Day 235: 11 Killed in Belgorod Shooting; SpaceX to Continue Funding Starlink, Says Musk
Facts
- Russia's Ministry of Defense have condemned an attack on a Russian military training area that took place on Saturday in the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine. At least 11 were killed and 15 others were wounded by two gunmen in what has been described by the Russian MoD as a 'terrorist' attack.
- The assailants - who were allegedly from a former Soviet republic - opened fire on volunteer forces during a firearms training session: "the terrorists opened fire with small arms on the personnel of the unit," according to the defense ministry.
- In other news, Elon Musk confirmed on Saturday that his company Starlink would continue to provide satellite internet in Ukraine: "Even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $," he wrote on Twitter, "we'll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free." The announcement came just a day after he suggested he might have to end the project which he said was resulting in losses at the company of $20M per month.
- Elsewhere, Iran is reportedly preparing to send Fateh and Zolfghar missiles to Russian forces in Ukraine, a move that would mark a significant escalation in the conflict. The missiles, which have a range of up to 400 miles, would add to drones that have already been sent by Iran to invading forces and used to strike Ukrainian cities including Kyiv.
- The news came shortly after Iran denied supplying weaponry to Russia. On Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister emphasized in a phone call with his Portuguese counterpart that Tehran, "has not and will not" supply weapons to any forces involved with the conflict in Ukraine. "We believe that the arming of each side of the crisis will prolong the war, " he continued.
- Finally, a local administration building in the city of Donetsk was significantly damaged by an explosion on Sunday morning, according to reports from both Russian and Ukrainian sources. It was not immediately clear whether there were any deaths or injuries as a result of the blast that occurred in Russian-occupied territory.
Sources: Al Jazeera, BBC News, Guardian, Telegraph, CNN, and New York Times.
Narratives
- Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by PBS NewsHour. This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after an election a "coup". This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to rewrite history.
- Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by National Security Archive. NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.