₦airaland Forum

He said the US has pledged more than $2.3 billion in food assistance since February to cushion the impact of the Ukrainian war on the benefitting countries.

A statement from the US Department of State on Wednesday disclosed that Blinken stated this before a meeting with the foreign affairs ministers of Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, South Africa, Zambia, and Senegal, at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24 led to global food and fertiliser shortage due to the inability of the two countries to export wheat, corn, cooking oil and fertilisers.

Russia had allegedly frozen the export of wheat from Ukraine.

The senior US official said, “First, we’re addressing the humanitarian needs caused by the war of aggression against Ukraine. Just since February, the United States has pledged more than $2.3 billion of food assistance. And pending final approval from our Congress, we’ll provide more than $5bn in additional aid, including more than $760m specifically for global food security.

“Plus, today we’re announcing an additional $215m for emergency food assistance in Algeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mauritania, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Kenya, among other countries.”

Yury Borisov, the deputy prime minister in charge of military development, told Russian TV that a laser prototype called Zadira was being deployed in Ukraine and had burned up a Ukrainian drone within five seconds at a distance of 5km (three miles).

This was in addition to a previous laser system called Peresvet - named after a medieval Orthodox warrior monk - which could be used to dazzle satellites orbiting high above Earth and prevent them from gathering information.

"If Peresvet blinds, then the new generation of laser weapons lead to the physical destruction of the target - thermal destruction, they burn up," Mr Borisov said.

However, an official with the US Department of Defense said he had not seen "anything to corroborate reports of lasers being used" in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mocked the Russian claim, comparing it to the so-called "wonder weapons" that Nazi Germany claimed to be developing during World War Two.

"The clearer it became that they had no chance in the war, the more propaganda there was about an amazing weapon that would be so powerful as to ensure a turning point," he said in a video address.

"And so we see that in the third month of a full-scale war, Russia is trying to find its 'wonder weapon'... this all clearly shows the complete failure of the mission."

What laser weapons can - and can't - do

Little is known about the Zadira laser programme, but in 2017 Russian media said state nuclear corporation Rosatom had helped develop it as part of a programme to create weapons based on new physical principles, news agency Reuters reported.

But there is at least one country which has developed a laser weapon. Last month Israel released video showing a laser system shooting down rockets and drones.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said it could shoot down drones, mortars and rockets for just $3.50 (£2.80) a shot. "It may sound like science fiction, but it's real," he said.

But missile defence expert Dr Uzi Rubin from the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS) said laser weapon technology would not alter the balance of power on the battlefield in Ukraine.

"Zelensky is right - it's no wonder weapon," he told the BBC. "It took them several seconds to shoot the UAV down. There are much better ways to do it, to use a Stinger or any anti-aircraft missile would have been cheaper, faster and longer range."

Lasers work by sending out a beam of infrared light that heats up its target until it combusts. Dr Rubin said the power of even advanced laser weapons was still too weak to make a significant difference on the battlefield, and such weapons had a low "kill rate".

"It's not like in Star Wars where they point a laser gun at the bad guys and quickly push a button and the bad guy explodes. In reality, it's more like a mere microwave oven. If you want to make a cup of water boil it takes some time. The laser is the same. You need to put it on the target and wait until it heats up and destroys it," he said.

The laser can only focus on one target at a time, Dr Rubin said, while missile defence systems can engage multiple incoming targets simultaneously.

Additionally, lasers are neutralised by bad weather because they don't work in rain or snow and cannot penetrate cloud.

However Israel's "Iron Beam" does have a rationale, he said, but mainly as a way of saving money. Israel's expensive Iron Dome interceptor missiles are designed to protect major cities from incoming missiles, rather than mortar rounds or drones.

"Missile warfare is a war of resources. It's cheaper to make the rockets than to defend against them. So whatever you can do to reduce the costs of defending is useful," he said.

"Energy weapons can be useful in reducing costs - but it's not going to make a revolution."

Additionally, Russia could use lasers on the battlefield to blind Ukrainian soldiers, retired Australian army major general Mick Ryan told the Washington Post, although this is banned under a 1995 protocol added to the UN treaty that prohibits weapons causing excessive injury or having indiscriminate impact.

Russia, the US, UK and others are signatories to the protocol.

The 'wonder weapons' backstory

Mr Zelensky's reference to "wonder weapons" - Wunderwaffen - is about Nazi German propaganda disseminated at a time when the war was going badly for them.

The propaganda ministry, run by Joseph Goebbels, tried to boost morale and keep Germans believing in victory by hinting that special new weapons were coming that would turn the war decisively in their favour.

