Monday 2 October 2023

Russian Soldiers Capture Two Ukrainian Military Units Near Artemovsk

Russian Soldiers Capture Two Ukrainian Military Units Near Artemovsk

Russian Soldiers Capture Two Ukrainian Military Units Near Artemovsk





©Sputnik / Go to the mediabank






Captured Ukraininan soldier reveals shocking details about the Ukrainian command's treatment of their own servicemen.







Soldiers of the 1st Guards Tank Army units of the Russian Zapad Battle Group have captured two mobilized military units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) near Artemovsk (Bakhmut) in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), a Russian intelligence officer on duty in the area told Sputnik.


"Two enemy groups, all mobilized, were seized on positions to the northwest of Artemovsk," a scout said.


He specified that the captured soldiers belong to the 77th Airmobile Brigade and the 56th Separate Motorized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF).



'Stationed in the Trenches With Our Fallen Fellow Soldiers'



Ukrainian servicemen are ordered to hold the positions near Artemovsk, where the bodies of their dead comrades were left behind, said Vitaly Melnichenko, a captured soldier of Ukraine's 56th separate motorized brigade.


"When we got to the trenches, there were decomposing bodies of Ukrainian soldiers that were killed three, maybe four months ago,” said Melnichenko.


The prisoner believes that neither Ukrainian, nor Russian troops were set on taking these positions due to their poor location. However, the determination of the Ukrainian military leadership to send their troops there remained unyielding, as their goal was to demonstrate their firm grip on a vast expanse of the region. "Why did they put us there? Just to secure more land?" speculated Melnichenko.



They Finish Off Their Own Soldiers



A training officer of the Yug battle group, code-named Aid (Hades in Russian), told Sputnik that the UAF is trying to kill its own soldiers, who are believed to have been captured by Russian troops, before they [the Ukrainian fighters] even cross the front line. The aim is to prevent a possible data breach.


"They try to finish off their own prisoners, who are to be taken in [by the Russian military], so that none of them say a word," a training officer shared. The Russian intelligence officer noted that the Ukrainian army has recently made extensive use of British SAS (Special Air Service) tactics.



Watch Russia's Solntsepyok Heavy Flamethrowers Wipe Out Ukrainian Positions



The Russian TOS-1A thermobaric artillery Solntsepyok (lit. ‘Scorching Sunlight’) systems have been ravaging Ukrainian troops and armored vehicles in the special operation.






The Russian Defense Ministry has released a clip of the TOS-1A Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower vaporizing Ukrainian positions in a wooded area.


The TOS-1A artillery crews work in close coordination with reconnaissance units which provide data on enemy location and confirm target destruction with video footage.


The heavy flamethrower system is designed to hammer various covered and open targets with thermobaric rockets. Operating a well-protected and highly reliable T-90S MBT platform, the Solntsepyok system is able to strike targets located from 600m to 6,000m and cover an area of 40,000 square meters at a longer distance.



Another Estonian Mercenary Dies in Ukraine – Report



The Russian Defense Ministry earlier stated that thousands of foreign mercenaries in Ukraine are used as “cannon fodder” by the Zelensky regime.


©Sputnik/Ilya Pitalev/Go to the mediabank


An Estonian mercenary has died in eastern Ukraine as a result of a Russian drone strike, an Estonian newspaper quoted several unnamed sources as saying.


The sources claimed that Tanel Kriggul, who had the call sign “Stinger”, was killed near the Kiev-controlled town of Liman in the Donetsk region late last week. According to the newspaper, Kriggul became the second Estonian national to die in Ukraine while fighting for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.


The media outlet previously reported that former Estonian Defense Forces officer Ivo Jurak of the Ukrainian International Legion was killed near the city of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) as a result of Russian artillery shelling.


In late July, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that foreign mercenaries “suffer significant losses” in Ukraine “because of their stupidity.” He pledged that Russia would bring information about the scale of losses among the mercenaries to the attention of Western countries.


The remarks came after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that Moscow sees high levels of activity of foreign private military companies (PMCs) in the Russian special operation zone. According to her, they are “involved in crimes committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazis.”


