MOSCOW: In just one day, the suggestions have been pouring in: “Kraken” for a new underwater drone capable of blasting coastlines with a powerful nuclear explosion. “Balalaika” for a futuristic nuclear-powered cruise missile capable of circling the globe.Russians are showering the Defense Ministry with proposed names for the country’s new nuclear weapons, relishing the online contest announced by President Vladimir Putin in his state-of-the-nation address Thursday.
Many of the entries Friday reflected the wry dark humor Russians are known for.
Someone suggested calling the missile “Sanction,” an apparent reference to Western economic sanctions against Russia for its support of separatists in Ukraine.
Another proposed calling it “Thaw,” adding in a note of sarcasm that it would finally help warm the ties between Russia and the U.S.
The kraken – a fictional gigantic Arctic sea monster that was made popular by the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film series – seemed to reflect the nature of the nuclear-powered drone intended to sneak close to the shore unnoticed and slam a heavy nuclear warhead into the coast.
And naming the stealth atomic-powered cruise missile after a Russian folk musical instrument tapped into a long Russian tradition of giving innocuous names to some of the deadliest weapons.
There were quite a few four-letter entries as well.
Many others were driven by patriotic feelings, suggesting that the weapons be named after legendary Russian warriors or Putin himself.
The regional leader of the province of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, proposed calling the nuclear-powered cruise missile “Palmyra,” after the historic heritage site in Syria that was taken back from Daesh (ISIS) under Russian air cover. The site suffered extensive damage in the fighting.
“The missile’s name should honor our guys who died in Syria,” Kadyrov said.
“The Russian victory in Palmyra marked a turning point in the fight against ISIS.
BEIRUT/GENEVA: Syrian government forces aim to advance into the Eastern Ghouta region one “bite” at a time, a pro-government commander said Friday, as an activist group said the army had seized new ground from rebels.
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to the leaders of France and Germany about the situation Friday. France said President Emmanuel Macron and Trump agreed to work together to implement a U.N.-backed cease-fire that has failed to stop the onslaught and opening access to humanitarian aid in Eastern Ghouta and evacuating the wounded.
The two leaders agreed that Russia needed to “unambiguously exert maximum pressure on the regime in Damascus” for it to abide by the cease-fire, the Elysee Palace statement said.
Trump spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel by phone, agreeing that Damascus, Russia and Iran should “promptly and fully” implement the U.N. resolution for a cease-fire, Merkel’s spokesman said.
The U.N. Security Council last Saturday called for a 30-day countrywide truce. Russia, which backs the Syrian government in the war, has instead called for daily humanitarian cease-fires from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time.
The U.S. State Department Thursday dismissed Russia’s humanitarian cease-fire plan as “a joke,” saying people were afraid to leave the area through a “humanitarian corridor” because of fear of conscription, exile or death.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid bin Ra’ad al-Hussein said in an emergency meeting of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council Friday that events in Eastern Ghouta likely included “war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity.”
“Syria must be referred to the International Criminal Court. Attempts to thwart justice and shield these criminals are disgraceful,” he said.
Government forces, including the elite Tiger Force, have been attacking rebels in Ghouta’s Maraj area for several days. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday they had captured two villages – Hawsh al-Dawahra and Hawsh Zreika – in addition to hills and farmland.
Rebel sources could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.
The spokesman for Jaish al-Islam, one of the main Ghouta rebel groups, said Thursday that government forces had tried to divert their attention by opening a new front in the Hazerma area while also waging battles in nearby Hawsh al-Dawahra. Rebels had used artillery fire to disable two tanks.The commander in the military alliance that backs Syrian President Bashar Assad said government forces had taken some villages in the Maraj area. Government forces had also made “notable” advances on the western edge of the rebel enclave at Harasta, he said. The Observatory said government forces had seized a group of buildings in that area.
“What is happening at present is biting and taking some villages from the eastern side,” the commander told Reuters.
The Observatory says the government bombardment of Ghouta has killed 617 people since Feb. 18, while intensified rebel shelling of government-held areas of Damascus has killed 27.
U.N. officials have called for the Russian cease-fire plan to be expanded to allow aid deliveries and for civilians and urgent medical cases to leave.
Damascus and Moscow have accused rebels of preventing civilians from leaving Eastern Ghouta. Rebels deny this.
The U.N. children’s agency UNICEF said Friday that the Syrian government may allow an aid convoy with supplies for 180,000 people to go to the Eastern Ghouta town of Douma Sunday. UNICEF Middle East Director Geert Cappelaere said that there were initial agreements for further convoys to serve the rest of the enclave’s 400,000 people, but no agreement on evacuation for some 1,000 people in dire medical need.
“We have an indication from the government of Syria that an aid convoy will be allowed in on March 4, that is the day after tomorrow. We hope that indication turns into a bold commitment,” Cappelaere said. “We are ready to move in.”
Meanwhile, eight Turkish soldiers were killed and another 13 were wounded in clashes in northwest Syria’s Afrin region Thursday, Turkey’s armed forces said, bringing to 41 the death toll among Turkish soldiers in the “Olive Branch” operation.
The Observatory also said Turkish warplanes attacked pro-Syrian government forces overnight in Afrin, killing at least 17 people, including militias that support Assad and that entered Afrin last week to help repel the Turkish offensive.