Ukraine says it hits four warplanes in Russia's Volgograd region
Ukraine says it hits four warplanes in Russia's Volgograd region
Ukraine's military said on Friday it had struck four warplanes at an airbase in central Russia's Volgograd Region as part of a drive to hit Russian war assets.
In a post on the Telegram messaging app, the military said it had hit four Su-34 aircraft at the Marinovka base outside the city of Volgograd, some 900 km (550 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
The post said the operation was conducted by the military's special operations branch, together with the SBU security service and other services of the military.
"According to preliminary information, four aircraft were hit, specifically SU-34 planes, as well as technical-operational facilities where different warplanes are serviced and repaired," the statement said.
There was no immediate comment from the Russian military.
Ukraine has engaged in a number of long-range operations against military targets in recent months -- industrial, energy and other sites.
Earlier this month, the Ukrainian military carried out a major strike, dubbed "Operation Spider's Web," in which large numbers of long-range Russian bombers were hit at several Russian airbases far from Ukrainian territory.
The latest statement said the damage caused by the strike on Marinovka was being assessed.
It described the Su-34 as Russia's main aircraft used in bombing raids on Ukrainian territory, deployed in particular for launching guided bombs, used increasingly in attacks on Ukrainian cities. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
42 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' lawyer says prosecutors trying to criminalise his ‘private sex life'
Sean "Diddy" Combs listens as his lawyer Marc Agnifilo makes his closing arguments during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, on June 27, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. PHOTO: REUTERS Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyer says prosecutors trying to criminalise his 'private sex life' Sean 'Diddy' Combs' defense lawyer urged a jury on June 27 to find the former hip-hop mogul not guilty in his sex trafficking trial, saying prosecutors are trying to criminalise his unusual sexual preferences. The lawyer, Mr Marc Agnifilo, said during his closing argument in Manhattan federal court that over the past two months prosecutors had presented a 'fake trial' to use Combs' sexual proclivities as evidence of a criminal conspiracy centered on his businesses. 'They take the baby oil and the Astroglide and make it the evidence in this case, because there's nothing wrong with his businesses,' Mr Agnifilo said, adding that the 'crime scene' in the case was Combs' 'private sex life'. Combs, a former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture, has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and two counts each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted on all counts, the Bad Boy Records founder faces a minimum 15-year prison term and could be sentenced to life behind bars. Mr Agnifilo peppered his closing argument with sarcastic questions, including asking how the women who testified against Combs could have been sex trafficked if they agreed to fulfill Combs' sexual fantasies partly out of love for him. 'If we're at Freak Off number 75, and 75 of them have been consensual, what would have to happen at Freak Off 76 to say, now it's sex trafficking?' Mr Agnifilo said, referring to Combs' ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura and using Combs' term for drug-fueled sexual performances with male escorts. During her rebuttal on June 27 , prosecutor Maureen Comey told jurors that Agnifilo repeatedly tried to blame prosecutors and Combs' victims for his grave legal jeopardy, rather than Combs himself. 'He's tossing up excuse after excuse for inexcusable criminal behavior, trying to explain away the devastating evidence,' Ms Comey said. 'Make no mistake: this trial is about how in Sean Combs' world, 'no' was never an option,' Ms Comey added. Over more than six weeks of testimony in Manhattan federal court, jurors heard two of Combs' former girlfriends testify that they took part in days-long, drug-fueled sex parties sometimes called 'Freak Offs' with male sex workers while Combs watched, masturbated, and occasionally filmed. Combs did not testify. The jury saw hotel surveillance footage of Combs beating one of the women in a hallway, and heard Combs' employees describe setting up hotel rooms and buying drugs for the performances. Jurors are expected to start deliberations either late on June 27 or June 30 . To convict Combs, they must vote unanimously. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.


