World Biz
Russia says Ukraine is to blame for Crimea Bridge Blast
Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine of orchestrating what he called a terrorist attack on a key bridge linking Russia and Crimea, as he prepared to hold a meeting of his security council on Monday, 10 October.
“There is no doubt. This is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying critically important civilian infrastructure,” Putin said on Sunday in a video on the Kremlin’s Telegram channel.
“This was formulated, carried out and ordered by the Ukrainian special services.”
Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said ahead of Monday’s meeting that Russia should kill the “terrorists” responsible for the attack.
“Russia can only respond to this crime by directly killing terrorists, as is the custom elsewhere in the world. This is what Russian citizens expect,” he was quoted as saying by the state news agency Tass.
A blast on Saturday on the bridge over the Kerch Strait, a major supply route for Moscow’s forces in southern Ukraine, prompted gleeful messages from Ukrainian authorities but no claim of responsibility.
The bridge is also a vital artery for the port of Sevastopol, where the Russian Black Sea fleet is based, as well as an imposing symbol of Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula.
The damage to the bridge came amid battlefield defeats for Russia and growing concerns that Moscow could resort to nuclear weapons after Putin repeatedly cautioned the West that any attack on Russia could provoke a nuclear response.
Putin on Sunday met Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, who presented findings of an inquiry into what he said was the explosion of a vehicle and subsequent fire on the bridge.
Bastrykin said the vehicle had traveled through Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, North Ossetia and Russia’s Krasnodar region before reaching the bridge. Among those who helped Ukrainian special services prepare were “citizens of Russia and foreign countries,” Bastrykin added in the video on the Kremlin’s Telegram channel.
Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military analyst and head of the website Information Resistance, told Espreso TV website, a digital broadcaster well-known in Ukraine, that Russia may intensify attacks on civilian targets after the explosion on the Crimea bridge.
“This probably means missile attacks on border areas – Sumy and Chernihiv regions. It could also mean using missiles and (Iranian-made) Shahed-136 drones to hit even deeper into Ukrainian territory,” he said.
Images showed part of the bridge’s roadway blown away, although rail services and partial road traffic resumed.
The Russian transport ministry, quoted by RIA news agency, said nearly 1,500 people and 162 heavy cargoes had traveled by ferry across the Kerch Strait since the explosion.
Putin opened the 19-km (12-mile) bridge linking Crimea to Russia with great fanfare in 2018.
Russia’s defense ministry said on Saturday its forces in southern Ukraine could be “fully supplied” through existing land and sea routes.
Fresh Attack On Zaporizhzhia
Overnight shelling destroyed an apartment building in the city of Zaporizhzhia, causing injuries, regional Governor Oleksandr Starukh said early on Monday.
The pre-dawn strikes were the third such attack against the region in four days. A strike on an apartment in the city on Sunday killed at least 13 people and injured 87 others, including 10 children, according to Ukrainian officials.
Russian aircraft launched at least 12 missiles in Sunday’s attack, partially destroying a nine-storey apartment block, leveling five other residential buildings and damaging many more, Starukh said on state-run television.
The wounded included 11 children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, condemning the attack as “absolute evil”.
“This was a deliberate hit. Whoever gave the order and whoever carried it out knew what they were targeting,” he said in a video address.
Zaporizhzhia city, about 52 km (30 miles) from a Russian-held nuclear power plant, has been under frequent shelling in recent weeks, with 19 people killed on Thursday.
Emergency workers and firefighters cordoned off the nine-storey building and dug for survivors and casualties in the smoldering rubble of a massive central section that had collapsed after Sunday’s attack.
Vladimir Rogov, an official in the Russian-installed administration in Zaporizhzhia, said Ukrainian forces had shelled the city for “propaganda purposes”.
Most of the Zaporizhzhia region, including the nuclear plant, has been under Russian control since the early days of Russia’s invasion in February. The capital of the region, Zaporizhzhia city, remains under Ukrainian control.
Russia denies targeting civilians.
US To continue arming Ukraine
The White House on Sunday dropped direct comment on the bridge blast but said the United States would continue to arm Ukraine.
Kyiv demands that Russian forces leave the Black Sea peninsula, as well as Ukrainian territory they have seized in the invasion Putin launched in February.
Ukraine has recaptured more than 1,170 square kilometers (450 square miles) of land in its southern Kherson region since launching the start of its counterattack against Russia in late August, a military spokesperson said on Sunday.
Ukraine achieved lightning success with its offensive in the northeast, but its drive in the south to wipe out a Russian foothold on the west bank of the vast Dnipro River has been less rapid.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (25 April) called for speaking out against all forms of aggression and atrocities, and say ‘no’ to wars.
