U.S. “China operates an air surveillance program targeting 40 countries”…Russian airstrikes in Kharkiv and Zaporizhia

It is ‘Global Village Today’ that delivers major news from various countries around the world.

Host) What news do you have today?

Reporter) Yes. The Chinese reconnaissance balloon shot down by the US last week is part of China’s massive air surveillance program targeting more than 40 countries around the world, the US government said. While Russia is expanding its offensive in the eastern region of Ukraine, it also launched an onslaught on major cities such as Kharkiv and Zaporizhia on the 10th.

Presenter) Global Village Today, let’s start with the news of China’s so-called ‘reconnaissance balloon’. Are the balloons in question aimed at other countries as well as the US?

Reporter) Yes. The US government officially announced on the 9th that China has sent intelligence-gathering balloons to more than 40 countries on five continents. The US government also said the Chinese balloon shot down last week was equipped with equipment capable of detecting and collecting intelligence signals.

Moderator) Isn’t China claiming that it is a private air balloon for weather observation?

Reporter) Yes. However, a senior State Department official said in a statement on the 9th that high-resolution images taken by US U-2 reconnaissance planes showed that China’s balloons were reconnaissance balloons with signal-intelligence capabilities. He pointed out that the equipment on Chinese balloons does not match the equipment normally loaded on weather balloons.

Moderator) Then, did you specifically reveal what equipment was on the balloon?

Reporter) Yes. “The Chinese reconnaissance balloons were equipped with multiple antennas to collect communications and determine geographic location, as well as large solar panels to generate the power needed to operate multiple active intelligence gathering centers,” the official said. . The US government has pointed to the People’s Liberation Army of China as behind the operation of the reconnaissance balloon.

Moderator) Didn’t the same story come up at a recent briefing held by the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State with diplomats from related countries?

Reporter) Yes. On the 6th, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman held a briefing on China’s flying balloons to 150 diplomats from about 40 countries stationed in Washington. Although the briefing was held privately, several media outlets, citing unnamed U.S. administration officials, reported that China had been operating a large-scale air surveillance program targeting more than 40 countries, which was linked to the People’s Liberation Army of China.

Moderator) In the midst of this, the US Congress has adopted a resolution condemning China in relation to this incident?

Reporter) Yes. On the 9th, the US House of Representatives voted on a resolution condemning the reconnaissance balloon incident as a clear violation of US sovereignty. Listen to the announcement of the results.

[녹취: 하원 표결 발표] “yeas are 419 and nays are zero. The resolution is agreed to and without objection…”

Reporter) Yes. 419 votes in favor, 0 votes against, and an agreement on the resolution was reached with no opposition. Currently, the House has a Republican majority. The Republican-led resolution received bipartisan support from both Republicans and Democrats. The resolution also criticized China for making false claims about the situation.

Moderator) A hearing was held in the Senate?

Reporter) Yes. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a related hearing on the 9th. Right now, there are voices of criticism about the Biden administration’s response in American politics. The biggest issue at the hearing that day was the timing of the shooting.

Moderator) What is the problem with the shooting down point?

Reporter) Republican lawmakers are criticizing why China’s reconnaissance balloon invaded US airspace, why it responded so late. The balloon in question was released to the media on the 2nd. At the time, the Pentagon announced that the previous day (1st), a Chinese reconnaissance balloon had appeared over the northwestern state of Montana.

Moderator) At the time, it is known that US President Joe Biden ordered the shoot down, right?

Reporter) Yes. However, senior officials at the Ministry of Defense recommended waiting for the Chinese reconnaissance balloon to go out to sea and shooting it down, concerned about damage on the ground, and President Biden accepted this recommendation. And a Chinese reconnaissance balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on the 4th and crashed into the sea.

Moderator) So the critics are saying that the balloon should have been shot down when it appeared over Montana?

Reporter) That’s not it. At the time, US military authorities were figuring out the route of the Chinese reconnaissance balloon. It is said that the balloon departed from China, passed through Alaska and Canada, and entered the United States mainland. At the hearing, Republican lawmakers rebuked the military for not shooting down balloons as they appeared over sparsely populated Alaska.

Moderator) So, it is pointed out that it should have been shot down in advance to prevent it from entering the US mainland. What did the Ministry of National Defense say about this?

Reporter) Yes. Shooting it down over Alaska wasn’t a good idea, he explained. A Pentagon official explained that if the balloon was shot down and landed on a sea of ​​floating glaciers or on an ice sheet, it would have been difficult to collect debris. Meanwhile, the US Navy collected the balloon cloth and some parts on the 5th and handed it over to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). However, the substructure, which is believed to have been equipped with surveillance equipment and electronic devices, has not yet been recovered.

On the 8th, a missile launched by the Russian military from the Belgorod region is flying toward Kharkiv, Ukraine. (File photo)

Presenter) Global Village Today, let’s continue with Ukraine news this time. Russia is stepping up its offensive in major cities?

Reporter) Yes. Early on the morning of the 10th, Russian forces launched an onslaught using missiles and drones on major cities such as Kharkiv in the northeast and Zaporizhia in the south. An official in the city of Zaporizhzhia said that there were as many as 17 Russian airstrikes in an hour. Local officials said it was the most intense bombardment since the Russian invasion in February last year. Air raid alerts went off across Ukraine this morning. On the previous day (9th), Russian forces also carried out massive air strikes in Kharkiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhia.

Moderator) Has the scale of the damage been confirmed?

Reporter) Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terehou said that the extent of the damage to life and the destruction of infrastructure is still under investigation. However, it said that power and water facilities in Kharkiv were likely affected by the airstrikes. Officials from the southern city of Zaporizhzhia also said the airstrikes damaged the city’s energy infrastructure.

Host) How did the Ukrainian military respond?

The Ukrainian Air Force said it had shot down five of seven self-destructing drones launched by Russian forces, and shot down five of six Caliber cruise missiles. However, it explained that it could not shoot down 35 S-300 missiles launched to Kharkiv and Zaporizhia.

Moderator) It’s been almost a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the situation at the front seems to be getting worse?

Reporter) Yes. Ukrainian government and military experts are predicting that Russia will launch a major offensive on the 24th, the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. Russia has not had a criminal record for over a year now. It is an analysis that the front lines are being refined to maximize the offensive before the West’s heavy weapons support begins in earnest.

Host) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky personally visited Europe to ask for fighter support, right?

Reporter) That’s right. President Zelensky visited Britain, France and Belgium on the 8th and 9th to appeal for military aid to Ukraine. It was the first time President Zelensky had visited Western Europe since the start of the war. President Zelensky has received strong promises of support from Britain, France, Germany and member states of the European Union. However, no official announcement has been made about fighter support.

Moderator) In the midst of this, there is news that Poland has closed a border checkpoint between Belarus and Belarus.

Reporter) Yes. The Polish Foreign Ministry announced on the 9th that it would close the Bobrovniki checkpoint on the Polish-Belarus border. The checkpoint was closed at noon on the 10th. Bobrovniki is located about 200 km from Warsaw, the capital of Poland, and is a key land passage to Belarus.

Moderator) Why did the Polish government close the checkpoint?

Reporter) said it was only because of security concerns. Poland is one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and relations between Belarus and Poland are already deteriorating. The Belarusian government protested against Poland’s decision, saying it was an intentional decision to further aggravate the border situation and restrict citizens’ travel. There are currently six land border checkpoints between Poland and Belarus. As a result, only two will operate from now on.

Moderator) Yes. Global Village Today, I will listen to this.