Zakharova added that “foreigners fighting on the side of the Kiev regime, as well as the national governments covering them” should know that Western mercenaries fighting there are legitimate targets.


The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD), in turn, said in July that the Zelensky regime had stepped up recruitment of mercenaries in the US and Canada in what was instigated by the US’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the PMCs.


"Due to a decline in interest in dying for the Kiev regime in Poland, the UK, and other European countries, recruitment activities in the US and Canada have intensified," the MoD said, adding that the regime uses foreign mercenaries as "cannon fodder."


“Their lives are not spared by anyone in the Ukrainian command. Therefore, they have only one choice - to flee Ukraine or to die. The Russian Armed Forces will continue to destroy foreign mercenaries in the course of the special military operation, regardless of their location on the territory of Ukraine," according to the MoD.


The ministry also said at the time that since the beginning of the Russian special military operation, at least 11,675 foreign mercenaries from 84 countries have arrived in Ukraine to fight against Russian forces. As of July, a total of 4,845 foreign mercenaries had died, while 4,801 more escaped from Ukraine, per the MoD.


















































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Saudia reveals bold rebranding for a tech-infused future

Saudia reveals bold rebranding for a tech-infused future

Saudia reveals bold rebranding for a tech-infused future











The unveiling of a new brand identity for Saudi Arabian Airlines is more than a change in its appearance, as according to a top official it is but a part of a huge transformation in the company’s approach in line with the ongoing digital transformation.







Khaled Tash, group chief marketing officer at Saudia, told Arab News on Sunday the new look represented the airline’s commitment to digital advancement and an array of new services and products in the pipeline.


He said the rebranding signifies the company’s embrace of the developing tech industry, reflecting the Kingdom’s broader ambitions.


The official said: “This is not about changing our logo or changing our colors.” It is, he added, more about improving our services and introducing new products.






“We are very keen to accelerate the transition…the overall reaction from the market” has been overwhelming, Tash said.


Elaborating on how the update reinforces the airline’s digital transformation, Tash noted that Saudia stands out as one of the pioneering airlines in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa to integrate artificial intelligence into its customer experience.


“The Travel Companion is an AI-driven personal aide. When users access the Saudia app, it intuitively recognizes them without requiring manual data input and promptly aids with all travel-related queries,” elaborated Tash.


Highlighting its capabilities, he mentioned that users can ask Saudia’s travel companion bot for holiday recommendations, which will engage in an interactive dialogue to understand preferences before offering tailored suggestions.


Additionally, users can seamlessly book their flights directly within the chat interface when conversing with the travel companion, eliminating the need to navigate away from the conversation.


The AI-driven bot is slated for launch by the end of this year, coinciding with an enhanced version of the airline’s application.


“Digital transformation is not just a buzzword that we use, we aim to improve the customer experience using new innovations,” Tash stated.


He elaborated that, guided by that motto, the company has pinpointed 260 features and services for introduction or enhancement if they already exist.


The airline has also launched a VIP meet-and-greet service. Tash expects this addition to boost revenue from booking services by 10 percent.


In alignment with Arab culture, the airline has introduced an option for female passengers to request seating next to other female passengers on specific, long-duration flights.


Tash said the unprecedented growth in the Kingdom’s tourism sector is also proving to be fruitful for the airline and it is part of the ongoing transformation. He specifically mentioned the fact that Saudia is the first airline to begin operations to and from the Red Sea International Airport.


The marketing head also revealed that the airline has ambitious goals to more than triple its passenger count over the next seven years.


Clarifying the shift in Saudia’s vision, Tash mentioned that historically, the airline’s objective was to connect the Kingdom’s citizens to the world. However, the current goal emphasizes bringing the world to Saudi Arabia





























































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Thousands of Poles Take Part in Anti-Government Rally in Warsaw

Thousands of Poles Take Part in Anti-Government Rally in Warsaw

Thousands of Poles Take Part in Anti-Government Rally in Warsaw











Recent polls have suggested that the Law and Justice Party, which has been in power since 2015, may lose the elections scheduled for October 15.







The Polish capital of Warsaw witnessed a massive protest march on Sunday amid general discontent over the country's ruling party.


