🇹🇷 An armed man took employees of a Procter & Gamble plant hostage in the suburbs of Istanbul, and special forces were deployed to the site, Haberturk TV channel reported.
According to Haberturk, police special forces were called to the scene and the streets around the factory were blocked. “There are reports that the attacker took people hostage in protest against the events in the Gaza Strip,” the channel wrote.
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“A man with a weapon who burst into the Procter & Gamble factory in the suburb of Gebze east of Istanbul at about 15.00 (the time coincides with Moscow time - ed.) took the employees there hostage,” the channel reported.
According to Haberturk, police special forces were called to the scene and the streets around the factory were blocked. “There are reports that the attacker took people hostage in protest against the events in the Gaza Strip,” the channel wrote.
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Quick facts about Patriot missile system Kiev used to down planeload of Ukrainian PoWs (Part 1)
▪️ Developed through the 1970s and introduced into service in 1984, the MIM-104 Patriot is a nominally mobile medium/long-range surface-to-air missile system touted by the US military as its “premier” guided air and missile defense platform.
▪️ The system was created by US weapons maker Raytheon and the now-defunct Hughes Aircraft Company, with Raytheon manufacturing nearly 1,300 Patriot launchers and more than 10,000 missiles over the past four decades.
▪️ A battery of Patriots consists of six launchers and support equipment, including a phased array radar (the heart of the system), optional antenna masts, optional diesel generators, and an engagement control/operations center. A single battery costs as much as $2.5 bln, with one missile going for between $6 and $10 mln.
▪️ The system’s missiles have an operational range between 30 and 160 km, depending on variant, and a maximum altitude of about 24 km.
▪️ Developed through the 1970s and introduced into service in 1984, the MIM-104 Patriot is a nominally mobile medium/long-range surface-to-air missile system touted by the US military as its “premier” guided air and missile defense platform.
▪️ The system was created by US weapons maker Raytheon and the now-defunct Hughes Aircraft Company, with Raytheon manufacturing nearly 1,300 Patriot launchers and more than 10,000 missiles over the past four decades.
▪️ A battery of Patriots consists of six launchers and support equipment, including a phased array radar (the heart of the system), optional antenna masts, optional diesel generators, and an engagement control/operations center. A single battery costs as much as $2.5 bln, with one missile going for between $6 and $10 mln.
▪️ The system’s missiles have an operational range between 30 and 160 km, depending on variant, and a maximum altitude of about 24 km.
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Sputnik International
Quick facts about Patriot missile system Kiev used to down planeload of Ukrainian PoWs (Part 1) ▪️ Developed through the 1970s and introduced into service in 1984, the MIM-104 Patriot is a nominally mobile medium/long-range surface-to-air missile system…
Quick facts about Patriot missile system Kiev used to down planeload of Ukrainian PoWs (Part 2)
▪️ Patriots’ operational performance has been decidedly mixed. While they can easily target large, slow-moving aerial targets, such as the Russian Il-76 transport plane full of Ukrainian PoWs attacked last week, their real world anti-missile capabilities have proven abysmal, with MIT physicist Theodor Postol calling the Patriot a weapon characterized by “an unbroken trail of disasters.”
▪️ A 1992 congressional report found that the system showed an effectiveness of just 9 % against Iraqi Scud missiles during the 1991 Gulf War. The system also proved almost worthless against cheap Houthi drones and missiles. In Ukraine, Patriots have failed to stop Russia’s precision missile strikes on Ukrainian military and energy infrastructure. Last spring, US officials confirmed that a Ukrainian Patriot battery had been damaged during an “intense” Russian missile attack in Kiev.
The Patriot’s use to attack an unarmed Russian plane signals the continued threat posed by Ukrainian forces to Russia’s security. On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia's military will continue to extend the “demilitarized zone” in the conflict with Ukraine to prevent Kiev from using its foreign-provided long-range strike systems to target Russian cities.
