7 killed in Russia train derailment
Moscow, June 1 (UNI) Seven people were killed and 35 others injured on Saturday following a passenger train derailment in Russia's Bryansk Oblast bordering Ukraine and Belarus, caused by the collapse of a road bridge above the train tracks, Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on his Telegram channel.
The accident occurred in the Vygonichsky District at 10:50 p.m. Moscow time (1950 GMT). The debris from the collapsed bridge fell onto the train traveling underneath, causing serious casualties, Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations was quoted by TASS news agency as saying.
Passengers on the train have been evacuated to temporary shelters and will continue their journey on a replacement train.
Additionally, a truck traveling on the bridge was also damaged in the collapse. Rescue operations are still underway.
UNI XINHUA ARN
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First Post
4 hours ago
- First Post
'Silent Hunter': Has China armed Russia with a laser gun to shoot down drones?
Russia appears to be using a Chinese-origin laser weapon system to shoot down Ukrainian drones, according to video footage circulating on Russian Telegram channels. The laser, known as Silent Hunter, is allegedly operated by special forces and marks a new development in China's alleged role in the Ukraine war, despite Beijing's official denials of military aid read more The Silent Hunter, or LASS (Low-Altitude Laser Defending System), is a turret-mounted platform equipped with optical targeting sensors and a 30 kW laser. Image/X A series of pro-Russian Telegram videos and Ukrainian intelligence reports suggest that Russia may now be using a powerful Chinese-made laser weapon, the Silent Hunter, to shoot down Ukrainian drones on the battlefield. This development, if verified, could mark one of the most significant pieces of Chinese military technology deployed in the war so far, despite Beijing's continued claims of neutrality and denial of providing lethal aid to Moscow. What is the 'Silent Hunter' The laser system shown in recent footage features a turret-mounted platform emerging from a vehicle, with troops seen operating it from inside using joysticks and digital screens. The footage transitions to the laser piercing holes into a steel plate, and then shows Ukrainian drones catching fire and spiralling to the ground. Burnt drone parts are later displayed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The video, initially posted on the Military Information Telegram channel, was widely shared on platforms and shows what military analysts say closely resembles the Low-Altitude Laser Defending System (LASS), also referred to as Silent Hunter. 🇷🇺📹 Russian sources have released footage showing the use of the Chinese Low-Altitude Laser Defending System (LASS) to shoot down Ukrainian drones in the combat zone. These appear to be the first documented visuals of the Chinese laser system in operational use in Ukraine. — NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) May 31, 2025 This system was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, a state-owned enterprise. First fielded during the 2016 G20 summit in Hangzhou, it is designed to search, track, blind, and neutralise enemy drones. The weapon is mounted on a vehicle, typically an SUV, allowing for high mobility. Its upgraded version, reportedly revealed in 2024, expanded its effective engagement range: capable of detecting aerial targets up to 3.1 miles away, blinding them at 2 miles, and destroying them at 1 mile. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The 'soft kill' or blinding range was extended to 6.2 miles, while the 'hard kill' or destruction range was pushed to 3.7 miles. It operates with a 30-kilowatt laser capable of piercing a 5mm-thick steel plate at a distance of 1,000 metres, and it takes approximately eight seconds to lock onto and neutralise a target. Cost-effectiveness is one of its major advantages, as each use of the system is estimated to cost less than £10 — a fraction of the price of conventional missiles like Britain's Sea Viper, which can cost up to £1 million, reported The Eurasian Times. Is there evidence of its deployment in the Russia-Ukraine war? According to Ukraine's Vodohrai Telegram channel, the drones shown in the video included a Shchedryk-type UAV, a Skywalker X8 and a decoy drone known as the Distractor. Ukraine's Militarnyi news outlet assessed that these drones were engaged from distances greater than 0.8 miles, suggesting operational use well within the Silent Hunter's claimed range. Ukrainian military sources also assert that the system is currently being operated by a mobile air defence unit from the Kochevnik special operations group, and has been deployed since at least October. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Separate pro-Russian sources have identified the team as the Nomad special forces squad. Analysts who reviewed the video noted a strong resemblance between the system seen in Russia and earlier sightings of similar Chinese systems in Iran and Saudi Arabia. In 2024, a Silent Hunter unit was spotted in Tehran during a public sermon by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reported The Telegraph. Saudi Arabia has reportedly deployed the system against reconnaissance UAVs used by Houthi militants in Yemen, who themselves rely on Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones — the same model used by Russia in Ukraine. Military commentators in Russia now argue that recent combat use has overturned the earlier domestic scepticism about laser weapons. The Military Informant Telegram channel wrote, 'Previously, there was an opinion in the domestic information environment that combat lasers were useless and expensive toys… However, new threats identified during the full-on invasion of Ukraine forced the search for alternative methods of counteraction. Thanks to the development of new technologies, laser systems have become an effective tool for the destruction of Ukrainian UAVs.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Where does that leave China? Despite the mounting evidence, Beijing has repeatedly denied providing lethal aid to Russia. Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs insists that 'China has never provided lethal weapons to any party to the conflict' and that it 'strictly controls dual-use items.' China's denials have done little to quell accusations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated, 'Russia's involvement of China, along with other countries, whether directly or indirectly, in this war in Europe is a clear signal that Putin intends to do anything but end the war. He is looking for ways to continue fighting.' Zelenskyy has also accused China of supplying Russia with weaponry and gunpowder. Reports had also emerged in April that two Chinese soldiers were captured in Ukraine fighting alongside Russian forces. While Western intelligence services noted that it was unlikely these soldiers were sent officially by Beijing, it remains a troubling sign. Russia is known to recruit foreign nationals through informal and irregular channels. The head of Ukraine's intelligence service, Oleh Ivashchenko, added in May that the country could 'confirm' the presence of Chinese-made materials in at least 20 Russian military factories, reported The Eurasian Times. According to Ukrainian intelligence, around 80 per cent of the electronics in Russian drones now originate from China — a claim also echoed by the US State Department, which has stated, 'China is a major enabler of Russia in the war in Ukraine. China provides nearly 80 per cent of the dual-use items Russia needs to sustain the war.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Does Russia have a similar laser weapon? Prior to the suspected deployment of the Chinese laser system, Russia had already developed its own laser weaponry, including the Persevet and Zadira systems. However, there has been little public documentation of their deployment in active combat scenarios. In August 2023, Russia's state media outlet RIA Novosti reported successful field tests of an unnamed laser gun, which allegedly destroyed a number of drones. While this was framed as a breakthrough, no video evidence or operational reports have since emerged. Earlier this year, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov revealed that the Pantsir air defence system would soon be upgraded to include a laser complex. This modernisation push reflects Russia's interest in integrating energy weapons into its broader defence network, particularly as drones continue to play a central role in Ukraine's resistance efforts. Still, despite these domestic efforts, the recent visual evidence of a Chinese laser system being actively used on the front lines raises questions about whether Russian-made alternatives have proven inadequate or delayed. There has been a shift to laser weapons as they offer several advantages over traditional missile-based systems. They are cost-effective, can be deployed repeatedly without reloading, and can destroy aerial threats with minimal collateral damage. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD These characteristics make them ideal for the high-volume drone threats seen in current conflict zones. Also Watch: With inputs from agencies
United News of India
4 hours ago
- United News of India
NIA conducts searches at 32 locations in terror conspiracy case
Srinagar, June 5( UNI) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday raided 32 locations across Kashmir in a terror conspiracy case, officials said. The raids targeted hybrid militants and overground workers (OGWs) affiliated with various proscribed terrorist organisations. The NIA conducted a series of searches on Thursday across Kashmir as part of its continuing investigations against terror conspiracy by Pakistan-backed proscribed terrorist organizations and their offshoots to destabilise Jammu and Kashmir. A NIA statement said that 32 locations in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir were searched as part of today's crackdown. The locations searched were residential premises of hybrid terrorists and overground workers associated with these Pakistan-based offshoots such as The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu & Kashmir (ULFJ&K), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers, PAAF, and others, which are affiliated with proscribed terrorist organisations such as Laskar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Al-Badr etc. "The cadres and workers whose premises were searched are under the NIA's scanner for their involvement in supporting terrorist activities such as facilitating terrorists, collection and distribution of sticky bombs/magnetic bombs, IEDs, funds, narcotic substances, and arms/ammunitions, " the statement said. According to the NIA investigations, the above-mentioned organisations supported by their leaders in Pakistan have been conspiring to commit acts of terror and violence by radicalising local youth and mobilizing overground workers, to disturb peace and communal harmony in J& Investigations have revealed that Pak-based operatives were using social media, online apps to facilitate and promote terror. Drones were being used by them to deliver arms/ammunition, explosives, narcotics, etc., to their operatives and cadres in the Kashmir valley, the NIA said. Two Live cartridges, a fired bullet head, and a bayonet have been recovered during the searches. Apart from this, several digital devices containing large volumes of incriminating data & documents have been recovered by NIA in these searches. " These will be subjected to a thorough scrutiny by the agency to unravel the details of the terrorist conspiracy, " the NIA said. NIA is continuing its investigation into the case. UNI MJR BD
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Indonesia arrests foreign nationals in Bali on drugs charges that could carry the death penalty
Australian national identified as PR and an Indian national identified as HV were arrested for drug possession (Image credit: AP) Indonesian authorities on the tourist island of Bali on Thursday announced the arrests of several foreign nationals, including an Australian, an Indian, and an American, on suspicion of possessing narcotics, charges that could carry the death penalty. Customs officers at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport arrested an Indian national with the initials HV, who was carrying a duffel bag, in the customs and excise inspection area on May 29. The officers found narcotic-related items in his belongings, authorities said. Following up on the interrogation of HV, later that day, officers from the National Narcotics Agency of Bali Province arrested an Australian man with the initials PR, who has been visiting Bali since 1988. PR asked HV to bring the duffel bag from Los Angeles to Bali, said I Made Sinar Subawa, an official from the narcotics agency, at a news conference. During a search at a house where he stayed, officers found some narcotics in the form of hashish, a cannabis concentrate product, that belonged to PR and had been purchased over the Telegram messaging app. The hashish was shipped from Los Angeles and Philippines before finally received in Bali, Subawa said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Sanitize & Smooth Clothes Fast with Philips Steamer Philips Garment Steamers Shop Now Undo Officers seized 191 grams (6.7 ounces) of hashish along with some candies consisting of tetrahydrocannabinol, and 488 grams (17.2 ounces) of marijuana. Both PR and HV are now suspected of dealing in narcotics, based on the evidence that was found with them, Subawa said. "PR is suspected of violating Indonesia's Narcotics Law which carries the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for a minimum of four years and a maximum of 12 years," said Subawa. Along with HV and PR, the agency also arrested WM, an American, on May 23 while he was collecting a package from a post office in Bali. An officer opened the package carried by WM and found seven pieces of silver packaging containing a total of 99 orange amphetamine pills and secured one white Apple iPhone brand cellphone. The agency, at a news conference in the city of Denpasar on Thursday presented the evidence, including marijuana and hashish, seized from the suspects. All suspects will undergo legal proceedings in Indonesia, including trial and sentencing. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug-smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population. The Southeast Asian country has extremely strict drug laws, and convicted smugglers can face severe penalties, including the possibility of execution by firing squad. On Tuesday, three British nationals accused of smuggling nearly a kilogram (over two pounds) of cocaine into Indonesia were charged Tuesday in a court on Bali, while on May 27, an Australian man was arrested on suspicion of smuggling cocaine. If convicted, any or all of them could face the death penalty. About 530 people, including 96 foreigners, are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, latest figures from the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections show. Indonesia's last executions, of an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016.