“We must speak out against all forms of aggression and atrocities, and say ‘no’ to wars,” she said adding that Bangladesh supports the UN Secretary General’s ‘New Agenda for Peace.
The prime minister was addressing the 80th Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) held at the ESCAP Hall (2nd floor), United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) here.
She arrived in Bangkok on Wednesday on a six-day official visit to Thailand.
The PM said the pre-condition for sustainable development is lasting peace and security.
“We must settle regional disputes and tension through dialogue. Our mutual respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity must remain paramount,” she said.
Hasina called upon the Asia-Pacific region, especially ASEAN, to redouble their efforts to end Rohingya crisis as all efforts at regional connectivity, integration, and prosperity will continue to be marked by a missing puzzle without it.
“The origin of their crisis has been in Myanmar, and its solution also lies in Myanmar,” she declared.
“As long as that solution remains out of reach, all our efforts at regional connectivity, integration, and prosperity will continue to be marked by a missing puzzle. Let us redouble our efforts to put that puzzle back in place,” she said.
She said that in August 2017, when thousands of Rohingya men, women, and children from Myanmar fled to Bangladesh, Bangladesh offered them temporary shelter.
“With an ever growing population, this has now become one of the largest humanitarian situations in the world,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said that In the backdrop of ongoing armed conflicts in Myanmar, the Rohingya repatriation process is also getting delayed.
“This is creating serious security risks within and beyond our territories,” she said.
She called upon the Asia-Pacific region, especially ASEAN, to play a proactive role in resolving the volatile situation in Myanmar.
“We must ensure that the Rohingya can go back home in safety and dignity at the earliest possible,” she said.
The prime minister said that the Asia-Pacific region must stand united against its common enemies of poverty and hunger.
She said Bangladesh has reduced poverty from 41.51 percent to 18.7 percent between 2006 and 2022.
It also reduced extreme poverty from 25.1 to 5.6 percent during the same period.
“We remain confident about eradicating extreme poverty by 2030,” she said.
She mentioned that Bangladesh has made notable progress on food security, with focused interventions on maternal and child nutrition.
“Our current priority is to address inequalities through income distribution, asset ownership, and social protection,” she said.
The prime minister said that Asia-Pacific region must put up a united front in tackling the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and transboundary pollution.
“We need to push for ambitious climate financing goals beyond 2025 at COP-29. We need to cooperate on cross-border water management and air quality improvement. We must all prepare for growing extreme weather events,” she said.
In this connection, she suggested looking into Bangladesh’s experience in disaster risk reduction.
“We appreciate UN-ESCAP’s support in improving our early warning capabilities,” she added.
Briefly describing various development programmes and achievements of her govebrment, the prime minister said that much of the development gains are affected by climate impacts.
“As a low-lying delta, Bangladesh has no option but to invest heavily in climate resilience,” she said.
She mentioned that Bangladesh is already recognised as a global leader in climate adaptation.
“We are happy to share our traditional and innovative solutions with other vulnerable countries,” she said.
She said that Bangladesh has urged developed and emerging economies in the region to raise their time-bound emission reduction targets.
“For economies in transition, it is important to have a just energy transition.”
In Bangladesh, she said, “we are working on long-term energy security with a sound mix of clean and renewable energy.”
“We shall continue to do our part in pursuing a circular and low-carbon economic growth pathway.”
She underscored the need for increased and easy access to financing and technology from both the public and private sectors.
“I invite UN-ESCAP to help build the capacity of climate-vulnerable countries to mobilise adequate international climate financing.”
PM Hasina said that Bangladesh now provides critical links to the Trans-Asian Highway and Railway networks.
“Our physical and digital infrastructures are being developed to foster regional trade and connectivity.”
She said Bangladesh offers access to the Bay of Bengal for land-locked territories in its neighbourhood.
“We stand ready to work together with all regional partners through mutual understanding and cooperation,” said the prime minister.
The ongoing internet disruption, which began last night due to a cut in the country’s second submarine cable near Singapore, is expected to persist for at least 4-5 days, according to Mirza Kamal Ahmed, managing director (additional charge) of the Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC.
Ahmed, the official of the state-owned bandwidth provider, informed The Business Standard that the international consortium is in search of a special purpose ship necessary for restoring the undersea cable.
“The exact duration cannot be specified,” he stated, adding, “Based on past instances, it is likely to take a minimum of 4-5 days.”
Internet users are experiencing significant disruption as the accidental cut in Bangladesh’s second submarine cable, South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 5 (SEA-ME-WE 5), is blocking Singapore-Kuakata traffic, the source of 1700 GBPS bandwidth.
“We are serving all our users with the help of other sources of bandwidth – the international terrestrial cable (ITC) and the first submarine cable,” informed Nazmul Karim Bhuiyan, secretary general of the ISP Association of Bangladesh.
