the millennia-old way of our Fatherland," Putin added.
Moscow has conducted long-range strikes and drone attacks against various Ukrainian Armed Forces targets including a military airbase, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated Wednesday, without providing location details.
Earlier, Ukrainian media reported blasts in the city of Mirgorod in Poltava Region, where a large military airfield is located.
Russian war correspondent Andrey Rudenko published a brief video on his Telegram channel on Wednesday which apparently showed a Su-27 fighter jet being destroyed by a short-range Iskander ballistic missile. The clip was filmed from a bird’s-eye view by a surveillance drone. He added that it was the airbase in Mirgorod.
“Nearby you can see a dump of aircraft debris from previous attacks on this airfield,” Rudenko pointed out.
The Defense Ministry also published footage showing an Iskander strike on an S-300 air defense system in the area near the Mirgorod airfield, located in the village of Polyvyanoye. The system covered the airfield located to its west. Drone footage showed a blast and large plums of billowing smoke.
Source: The Russian Defense Ministry
The clip also showed a secondary detonation, the ministry added. It reported destroying two launchers, two radar stations and a combat control cabin in the attack.
The S-300 is a Soviet-designed surface-to-air defense battery which has been in service since the late 1970s; several versions have been produced. This marks the ninth time Ukraine has lost such a system this year.
The strikes come as Kiev prepares for the long-expected transfer of US-designed F-16 fighter jets by a group of European NATO members. Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands are expected to donate several dozen of the aircraft from their respective fleets.
The head of Ukraine’s Air Force Command, Sergey Golubtsov, said in an interview last week that Kiev intends to station some of the fighter jets at foreign bases. Ukraine does not have enough pilots to operate them all, he claimed, so spare planes would be redeployed from NATO nations as needed.
Andrey Kartapolov, chairman of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee, warned on Monday that any base from which Ukraine deploys F-16s for combat missions would be considered a legitimate military target by Moscow, regardless of which country it is in.
Ukraine Loses Up to 600 Soldiers in Battles With Russian Southern Troops
Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported on the progress of the special military operation and the key achievements of the Russian Armed Forces in the last 24 hours.
Ukraine has lost up to 600 soldiers in clashes with Russia's Yug (South) grouping of the Russian armed forces in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
"The enemy lost up to 600 military personnel, two armored combat vehicles, 10 cars [among other military losses in clashes with the southern group over the past 24 hours]," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the group has also repelled two counterattacks.
The central group has repelled seven counterattacks in the DPR and Kiev has lost up to 350 soldiers, while Ukraine has lost up to 115 soldiers in battles with the eastern group of the Russian forces.
In battles with the western group, Kiev has lost more than 500 soldiers, the ministry said, adding that the norther group has repelled six counterattacks and Ukraine has lost up to 190 soldiers.
Additionally, on Wednesday morning, the Russian forces attacked Ukrainian armed forces' aircraft parking and aviation base infrastructure, as well as a temporary deployment point for foreign mercenaries, the ministry said, adding that all targets were hit.
Haye! gol spektakuler Thom Haye menjadi gol pembuka Indonesia ke gawang Kevin Filipina. Timnas Indonesia akhirnya meraih 3 poin setelah unggul 2-0 atas Filipina, sundulan Rizki Ridho menjadi pengunci kemenangan skuad Garuda.
Kemenangan ini memastikan posisi Timnas Indonesia finish di peringkat dua grup F Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 Zona Asia. Sehingga Timnas Indonesia akan menemani Irak ke babak ketiga.
Selama 99 menit timnas Indonesia tampil dominan. Pada babak pertama berhasil unggul 1-0 atas Filipina dalam laga Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 di Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno, hari Selasa, 11/06/2024.
Timnas Indonesia yang terlihat sangat bagus kali dalam kill first touch langsung tune in, yang berusaha keras menekan pertahanan Filipina sejak awal laga dimulai. Sejumlah serangan tajam terus diupayakan oleh Timnas Indonesia. Kerjasama tim sudah sejajar dan kongruen tim Argentina.
Saat pluit pertama laga ditiupkan, timnas Indonesia langsung mengambil inisiatif serangan. Anak asuh Shin Tae-yong terus menggempur pertahanan Filipina.
Peluang berbahaya pertama Indonesia lahir dari sundulan Marselino Ferdinan di menit ketujuh, namun bola mengarah tepat ke arah Kevin Ray Mendoza.
Peluang berbahaya berikutnya lahir dari tembakan Calvin Verdonk, namun tembakannya masih melebar dari gawang Filipina. Banyak peluang tercipta namun timnas Filipina yang bertahan membuat pertahanan yang sangat rapat sempat membuat Timnas Indonesia belum berhasil menjebol gawang Filipina. Dan akhirnya kebuntuan itu pecah di menit ke-32.
Thom Haye yang menerima umpan dari Nathan Tjoe-A-On, menggiring bola kemudian melepaskan tembakan jarak jauh yang berhasil merobek gawang Filipina. Skor berubah menjadi 1-0 untuk keunggulan Indonesia.