▪️ Patriots’ operational performance has been decidedly mixed. While they can easily target large, slow-moving aerial targets, such as the Russian Il-76 transport plane full of Ukrainian PoWs attacked last week, their real world anti-missile capabilities have proven abysmal, with MIT physicist Theodor Postol calling the Patriot a weapon characterized by “an unbroken trail of disasters.”
▪️ A 1992 congressional report found that the system showed an effectiveness of just 9 % against Iraqi Scud missiles during the 1991 Gulf War. The system also proved almost worthless against cheap Houthi drones and missiles. In Ukraine, Patriots have failed to stop Russia’s precision missile strikes on Ukrainian military and energy infrastructure. Last spring, US officials confirmed that a Ukrainian Patriot battery had been damaged during an “intense” Russian missile attack in Kiev.
The Patriot’s use to attack an unarmed Russian plane signals the continued threat posed by Ukrainian forces to Russia’s security. On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia's military will continue to extend the “demilitarized zone” in the conflict with Ukraine to prevent Kiev from using its foreign-provided long-range strike systems to target Russian cities.
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An overnight drone strike killed 3 US troops, but there is controversy over exactly where. US officials have claimed a rebel attack killed 3 and injured at least 30 at a small US “outpost” in northeast Jordan, but a Jordanian government spokesman said the…
❗️US officials confirm to CBS News that plans have been approved for strikes on Iranian personnel and facilities in Iraq and Syria.
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‘Look at What Happened With Nord Stream 2’: Berlin will block probe into Il-76 shootdown if Patriot battery turns out to be German
Germany sent a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine in the spring of 2023 and delivered a second system to Kiev in December. If there is even a hint that the Patriot used to shoot down a Russian Il-76 full of Ukrainian PoWs over Belgorod region last week was provided by Germany, Berlin will block any investigation into the incident, AfD MEP Dr. Gunnar Beck says.
💬 “Ultimately, they’re all American, but if the Germans delivered it to Ukraine, I don’t think they will investigate,” Beck, vice-chairman of the European Parliament’s Identity & Democracy Group, told Sputnik. “Look at what happened with Nord Stream 2. Everyone knows who was responsible for it, directly or indirectly. And the German government, just like the EU Commission, has been declining any serious investigation for one and a half years now.”
If the Patriot is German, Beck expects Berlin to “just deny it or make no comment,” notwithstanding previous assurances that German weapons sent to Kiev wouldn’t be used to attack targets inside Russia.
The opposition AfD MEP warned that German “belligerence” toward Russia shown through the delivery of aid to Ukraine is “not underwritten by any military strength,” and that as Berlin gives away the country’s weapons to Ukraine, it is “diminishing Germany’s own military capacity,” with the Bundeswehr “in no fit state even to defend our own country.”
Germany sent a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine in the spring of 2023 and delivered a second system to Kiev in December. If there is even a hint that the Patriot used to shoot down a Russian Il-76 full of Ukrainian PoWs over Belgorod region last week was provided by Germany, Berlin will block any investigation into the incident, AfD MEP Dr. Gunnar Beck says.
💬 “Ultimately, they’re all American, but if the Germans delivered it to Ukraine, I don’t think they will investigate,” Beck, vice-chairman of the European Parliament’s Identity & Democracy Group, told Sputnik. “Look at what happened with Nord Stream 2. Everyone knows who was responsible for it, directly or indirectly. And the German government, just like the EU Commission, has been declining any serious investigation for one and a half years now.”
If the Patriot is German, Beck expects Berlin to “just deny it or make no comment,” notwithstanding previous assurances that German weapons sent to Kiev wouldn’t be used to attack targets inside Russia.
The opposition AfD MEP warned that German “belligerence” toward Russia shown through the delivery of aid to Ukraine is “not underwritten by any military strength,” and that as Berlin gives away the country’s weapons to Ukraine, it is “diminishing Germany’s own military capacity,” with the Bundeswehr “in no fit state even to defend our own country.”
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Questions abound regarding what US knows about Il-76 shootdown - analysts
💬 “Of course, it’s possible that the Americans…just gave [Patriot missiles] to Kiev, and that the Ukrainians are using them at their discretion,” Russian military journalist Alexei Borzenko told Sputnik.
