U.S. Attack on Assad Allies in Syria Was ‘Unprecedented Act of Aggression,’ Russia Senator Says (Source Newsweek)

A leading Russian lawmaker condemned on Thursday the deadly U.S. coalition strikes against pro-Syrian government forces, which reportedly attacked a Pentagon-backed militia near the eastern province of Deir Ezzor. The U.S.-led coalition claimed Wednesday that its allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were targeted the previous day in an “unprovoked attack” from hundreds of fighters supportive of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The fighters had gathered near the Euphrates River deconfliction line, which separates pro-Syrian government and U.S.-backed offensives against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS). The U.S.-led coalition reportedly struck back with air power, leading to reports of massive casualties in an attack that has outraged Russia and Syria. “The recent incident once again shows that the United States’ illegal military presence in Syria is actually aimed at taking control of the country’s economic assets and not at fighting against ISIS,” the ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Tass Russian News Agency.

RUSSIAN NAVY LAUNCHES ARCTIC MISSILE DEFENSE DRILL (Source Newsweek) Russia has sent ships to the subarctic waters of the Barents Sea to practice anti-missile combat on on their first artillery fire drill of the year. Russia’s northernmost forces have operated a specialist command since 2014, geared specifically towards establishing a firmer foothold around the Arctic Ocean. The Kremlin has laid claim over the resource-rich North Pole, challenging rival claims made by the United States, Canada, Norway and Denmark, all of whom also have territory in the vicinity. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s last naval strategy paper, singled out the Arctic as an area where U.S. and other militaries are vying to establish an “intimidating supremacy” over Russia’s forces. Russia’s Northern Fleet kicked off the year by sending ships from its Kola flotilla on their first artillery fire drill of 2018. The missile frigate Iceberg and the anti-submarine corvette Yunga sailed into Barents waters, simulating a response to a cruise missile from a hypothetical enemy, a statement by the Russian defense ministry said on Wednesday. During the course of the drill, the two ships also practiced responding to an air attack, returning fire with anti-aircraft missiles.