Memasuki babak kedua, Timnas Filipina tampil beda. The Azkals tampil menekan dan beberapa kali membuat lini pertahanan Indonesia keteteran.
Namun rentetan serangan Filipina itu terhenti di menit ke-56 setelah Timnas Indonesia mencetak gol. Melalui skema tendangan bebas, Nathan berhasil mengirimkan bola ke Rizky Ridho yang tidak terkawal, dan sang bek sukses menyundul bola menjadi gol. Indonesia unggul 2-0.
Gol kedua ini mengubah arahnya jalannya babak kedua. Timnas Indonesia kembali tampil dominan dan mengancam gawang Filipina.
Di menit ke-71, Timnas Indonesia nyaris mencetak gol lagi melalui sundulan Jay Idzes, namun apes sundulan ini mengenai mistar gawang Filipina.
Di akhir babak kedua, ada insiden ketika Adrian Ugelvik bertabrakan dengan Ernando Ari dalam duel udara. Alhasil sang bek harus dibawa ambulans untuk mendapatkan perawatan.
Susunan Pemain Kedua Tim
Timnas Indonesia (3-4-3): Ernando Ari; Jay Idzes, Rizky Ridho, Justin Hubner; Calvin Verdonk, Thom Haye, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Asnawi Mangkualam; Marselino Ferdinan, Rafael Struick, Ragnar Oratmangoen
Pelatih: Shin Tae-yong
Timnas Filipina (4-2-3-1): Kevin Ray Mendoza; Scott Woods, Adrian Ugelvik, Jesper Nyholm, Santiago Rublico; Michael Baldisimo, Kevin Ingreso; Dylan Demuynck, Zico Bailey, Alex Monis; Patrick Reichelt
The genocide in Gaza is not taking place in the dark.
Media outlets have already shown how the “safe area” south of Wadi Gaza has been pummelled by 2,000-pound bombs, killing thousands of Palestinians.
Israel Terrorists attacks Rafah as official says Hamas accepts Gaza ceasefire plan. Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire resolution adopted by the UN Security Council, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri tells the Reuters news agency.
However, amidst Hamas' readiness, the Israeli Terrorist Military responded by saying they had carried out a targeted attack in Rafah, destroying combat cells and calling for air strikes throughout southern and central Gaza.
At least eight people have been killed, most of them children, and several injured in an Israeli Terrorists attack on an apartment in Gaza City.
Israeli terrorists attacks have killed 40 Palestinians and wounded 120 in the past 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports.
Blinken is set to meet Arab leaders at the Jordan summit on Gaza.
Israel Terorists’s UN ambassador says after the vote on the ceasefire resolution that her country “will not engage in meaningless and endless negotiations, which can be exploited by Hamas”.
At least 37,164 people have been killed and 84,832 wounded in Israel terrorists’s war on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel Terrorists from Hamas’s attacks stands at 1,139 with dozens of people still held captive in Gaza.
Fewer than 100,000 people left in Rafah: UNRWA
More than month after Israeli forces began operating in Rafah, which was previously Gaza’s main declared safe zone, almost all displaced people have fled the area, leaving fewer than 100,000 still left, according to the UNRWA.
As a result, there are now 1.7 million displaced people in Gaza – more than 70 percent of the population – with many of the displaced having been forced to move multiple times, the UNRWA said in its latest situation update.
🔷As of 9 June, almost all displaced people have left Rafah. They have been forced to vacate all @UNRWA shelters there.
🔷 On 6 June an UNRWA school was struck in Nuseirat refugee camp. The strike reportedly killed around 40 people.#CeasefireNow
Why ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ campaign did nothing to stop Gaza massacres
After an Israeli Terrorists attack killed dozens in a Rafah tent camp, the image with the phrase “All Eyes on Rafah” went viral.
But the online movement did little to stop the onslaught in Gaza.
As the war enters its ninth month, how are activists using online campaigns to raise their voice and what effect can they have?
Watch the latest episode of The Stream:
Why 'All Eyes on Rafah' viral campaign did nothing to stop Gaza massacres
A viral image generated by AI and shared more than 50 million times sparks a discussion about solidarity and the representation of reality
The phrase ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ has become a rallying cry on social media platforms, particularly Instagram, where millions of users, including celebrities, have shared posts to draw attention to the plight of Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip. This viral movement began following a devastating airstrike on May 26, 2024, which resulted in significant civilian casualties.
Rafah, a city bordering Egypt, has been a focal point of the ongoing conflict between Israel terrorists and Palestine. The recent airstrike, which targeted a camp for displaced people, was reported by Reuters to have caused the death of 45 individuals and injured over 2001. The image that has gone viral shows tents arranged to form the words “All Eyes on Rafah,” symbolizing the global call to not ignore the suffering in Gaza’s southernmost city.