“But on the other hand, of course they control their use," he said, noting that the only thing known for sure is that the plane was shot down over Russia and by an American-made missile.
More significant, in Koshkin’s view, is the fact that Russian investigators have now conclusively determined that the missiles used to attack the Il-76 were Patriots, showing that “there is no doubt that weapons and military equipment sent by the United States are used against Russia, including against civilian transport. In this case, it was a transport plane which did not pose any threat to the Ukrainian military.”
“But on the other hand, of course they control their use," he said, noting that the only thing known for sure is that the plane was shot down over Russia and by an American-made missile.
Soviet and Russian Army reserve colonel Andrei Koshkin doesn’t believe the US was directly involved in the Il-76 attack, telling Sputnik that Ukraine has become a black hole when it comes to weapons and military equipment sent to the country. “But at the same time, we must understand that these missiles are controlled by a global system, and of course, they know what they are and where they are going,” he said.
More significant, in Koshkin’s view, is the fact that Russian investigators have now conclusively determined that the missiles used to attack the Il-76 were Patriots, showing that “there is no doubt that weapons and military equipment sent by the United States are used against Russia, including against civilian transport. In this case, it was a transport plane which did not pose any threat to the Ukrainian military.”
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🚜🇫🇷 Protesting farmers from the Jeunes Agriculteurs (Young Farmers) trade union temporarily blocked the main street of Paris, the Champs-Élysées, dumping hay bales on the road, BFMTV reported.
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🇷🇺 Vladimir Putin attended the ‘Movement of the First’ congress. After talking to the participants of the event, Putin and the kids sang the Russian anthem together.
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Steadfast Defender 2024: What to know About NATO’s Biggest Drills Since Cold War
🔸The Western alliance has kicked off the active phase of its Steadfast Defender military exercises.
🔸Over 90,000 troops from all 31 NATO countries plus Sweden (which is expected to join the bloc later this year) are involved, along with over 1,100 combat vehicles. 80 aircraft are involved, ranging from F-15, FA-18 and F-35 fighters to helicopters and drones, and 50 warships, from corvettes and frigates to destroyers and aircraft carriers.
🔸The drills are taking place across the Transatlantic area, from the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans to the Nordics, the Baltics, Poland, Hungary and Romania, to Germany, Greece, Slovakia and the UK. NATO says the exercises will be a “multi-domain exercise incorporating land, air, sea, cyber and space operations.”
🔸The wargames center around a “fictitious scenario” in which an unnamed “near-peer adversary” attacks a NATO member and triggers the alliance charter’s Article 5 on collective defense. But Russia has made clear that it has “no illusions” about the drills’ true purpose, and who they are being conducted against.
🔸The Steadfast Defender drills are the largest of their kind since Exercise Reforger in 1988, which involved around 125,000 NATO troops. 34 years later, the Western alliance has pushed between 1,000 and 1,500 km eastward toward the Russian border, swallowing up 15 (soon to be 16) new countries in the process, and pumping over $200 billion in military and economic support to its Ukrainian client state to fuel a proxy war designed to “weaken Russia.” The alliance’s expansion took place despite promises to Moscow not to move “one inch east” beyond a reunified Germany in 1990.
📊 Check out Sputnik's infographic to know more about Steadfast Defender 2024
🔸The Western alliance has kicked off the active phase of its Steadfast Defender military exercises.
🔸Over 90,000 troops from all 31 NATO countries plus Sweden (which is expected to join the bloc later this year) are involved, along with over 1,100 combat vehicles. 80 aircraft are involved, ranging from F-15, FA-18 and F-35 fighters to helicopters and drones, and 50 warships, from corvettes and frigates to destroyers and aircraft carriers.
🔸The drills are taking place across the Transatlantic area, from the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans to the Nordics, the Baltics, Poland, Hungary and Romania, to Germany, Greece, Slovakia and the UK. NATO says the exercises will be a “multi-domain exercise incorporating land, air, sea, cyber and space operations.”
