Tag: drones

Iraq
KRG

Iraq: mysterious drone strikes on Kurdistan oil-fields

Three days of drone attacks on oil-fields in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region have brought operations at several facilities to a halt and slashed crude output. The targeted sites include fields at Zakho, operated by Norway’s DNO; the Sarsang field, operated by US-based HKN Energy; and the Ain Sifni field, operated by Hunt Oil, all in Dohuk governorate. Kurdistan authorities also said a drone was downed near Erbil airport, which hosts US troops. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Kurdish authorities blamed the Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Units, a paramilitary network aligned with the Baghdad government and backed by Iran. The attacks come amid renewed dispute between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government over whether the KRG may enter into hydrocarbon contracts with foreign firms. In May, the central government filed a complaint against the KRG for signing gas contracts with two US companies, including HKN Energy, asserting that all oil and gas deals must go through Baghdad. (Map: UNHCR via ReliefWeb)

Europe
Russian tank

ECHR: a decade of Russian war crimes in Ukraine

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found that Russia has committed grave violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) in Ukraine—not just since the massive invasion of 2022, but since the conflict began in 2014. Judges at the ECHR rendered a series of decisions related to consolidated complaints brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands. Among the named violations of IHL are the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, multiple violations of the Geneva Conventions and other human rights treaties, application of “extremism laws” against religious communities, and interference with freedom of speech and the press. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Europe
Zaporizhzhya

UN condemns Russian attacks on Ukraine nuclear plant

UN Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres strongly condemned Russia’s largest yet wave of drone and missile attacks in Ukraine, especially noting strikes that disrupted the power supply to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), endangering nuclear safety. Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also warned of the persisting “extremely fragile” situation at Europe’s largest nuclear facility. Russia’s latest air-strike against the ZNPP marked the ninth time power was broken off to the plant since the war began in February 2022. Although external power has been restored, Grossi cautioned that the situation remains unsafe. (Photo: Wikipedia)

Palestine
Gaza

UN warns of ‘weaponized hunger’ in Gaza

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) announced that the recent killing of Palestinians trying to receive food from aid hubs may constitute a war crime, warning of a policy of “weaponized hunger” in the Gaza Strip. Jonathan Whittall, the head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza and the West Bank, reported that more than 400 people have now died in the process of trying to reach food distribution points. “We see a chilling pattern of Israeli forces opening fire on crowds gathering to get food,” Whittall said, adding that “Israel’s militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism is in contradiction with international standards on aid distribution.” (Photo: Maan News Agency)

South Asia
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Pakistan: drone terror in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Amnesty International expressed concern over recurrent drone strikes conducted by Pakistan’s military, which have caused unlawful loss of civilian lives. The rights group stated that the strikes in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have resulted in the deaths of 17 people this year, hitting homes and even, in one case, a volleyball game. The statement urged authorities to investigate these incidents and hold those responsible accountable. (Map: Google)

Oceania
TPNPB-OPM

Fighting threatens indigenous civilians in West Papua

Escalating violence in Indonesia’s West Papua region is threatening the security of the largely indigenous population amid intensified clashes between Indonesian security forces and separatist rebels, Human Rights Watch warned. Military operations in the densely forested Central Highlands have resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of civilians due to drone strikes and the indiscriminate use of explosive munitions, forcing thousands of indigenous Papuans to flee their homes. (Photo: TPNPB-OPM via Tempo)

Europe
Spiderweb

Operation Spiderweb: Russia responds with nuclear threats —of course

In a  covert operation dubbed “Spiderweb,” the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) destroyed or damaged 41 Russian warplanes at four air-bases across the Russian Federation—Belaya (Irkutsk oblast, Siberia), Olenya (Murmansk oblast, in the Arctic), Dyagilevo (Ryazan oblast, near Moscow) and Ivanovo (in the eponymous oblast, also near Moscow). Kyiv claims it has disabled 34% of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet in the operation, carried out with over 100 drones launched from trucks hidden across Russian territory. While the Kremlin’s top officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have not commented on the Ukrainian operation at all, Russian pro-war propagandists are calling it “Russia’s Pearl Harbor,” and demanding vengeance. Prominent state TV personality Vladimir Solovyov said on his program that the Ukrainian operation is “grounds for a nuclear attack,” and called for retaliatory strikes on the Ukrainian president’s office in Kyiv and airfields in NATO members Poland and Romania allegedly used by Ukrainian aircraft. (Image via Kyiv Independent)

