Russia

[AndyinPA]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/ ... ve-updates

17.41 EDT
Islamic State claims members escaped after attacking concert hall

Islamic State have claimed responsibility for the attack on the Crocus City Hall on the outskirts of Moscow.

The full statement posted on its Telegram account reads:

Islamic State fighters attacked a large gathering of Christians in the city of Krasnogorsk on the outskirts of the Russian capital, Moscow, killing and wounding hundreds and causing great destruction to the place before they withdrew to their bases safely.

This page is being constantly updated.

[RTH10260]

Moscow terror attack suspects held as death toll reaches 115
Russia’s security services appear to link attack to Ukraine despite IS claiming responsibility

Pjotr Sauer
Sat 23 Mar 2024 12.50 CET

Russia’s security services say they have arrested four gunmen responsible for the shooting that killed at least 115 people at a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, in one of the worst terror attacks in the country’s history.

The director of Russia’s federal security service (FSB) informed Vladimir Putin that 11 individuals had been arrested in connection with Friday’s terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall outside Moscow, including four suspects involved in the shooting.

Islamic State, through an affiliated news agency, claimed responsibility for the attack late on Friday in a post on Telegram, in which they claimed the gunmen had managed to escape afterwards. A US official said Washington had intelligence confirming Islamic State’s claim.

Russian officials have described the attack as an act of terrorism.

There are already signs that Moscow will try to pin blame for the attack on Ukraine, despite the claim of responsibility by Islamic State.

Without providing any evidence, the FSB on Saturday appeared to point the finger at Kyiv, saying that the gunmen were arrested while trying to cross into Ukraine.

“They had contacts on the Ukrainian side,” the FSB said in a statement.



https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ ... onsibility

[RTH10260]

Who is thought to be behind the Moscow attack?
Islamic State has claimed responsibility and experts say an IS branch – Islamic State Khorasan Province – is prime suspect

Jason Burke
Sat 23 Mar 2024 14.17 CET

More than 100 people have been killed and scores wounded in Russia’s worst terror attack in years.

Who is responsible for the attack?

Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attack, praising the “Islamic fighters” who carried it out. Many commentators and US officials have pointed to the IS affiliate called Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) as prime suspect – though so far there is no evidence that this is the case.

ISKP is a branch of Islamic State in Afghanistan. The name comes from that given to a region by some local Islamic rulers and so explicitly rejects modern national frontiers while evoking what its members consider the lost glory and power of Muslim empires.

It was formed at the peak of the expansion of IS in 2015 when the Iraq- and Syria-based group was trying to expand by building a network of affiliates through the Middle East, the Maghreb, west Asia and other parts of Africa. These efforts brought mixed results. However, hundreds of disillusioned Taliban fighters and some from factions in Pakistan were attracted by the extremism and resources of IS. These formed the nucleus of ISKP – and the group remains linked to IS to this day.



https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ ... cow-attack

[RTH10260]

Islamic State’s deadly Moscow attack highlights its fixation with Russia
The ISKP regional affiliate has a haven in Afghanistan and carried out recent bombings in Iran, suggesting it has capacity for major atrocities

Andrew Roth
Sat 23 Mar 2024 01.20 CET

Speculation about who carried out the shooting at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow has quickly indicated that the terror attack will have outsized political implications in Russia and abroad.

A claim has surfaced that the attack was carried out by Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) a regional affiliate of the IS terrorist organisation. IS has been implicated in some of Russia’s largest recent terror attacks, including the 2017 bombing in the St Petersburg metro that killed 15 and injured 45.

US intelligence told American news agencies that there’s “no reason to doubt” the IS claims of responsibility.

The group, which is a branch of IS mainly based in Afghanistan, has increasingly focused its attention on Russia since the United States left Afghanistan in 2021. The group was formed in 2015 by members of militant groups, including those from Pakistan and Uzbekistan, and is active in central Asia and Russia. It carried out twin bombings in January in Iran that killed nearly 100 people.

“Isis-K and its allies retain a safe haven in Afghanistan, and they continue to develop their networks in and out of the country,” said Gen Michael Kurilla, the commander of US Central Command, during testimony to the House armed services committee in early March.

“Their goals do not stop there. They have called for attacks globally on anyone not aligned with their extremist ideology, and Taliban efforts to suppress the group have proven insufficient.”

The attack in Iran demonstrated the group’s “resiliency and indicates that they retain the capability and will to conduct spectacular external operations”.

Russia’s FSB security service said that on 7 March it had prevented an armed attack by the group on a synagogue in the Kaluga region near Moscow.



https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ ... amic-state

[RTH10260]

Shooting at Moscow concert venue leaves over 130 dead

By Chris Lau, Andrew Raine, Catherine Nicholls, Issy Ronald, Lauren Said-Moorhouse and Tori B. Powell, CNN
Updated 4:22 p.m. ET, March 23, 2024


CNN live update webpage https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-new ... index.html

ps. the venue is burn out and gone.

[Volkonski]

Russia increases gasoline imports from Belarus as domestic supplies shrink

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy ... 024-03-27/

Russia has increased gasoline imports from neighbouring Belarus in March to tackle the risk of shortages in its domestic market because of unscheduled repairs at Russian refineries after drone attacks, four industry and trade sources said on Wednesday.

Usually Russia is a net exporter of fuel and a supplier to international markets, but the disruption of Russian refining has forced oil companies to import.

Already Russia banned gasoline exports from March 1 to try to secure enough fuel for its domestic market after repeated Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries since the start of the year.

Russia normally imports very little fuel from Belarus, although it turned to it last August-to-October, when it faced fuel shortages that led to a rapid rise in gasoline prices and prompted another oil product export ban.

This year, Russia has again increased gasoline imports from Belarus, and in the first half of March they reached almost 3,000 metric tons, Reuters sources familiar with the statistics said.

In February, Russia imported 590 tons, while in January, there were no shipments from Belarus.

Two industry sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, said discussions on further imports were taking place between governments and oil companies.

[RTH10260]

Those "unscheduled repairs" might be extensive. Some of the video footage found on the web indicate major fire damage. Though in some cases that may have been limited to storage tanks. The videos indicate that the targets don't get hit by precise strikes but rather by general GPS positioning. Targets have been far inland, reach of these drones have been reported in the 900km / 600miles range behind the front lines. Russia will have difficulty to reallocate sources, steel and manpower, in this war economy.

[Dave from down under]

3,000 metric tonnes is not that large an amount

[Sam the Centipede]

Those "unscheduled repairs" might be extensive.

Storage tanks and even pipework might not be very difficult to repair – remember Russians don't always work to quality standards! – but the catalytic crackers and fractionation towers are much more tricky. Even if they have the skills they might not have the materials and even if they have the materials they need time and facilities.

Plus control systems, pumps, drives, valves, etc. are all affected by sanctions.

As stated above, the bits aren't pinpoint precise but lob enough missiles and the planet will suffer.

[RTH10260]

3,000 metric tonnes is not that large an amount

One bridge at a time for scrap metal illegally exported to ...

Let's speculate ... was the captain under contract to Russia

[Suranis]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/06/europe/r ... index.html

Russian dam bursts forcing thousands to evacuate in flood-hit southern region
By Radina Gigova and Darya Tarasova, CNN
2 minute read
Published 10:48 AM EDT, Sat April 6, 2024
CNN —

Thousands of Russians have been evacuated from their homes after an embankment dam broke in the southern region of Orenburg, near Kazakhstan, authorities said.

The dam in the city of Orsk could not contain the flow of water of the Ural river and broke in two places, local authorities told TASS.

At least three people have died as a result of the flooding, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

Authorities have reported that 4,208 people in the region have been evacuated, including 1,019 children, and 495 temporary accommodation centers for 82,200 people are being prepared, according to TASS.

Three people are reported to have died so far.

As of Saturday morning, the level of the Ural river was nearly double the level the dam was designed to handle, according to regional authorities.

The dam failure occurred because the hydraulic structure was not properly maintained, and a criminal investigation has been opened, the regional prosecutor’s office said.

The dam was protecting the city from the waters of the Ural river. By Saturday morning, the water had reached several districts of the city, flooding nearly 2,400 residential buildings, TASS reported.

“A state of emergency is in effect in Orenburg,” the head of the Orenburg region Sergey Salmin said in a Telegram post Saturday.

“This situation leaves us no choice; overnight the [river] level may reach a critical level. I demand that everyone immediately leave their houses in the flood zone.”

[RTH10260]

they also have their bridge collapses

Russian bridge collapses in Smolensk as truck driver and vehicle attempt to cross Paninsky Road

Daily Mail
8 Apr 2024

A bridge with cars on it collapsed in the Smolensk region of Russia leaving six people injured and one-woman dead. Dramatic footage shows a large truck driving across the Paninsky Road moments before the bridge buckles and snaps on top of a railway line. A man who was stood underneath the bridge when it came down can be seen running for his life as debris falls inches away from him. Russian media outlets have claimed the bridge was in urgent need of repairs and an inspection was due last year. The now blocked Moscow-Minsk railway line beneath the bridge acted as a transportation corridor between Belarus and Russia.

[northland10]

they also have their bridge collapses

Russian bridge collapses in Smolensk as truck driver and vehicle attempt to cross Paninsky Road

Daily Mail
8 Apr 2024

A bridge with cars on it collapsed in the Smolensk region of Russia leaving six people injured and one-woman dead. Dramatic footage shows a large truck driving across the Paninsky Road moments before the bridge buckles and snaps on top of a railway line. A man who was stood underneath the bridge when it came down can be seen running for his life as debris falls inches away from him. Russian media outlets have claimed the bridge was in urgent need of repairs and an inspection was due last year. The now blocked Moscow-Minsk railway line beneath the bridge acted as a transportation corridor between Belarus and Russia.

Probably Biden's fault or Latin American immigrant terrorists. Or both.