The mass demonstration against the current policies of the governing Law and Justice Party (PiS) was organized by Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, who also served as president of the European Council.






Tusk, the leader of the Civic Platform (PO), an opposing center-right party, urged all political rivals of the PiS to join efforts and stand up to the party in power, calling it the "March of a Million Hearts".


There is no official data yet regarding the actual number of protesters, however, images indicate it was in the tens of thousands. According to Tusk, the Sunday march brought together one million people.


"More than a million white and red (Poland’s flag colors - ed.) hearts are beating here in Warsaw!" - wrote Tusk in his X account (former Twitter).


Protestors gathered near the Roman Dmowski Monument and walked through the center of the capital up to the Radoslaw Memorial Defenders Rondo. Organizers brought together supporters from across other Polish regions.


The participants picked up Polish national flags and symbols of various parties and political associations. Their posters displayed both political and social slogans, sometimes explicitly. The marchers occupied a number of streets, including Jerusalem Avenue, causing massive traffic jams.


There was a large police presence but the guards did not intervene.


Another anti-government marchof around 500,000 people was held in Warsaw back in early June.


Polish parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 15. The winning party will form a new government. Recent polls indicate that the PiS, which has been in power since 2015, may lose the elections. Currently, the majority of respondents are willing to vote for PiS, but opposition parties, such as Civic Platform (PO), United Left (ZL), Poland 2050 (PL2050), and the Polish People’s Party (PSL) have a solid chance to take over 50% of seats if they manage to unite.




























































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Sunday 1 October 2023

Ikatan Alumni ITB Tegaskan Tak Dukung Siapa Pun dalam Gelaran Pilpres 2024

Ikatan Alumni ITB Tegaskan Tak Dukung Siapa Pun dalam Gelaran Pilpres 2024

Ikatan Alumni ITB Tegaskan Tak Dukung Siapa Pun dalam Gelaran Pilpres 2024











Ikatan Alumni Institut Teknologi Bandung atau IA ITB menyatakan tidak mendukung bakal calon presiden mana pun di Pilpres 2024. Menurut Ketua IA ITB Jawa Barat Jalu Pradhono Priambodo, sejauh ini belum pernah ada pembicaraan secara internal soal dukungan terhadap bakal calon presiden mana pun. “Kemungkinan tidak ada pembicaraan seperti itu,” katanya, Ahad, 1 Oktober 2023.







Pengurus IA ITB menyilakan komunitas alumni ITB yang ingin mendukung kontestan pemilu. Kebijakan itu sesuai amanat Undang-undang Dasar 1945 yang tidak melarang warga negara untuk berserikat dan berkumpul. “Kalau kita memberikan dukungan ke salah satu calon presiden pasti ada yang kecewa, protes begitu. Jadi biasanya kita coba tetap guyub,” kata Jalu.


Sebelumnya, tiga hari yang lalu dikabarkan, kelompok alumni ITB yang dinamakan Alpha Beta menggelar pertemuan dengan bakal calon presiden dari Koalisi Perubahan, Anies Baswedan pada hari ini. Ratusan orang yang mengenakan pakaian putih, berkumpul di Bandoengsche Melk Centrale atau BMC Jalan Aceh Kota Bandung.


Alumni ITB yang terdiri atas para profesor, doktor, aktivis, karyawan, pelaku industri, dan berbagai profesi lainnya akan melakukan konsolidasi akbar pada kegiatan Ngariung 1000 Alumni ITB untuk menyampaikan Gagasan Perubahan Demi Bangsa kepada Anies Baswedan.


Kegiatan ini akan diselenggarakan pada Ahad, 1 Oktober 2023, pukul 09.00 WIB sd selesai di Bandoengsche Melk Centrale (BMC) Jalan Aceh No 30 Bandung. Adapun kegiatan ini diinisiasi oleh Syahganda Nainggolan, Hendry Harmen, I Made Dana Tangkas, dan beberapa alumni ITB lainnya.


Salah satu inisiator kegiatan, Hendry Harmen, menyatakan bahwa gagasan yang akan disampaikan kepada Anies Baswedan sebagai calon presiden RI dibuat melalui kajian yang serius.


