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The US authorities are investigating whether Wednesday’s deadly truck attack in New Orleans is linked to an explosion outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas on the same day. The FBI believes the man who rammed his car into a crowd in New Orleans killing fifteen people was not acting alone. Also in the programme: Netherlands to open archive on people accused of wartime Nazi collaboration; and 250 years since the birth of the novelist Jane Austen. (Photo: The attack took place in an extremely busy area full of bars and restaurants. Credit: EPA)
Finnish law enforcement suspects another crew member of a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the severing of underwater cables, bringing the total number of suspects to eight, Yle reports.
The list of suspects has grown to include another crew member, who has also been barred from leaving Finland.
“The number of individuals prohibited from traveling may change as the preliminary investigation progresses,” police clarified.
The crew includes citizens of Georgia and India, but the authorities have not disclosed the nationalities of the suspects.
Police also emphasized that the crew members of the Eagle S tanker, suspected of cutting underwater cables, are forbidden from leaving the vessel.
According to law enforcement, the active initial phase of the investigation will last several weeks, and the overall investigation will take at least a month. Technical investigations and crew interrogations are currently underway on the vessel.
Cable cut in the Baltic Sea
Recently, underwater cables between Finland and Estonia were damaged in the Baltic Sea.
After that, Finland detained the Eagle S, a tanker of the Russian shadow fleet that was sailing in the area where the cables were broken.
Recently it became known that Finland suspects seven crew members of aggravated vandalism. They were banned from leaving the country.
Details have emerged about some of the 15 people killed in New Orleans on New Year’s Day. Also: Syria’s new Islamist-led administration outlines changes to education, and huge footprints reveal how dinosaurs got around
On January 2, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out a precision strike on the command post of the Russian army in the settlement of Mariino, located in the Kursk region, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
According to the General Staff, all necessary measures were taken during the strike to minimize the risks to the lives of local civilians.
“These fire strikes are primarily intended to weaken the Russian Federation’s ability and willingness to carry out terrorist acts against the Ukrainian civilian population,” the General Staff stated.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine will relentlessly continue to detect and destroy military command targets of the aggressor country.
Today, Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation, stated that on January 2, a strike was carried out against Russian troops in the Kursk region.
“There was a successful strike. Significant losses in the 810th brigade of the Russian Federation as a result,” he wrote.
What is known about the 810th Brigade of the Russian Federation
The 810th Marine Brigade of the Russian Federation is currently based in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol. However, part of the unit is engaged in combat operations in the Kursk direction.
On the night of December 25, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck the command post location of the 810th Separate Marine Brigade in Lgov, Kursk region.
Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) operatives recently used maritime drones to destroy Russian helicopters near Crimea. This event is unique and marks the first such operation in history, Defense Express reports.
DIU clarified that during a successful operation near Crimea, special forces of Group 13 used Magura V5 missile-equipped maritime drones to destroy two Russian Mi-8 helicopters and damage another one.
According to Defense Express, the amount of enemy equipment destroyed demonstrates improvements in the effectiveness of Magura V5 maritime drones equipped with missiles. Analysts highlight that achieving this required enhancements to all components, from the drone control system to the adaptation of R-73 missiles for use in maritime conditions.
Defense Express suggests that the Russian helicopters were not coincidentally on the path of Ukrainian drones. They may have been engaged in patrolling the Black Sea area, a common practice for the occupiers.
It is likely that the invaders believed a patrol of three Mi-8 helicopters would be sufficient to counter maritime drones, but they miscalculated.
“This also indicates that the operators of the maritime drones outperformed the enemy in terms of tactical preparation. This, in turn, allowed the full potential of the technical improvements made to the missile-equipped Magura V5 maritime drones to be realized,” analysts added.
DIU operation near Crimea
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that Group 13, a special unit of HUR, conducted a unique operation near Cape Tarkhankut in temporarily occupied Crimea.
The operatives hit an aerial target using Magura V5 maritime drones equipped with missiles, marking the first such case in the world.
Initially, Ukrainian intelligence reported that one Mi-8 helicopter was destroyed and another was damaged but managed to return to its airfield.
However, DIU later clarified that during the operation, two Mi-8 helicopters were destroyed along with their crews. Another Russian helicopter was damaged.
Ukrainian manufacturers showcased more than 10 models of FPV drones that can be operated via fiber optics. The drones are capable of carrying up to 3 kilograms of payload, according to the Ministry of Defense.
These drones are in the final stages of codification and will soon be supplied to meet the needs of the army.
“The event featured domestic manufacturers who presented over a dozen drone models, including those capable of carrying up to 3 kilograms of payload,” the report stated.
Experienced UAV operators from the Ukrainian Armed Forces gave positive feedback on the new drone models and expressed interest in deploying them to their units.
“The FPV drones showcased at the event are in the final stages of codification and will be supplied for military use,” the Ministry of Defense confirmed.
Lieutenant Colonel Yevhen Tkachenko, Head of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Department of the Defense Ministry’s Main Innovation Directorate explained that the enemy continues to enhance its capabilities to use fiber optic drone control technologies. Therefore, it is essential to neutralize their advantages in this area.
“Domestic manufacturers demonstrate their readiness to adapt swiftly to the challenges of modern warfare and bring innovative developments to life,” Tkachenko said.
Weapons production in Ukraine
Ukraine has completed testing of a line of UAVs with fiber-optic communication. They provide protected control even in conditions of active use of electronic warfare.
Ukraine continues to introduce new types of weapons, in particular, domestically produced missiles Peklo and Ruta, as well as the laser air defense system Tryzub.