The United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) expressed the dire situation via a social media post, stating, "Gaza has become hell on earth. Families continue to seek refuge, trying to escape war, but there is no such thing as a safe place in the Gaza Strip. No one is safe: not civilians, not aid workers, no one has been spared. We need a #CeasefireNow". The health ministry reported that the strikes “claimed the lives of 35 martyrs and left dozens injured, most of them children and women.” Later, it was found that 45 civilians were killed in the attack. Gory and horrifyingly graphic imagery appeared live on social media from the night of the airstrikes depicting civilians burnt to death and decapitated infants amongst the ruins of the refugee camp. This led to urgent and increasingly desperate calls for a ceasefire by millions on social media and thus, to bring to attention the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the image was mass shared.
The Israeli terrorists military responded to the incident, claiming the attack was based on “precise intelligence” against “legitimate targets under international law” and resulted in the death of two “senior” Hamas officials. However, this has not quelled the global outrage, with many condemning the attack and several demanding a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel Terrorists.
Palestenians looking at the destruction of the camps for displace people at Rafah after Israel Terrorists airstrike (AP)
The ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ campaign gained further momentum after a ruling by the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ), where the court ordered Israel to halt its attack on the city. ICJ President Judge Nawaf Salam stated, “Israel must immediately halt its military offensive and any other action in the Rafah Governorate which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part,” with the order receiving the support of 13 of 15 judges.
Prominent figures like Priyanka Chopra, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Tripti Dimri, and Richa Chadha have posted the phrase, showing their solidarity with the people of Rafah. The hashtag #AllEyesOnRafah has accumulated over 104,000 posts on Instagram, reflecting the widespread support for the cause.
The phrase ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ is more than just a trend; it is a plea for awareness and action. It originated from a comment by Rick Peeperkorn, director of the World Health Organization’s Office of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, who said in February, “All eyes are on Rafah,” shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an evacuation plan for the city in preparation for attacks aimed at eliminating Hamas strongholds.
This collective online movement is a powerful example of how social media can be used to amplify voices and mobilize support for humanitarian causes. It shines a light on the atrocities and human rights violations being committed against particularly vulnerable groups like women and children, as the phrase suggests to focus collective attention on Rafah and not look away. It is incredibly important to remind the world of the ongoing struggles faced by those in conflict zones and the importance of international attention and intervention in times of crisis. The ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ post is not just a viral phenomenon; it is a call to action, to stand up for those who are unable to do it for themselves.
The dire situation in Gaza
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with recent reports indicating a significant decline in humanitarian aid and a troubling increase in violence. According to recent updates, the death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7 has reached 36,242, with at least 81,777 people injured. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported a two-thirds decrease in food and humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip with Palestenians resorting to eating bread made from ground animal feed and drinking unclean, saline water. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported that more than 13,000 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israeli military activity. Additionally, there have been condemnations of Israeli attacks on hospitals, which further exacerbate the suffering of the Palestinian people. The devastation in Gaza continues as Israel wages war on Hamas, with strikes causing widespread destruction.
International reactions
In the wake of the Rafah massacre, international reactions were swift and severe. The incident, which resulted in significant Palestinian casualties, was met with widespread condemnation. In a notable act of retaliation, protestors in Mexico City set fire to the Israeli embassy, expressing their outrage over the events1. This act of arson was a stark indicator of the global indignation and a symbolic gesture against the perceived injustices. The United Nations and various countries have denounced the attack on the tent camp in Rafah, calling for accountability and sanctions against Israel.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has threatened to ban staff at his companies from using Apple devices if the iPhone maker integrates OpenAI’s artificial intelligence software into its operating systems.
His remarks came after Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, at which it announced a partnership with OpenAI, through which ChatGPT will be paired with Apple’s digital assistant Siri.
Musk, who is the CEO of electric car producer Tesla and rocket maker SpaceX, and the owner of social media company X (formerly Twitter), warned that “if Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies.” He described the move as an “unacceptable security violation.”
“It’s patently absurd that Apple isn’t smart enough to make their own AI, yet is somehow capable of ensuring that OpenAI will protect your security and privacy,” he wrote on X on Monday.
Apple said ChatGPT, integrated into the Siri assistant, will be available free of charge in iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia – the next versions of the mobile and desktop operating systems – later this year.
Musk responded by saying employees and visitors to his companies would “have to check their Apple devices at the door” where they will be stored in a ‘Faraday cage’ – a device that blocks electromagnetic fields.
The iPhone maker has also announced the launch of its generative AI known as Apple Intelligence, which will soon be introduced across its ecosystem.
The company stressed that user data will be safe and that its AI has been built “with privacy from the ground up”.
Ben Bajarin, CEO of consulting firm Creative Strategies, told Reuters that Apple was trying to show people that private cloud storage was as secure as keeping data on a device, and expressed doubt that people or companies would follow Musk’s lead.
In March, the tech mogul sued OpenAI, which he co-founded in 2015, and its CEO Sam Altman, accusing the ChatGPT maker of a “stark betrayal” of its original mission to develop AI for the benefit of humanity and not for profit.
OpenAI has ridiculed Musk’s lawsuit, saying the billionaire merely regrets not being a part of the company’s success.