AsiaOne
an hour ago
- AsiaOne
Berlin to simplify rules in bid to speed up defence surge, draft law says, World News
BERLIN - The German government seeks to speed up defence procurement by simplifying legal procedures, fostering European co-operation and facilitating orders to start-ups to make its military combat-ready, according to a draft law seen by Reuters late on Friday (June 27). The speedy surge of the German military's capabilities "must not fail due to overly complex procurement procedures or lengthy authorisation processes", the document said, while warning of signs that Moscow's war objectives reach beyond Ukraine. "The time factor is crucial." At a Nato summit in The Hague, leaders on Wednesday agreed to hike the alliance's defence spending target to 5 per cent of national GDP, with 3.5 per cent dedicated to core defence and 1.5 per cent to related security issues. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government on Tuesday approved a budget framework which is expected to see Berlin's total military spending rise from 95 billion euros (S$142 billion) in 2025 to 162 billion euros in 2029, equalling 3.5 per cent of GDP. The new defence procurement law is part of efforts to speed up military purchases that in the past have been plagued by lengthy delays, project failures and cost overshoots. The draft law determines that all procurement that contributes to Europe and Natos military readiness inherently touches upon vital national security, which constitutes a basis to invoke an exemption under European public procurement law. That would amplify a trend that Berlin has been following for some time by more often making use of a national security clause under EU law to prioritize domestic procurement, while also seeking to minimise delays caused by legal challenges. The hurdles for cash-strapped start-ups and innovative companies to join competitions are to be lowered by enabling advance payment to these firms, according to the draft, dated June 25. Fostering joint European procurement The paper also makes provisions for a future simplification of European defence procurement rules, something now under discussion at the EU level, by stating that the German law should not be tougher than European law but facilitate joint European defence procurement across the board. [[nid:719514]] The law will entitle contracting entities to limit tenders to bidders inside the European Union or the European Economic Area, and to determine that a certain share of the contracted goods or services must originate in the EU, according to the document. The draft law does not, however, attempt to change the rule that all defence purchases with a volume of 25 million euros or more must be approved by parliament, a requirement seen by many experts as a major hurdle against speeding up procurement. At the start of June, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany would need up to 60,000 additional troops under the new Nato targets for weapons and personnel, effectively expanding the military to some 260,000 troops. The Bundeswehr has not yet met a target of 203,000 troops set in 2018, and it is currently short-staffed by some 20,000 regular troops, according to defence ministry data.


AsiaOne
2 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Israeli military orders war crime probe into Gaza shootings, paper says, World News
JERUSALEM - Israel's Military Advocate General has ordered an investigation into possible war crimes over allegations that Israeli forces deliberately fired at Palestinian civilians near Gaza aid distribution sites, Haaretz newspaper reported on Friday (June 27). Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed over the past month in the vicinity of areas where food was being handed out, local hospitals and officials have said. Haaretz, a left-leaning Israeli newspaper, quoted unnamed Israeli soldiers as saying they were told to fire at the crowds to keep them back, using unnecessary lethal force against people who appeared to pose no threat. The military told Reuters that the Israel Defence Forces had not instructed soldiers to deliberately shoot at civilians. It added that it was looking to improve "the operational response" in the aid areas and had recently installed new fencing and signs, and opened additional routes to reach the handout zones. Haaretz quoted unnamed sources as saying that the army unit established to review incidents that may involve breaches of international law had been tasked with examining soldiers' actions near aid locations over the past month. The military told Reuters that some incidents were being reviewed by relevant authorities. It added: "Any allegation of a deviation from the law or IDF directives will be thoroughly examined, and further action will be taken as necessary." There is an acute shortage of food and other basic supplies after the nearly two-year-old military campaign by Israel against Hamas militants in Gaza that has reduced much of the enclave to rubble and displaced most of its two million inhabitants. Thousands of people gather around distribution centres desperately awaiting the next deliveries, but there have been near daily reports of shootings and killings on the approach routes. Medics said six people were killed by gunfire on Friday as they sought to get food in the southern Gaza Strip. More than 500 have died, Gaza authorities say In all, more than 500 people have died near aid centres operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) or in areas where UN food trucks were set to pass since late May, the Gaza health authorities have said. The unnamed Israeli soldiers told Haaretz that military commanders had ordered troops to shoot at the crowds of Palestinians to disperse them and clear the area. During a closed-door meeting with senior Military Advocate General officials this week, legal representatives rejected IDF claims that the incidents were isolated cases, Haaretz reported. There has been widespread confusion about access to the aid, with the army imposing for a time a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew on approach routes to GHF sites. But locals often have to set out well before dawn to have any chance of retrieving food. In a statement late on Friday, a GHF spokesperson said there had been no incidents or fatalities to date at or in the immediate vicinity of its distribution sites. The statement said the IDF is tasked with providing safe passage for aid-seekers to all humanitarian organisations operating in Gaza, including GHF. "GHF is not aware of any of these incidents but these allegations are too grave to ignore and we therefore call on Israel to investigate them and transparently publish the results in a timely manner," the spokesperson said. [[nid:719557]] The Gaza war began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage into the enclave. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, according to local health authorities in Gaza. The Gaza health ministry said on Friday that at least 72 people were killed and more than 170 wounded by Israeli fire across Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.