🔸The wargames center around a “fictitious scenario” in which an unnamed “near-peer adversary” attacks a NATO member and triggers the alliance charter’s Article 5 on collective defense. But Russia has made clear that it has “no illusions” about the drills’ true purpose, and who they are being conducted against.
🔸The Steadfast Defender drills are the largest of their kind since Exercise Reforger in 1988, which involved around 125,000 NATO troops. 34 years later, the Western alliance has pushed between 1,000 and 1,500 km eastward toward the Russian border, swallowing up 15 (soon to be 16) new countries in the process, and pumping over $200 billion in military and economic support to its Ukrainian client state to fuel a proxy war designed to “weaken Russia.” The alliance’s expansion took place despite promises to Moscow not to move “one inch east” beyond a reunified Germany in 1990.
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Sputnik Afghanistan journalist Khaibar Akifi, who was wounded in a Ukrainian drone strike in Belgorod, had serious injuries that raised fears for his life, but now his life is not in danger, he is recovering, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said in an interview with Sputnik.
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Florida sends 1,000 National Guard soldiers to Texas to secure its border in support of Gov. Abbott's "Operation Lonestar."
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A mountain of evidence, including documents indirectly indicating the work of surgeons and medical specialists involved in illegal organ harvesting within in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, were found on the territory of Severodonetsk in the LPR, which until the end of May 2022 was under the control of the Ukrainian army, representatives of law enforcement agencies told Sputnik.
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Were American troops in control of the Patriot system that shot down the Il-76 carrying Ukrainian POWs?
Former Pentagon analyst Karen Kwiatkowski told Sputnik that there’s no doubt that Washington was able to track the Patriot missile launch in real time. A more troubling possibility is that American instructors could have been alongside the Ukrainian battery team that pulled the trigger.
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Former Pentagon analyst Karen Kwiatkowski told Sputnik that there’s no doubt that Washington was able to track the Patriot missile launch in real time. A more troubling possibility is that American instructors could have been alongside the Ukrainian battery team that pulled the trigger.
"Do we have Americans on site in Ukraine on the teams that are operating these missile batteries? I don't have evidence of it, I don't have knowledge of it and that hasn't been reported because it's always denied by the United States. But what I can tell, what I said before, when we have complex systems that require large, well-trained teams to operate, when we have complex systems that aren't exceptionally reliable and most complex systems are not — I mean, look at the F-35, it's extremely complex, but there are many problems that are brought in as a result of that complexity."
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“33 days of torture and pain”: Palestinians told Sputnik about their experiences in Israeli prisons
Journalist Dia al-Kahlut was arrested by Israeli soldiers on December 7 in northern Gaza, he told Sputnik.
Ahmed Abu Ismail was first wounded. The bullet flew through the window of the house. Then he was arrested.
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Journalist Dia al-Kahlut was arrested by Israeli soldiers on December 7 in northern Gaza, he told Sputnik.
“I was released on January 9. All this time I was at a military base. My eyes were blindfolded all the time, and my hands were shackled in iron shackles. I was constantly interrogated, claiming that I was from Hamas. There were different people in prison: engineers, doctors, old people, children. After my release, it took some time for me to come to my senses. Now I am back in action to tell the world what is happening here."
Ahmed Abu Ismail was first wounded. The bullet flew through the window of the house. Then he was arrested.
"Me and the other prisoners were taken to an unknown location. On the seashore we were put on the sand. We sat motionless in the rain for 12 hours. It was hard, cold and [we were] hungry. Then everyone was sent to prison. There we were beaten and humiliated. My hand was injured. I was released after 10 days. Now I’m treating my hand, working with a psychologist. I still can’t get over everything I saw and experienced.”
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Gaza future hangs in balance as long Netanyahu is in power
💬 "[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's stance on both domestic and foreign affairs is driven by his political survival motivation, particularly in the face of dwindling public support for his government," Yoram Meital, professor of Middle East Studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, told Sputnik.
Meital warned that the stance held by Netanyahu and his current coalition serves as "a substantial impediment to reaching a viable resolution for the conflict in Gaza and the subsequent restoration of the extensive damage inflicted."