“Kami mengumpulkan para profesor, doktor, dan profesional alumni ITB untuk merumuskan pemecahan persoalan bangsa berbasis moral, sains, dan teknologi. Hal ini menurut kami, perlu menjadi perhatian serius para pemimpin bangsa.”


Hendry Harmen melanjutkan bahwa hasil rumusan ini akan kami serahkan langsung kepada Calon Presiden RI Bapak Anies Baswaden di hadapan ribuan Alumni ITB yang akan hadir. Hendry Harmen yakin bahwa Gagasan Perubahan yang akan disampaikan Alumni ITB sejalan dengan Agenda Perubahan yang diperjuangkan oleh Anies Baswedan jika terpilih sebagai Presiden RI 2024 nanti.


Di antara para kandidat capres RI yang namanya muncul saat ini, menurut Hendry Harmen, hanya Anies Baswedan yang menunjukkan visi pembangunan berbasis ilmu pengetahuan, teknologi, dan moral yang sangat jelas.


Terkait kehadiran Anies Baswedan pada kegiatan tersebut, Hendry Harmen menyatakan bahwa Anies Baswedan, insya Allah akan hadir.


“Saya telah menerima konfirmasi langsung dari Bapak Anies Baswedan bahwa Beliau akan hadir menjumpai Alumni ITB. Beliau merasa terhormat dan senang mendapat undangan dari Alumni ITB karena kebetulan Beliau juga memiliki ikatan historis dengan Kota Bandung.”


























































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The US is using Russia’s playbook in Africa, but there’s a catch

The US is using Russia’s playbook in Africa, but there’s a catch

The US is using Russia’s playbook in Africa, but there’s a catch





US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Angolan President Joao Lourenco meet in Luanda, Angola on September 27, 2023. © U.S. Department of Defense/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images






US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin embarked on a tour of Africa this week, marking the first such visit by a Pentagon chief since 2020, when Mark Esper visited Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. In contrast to that occasion, when no attention was paid to Sub-Saharan Africa, Austin’s trip was intended to reaffirm the Biden administration’s posture that the US is “all in for Africa.”







While Africa is still marginal on America’s foreign policy agenda, Washington is persisting with its efforts to cultivate closer ties on the continent. Evidently, the US is cognizant of Russia’s recent inroads in the region, as well as China’s high visibility in most African nations.


To counter what the US perceives as “harmful activities,” Washington has recently recalibrated its behavior.



A coordinated charm offensive



Austin’s visits to Djibouti, Kenya, and Angola built on other trips to Africa by high-ranking American officials. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was first to embark on a visit in January, traveling to Senegal, Zambia, and South Africa.


US First Lady Jill Biden soon followed suit, touring Namibia and Kenya in late February. That was followed in March by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s negotiations in Ethiopia and his visit to Niger, marking the first ever trip to the country by Washington’s top diplomat.


In August, Blinken went to South Africa, DR Congo, and Rwanda. Elsewhere, Vice President Kamala Harris had already kicked off a ‘charm offensive’ of her own by heading to Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia in March. In addition, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, was also dispatched to Africa, where she visited Ghana, Mozambique, and Kenya earlier this year.


Throughout the summer, rumors persisted that arrangements were being made for a long-pending visit by Joe Biden himself. All this suggests that Austin’s trip should be viewed in the context of America’s broader reengagement with Africa amid mounting competition for influence in the region.



Making a show of friendship and kinship



The US defense chief opened his three-country tour with the small nation of Djibouti, known for hosting a dense network of foreign military bases at the mouth of the Red Sea, including Camp Lemonnier, the only permanent US military base in Africa.


Since 2002, the facility has attested to the “strategic partnership linking the two countries in the critical field of defense and security,” which Austin discussed with Djibouti’s leader, President Ismail Omar Guelleh. The two nations are reportedly considering an expansion of the base’s mandate beyond “a tandem stationed at the forefront… to fight terrorism, extremism of all kinds, and maritime piracy.”


