‘Global Village Today’ presents big news from different countries around the world.
Host) What news do you have today?
Reporter) Yes. Russia launched massive missile strikes across Ukraine on the first day of a cap on Russian crude oil in the West. Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the Chinese people to unite in the state office of former President Jiang Zemin.
Host) Global Village Today, here is the first news. Russia has launched another plane in Ukraine?
Reporter) Yes. On the 5th, the Russian army launched a large-scale missile attack across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, Odessa, Krivyrich, and Sumy. This was the first day that the price ceiling for Russian crude oil was implemented by seven major countries (G7), Australia and the European Union (EU). According to the Ukraine, Russia fired 70 missiles across Ukraine that day.
Host: Russia has been conducting massive missile strikes on Ukraine recently.
Reporter) Yes. The Russian military has been carrying out missile strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure almost once a week since last October, ahead of winter. In particular, around 100 missiles were fired in a day after Russian forces withdrew from Kherson, a strategically important southern city, in the middle of last month.
Host) How did Ukraine respond to the Russian airstrikes?
Reporter) The Ukrainian government and NATO have been warning for days that Russia could carry out new air strikes in the near future. The Ukrainian Air Force says it has intercepted 60 of the Russian missiles backed by Western-supplied air defense missile systems. On this day, air raid sirens sounded throughout Ukraine, including the capital, Kyiv, and residents were evacuated. However, in the Zaporizhia region, missiles are known to have fallen on residential areas.
Host) Are there any casualties from this air strike?
reporter). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address that night (5th), “At least four people were killed in this bombing. Before this, the Deputy Director of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kirilo Timoshenko told Telegram that two people were killed and three were injured, including a 22-month-old baby, in the Zaporizhia region. President Zelensky emphasized, “Peace can only be guaranteed by crushing Russia’s terrorist power, liberating our land and bringing the murderers to justice.”
Presenter) It is known that Ukraine is already suffering from severe power shortages due to continuous airstrikes. How is the situation now?
Reporter) Yes. Prime Minister Dennis Schmihal said the country’s power system was operating normally. However, according to Ukraine’s state-owned power company Ukrenergo, some emergency blackouts have occurred. Ukrainian media reported that power facilities were attacked in key regions of the country, including the capital Kyiv and Odessa. In his speech tonight, President Zelensky emphasized that the Ukrainian people will never give up, as workers have begun to restore power.
Moderator) By the way, in some places, even the water supply is stopped?
Reporter) Yes. In Odessa, a Russian airstrike cut power to a water pumping station, cutting water supply throughout the city. In addition, it is reported that the operation of the water supply pumping station has been suspended due to a power cut in Central Kribirich.
Host) How did the US government respond to this series of events?
Reporter) Yes. The White House criticized Russian airstrikes on civilian facilities in Ukraine as a reminder of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutality. On the other hand, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke on the phone with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikow on the 5th. The Pentagon said in a statement that Secretary Austin condemned the latest Russian airstrikes and pledged unwavering support from the United States, including additional munitions for the operation of the state-of-the-art air defense system “NASAMS” recently delivered by the United States. .
Host: What did Russia say about the airstrikes?
Reporter) Russia announced that it had managed to hit all 17 targets in Ukraine with bombing on the same day (5th). Russia claimed that, before the missile strikes, Ukrainian forces had used drones to attack two of its military airfields. The large-scale air raid on this day is read as a retaliatory response.
Host) Are you saying that Ukrainian forces have invaded the Russian mainland?
Reporter) According to Russian claims, yes. At the moment, Ukrainian officials neither admit nor deny. Major media outlets such as Reuters and The Guardian reported that there were observations that Ukraine had developed a drone with an attack range of 1,000 km, citing sources. Some media also quoted Ukrainian officials as saying that the drone was launched from Ukrainian territory.
Moderator) Where exactly was the attack?
Reporter) One is Diaghilev’s military base in the Ryazan region, about 200 km southeast of Moscow. Another is the Engels center in Saratov, about 700 km away. In particular, the Engels base is where nuclear-capable long-range strategic bombers such as the TU-95 and TU-160 are deployed. The Russian military said the drone was shot down, but two Russian planes were lightly damaged by the wreckage. There are also reportedly injuries in the process. The Russian government announced that three soldiers had been killed and four wounded.