However, he mentioned that users are encountering some lag on Saturday afternoon.
“As the main broadband usage peaks during the night, we could learn about the full extent of the disruption and any resulting delays tonight,” he added.
The Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC (BSCPLC) has issued sincere apologies for the temporary inconvenience to its customers.
Efforts are underway to repair the cable through the SEA-ME-WE 5 and restore connectivity promptly, stated the BSCPLC in a statement released today (April 19).
Currently, Bangladesh requires around 5,200 GBPS of internet bandwidth, with half of the demand being met by ITC companies importing bandwidth from India.
For the remaining half of the demand, the country relies on the state-owned Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company.
The first submarine cable SEA-ME-WE 4, located in Cox’s Bazar, is presently supplying approximately 850 GBPS bandwidth.
Economy
Diplomats, Journalists from Russia and Africa Forge Alliance to Develop Information Strategy
Russia and Africa have joined forces to craft a comprehensive information strategy, as revealed during the Second International Journalists Forum held on Thursday, April 18, both online and offline.
Organized by the Russian-African Club in collaboration with the Faculty of Journalism and the Faculty of Global Studies of Lomonosov Moscow State University, and backed by the Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the forum drew a diverse array of participants. Diplomats, government officials from African nations, media executives, producers, TV hosts, journalists, public figures, scholars, educators, and representatives from cultural and media sectors converged, totaling around 100 individuals from 32 countries spanning Russia, Africa, the Middle East, India, Bangladesh, and Brazil.
The forum, moderated by Alexander Berdnikov, Executive Secretary of the Russian-African Club, featured notable figures such as Anna Gladkova, Louis Gouend, and Ilya Shershnev from Lomonosov Moscow State University. Oleg Ozerov, Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and Head of the Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, conveyed a welcoming address stressing the pivotal role of truthful media in shaping perceptions of current events. He also highlighted the significance of the upcoming Russia-Africa Ministerial Conference scheduled for November in Sochi, emphasizing the need for a robust information framework to facilitate productive discussions.
Elena Vartanova, Dean of the Journalism Faculty of Lomonosov MSU, extended greetings and underscored the intensified efforts of the Russian-African Club ahead of the university’s 270th anniversary. Yves Ekoué Amaiso from Togo emphasized the imperative of devising a unified media strategy amidst the ongoing political, economic, and information dynamics influenced by the Global West.
Subsequent speakers, including Zenebe Kinfu, Leonard Dossou, Ondua Ovona Joseph Julien, and Tokologu Tau, deliberated on the growing Western influence on African media and proposed concrete measures to bolster collaboration between Russian and African journalists.
Jamal Othman, Head of the Main Department for Media Content Monitoring in Libya, shed light on his organization’s role in combating misinformation and promoting tolerance.
Ilya Shershnev reiterated the significance of advancing preventive journalism, announcing plans for an innovative training course encompassing areas such as public diplomacy, fake news mitigation, and peacebuilding, underscoring Moscow State University’s commitment to fostering a new frontier in the information domain.
Renowned Indian expert, professor, and journalist Dwivedi Ratnesh highlighted Russia as a blueprint for India in terms of governmental support for national media activities, balancing control with respect for journalists’ independent and constructive opinions.
Maxim Reva, Deputy Editor-in-Chief for Economics at the African Initiative news agency, showcased the agency’s three correspondent points established directly in Africa – in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. He underscored the paramount importance of personal communication between media professionals and the audience. Reva also pointed out the significant potential of African graduates from Soviet and Russian universities who have emerged as leading specialists in African countries.
Joining the session online from Cameroon, Club expert, International Journalist, and Academician of Petrovsky Academy of Sciences and Arts, Sergei Chesnokov, participating in the fourth investment forum, highlighted the keen interest of Cameroonians in the Russian delegation, expressing a desire for an equal partnership.
Patrick Boyanga Bozi, President of the Congolese Diaspora in Russia, expressed confidence in Africans’ immunity to correctly perceive information, stemming from the historically friendly relations between Russia and Africa.
Entrepreneur Georges Romain Zobo from Congo, a graduate of a Soviet university, stressed the necessity for practical measures to provide information support to small and medium-sized agricultural businesses in Africa.
Said Ali, President of the Malagasy diaspora in Russia, endorsed the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University’s activities, deeming it a pivotal organization for advancing the Russian agenda in Africa.
Africanist and writer Igor Sid highlighted Africa’s perennial role as a source of new perspectives, generously shared with the global community.
Concluding the proceedings, Alexander Berdnikov, Executive Secretary of the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University, affirmed that all proposals from the forum participants would be considered by the Journalists Association of Russia and African Countries. The forum’s main thrust emphasized the necessity of crafting an information strategy to bolster Russian-African relations.
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