Discussions continued in a similar vein in Kenya, where Austin thanked his counterpart, Aden Duale, “for hosting US forces at Manda Bay.” Defense cooperation between the two countries was soon reinforced by a new five-year agreement, charting the path toward upscaling Kenya’s leadership in providing security in its own subregion and far beyond, most notably in Haiti, where the country is poised to lead a Multinational Security Mission.


The accord provides for comprehensive training as well as financial and technical assistance to Kenya, which makes it a privileged partner among the few African nations that have signed Defense Cooperation Agreements with the US. These include Rwanda, South Africa, Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana. Despite flowery rhetoric, there have always been concerns in these countries as to the true benefit of such arrangements.


In Ghana, for instance, former President Jerry Rawlings was joined in 2018 by former Chief of Defense Staff Joseph Nunoo-Mensah in arguing that the agreement, similar to the one signed in Kenya, fails to reflect Ghana’s national interests.


Specifically, they claimed that the US sought to compensate for the absence in Africa of AFRICOM’s headquarters, which are now located at Germany’s Ramstein Air Base, with the deal providing Washington with an opportunity “to use the country as a staging post and permanent ground for its military operations across the African continent.”


But there was obviously more behind Austin’s trip. In Djibouti, for example, he unveiled America’s new strategic mantra for Africa: “Defense, diplomacy, and development.” The rebranded approach should cement the US as ‘a partner of choice’ for African countries, preferably as the antithesis to China and Russia. In stark contrast to the language of the US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa, presented in August 2022, the Pentagon chief repeatedly noted: “We don’t ask countries to choose between us and other countries,” mostly referring to the Chinese base in Djibouti.


It was as if he had finally heard Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying that Moscow never drags Africans into taking sides, instead offering a balanced approach for mutual interest. This time, the US official seemed to echo this long-standing tenet of Russian diplomacy – but does Washington really mean it?


The final leg of the tour, in Angola, was much more political. In essence, security cooperation with the Southern African nation, now touted as “a highly-valued partner” and “a rising leader in the region,” was sidelined by the speech Austin delivered at the Historical Archive of Luanda.


In his remarks, the US official touched on the broader aspects of American involvement in Africa, such as conflict prevention, female empowerment, cybersecurity, the fight against infectious diseases, and climate change.


This was a programmatic address, or even a vision, on “a partnership of principle and progress,” clearly directed at an audience larger than the ministers and ambassadors in attendance. Indeed, Austin was a perfect fit for such a speech, attempting to build bridges and heal deep-rooted wounds amid the rising rhetoric of anti-neocolonialism across the continent.


“I grew up in a time of legalized and racist segregation in America, and I stand here today in Africa as America's first black secretary of defense,” said the official. His leading idea was that “Africa matters” for common prosperity and shared security, with the US being serious about its engagement. Indeed, Washington’s policy for Africa has largely been an ‘on and off’ endeavor, with interest in the continent sparking just as quickly as it waned. For Africa, other partners, even if more limited in their capabilities, were simply more reliable.



Not content to be first among equals



A prominent feature of America’s positioning in the world, much as in Africa, is how Washington promotes itself as being different from other potential partners. This time, too, the secretary of defense promised that the US sees “African nations as partners,” while other countries may see them “as proxies or even pawns.”


Stating that “the people of Africa deserve to chart their own sovereign paths,” Austin made reference to “autocrats undermining free and fair elections and blocking peaceful transitions of power.” Democracy is an attendant issue for the US in Africa.


The official strategy offers a more assertive approach than the one presented by Washington’s defense chief. In fact, the strategy deems it impossible to counter “harmful activities of external forces” – a blatant reference to Russia and China – without concomitant changes in African countries.


This reveals a certain discrepancy in America’s approach to the region. On the one hand, no one should interfere in the internal affairs of African nations; on the other hand, it is notably the US that “offers choices to Africans as they determine their own future, limit openings for negative state and non-state actors.”


For that, “the recent tide of authoritarianism and military takeovers” needs to be stemmed or even reversed, and the strategy employs the carrot and the stick for that purpose. In the official 2022 strategy document, this reads as “a targeted mix of positive inducements and punitive measures such as sanctions.”


This leaves Africans with mixed feelings. Being serious about reengagement, the US still bets on its exclusivity, rather than a willingness to be a partner among many.



























































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