Europe
Ukraine

UN inquiry sees Russian ‘crimes against humanity’ in Ukraine —again

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine published a report declaring Russian drone attacks on civilians in Kherson oblast to be war crimes and crimes against humanity. The commission found that roughly 150 Ukrainian civilians have been killed over the past year as a result of the systematic Russian drone attacks. In addition to direct casualties from the attacks, the report cites cases of civilian deaths due to the inability of ambulances to reach victims following drone strikes. Video evidence supports the claim that Russian forces have targeted ambulances—both while assisting injured civilians, and while parked outside hospitals. (Map: PCL)

Europe
Ruslan Sidiki

Russia: anti-war saboteurs face military trials

A Russian military court in Yekaterinburg sentenced 27-year-old anarchist Alexey Rozhkov to 16 years in prison for what prosecutors classified as a “terrorist act”—throwing Molotov cocktails at a military recruitment office in March 2022, causing minor damage. The incident, which occurred shortly after the start Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was one of the earliest in a brief string of such actions across Russia in protest against the war. Meanwhile, another young anarchist, Ruslan Sidiki, took the stand in his trial at a military court in Ryazan, accused of destroying railway tracks, leading to the derailment of 19 carriages of fertilizer. Sidiki is also accused of the attempted destruction of military aircraft, on both occasions using GPS-guided drones. He said he undertook the actions to halt the movement of munitions toward the border with Ukraine, and that he took measures to avoid harming humans. He said he rejected the “terrorism” charge, since his “goal was sabotage, not the intimidation of the population.” (Image of Ruslan Sidiki: Mediazona via Meduza)

Palestine
Gaza

World Court hears challenge to Israel’s UNRWA ban

The International Court of Justice held hearings on Israel’s ban on cooperation with UNRWA, the UN’s agency for Palestine refugees. It could take some time for a (non-binding) ruling on Israel’s move to cut ties with UNRWA, and it has already been two months since Israel reinstated its full siege on Gaza, blocking the entry of aid and commercial goods while bombarding the territory. On the ground in the Strip, the situation is becoming more dire by the day. UNICEF says vaccines are quickly running out, disease is spreading, and malnutrition is on the rise. Amnesty International says the past two months of renewed siege constitute a “genocidal act, a blatant form of unlawful collective punishment, and the war crime of using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.” (Photo: Maan News Agency)

South Asia
Indus

Delhi’s suspension of Indus treaty imperils regional stability

A militant attack at Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir left at least 26 people dead, including Indian and foreign tourists. The incident prompted an immediate and strong response from the Indian government, which blamed the attack on Pakistan-based groups. Within a day, India announced that it was suspending the Indus Waters Treaty—a World Bank-brokered agreement signed in 1960 that governs the use and distribution of waters in the Indus River basin between the two countries. The treaty includes no provision for unilateral suspension or termination, and diplomatic tensions escalated following India’s move. The implications extend to water security within Pakistan, where it may mean intensification of domestic inter-provincial tensions over water sharing. (Photo: Heartography/Pixabay via Jurist)

Africa
Zalingei

Sudan marks two years of war —and another massacre

It was tragically appropriate that the second anniversary of Sudan’s devastating civil war was marked by yet another massacre. At least 400 people were killed when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) overran the Zam Zam displacement camp in North Darfur. They also executed 10 staff members in the camp’s last remaining clinic, including medics and ambulance drivers. Eighty percent of the camp’s original 500,000 population has escaped to the nearby government-held town of el-Fasher, although the RSF is believed to be trying to stop people—especially young men—from leaving. Sudan is recognized as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis in a conflict marked by both sides’ brutality and intransigence. An international conference held in London last week pledged millions of dollars in aid but made no progress on ending the war. Instead, regional powers, who hold the most sway over the military rivals (including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) disagreed on Sudan’s political future. As splits sharpen, the RSF has declared that it is forming a rival government—deepening fears of the permanent division of the country. (Map via Radio Tamazuj)