Mysterious advanced Russian weapon downed by Moscow’s own forces

Details

Written by Super User

Category: Europe

Published: 13 October 2024

Hits: 519

LONDON - Last week Russia’s air force was forced to shoot down one of its newest and most advanced models of attack drone, in an incident that is being seen as one of the biggest embarrassments ever suffered by the Russian Air Force.

On 5 October, videos showed a drone flying near Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine before it was shot down by another jet briefly flying alongside it. Initial reports suggested it was either a Russian jet taken down by the Ukrainian air force or a Russian jet losing control and being shot down by Moscow.

However, the drone that fell down was no ordinary weapon. It was later identified as a stealth S-70 Okhotnik-B, also known as “Hunter”, one of Russia’s most advanced stealth drones, designed to accompany an Su-57 fighter jet.

Reports suggest the drone malfunctioned, possibly due to Ukrainian electronic jamming, causing Russian forces to lose control over it. To prevent the in-tact drone from falling into Ukrainian hands, the Su-57 shot the drone down mid-air.

Soon after, Russian forces launched an Iskander missile at the crash site in an attempt to destroy any remaining wreckage.

However, videos suggest Ukrainian soldiers had already recovered key components from the wreckage, giving them and their Western allies a rare opportunity to study Russia’s latest drone technology.

The loss of the Okhotnik is a serious setback for Russia’s drone programme. If Ukraine’s experts can analyse the drone thoroughly, it could provide Nato and Ukrainian forces with crucial information to counter Russia’s aerial strategies in this and future conflicts.

Neither Moscow nor Kyiv have commented officially on what happened in the skies near Kostyantynivka.

The Okhotnik-B, or “Hunter”, under development since 2011, is an unmanned vehicle capable of carrying bombs and missiles while remaining under the radar, without putting manned aircraft at risk.

The drone is not believed to have a direct equivalent in other militaries. It is very large – weighing more than 20 tonnes, and is believed to have a range of 6,000km (3,700 miles). The drone was designed to carry up to 2.8 tonnes in its internal weapons compartments, according to development plans.

Until now, there was no evidence that Russia was using it in the two and a half year long war against Ukraine – partly because it uses highly effective stealth technology, making the aircraft much harder to detect. This is achieved by designing the craft to deflect radar waves and using special materials that absorb them.

The drone was expected to go into mass production this year, and so far only four protype S-70s are believed to have been built since 2019. Initial inspections showed some flaws in design including engine nozzles and visible rivets, both of which make it easier for radar systems to detect the drone.

It is possible that last week’s mission was Russia’s first Ukrainian deployment of its most sophisticated prototype so far – its failure would mean the the unmanned aircraft is not ready.

For Ukraine, the wreckage may carry crucial intelligence. “We may learn whether it has its own radars to find targets or whether the ammunition is pre-programmed with co-ordinates where to strike,” Anatoliy Khrapchysnkyi, a Kyiv-based aviation expert, told BBC News.

Brian Eno,Yanis Varoufakis demand ICC action on Israeli govt war crimes

Details

Written by Super User

Category: Europe

Published: 07 October 2024

Hits: 555

BRUSSELS - Musician and DiEM25 Advisory Panel member Brian Eno, along with DiEM25 co-founder Yanis Varoufakis, have released an open letter today addressed to the judges of the International Criminal Court, urging immediate action against the war crimes and acts of genocide committed by the Israeli government in Gaza.

On July 19, 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem unlawful. However, just five days later, the Israeli Knesset voted 65-9 to reject the ICJ ruling, defiantly asserting that the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem are part of "the Land of Israel." In a further display of disregard for international law and the post-WWII institutions created to uphold it, Israel’s government recently barred UN Secretary-General António Guterres from entering the country.

In their letter, Brian Eno and Yanis Varoufakis highlight the most egregious actions by the Israeli government, stating: “For it is now beyond dispute: Israel’s Government has set out to systematically eliminate every aspect of Palestinian life in Gaza. We have already seen: the most intensive bombing of a densely populated urban area in living memory; the most deliberate starvation of a population since the Second World War; the systematic destruction of health facilities; an unprecedented number of journalists and UN personnel killed.”

The letter is gaining widespread endorsements and is available here.

Providing further context, Yanis Varoufakis explains: “Brian Eno and I believe that the avalanche of war crimes that is building up daily is not just a catastrophic path for Palestinians and Israelis but also a disastrous development for humanity’s self-image, for its soul. After the last world war, under the auspices of the UN, the world’s nations came together to agree to crucial principles of International Law, including Universal Human Rights and appropriate conduct during war."

So, today, on this bleak anniversary, we are appealing to the International Criminal Court to do its duty. To uphold International Law by prosecuting self-evident war crimes in Israel-Palestine, lest genocide becomes normalised across the world.”

A year after a Hamas-led force murdered over a thousand Israeli civilians and abducted many others—clear acts of war crimes—Israel responded with a year-long military campaign that has evolved into a meticulously planned, large-scale genocide. Over 50,000 Palestinians were killed instantly, with more than 200,000 later dying from wounds and disease. Thousands of children have been left maimed, orphaned, and without surviving family members.

Link to the open letter: https://diem25.org/open-letter-to-the-judges-of-the-international-criminal-court/

Anniversary of Gaza war draws thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters worldwide

Details

Written by Super User

Category: Europe

Published: 06 October 2024

Hits: 547

By Leigh Thomas

LONDON/PARIS - Thousands of protesters took to the streets in several major cities around the world on Saturday to demand an end to bloodshed in Gaza, as the conflict in the Palestinian enclave approaches its first anniversary and spreads in the wider region.

About 40,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London while thousands also gathered in Paris, Rome, Manila and Cape Town.

The war was triggered when militant Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 in a raid that killed 1,200 people and in which about 250 were taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, and displaced nearly all of the enclave's population of 2.3 million.

"Unfortunately, in spite of all our good will, the Israeli government does not take any notice, and they just go ahead and continue their atrocities in Gaza, now also in Lebanon and in Yemen, and also probably in Iran," said protestor Agnes Kory in London.

"And our government, our British government, unfortunately is just paying lip service and carries on supplying weapons to Israel," she added.

In London, pro-Israel supporters waved flags as pro-Palestinian marchers walked by. There were 15 arrests on the sidelines of the protests, according to police, who did not specify whether those detained were from either group.

In Rome, police fired tear gas and water cannons after clashes broke out. Around 6,000 protesters defied a ban to march in the city centre ahead of the Oct. 7 anniversary.

In Berlin, a demo drew about 1,000 demonstrators, who bore Palestinian flags and chanted "One Year of Genocide", a term which Israel disputes, saying it is defending itself. The demonstrators also criticised what they said was police violence against pro-Palestinian protesters in Germany.

Israel supporters in Berlin protested against rising antisemitism and scuffles broke out between police and pro-Palestinian counter-protesters.

Over the past year, the scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza has drawn some of the biggest global protests in years, in a wave of anger that defenders of Israel say has created an antisemitic climate in which protesters question Israel's right to exist as a nation.

The war in Gaza has spread to the region, drawing in Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. Israel has sharply escalated a campaign against Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah in recent weeks and Iran launched a barrage of missiles against Israel this week.

In Paris, Lebanese-French protestor Houssam Houssein said:
"We fear a regional war, because there are tensions with Iran at the moment, and perhaps with Iraq and Yemen".

"We really need to stop the war because it's now become unbearable," he added.
While its allies such as the United States support Israel's right to defend itself, Israel has faced wide international condemnation over its actions in Gaza, and now over its bombarding of Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted criticism and argued his government is acting to prevent a repeat of the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas.

International diplomacy led by the United States has so far failed to clinch a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Hamas wants an agreement that ends the war while Israel says fighting can end only when Hamas is eradicated.

In Manila, activists clashed with anti-riot police after they were blocked from holding a demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in the Philippine capital in protest at the United States supplying Israel with weapons.

Demonstrations to mark the first anniversary were due to take place later on Saturday in other cities across the world, including the United States and Chile. Some demonstrations in support of Israel are also planned over the weekend.