When the Nazis began firing their V-1 flying bomb at Britain, the Nazi propaganda machine began saying that it would force Britain to drop out of the war, according to Michael Neufeld, a senior curator at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington.

"The propaganda said we're going to get our revenge and turn this around. I'm not surprised at all that Zelensky might refer to this WW2 background," he told the BBC.

There was disillusionment when that did not happen - but the idea that these new weapons could have proved decisive lives on even today, says Mr Neufeld, who says he has spent a career fighting it.

However, he cautioned against drawing too direct a parallel with Russia heralding its laser weapon, saying that Moscow has consistently talked its weaponry up with its references to nuclear and hypersonic arms.

"It may be premature to see this as a case of being reactive because the war is going badly," he said.

"At the beginning of the war, they assumed that talking about these new weapons would intimidate and force Ukraine to quit. And now they may be turning it around and saying they are still superior."

The website of the State Duma, parliament's lower house, said the move would enable the military to utilise the skills of older professionals.

"For the use of high-precision weapons, the operation of weapons and military equipment, highly professional specialists are needed. Experience shows that they become such by the age of 40–45," it said.

Currently, only Russians aged 18-40 and foreigners aged 18-30 can enter into a first contract with the military.

Russia has suffered huge setbacks and heavy losses of men and equipment in the 86-day-old war, in which Ukraine has mobilised practically its entire adult male population. Despite taking full control of the ruins of Mariupol, Moscow remains far from its objective of seizing all of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

"Clearly, the Russians are in trouble. This is the latest attempt to address manpower shortages without alarming their own population. But it is growing increasingly difficult for the Kremlin to disguise their failures in Ukraine," said retired U.S. General Ben Hodges, a former commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe.

Jack Watling, a land warfare specialist at the British security and defence think tank RUSI, said the Russian military was running short of infantry.

"Russia needs to stabilise manning in its military units in Ukraine and generate new units if it is to improve its position on the ground," he said.

"This will be a slow and complicated process, but can be accelerated by mobilising people with existing skills and military experience."

The Duma said the proposed legislation would also make it easier to recruit civilian medics, engineers and operations and communications specialists.

Separately, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday that Russia was forming 12 military units in its western military district in response to rising threats there, citing NATO membership bids by Finland and Sweden.

gidgiddy:
It seems like people cannot read. They did not describe IPOB as a terrorist group, they said "IPOB is proscribed as a terrorist group by the Nigerian government"

In other words, they stating thar it is only the Nigerian government that sees IPOB as terrorists

Also, they did not stop IPOB from seeking Asylum, all they said is

Ishilove:
https://www.bbc.com/igbo/afirika-61339709

Note that this article is translated from Igbo language

Bigchristo:
So you want Russia to attack Poland? That’s a reckless move because Poland is already a NATO country, such move can only be made when the situation has escalated into world war, Russia has the biggest nuclear power in the world and I believe any reasonable country should respect that, What make US and EU can’t step in directly to engage Russia? It’s the nuke they’re respecting not Russia itself, if every country have nuke US and NATO will stop bullying them, let’s take for instance Russia where to be one of those Middle East countries US and NATO would have since deployed troops crushing them

maasoap:
I don't think we were discussing why, so no need now.
If Russia didn't have nuclear deterrent program in place, it would have been invaded by NATO by now.
Libya was invaded not because Gadafii attacked another country but because he wouldn't step down when the citizens were agitating. Today, you have Russia invading and plummeting another sovereign country like that but NATO alongside USA is helpless. Why? Because of nuclear weapons

AldrichAmes:
[s]Lol, just one strategic nuclear bomb (those aren’t as bad as nuclear bombs) each in Kiev, Lviv and Odessa and Ukraine will fold like a piece of paper. Hence NATO has been crying about the use of strategic nuclear bomb since the first.

And they don’t even need to go to that extreme. If they had half of battle-ready troops (they currently only using 15% of their active military personnel - Russia has 1million active military personnel and almost 2.5million reservists) and use their modern fighter jets and bombers from day1 - Ukraine would’ve folded within the first week.

There’s a reason why Putin want to keep it as “special military operation” without escalating it because he wants the country intact with minimal civilian casualties.

I know you’re one of these brainwashed western imperialist lovers. But there’s a reason why western military experts keep guessing Russia’s intentions wrong throughout this war. They claimed the “3 days Russian victory” nonsense, “Kiev will fall in a week” crap” and “May 9” nonsense. They know Russia’s capabilities and are still shocked Putin isn’t going as hard as they know Russia can if he wants[/s].

Kingsnairaland:
The west just wants to be seeing this guy they fear him.