Moderator) Isn’t it quite a distance from Ukraine in the direction of Moscow, the capital?
Reporter) Yes. Engels’ base is more than 600 km from Ukraine’s eastern border, and Diaghilev’s base is about 500 km away. Therefore, it is analyzed that the Ukrainian military has shown the ability to strike the Russian mainland for a long time. Amidst this, Russia announced that Ukrainian forces had launched a third attack on the 6th.
Host) What kind of place is this time?
Reporter) This time, it is the Kursk region in south-west Russia, relatively close to Ukraine. The Governor of Kursk, Roman Starovoy, said on Telegram that day (6th) that a drone strike in Ukraine caused a fire in an oil depot near the airport. He said the fire is now being extinguished and all emergency services are being dispatched.
Host) Global village today, the next news. Did former President Jiang Zemin’s national bureau meet in China?
Reporter) Yes. On the 6th, a national level ‘memorial ceremony’ was held for former President Chung Ze-min, who died on the 30th of last month. The memorial service was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for one hour from 10:00am. Chinese President Xi Jinping, former and current members of the Politburo Standing Committee, representatives from all provinces, party members, and the bereaved family of former President Jiang attended.
Moderator) By the way, former President Hu Jintao was not present?
Reporter) Yes. Did not attend. With the death of former President Jiang Zemin, former President Hu Jintao is now the province’s only living former president. Former President Hu Jintao attended the funeral ceremony held the previous day (5th), but did not appear at the memorial ceremony that day. Former President Hu caused an uproar last month when he was forcefully expelled from the closing ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, where Xi’s third consecutive term was assumed.
Moderator) The memorial service was broadcast live on television?
Reporter) Yes. The Chinese government started the commemoration ceremony and made all citizens observe a three-minute silence. During the silence, sirens sounded across China to commemorate former President Zhang. Meanwhile, the Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong stock markets, futures markets, and foreign exchange markets stopped trading.
Moderator) Did Chinese President Xi Jinping give a memorial speech?
Reporter) Yes. President Xi read a memorial address for about 50 minutes that day. President Xi spoke in a low and depressing tone from beginning to end, commemorating Zhang as an outstanding leader with high dignity and trust, and an outstanding communist fighter proven over a long period of time. He mourned his death as a loss to the country.
Moderator) It’s a sensitive time, like the recent large-scale protests protesting the strong corona quarantine policy in China. What are some notable comments in President Xi’s speech?
Reporter) Yes. President Xi urged unity, stressing that 1.4 billion Chinese people should now turn sadness into strength. President Xi emphasized that in order to achieve China’s great revival, the entire Party, the entire army, and the entire people should unite more closely as one with the Party’s central leadership as the center. In addition, during the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests in 1989, former President Zhang’s move was highlighted.
Moderator) The Tiananmen Protests for Democracy in former President Jiang Zemin’s political life became a major turning point, right?
Reporter) Yes. When the Tiananmen Democracy Demonstration took place, former President Zhang was the City Secretary of Shanghai. At the time, he stopped the spread of protests with a hard line approach, and caught the eye of then President Deng Xiaoping. This paved the way for him to rise to the position of fifth president of China in 1993. In his eulogy that day, President Xi Jinping emphasized that “when serious political upheaval began in China in 1989, the leadership led by Comrade Jiang Zemin laid a solid foundation for development China through steadfast struggle.”
Moderator) By the way, you say you are the director, but wasn’t there a farewell ceremony for the remains or a memorial altar for the public?
Reporter) Yes. The funeral committee announced on the 30th of last month that it would not hold a farewell ceremony for the remains. In response, some have indicated that this is a measure to be wary of the further spread of the recent corona protests following the death of former President Jang.
Moderator) There is said to be a move to ease quarantine measures in China at the moment?
Reporter) Yes. As of the 5th, more than 20 cities, including the capital Beijing and Shanghai, have abolished the corona voice certification required when using public transport. In addition, from the 6th, quarantine measures are more relaxed, such as abolishing the voice confirmation request when entering supermarkets, shopping centres, offices and airports.
Moderator) Yes. Global Village Today, I will listen to this.