💬 "[Netanyahu's] main strategy is to extend the conflict as much as possible for his political career," echoed Dr. Hasan Selim Ozertem, Ankara-based security and political analyst, while speaking to Sputnik.
Discontent is reportedly growing within Israeli power and military circles over Benjamin Netanyahu's lack of a Gaza endgame strategy, as per The Wall Street Journal. Forty-three former top officials of Israel’s military and intelligence services have called on President Isaac Herzog to remove Netanyahu as prime minister as he "poses a clear and present danger" to Israel.
Sputnik's interlocutors stressed that the time for a settlement is long overdue, referring to the West's indecisiveness in halting the bloodshed in Gaza and suggesting that central Arab countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar could potentially play a constructive role in helping Gaza get back on track.
When it comes to who should govern Gaza, Ozertem stressed: "If you are talking about the democratic stance over here, Gazan people should decide about their future."
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Meital warned that the stance held by Netanyahu and his current coalition serves as "a substantial impediment to reaching a viable resolution for the conflict in Gaza and the subsequent restoration of the extensive damage inflicted."
Discontent is reportedly growing within Israeli power and military circles over Benjamin Netanyahu's lack of a Gaza endgame strategy, as per The Wall Street Journal. Forty-three former top officials of Israel’s military and intelligence services have called on President Isaac Herzog to remove Netanyahu as prime minister as he "poses a clear and present danger" to Israel.
Sputnik's interlocutors stressed that the time for a settlement is long overdue, referring to the West's indecisiveness in halting the bloodshed in Gaza and suggesting that central Arab countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar could potentially play a constructive role in helping Gaza get back on track.
When it comes to who should govern Gaza, Ozertem stressed: "If you are talking about the democratic stance over here, Gazan people should decide about their future."
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❗️Biden has signed an executive order imposing sanctions against Jewish settlers in the West Bank, the White House said.
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Yemeni Houthi leader blasts ‘futile’ US-UK strikes on Yemen, warns it won’t weaken Ansar Allah’s military capabilities.
"The Americans and the British are unable to protect their own ships, including their naval assets, from being targeted by destroyers and barges," asserted Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Ansar Allah, during a recent speech on the latest developments.
On Thursday, American forces targeted a “Houthi UAV ground control station and 10 Houthi one-way UAVs” that “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region”, CENTCOM said in an official statement citing the unmanned aerial vehicles.
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"The Americans and the British are unable to protect their own ships, including their naval assets, from being targeted by destroyers and barges," asserted Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Ansar Allah, during a recent speech on the latest developments.
"Rather than involving themselves in wars, the US President should prioritize addressing the crises and problems within his own country. The aggression against our nation will not sway our stance. Instead, it will drive us to further develop our military capabilities, as evident in our missile program. The British, on the other hand, should take note of the lesson learned from the burning of their ships night after night, which caused damage to both themselves and their economy without yielding any results," he emphasized.
On Thursday, American forces targeted a “Houthi UAV ground control station and 10 Houthi one-way UAVs” that “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region”, CENTCOM said in an official statement citing the unmanned aerial vehicles.
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Ex-CIA Agent: FBI Psyop Possible Against Texas Convoy
🗣"I think these people who are gathering in this convoy have to be genuinely concerned that the FBI will absolutely insert agents, informants, activists inside. That organization wants to collect information, but also to be in a position to try to create a situation that would then justify federal intervention," Larry Johnson, retired CIA intelligence officer and State Department official, told Sputnik.
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🗣"I think these people who are gathering in this convoy have to be genuinely concerned that the FBI will absolutely insert agents, informants, activists inside. That organization wants to collect information, but also to be in a position to try to create a situation that would then justify federal intervention," Larry Johnson, retired CIA intelligence officer and State Department official, told Sputnik.
"Here in the United States we have, probably, over 200 political prisoners, people that were arrested and many held without charges for extended periods of time in isolation, in solitary confinement, for the simple act of having walked into the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021. It's outrageous. And so we've seen this kind of persecution of conservatives that goes on with great regularity," he said.
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