4 Apr, 2024 11:37

Russia cannot be target for terror attacks by Islamic fundamentalists – Putin

The Crocus City Hall shooting sought to undermine the country’s unity, the Russian president has said

Themain aimof the Crocus City Hallmassacre was to undermine the unity of the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. No other goals are visible because Russia couldn’t be the target of attacks by Islamic fundamentalists, he added.

Speaking at a congress of the Russian trade unions federation on Thursday, Putin toutedRussia as “a unique example of interfaith harmony and unity.” He noted that the country professes those values not only at home, but also abroad. “Thus, it cannot become a target for attack by Islamic fundamentalists,” he stressed.

The Russian president went on to say that Moscow has every reason to believe that those who masterminded the attack sought toundermine the country’s unity. “There are no other goals visible==,” he added.

The Crocus City Hall shooting occurred on March 22 when a group of armed men – later identified as Tajik nationals – stormed the venue ahead of a rock concert, killing at least 145 people and injuring more than 500 others.

The four alleged culprits directly involved in the attack were caught while fleeing towards Ukraine where, according to Putin, a “window”had been arranged for them to cross the border.Kiev has vehemently denied any involvement in the attack.

Those denials were echoed by its numerous Western backers, including the US, which was quick to pin the blame on the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). Russian officials, meanwhile, have voiced suspicion about Western attempts to absolve Ukraine of any responsibility before the investigation has been carried out.

https://www.rt.com/russia/595404-russia-cannot-be-target-islamic-fundamentalists/

3 Apr, 2024 14:06

Ukraine spreading anti-immigrant hate in Russia – The Times

Kiev is “leveraging” the recent Moscow terrorist attack in an attempt to sow discord, an official has told the newspaper

Ukrainian information warfare specialists are using last month’s terrorist attack near Moscow in an effort to play on the emotions of Russians andincite ethnic hatred in the country, The Times reported on Tuesday.

The public outcry over the slaughter of civilians by the apparent radical Islamistsis being used by Kiev to spread discord in the multiethnic Russian society, Andrey Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation (CCD), told the British newspaper. (Nina Jankowicz set up the Center)

“[The attack] provoked a split between nationalities in Russia and of course it’s very beneficial for us to support any national splitsthere and to fuel them,” the official said. “We leverage what we can.”

CCD employees are infiltrating Russian Telegram channels to “amplify” messaging that increases tensions between Slavic and non-Slavic ethnicities as well as anti-immigrant sentiments, the report said…

https://www.rt.com/russia/595345-ukraine-psy-op-crocus/

4 Apr, 2024 08:41

Kiev’s backers fear frontline breach – media

Some senior Ukrainian officers reportedly share the concern and say Russia should not be underestimated

There are growing concerns both in Ukraine and among its Western backers that an expected Russian offensive this summer could break through the country’s defenses, reports in Western media have claimed.

Kiev has been complaining for months that a shortage of weapons from the West has put it at a massive disadvantage on the battlefield against Moscow. President Vladimir Zelensky told the Washington Post last week that his forces may have to retreat further to reduce the length of the front line and the amount of munitions and men needed to hold it.

“If [the line] breaks, the Russians could go to the big cities,” he warned.

Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that the ratio of artillery shells fired by Russia compared to Ukraine has increased from 3:1 to 7:1 since the beginning of the year. Sources told the outlet that concerned foreign donors intend to improve the ratio to 7:3, as Western-donated weapon systems are supposedly superior to Russia’s.

Ukrainian military officials, who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity havewarned that the front line may collapse. Russia’s advantage in weapons and manpower means that it will likely be able to “penetrate the front line and to crash it in some parts,” one of the officers said on Wednesday.

“There’s nothing that can help Ukraine nowbecause there areno serious technologies ableto compensate Ukraine for the large mass of troops Russia is likely to hurl at us,” a top military leader said.

The warning came from officers who served under Valery Zaluzhny, who was the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces until Zelensky replaced him in early February. Prior to that, the pair had clashed publicly over whether the hostilities with Russia had reached a stalemate, which was the general’s assessment.

The officerscautioned against underestimating Russia’s abilityto adapt and counter new military capabilities provided by the West to Ukraine.They “are always studying. They don’t give us a second chance. And they’re successful in this,” one of them said. Even now, Russian forces are laying the groundwork for engaging F-16 fighter jets, which Kiev is expected to eventually deploy, the report said. (Russia has promised that their main target will destroying every F-16 that enters the country)

Domestically, the Ukrainian government has been downplaying the risks that a Russian offensive would pose. Its information warfare service, the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD Propaganda unit that releases disinfo), stated on Tuesday that Moscow “does not have resources” for a major push forward.

https://www.rt.com/russia/595388-ukraine-frontline-collapse-concerns/