Vigilant Info

2021-09-03 16:50:30 NATO calls on Russia to be transparent with military exercises
NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia on Friday to be open about its “Zapad-2021” military exercises and the troop numbers involved as alarm grows in Poland, the Baltics and Ukraine about Moscow’s intentions.
Previous “Zapad”, or West, exercises along the border that Russia shares with NATO have been on a vast scale, according to allied officials, who say Moscow has habitually underreported their size despite international rules.
The Zapad maneuvers, which follow a Russian military buildup on Ukraine’s borders this year, heighten the risk of an accident or miscalculation that could touch off a crisis, NATO officials have said.
According to a tally by NATO Review, an allied magazine, Russia deployed between 60,000 and 70,000 troops in Zapad-2017 but only declared 12,700 personnel. The main phase of the exercises is due to start on Sept. 10.
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2021-09-03 14:52:24 Handless activist sentenced for attacking Russian police
A court in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria has given a suspended two-year prison sentence to an activist who has no hands after finding him guilty of attacking police.
The city court in Kabardino-Balkaria’s capital, Nalchik, convicted and sentenced Aslan Iritov, the leader of Volny Aul (Free Village) rights organization, on September 2.
Iritov had pleaded not guilty and rejects the charge. The probe against the activist was launched in 2017 after he resisted police officers who came to his house on the eve of a protest rally. Russian investigators accused Iritov of head-butting one police officer and attempting to strangle another.
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2021-09-03 11:44:43 Russia-backed terrorists launch 5 attacks in Donbas
Over the past 24 hours, September 2, Ukraine reported five ceasefire violations by Russian occupation forces.
Close to Zolote-3, the Russia-backed terrorists twice opened fire using easel anti-tank and automatic easel grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms.
In the Novomykhailivka area, Russian occupation forces fired 120 mm mortars.
Near Krasnohorivka, the enemy employed 100 mm artillery.
By the settlement of Novotoshkivske, the invaders fired small arms. A serviceman with the Joint Forces Operation was wounded in one of the enemy attacks. The soldier has been evacuated to a medical facility where he is undergoing treatment, remaining in satisfactory condition.
In order to put enemy shelling to a halt, Ukrainian defenders returned fire using weapons that are not proscribed by the Minsk agreements.
The Ukrainian side to the Joint Ceasefire Control and Coordination Center informed the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission of all the latest ceasefire breaches.
The Ukrainian military is monitoring the situation in the Joint Forces Operation zone to repel and deter armed aggression by Russia.
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2021-09-03 10:42:28 U.S. guarantees sanctions on Nord Stream 2
The United States could impose sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project if it is launched and a threatening energy situation arises for Ukraine.
That’s according to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine who spoke at a press conference in Washington following the summit with U.S. President Joe Biden.
So far, we are at the stage where President Biden personally guarantees that, if on the part of the Russian Federation or other sides, other parties to Nord Stream 2, in the event of its launch, if anything is violated by these countries, which could lead to a dangerous situation due to energy issues for Ukraine, the United States guarantees that sanctions will be imposed against Nord Stream,” said President Zelensky.
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2021-09-02 11:56:52 U.S. to send Ukraine more Javelins, other lethal and non-lethal capabilities
As part of a new $60 million aid package, the United States will provide Ukraine with Javelin anti-armor systems and other defensive lethal and non-lethal capabilities to help the country defend itself against Russian aggression.
This is according to a joint statement on the U.S.-Ukraine strategic partnership, published on the website of the Ukrainian President
"The United States is announcing a new $60 million security assistance package, including additional Javelin anti-armor systems and other defensive lethal and non-lethal capabilities, to enable Ukraine to more effectively defend itself against Russian aggression," the document says.
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2021-09-01 14:40:56 In the village of Tel-Tamra in northeastern Syria, Russian armored vehicles were stoned as they passed by.
The locals accuse the Russian military of failing to act because the power and water supply to the settlements were cut off. Open / Comment

2021-08-31 12:11:05 Ukrainian troops rescue Canada-bound Afghans in daring operation
A plane carrying Afghan translators, including one who worked for The Globe and Mail and another who served the Canadian military, as well as their families, has arrived in Kyiv following a daring operation by Ukrainian soldiers stationed at Kabul airport.
