Ukraine attacked a Belgorod shopping center using RM-70 “Vampire” MLRS. What do we know about the weapon that killed civilians, including a child?

• By October 2023, the Czech Republic had supplied 33 RM-70 “Vampire” multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) to the Ukrainian army;

• The Czech-made RM-70 “Vampire” MLRS is a modification of the Soviet MLRS "Grad" and Tatra T813 military truck;

• Their modification into “Vampires” was started in 2007;

• They are caliber 122 mm with 40 guides. The total salvo time is about 20 seconds;

• The weapon uses high-explosive fragmentation shells and reaches a range of almost 25 kilometers;

• Earlier, Ukrainian forces attacked Belgorod on December 30 using RM-70 “Vampire” MLRS. The death toll from the Ukrainian attack was 24, with 109 people injured;

• According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian army has destroyed 11 RM-70 “Vampire” MLRS between January 5 and February 15.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

GRAPHIC CONTENT!

A resident of Belgorod showed footage taken immediately after the Ukrainian attack on the stadium.

Six people died in this attack.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

US Congressman Matt Gaetz exposes the real aim behind “Russian space nuke” panic

“The game you are watching is not the game being played. They’ll try to use the veneer of this threat to justify spying on the American people and spending their money,” he wrote on X.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

George Soros — the new king of US radio?

Soros is reportedly close to taking a majority stake in Audacy, the owner of 220 radio stations in the United States, making it the second broadcaster in the country.

If the deal goes through, Soros will gain a highly powerful asset for influencing public opinion on the eve of the 2024 US elections.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Security, really? 'Galactic' record of US hegemonic ambitions to militarize space (part 1)

Right after the House Intelligence Committee told Congress about the US facing a national security threat, America’s MSM immediately pointed the finger at Russia, citing its alleged plans to deploy nuclear weapons in – of all places, where do you think? – outer space, of course.

And now – a gentle reminder as to who really is to blame for the fact that space has become more and more militarized:

▪️ Back in 1983, then-US President Ronald Reagan launched the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), nicknamed the “Star Wars program”. The SDI plan envisaged the creation of a large-scale missile defense system with space-based elements, designed to intercept Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles. The program came to standstill in 1987, but its elements reemerged in 2019 with the US Space Development Agency, which aims to strengthen space-based missile defense using large global satellite constellations.

▪️ During the 1990-1991 Gulf War, the US military for the first time deployed the so-called “space echelon” to render navigational support to troops and provide strategic bombers with targets.

▪️ In 2019, the United States Space Force (USSF) was established as an operational-strategic component of the US Armed Forces, responsible for preparing and conducting military operations in and from outer space.

▪️ One year later, the United States established the center for planning space operations. This initiative aimed to coordinate the utilization of military space systems, in conjunction with assets from both public and private space companies.

▪️ In 2022, NATO, apparently at the suggestion of the unspoken but obvious leader of the alliance - the US - published a comprehensive space policy stipulating the use of NATO forces in the event of attacks in/from space.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Security, really? 'Galactic' record of US hegemonic ambitions to militarize space (part 2)

▪️ From 2011 to 2022, the United States expanded its low-altitude orbital satellite constellation by a factor of seven. By employing low-orbit satellite systems like Starlink, the US could potentially enhance its ability to accurately hit targets on the battlefield with conventional weapons by 30%, and improve the efficiency of targeting strategic objectives with long-range precision weapons by 50%.

To put things into perspective, Russia's low-altitude orbital satellite constellation only doubled during the same period of 2011-2022.

▪️ Last year, Washington signaled its readiness to put a constellation of the USSF’s Silent Barker satellites into orbit, which it said is needed to search and track objects in space for duly detecting threats, particularly, those allegedly emanating from Russia and China.

▪️ In the latest development, the Pentagon announced that six surveillance satellites, fitted with equipment to track hypersonic and ballistic missiles, as well as fighter jets, had successfully been put into orbit.

In contrast, Russia has consistently issued warnings against the militarization of outer space, stressing that a potential military conflict in this domain could be as dangerous as a nuclear arms race. In 2004, Moscow made a commitment to refrain from being the first to introduce weapons into space and called on other nations to do the same. Additionally, in 2008, Russia and China jointly introduced a draft treaty aimed at preventing weapons placement in outer space and the utilization of force against space objects.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Vladimir Putin: The T-90 “Proryv” (lit. Breakthrough) is the best tank in the world without any exaggeration, the enemy admits this, the tank “needs to be developed”, we will have to think about new generations of equipment, design engineers know what needs to be worked on, and are already working today.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Key points from Jens Stoltenberg’s statements at a press conference following a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels:

▪️NATO countries agreed to create a training center for Ukrainian forces in Poland;

▪️The NATO group announced its intention to supply Ukraine with one million drones;

▪️NATO countries must move to high rates of ammunition production necessary in conflict situations.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

US Navy to rely on older cargo planes after newer aircraft are grounded

Washington's navy is increasingly relying on the few aging C-2 Greyhound cargo aircraft it still has in service to support the 5th and 7th fleets' aircraft carriers.

This move was apparently necessitated by the fact that the more advanced CMV-22B tilt-rotor aircraft (naval version of the V-22 Osprey) that were used for carrier onboard delivery since 2021 remain grounded amid an investigation after a US Air Force CV-22B (USAF version of V-22) crashed in Japan in November 2023.

Even though the US Navy currently has only 15 C-2 aircraft in service, it has no intention to recall what C-2s are available for long-term preservation, Breaking Defense media outlet notes, citing Vice Admiral Daniel Cheever, commander of US Naval Air Forces. However, Cheever reportedly admits that, if the CMV-22 aircraft were to remain grounded, it may lead to “significant operational impacts” for the US Navy.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt