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A significant number of activists and journalists charged with organizing protests were detained on January 27, 2019. Many have been held in prison without a legal trial ever since.
US Defense Department officials revealed that the "spirit of the phoenix" drones were manufactured by US forces at the request of the Ukrainians, as these drones were manufactured in just weeks.
They added that they are suicide marches that explode on their targets, a weapon similar to the Switchblade marches.. They also revealed that the new howitzer guns obtained by Ukraine are the size of 5 artillery battalions (72 guns and 144,000 rounds).
They said that the aid announced by the US President today would begin to reach the theater of operations within 24 hours.
US officials confirmed that the weapons are being handed over to the Ukrainians.
A senior US official said that the US Stinger missiles do not carry tracking devices to ensure that they are in the hands of the Ukrainian forces and not in a third party (there are fears that these missiles will fall into the hands of terrorists).
The US official said that the Ukrainians now have more armor on the battlefield than the Russian forces.
He stressed that the Russian forces now have 85 combat battalions operating on Ukrainian soil. The Russians have introduced three new battalions to the battlefield during the past 24 hours.
The US official said that the Russian forces have fired 1,670 missiles since the start of operations, some of which came from the Black Sea.
Changing the Balance of Power
The aid came after Ukrainian Prime Minister Dennis Shmyal said during his meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that his country needed stronger assistance from the West to change the balance of power to end the war in their favour.
Ukraine's prime minister admitted that US aid helped push Putin back. Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that US aid to Ukraine included 150 howitzers, armored vehicles and radars.
New Weapons
Today, Thursday, US President Joe Biden spoke about the Russian-Ukrainian war as part of his efforts to complete a new weapons package for the Ukrainian army.
A source familiar with the matter said that Biden "is expected to talk about developments in our efforts to support Ukraine and the assistance we are providing."
Another US official told Reuters that the new weapons package would likely be the same value announced last week, which is $800 million, but details are still being worked out.
The US president had met with senior military officials at an annual meeting at the White House.
A spokesman for the US National Security Council said that the meeting touched on a number of issues, most notably the war in Ukraine and sending more military aid to it.
The US aid announced last week includes artillery systems, artillery shells, armored personnel carriers and unmanned coastal defense boats, thus expanding the range of materials sent to Kyiv to include new types of heavy equipment.
The size of the arms package expected this week is large, this means that the US military aid to Kiev will exceed three billion dollars since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A senior US defense official revealed that the United States sent four flights carrying weapons during the past 24 hours, including howitzers, and delivered a total of 40,000 artillery rounds to the Ukrainians.
The official indicated that his country has started training about 50 members of the Ukrainian forces to use howitzers, adding that the exercises are taking place outside Ukraine and will last about a week.
The official pointed out that the Ukrainian forces had introduced 20 combat aircraft to its air force after receiving spare parts abroad.
He explained that the Ukrainian airspace is being contested by the Ukrainian forces with the Russian aviation, which has so far avoided entering it.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson, Igor Konashenkov, said that among the targets hit were four command posts, 57 assembly points of Ukrainian forces, and military vehicles and equipment.
He also referred to the elimination of about 40 Ukrainian targets, and the destruction of 7 military vehicles, as a result of targeting points in the Novorontsova and Kislyovka regions, with high-precision missiles.
In addition, the ministry claimed that the Air Defense Forces had shot down six drones and had intercepted two "Tochka-O" missiles in the Donetsk region.
These strikes came after the ministry announced yesterday, Tuesday, that it had started a new phase of military operations in eastern Ukraine to liberate Donetsk and Luhansk republics, referring to the two regions controlled by pro-Moscow rebels.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described this stage as very important amid Western and Ukrainian expectations that these areas would witness violent fighting between the Russians and the Ukrainians.
Since its withdrawal from the vicinity of the capital Kyiv, at the beginning of April, the Russian forces announced that they would shift their operations to eastern Ukraine, which is of great importance to Moscow. Still, the zero hour did not seem to start until two days ago.
Eastern Ukraine, especially the Donbas region, is vital for the Russians. Controlling would enable Moscow to move at ease between those regions and the south, specifically the Crimea peninsula, annexed to Russia in 2014. Russia has based one of its four fleets in the Crimean peninsula which would help it consolidate its power over the black sea region.
The leaders underlined the strength of their relationship, acknowledging the U.K.’s deep ties with the Kurdish people. They noted the significant opportunities for greater partnerships across trade and investment.
The U.K. is home to many Kurds from the Kurdistan region who maintain close ties with relatives back in the Kurdistan region.
Acknowledging the continuing challenges to regional security, the Prime Minister voiced his enduring commitment to Iraqi stability and the counter-Daesh operations across the Middle East.
Masrour Barzani stressed his region’s willingness to export Kurdish gas to supply European households with energy and help lessen E.U. reliance on Russian energy.
We will work to provide employment opportunities, especially in agriculture and financial services, Barzani tweeted.
Barzani’s visit to the U.K. was not welcomed by the Kurds of the Kurdistan region and the Kurdish diaspora in the U.K., “We don’t energy to warm our homes or cook at home and now he [Masrour Barzani] wants to power Europe with Kurdistan region gas!” an activist spoke to Kurdsat English.
Kurdistan region would first need to acquire Baghdad’s acceptance before it can export its energy. Since 2014 Baghdad has asked the Kurdistan region to return its energy revenues to the central government, which has become the main issue in the Baghdad-Erbil disputes.
In February, the Iraqi supreme ruled the Kurdistan region’s independent oil and gas management unconstitutional. The Iraqi ministry of oil said it would carry out the decision by forming a company to manage the region’s energy sector.
However, a new proposal circulated recently in the US Congress reveals that the administration of President Joe Biden is considering cancelling the sanctions imposed on the IRGC and keeping the Quds Force on the list of terrorism instead.
The Quds Force is on the terror list
The proposal removes the IRGC from the terror list to keep its Quds Force, a smaller unit primarily fighting abroad, on the US terrorism list to compensate for the move.
The circulated news estimates that the sanctions would be dropped from about 80,000 to 180,000 guards. At the same time, they would include only the Quds Force, consisting of 20,000 Iranian fighters, according to what was reported by the "Washington Free Beacon" website.
Break the deal
Iranian officials have confirmed the proposal recently, angering Republican foreign policy leaders, who say the IRGC should remain on the US terror list.
Republican leaders viewed the proposal as a deal-breaker if submitted to Congress for approval.
In turn, one prominent Republican familiar with the proposal said that "removing the IRGC and then putting only the Quds Force on the list would effectively mean removing another 80,000 or so fighters from the terrorism list, and they can now enter the United States."
According to a copy of that information viewed by Free Beacon, members were also briefed on how the proposal would allow Revolutionary Guard fighters to enter the United States.
Blinken worried
Some Democrats are speaking out against the move, too. On Tuesday, Senator Joe Manchin wrote to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, saying he was "particularly concerned" about removing the Revolutionary Guards from the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations.
"We should not reward Iran with sanctions relief," he added until it showed its willingness to curb its "nuclear ambitions" and "terrorist financing."
The issue of removing the IRGC from the list of terrorist organizations by the United States had surfaced weeks ago, a difficult obstacle for negotiators, especially since the administration of US President Joe Biden is under extreme pressure from Congress to remove the IRGC from the terror list.
The sanctions are still the main obstacles to reaching a final agreement between Iran and the three European countries (France, Britain and Germany), indirectly with Russia and China, and the United States, which participated in the marathon negotiations in April last year in the Austrian capital.
Prime minister of the Kurdistan region, Masrour Barzani, visited the U.K. to discuss energy export to the E.U. and Europe as a possible replacement for Russian energy.
The U.K. holds a substantial Kurdish population from the Kurdistan region, and they gathered to protest Barzani's rule. The Barzanis lead the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and maintain a tight grip on the security forces of Duhok and Erbil governorates of the Kurdistan region.
One activist with a hand speaker was shouting "freedom to Sherwan Sherwani," referring to a KDP-imprisoned journalist sentenced to six years by the criminal court of Erbil.
Egging of the prime minister went viral on social media. Photos of Barzani were photoshopped with egg trays and posted on social media as memes.
Masrour Barzani is considered the de-facto leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the largest party in the Kurdistan region. He and his party are usually blamed for everything wrong with the Kurdistan region.
Despite the Iraqi government's objection and the summoning of his Turkish ambassador yesterday, the Turkish president reiterated, today, Wednesday, the continuation of military operations in both Iraq and Syria.
In a speech to the parliamentary bloc of the Justice and Development Party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that his country had no ambitions in the lands of other countries.
He claimed that Turkey seeks to "establish stability" in its neighbouring countries and protect its territories.
These statements came after the Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad, Ali Reza Konai, to hand him a strongly worded protest note after the continuous violations of Iraqi sovereignty and the launch of a military operation in the north of the country.
The ministry announced that it had summoned Ambassador Ali Reza Konai against the background of the continuous violations of the Turkish army, including the recent large-scale military operation that affected the areas of Matina, Zab, Avashin, and Bassian in the north of the country.
It also added that he was handed a strongly worded protest note, calling for the cessation of such provocative acts and the unacceptable transgressions.
The Turkish defence ministry announced that it had begun the operation coordinated with allies. At the same time, the Iraqi ministry of foreign affairs renewed her demand to withdraw all Turkish forces from Iraqi territory. It explained that Iraq has the legal right to take the necessary and appropriate measures per the provisions of the United Nations Charter and international law regarding such hostile and unilateral acts.
Turkey announced, on Monday, the launch of a new air and ground attack against Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq, in which special forces and combat marches are participating.
Classified as a "terrorist" organization by Ankara and its Western allies, the PKK has led an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.
Ankara usually launches attacks in Iraq, where the PKK has bases in the Sinjar region and the Kurdistan region's mountainous regions. Strong condemnations from the Iraqi government usually follow the attacks, yet relations between both countries remain strong.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a press briefing that his country had handed Ukraine a draft document containing an explicit formula for reaching an agreement, and the ball is now in Kyiv's court, and we await an answer.
He also claimed that the Ukrainian side constantly deviates from the agreements that it had previously presented and constantly changes its position.
The effectiveness and feasibility of negotiations are affected by changes in Ukrainian positions, the spokesperson for Kremlin added.
In response to a question about whether there were any specific deadlines for Kyiv's response, he said: "It depends on the Ukrainian side," according to the Russian "Interfax" agency.
However, he stressed that the dynamics of work on the Ukrainian side are going badly, especially since the Ukrainians do not show a great desire to intensify the negotiation process, as he put it.
Earlier today, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that Moscow had lost confidence in the Ukrainian negotiators, describing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a vassal and dependent who carries out the orders of America and Nato.
These statements came after Zelensky's adviser, Mikhailo Podoliak, announced yesterday that it was impossible to set a date for the next round of direct talks between the two sides, considering that negotiating with Russia to stop the conflict has become more difficult and complicated, especially after the military field developments in the besieged city of Mariupol in the south, and eastern Ukraine.
Since the first days of the launch of the Russian military operation on the Ukrainian territory on the 24th of February, talks began between the two parties, and several rounds were held, either directly or online, in order to reach an agreement that would establish peace between the two countries, but none of those meetings was conclusive.
While Moscow adheres to the impartiality of the western neighbour, halting its efforts to join NATO, as well as disarming it of weapons that threaten its security, Kyiv demands multiple international guarantees in order to stop any future Russian attack on its territory.
It also refuses to relinquish its sovereignty over the eastern regions of the country or to recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea.
The recent military developments on the ground have obstructed and halted these negotiating rounds, especially after the accelerated operations in Mariupol and the east of the country.
Iran has confirmed the transfer of a centrifuge-making facility to its underground nuclear site in Natanz, state media reported, days after the International Atomic Energy Agency announced the installation of cameras to monitor the new plant at Tehran's request.
The report, carried out by the official Iranian news agency IRNA on Saturday evening, comes as diplomatic efforts to restore the nuclear agreement with Iran seem to be stuck.
The news agency quoted a spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi, saying that the authorities had moved the operation to a safer place.
And the Iranian centrifuge manufacturing facility in Karaj was targeted in what Iran described as a sabotage attack last June.
Natanz itself has twice been targeted with sabotage attacks amid uncertainty over the nuclear deal, attacks that Iran has blamed on Israel.
"Unfortunately, due to the terrorist operation that took place in Karaj, we had to intensify security measures, according to which we transferred an important part of the machinery to Natanz and Isfahan," which host two nuclear facilities, Kamalvandi said.
On Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said it had installed cameras and removed seals from machinery at the new workshop in Natanz two days earlier.
These machines will be used to make rotating tubes and centrifugal bellows, which are important parts of devices that rotate at very high speeds to enrich uranium gas.
Kamalvandi reiterated Iran's position that Tehran would not provide data from the cameras to the IAEA if it did not reach an agreement.
Talks between Iran and world powers in Vienna to revive the 2015 nuclear deal have stalled. There are fears that Iran is close to building a nuclear weapon if it chooses to pursue this path.
The nuclear deal collapsed four years ago as the United States withdrew from it and re-imposed sanctions on Iran. At the same time, Iran has significantly expanded the scope of its nuclear work.
Since August 2020, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), security forces and legal persecutors have detained more than 81 journalists, activists, and school teachers.
These arrests have caused domestic and severe international condemnation. Many countries have declared the arrests as an attempt to silence freedom of speech and freedom of the press and have called it a violation of human rights.
"After more than a year of detaining, parole, and torture, 8 of the 81 arrested are sentenced from 6 years to 7 years. Thirteen journalists have been sentenced from 6 months to 3 years. They have been warned from participating in any political gathering or opposition," a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) on conditions of anonymity told Kurdsat News.
The CPT member added, "after one and half years, five activists in Shiladzeh have gone on hunger strike for ignoring their legal cases.
"On November 2021, 26 activists were released without the court's decision, and many activist are held in the various prisons and their cases are still missing," The source added.
An investigation from the CPT has revealed that the arrests are politically encouraged. The KDP punishes anyone criticizing its governance and publicize its corruption. The activists refuse the indictments they have been charged with because the accusations rely on the testimony of someone who was not present in any court hearings.
"Coinciding with the fall of Ashraf Ghani government, part of the Afghan army's special forces entered neighboring Afghanistan countries as ordinary refugees, but within the framework of their previous organization, they maintained contacts with American and British liaison officers," the report said.
According to Tolo News: "Over the past month, a large number of these Afghan soldiers have been summoned from different provinces, to be sent to Ukraine due to the country's need for trained forces from various military and intelligence disciplines."
The Afghan Network added: "In this regard, an active network was established by the former Afghan army forces that were sent to Ukraine to recruit volunteers from among the Afghan refugees and citizens residing in Afghanistan, who wish to participate in the war in exchange for a salary."
According to the Iraqi News Agency (WAA), "The charge d'affaires of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and informed of the Iraqi government's protest against the burning of the Holy Quran in their country."
Earlier, Muqtada al-Sadr, the head of the Sadr faction in Iraq, tweeted: During the month of the Qur'an, the Qur'an is burned in a European country with a sizeable Muslim population. What is the reason for this arousing the feelings of Muslims? If you do not believe in God and the Shari'a, you are not allowed to burn this book at all.
"The incident coincided with the attack on Quds Sharif. What is the sin of Quds if the oppressed rebel against the oppressor ?! In my understanding, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs should summon the Swedish representative to find out the truth about this terrorist crime and sedition to create divisions between religions. ISIS extremists do not represent Islam, nor do atheist extremists represent Europe." Sadr added.
If this does not happen, we will hold a peaceful rally against the attack on our holy places and the Qur'an. In the end, I call on the Swedish government to stand up to such attacks to maintain peace and tranquillity.
On Friday, Rasmussen Paulden, leader of the far-right party in Denmark, burned the Koran in a predominantly Muslim neighbourhood in Sweden. In 2019, Paulden also burned the Holy Quran.
After insulting the Muslim holy book, protesters staged demonstrations in Sweden, demanding the authorities deal with the perpetrators.
Peter Hennessy, a historian and member of the UK's House of Lords, said Johnson had become "a symbol of the breach of compliance in modern public and political life" after police fined him for attending a Downing Street gathering during a lockdown.
According to the British government's website, the ministerial act sets out the standards of behavior expected of ministers and how they perform their duties.
Opposition MPs accused Johnson of misleading Parliament on the issue after the prime minister told Parliament last year that all rules were followed in Downing Street during the pandemic.
The prime minister will appear in the House of Commons on Tuesday to explain why the police have fined him.
Johnson also apologized after becoming the first British leader to be found to have broken the law while in office. Police are investigating other gatherings, and Johnson could face additional fines.
"I think we are going through the most severe constitutional crisis involving a prime minister that I can remember," Hennessy told the BBC, asking why anyone in public life would abide by the rules when the prime minister did not abide.
He added: "The Prime Minister has reserved his place in British history as the first violator of the law to take over as prime minister," adding that he no longer deserves to serve the Queen or her country, as he put it.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, a minister in Johnson's cabinet, said he respected Hennessy but did not believe the constitutional expert had fully understood the constitutional significance of the ministerial act.
He added that Johnson told Parliament in good faith that he had not broken any rules and did not believe he did.
"We discussed developments in Iraq and the region, bilateral relations between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey, and expanding cooperation to promote security and stability, " Barzani said in a statement.
"We emphasized developing relations in all sectors, particularly in trade and investment." the statement added.
Barzani said both sides "explored new opportunities to increase bilateral trade and investment."
The head of the Foreign Relations Department in the KRG, Safeen Dizayee, usually dubbed as Kurdistan region foreign minister, accompanied Barzani in the meeting. They held talks focusing on trade and energy.
Hakan Fidan, the Turkish intelligence chief, was the only participant besides Erdogan in the meeting.
The head of Kurdistan Foreign Media Relations, Lawk Ghafuri, said Barzani and Erdogan also spoke on gas, security and political developments in Iraq and the Middle East.
The visit comes when Europe is working to lessen its energy dependence on Russia. With its vast hydrocarbon reserves and close ties to Turkey, the Kurdistan region is an obvious choice.
It was unacceptable for London to push its Western allies and other countries to impose wide-ranging sanctions on Russia, which she described as "counterproductive," the Russian "TASS" agency reproted.
Earlier today, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it had included British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Secretary of State Liz Terrasse, and Defense Minister Ben Wallace on the list of those banned from entering the Russian territory in response to British sanctions.
It is noteworthy that since the launch of the military operation announced by Moscow on February 24, the tension has escalated in an unprecedented manner between it and the West, which entailed a security alert in Europe, and support for Kyiv with weapons, equipment, and humanitarian aid.
European countries have sent missiles, defense systems, weapons, and mechanisms, but they have not sent aircraft or offensive "quality" weapons.
However, Britain had the strongest position against the Russians. It imposed a series of extensive sanctions that included the exclusion of major Russian banks from the British financial system. In addition, the freezing of assets owned by all Russian banks, and London also prevented companies from exporting spare parts or aviation technologies to Moscow.
Britain also considered the flight, take-off, or landing of Russian planes run by Russian companies or leased to Russian personalities as a crime under the law.
Its sanctions affected many wealthy Russians and officials to impede the Russian economy, and influence its richest personalities.