Putin sends emergency aircraft to Iran to help with port explosion aftermath
NNA - Russia's Emergencies Ministry said on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the dispatch of several emergency aircraft to Iran to help deal with the aftermath of the explosion at the port of Bandar Abbas, according to Reuters.
The Kremlin said Putin offered his condolences for the victims of the explosion and offered assistance to Iran in dealing with its aftermath.
It added that Putin sent "words of sympathy and sincere support to the families of the victims, as well as his wishes for a speedy recovery to all the injured."
The Ministry of Emergency Situations added that a Beriev Be-200 amphibious aircraft, specialized in firefighting, and an Ilyushin Il-76 military transport aircraft will be sent to Iran to assist.
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MTV Lebanon
7 hours ago
- MTV Lebanon
Russia launches one of war's largest air attacks on Kyiv
Russia launched one of its largest air strikes on Kyiv in over three years of war and struck a maternity ward in the southern city of Odesa in attacks that killed at least three people, officials said on Tuesday. The overnight strikes followed Russia's biggest drone assault of the war on Ukraine on Monday and were part of intensified bombardments in what Moscow says is retaliation for attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russia. The Russian attack also damaged Saint Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO world heritage site located in the historic centre of Kyiv, Ukrainian Culture Minister Mykola Tochytskyi said. "The enemy struck at the very heart of our identity again," Tochytskyi wrote on Facebook about the site he called "the soul of all Ukraine". Loud explosions shook Kyiv and blasts and fires lit up the sky in the early hours of Tuesday morning, leaving palls of heavy smoke over the city, Reuters witnesses said. Authorities deployed two firefighting helicopters to douse flames. One person died in the attack on Kyiv, city authorities said. At least four people were treated in hospital after seven of the capital's 10 districts were hit, city officials said. "Today was one of the largest attacks on Kyiv," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. "Russian missile and Shahed (drone) strikes drown out the efforts of the United States and others around the world to force Russia into peace." In Kyiv, Kateryna Zaitseva, 38, and her 14-year-old son looked at the rubble in their apartment, which received a direct hit by a drone. The explosion destroyed one room, damaged another and blew in the door of the bathroom in which they were hiding. "We started moving blindly to the entrance door. I heard the voice of the emergency worker ... I shouted that there were two of us, that we were unhurt and he helped us," said Zaitseva, a laboratory technician. In the southern port of Odesa, an overnight drone attack hit an emergency medical building, a maternity ward and residential buildings, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. Two men were killed in that attack but patients and staff were safely evacuated from the maternity hospital, he said. Iryna Britkaru, 23, who gave birth to a girl on June 6, said projectiles had started hitting the building in Odesa as soon as she and other patients had been whisked to the basement by hospital staff. "The third (impact) was already very loud, and shrapnel flew... (it) rained down in the corridor," she told Reuters. Natalia Kovalenko, 34, who five days ago also gave birth to a girl, said she was hoping for an end to the war. "If we don't have hope, then no one will be giving birth," she said. A State Department spokesperson said Washington was monitoring the situation closely, adding that it was time for an end to the war. 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Ya Libnan
16 hours ago
- Ya Libnan
Trump's Guard deployment to LA protests puts Newsom in political predicament
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MTV Lebanon
a day ago
- MTV Lebanon
Watch: Attempts to smuggle helicopter aviation equipment
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) confirmed that attempts to obtain weapons and military equipment from Russia in favor of Kyiv are being managed by foreign intelligence agencies and are being planned on a large scale. This statement came after the FSB successfully foiled a plot by an international network specializing in smuggling helicopter aviation equipment out of the country, including to Ukraine. The statement explained that "the number of attempts by unfriendly countries to acquire weapons and military equipment in Russia for Kyiv has reached an unprecedented level." It added: "Losses worth over one billion rubles were prevented as a result of thwarting the illegal export of aircraft spare parts from Russia to Kyiv. We have information indicating that the Ukrainian Air Force is suffering from a severe shortage of Russian components." The FSB emphasized that "Kyiv tried to establish a sustainable smuggling channel for Russian aviation products to fulfill its government defense orders." The statement continued: "Kyiv is in urgent need of spare parts to repair its aerial equipment, which was damaged during Russian military operations as part of the special military operation." It also added: "Since October 1, 2023, 236 illegal export attempts from Russia have been foiled, involving drones, optical equipment, and other gear." This comes after the FSB thwarted a smuggling network working on behalf of foreign entities to purchase new spare parts for Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters. A statement from the FSB clarified that the criminal group consisted of six individuals of various nationalities, including Russians, Ukrainians, and citizens from Middle Eastern countries. The statement added: "The activities of the international group were uncovered and their illegal operations halted. They had been planning to smuggle military technical equipment abroad, including to Ukraine." It also noted that the network's operations were coordinated by a foreign woman residing outside Russia.