The rescue, which was coordinated by the Ukrainian military, the office of President Volodymyr Zelensky, and The Globe, may pave the way for other Afghans fleeing the Taliban to make their way to Canada.
Ottawa has promised to resettle vulnerable Afghans provided they can make their way to third countries, and The Globe has learned that the Canadian government has asked the Ukrainian government whether it would be willing to transport other Canada-bound refugees to Kyiv, where they would be processed before resettlement.
The rescue of the translators was carried out early Friday morning in Kabul, a day after the last Canadian evacuation plane left Afghanistan, and hours after the deadly suicide attack at one of the gates to Hamid Karzai International Airport, which resulted in the deaths of at least 170 Afghans trying to flee the country, as well as 13 U.S. soldiers.
Following the attack, which was claimed by the local affiliate of the so-called Islamic State, the U.S. said that only foreign nationals – and no more visa-clutching Afghans – would be allowed to enter the airport.
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2021-08-30 14:34:24 New plots of Russian propaganda
Today in the Russian Federation there are two subjects.
The first is about how President Biden allegedly sleeps at a meeting with the Israeli prime minister. But if you watch the full video, it is clear that this is another fake.
The second is about an article in Politico, which allegedly criticizes the Crimean platform as an initially senseless and fruitless venture. Russia is stepping up work to create difficulties in relations with partners in the context of the Crimean platform.
There is no material on “Politico” with theses that Russians are now promoting. There is an article where the summit is simply mentioned as an event and the composition of the American delegation.
Two “American” stories are being unrolled on the eve of the visit of the President of Ukraine to the United States – an attempt to create a negative background.
The growth in the number of targeted information attacks is a sign that Ukraine is able to do something efficiently and that the task for Russia is no longer being solved by whipping up a common zeal.
The conclusion is simple: as the number of quality initiatives from Ukraine increases, Russia will no longer have enough resources to discredit.
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2021-08-30 10:28:30 Biden greenlights another $60m for Ukraine defense assistance
U.S. President Joe Biden has instructed the State Department to allocate up to $60 million from the Pentagon to Ukraine.
That’s according to a memorandum released on the White House website August 27.
“By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America <…> I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority <…> to direct the drawdown of up to $60 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Ukraine and to make the determinations required under such section to direct such a drawdown.
The move comes ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the United States at Biden’s invitation. The visit will kick off on August 30 and include events scheduled in Washington D.C. and California.
The summit of the two presidents will be held August 31.
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2021-08-29 18:57:05 Putin launches construction of new warships amid tensions
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday launched the construction of new nuclear submarines and other warships, part of a sweeping military modernization effort amid tensions with the West.
Speaking in a video call, Putin gave orders for two nuclear submarines armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles along with two diesel-powered submarines and two corvettes at shipyards in Severodvinsk, St. Petersburg and Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
“We will continue to boost the potential of the Russian navy, develop its bases and infrastructure, arm it with state-of-the-art weapons,” Putin said. “A strong and sovereign Russia needs a powerful and well-balanced navy.”
The Kremlin has made military modernization a top priority as relations with the West have plunged to post-Cold War lows after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea. Moscow has sought to reestablish a regular naval presence in parts of the world that the Soviet Union had during the Cold War.
The Russian navy already has a major presence in the Mediterranean Sea, with a naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus. It has expanded and modified the Tartus base, the only such facility that Russia currently has outside the former Soviet Union.
“We will continue to show the Russian flag in strategically important ocean areas,” Putin said.
Monday's ceremony for the new ships was part of the Army-2021 show intended to showcase military might and attract foreign customers for Russia's arms industries. The weeklong show features aircraft, tanks, missiles and other weapons.
“Many of our weapons have the capabilities that have no analogues in the world, and some will remain unrivaled for a long time to come,” Putin said.
Recall that this entire process of modernizing warships is taking place at a time of total economic crisis in Russia.
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