Lady time they said Putin has fired him all USA wants is to be tracking his moves.

Kingsnairaland:
USA needs to be taught a lesson.

Krismas:
Mumu the propaganda here is that Putin missiles target civilians. Whereas Putin was set to destroy the transport system thru which western weapons are delivered to Ukraine, then previous stored weapons, then barracks, electricals cos they drive rails and Ukraine troop concentration centers
Meanwhile
���� In the east, hundreds of corpses of Ukronazis lie in ravines, forest plantations, fields and broken fortifications, the official Kyiv propaganda diligently ignores them

maasoap:
I'm the one who is supposed to ask you this question now. Because you are the one who said that Russia can only threaten the use of nuclear bombs but can't use it.

Sadr:
It's an honour to be a PUTARD but you, you are a RETARD and your whole existence is inconsequential at the decision making centre of the WEST. In case you missed most of the live reports, you can go to NEW YORK POST, Al-Jazeera, CNN, FOX NEWS, BBC NEWS, etc for a catch-up that's if you're not too lazy to read.

maasoap:
How sure are you? If you are indeed correct, NATO led by USA would invaded Russia by now. They would have invaded North Korea too, a long time ago. But they know what's at stake.

Babapyro:
At your age,16years on this platform and you're still here slaving for a neo Nazi country, your self esteem is beyond low, it's nonexistent, your village and country is burning and going to shit,hunger dey wire you and your people but you spend all your time wailing about Russia and Ukraine who has no relationship with your shithole. A 30 something year old man who is this clueless

Babapyro:
Mumu, it's like it's Russia that cause your family's misfortune and poverty,runts like you in a 3rd world country madly defending people who don't give a shit about you,aiint nobody gives a fvck about your black ass in Ukraine fool, you're slaves to them as far as they're concerned and you're exhibiting that slavery very actively.

Bigchristo:
Maybe Russia should just nuke them since is 2022 and no one is fighting this kind of war again

Babapyro:
You this western asslicker, you would have made a very good slave,na people like you always commot hour infinix to snap white man

shogsman:
I'm an American who pay my taxes and pretty much make a couple dozen times more than you ,so technically you're licking my country's ass which is all to evident in how you display your ignorance all over the place, you might want to stick to your Boko Haram news that actually concern you and leave international relations to us. Slaving foolishly won't change anything for you. You're anti Russia but Russia is a billion times more developed and powerful than your country, Russians lives a thousand times better than you, go to a village in Yakutia and Their basic is your LUXURY. so get a new hobby

Sadr:
Blame the West: Biden, Boris, Austin, the EU president and Zelensky for their stupidity and unguided nonsense talk about Supplying deadly weapons, about we will make sure Russia is defeated, about providing intelligence that helps to kill generals, about training Ukrainian troops about not accepting any diplomacy, about stealing of Russia assets, about sanctions, etc. Now what stops Russia from repaying them with the exact treatment tomorrow? They have set so many bad precedents that they will pay dearly for except they start to withdraw their troops from hostile environment around the world from being killed due to sharing of intelligence and satellite images.

Bigchristo:
Shey the west is arming Ukraine and sanctioning Russia thinking they will backdown, e go soon clear for their eyes when Ukraine turn dust

Transcriber:
hmm
So if an armed robber is killed by another armed robber
You would overlook the fact that the "victim" is a robber and probably a disagreement occured while sharing the loot?

Or as Africans are victims of western manipulation
You will overlook the fact that our leaders are wicked and clueless?

I respect your opinion

Conner44:
You know what, I love the way you’re sounding

But

I hate hypocrisy

If I go through your profile and your previous posts are you sure that I won’t find same instances of you making the mistake of ‘hasty generalizations’ here and there on various topics on this forum?

Like guys wearing dreads being yahoo boys?

Political players being corrupt?

Dismemberments in the west being the handwork of ritualists of yoruba ethnicity?

Killings and unrest in the south east being attributed to ESN/IPOB?

I mean, I haven’t checked yet but I can when I have the chance so if you know you’ve been involved in such before then know that you’re not morally justified to dance on my mentions where the circumstance of this thread is concerned

Transcriber:
Why can't you answer my questions?

Conner44:
Okay so in essence you’re trying to let both of us know that we’re both speculating abi?

Okay I understand you now. It’s true that Common sense cannot be used as proof in the court of law.

Enjoy the rest your day

shogsman:
You're really starting to become a nuisance and embarrassing yourself, you're posting and replying yourself,if you like kiss ass from today till kingdom come,you won't be allowed in the US,so keep slaving like your forefathers