Russian agents who assassinated Ukrainian colonel shot dead
The agency said earlier that a man and a woman were suspected to be involved in Thursday's assassination of Ivan Voronych, an SBU colonel, in a bold daylight attack that was caught on surveillance cameras.
Media reports claimed that Colonel Voronych was involved in covert operations in Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine and reportedly helped organise Ukraine's surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region last year.
After a series of massive attacks across Ukraine involving hundreds of exploding drones, Russia launched 60 drones overnight, Ukraine's air force said.
It said 20 of them were shot down and 20 others were jammed.
The Ukrainian authorities reported that four civilians had been killed and 13 others injured in Russian attacks on the Donetsk and Kherson regions since Saturday.
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The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Ukraine secret service says it killed Russian agents suspected of Kyiv assassination
Ukrainian intelligence agents killed members of a Russian secret service cell wanted on suspicion of having shot dead a colonel last week, the SBU said. The SBU intelligence agency said in a statement that the operation had sought the arrest of the agents of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), who it believes were behind the killing of Colonel Ivan Voronych – also a member of the SBU security service – in Kyiv on Thursday. 'This morning a special operation was conducted, during which the members of the Russian FSB's agent cell started to resist, and therefore they were liquidated,' a statement on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday said. Russian authorities made no immediate public comment on Sunday's operation, which mirrored past assassinations of senior Russian military officials by Ukraine during the three-year-old war – a source of embarrassment for Moscow's vast intelligence agencies. The SBU said two people – a man and a woman – were suspected of having killed Voronych in a bold daylight attack that was caught on surveillance cameras. It did not say how many suspected FSB agents had been killed on Sunday, but the SBU posted a video in which two bodies were visible. Media reports claimed that Voronych was involved in covert operations in Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine and reportedly helped organise Ukraine's surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region last year. According to the SBU, the alleged assassins were told by their handler to surveil their target and track his movements. They were eventually given the coordinates of a hiding place where they found a pistol with a suppressor, the SBU said. It said they had tried to 'lay low' after Thursday's killing but were tracked down by the SBU and police. The agency's remit covers security and counterintelligence, but since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine it has also played a prominent role in special operations against Moscow, including assassinations and sabotage attacks. After a series of huge attacks across Ukraine involving hundreds of exploding drones, Russia launched 60 drones overnight into Sunday, Ukraine's air force said. It said 20 of them were shot down and 20 others were jammed. On Sunday, Ukrainian authorities reported that four civilians were killed and 13 others injured in Russian attacks on the Donetsk and Kherson regions since Saturday. With Reuters, Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
French President Emmanuel Macron says Europe's freedom is under its greatest threat since 1945
President Emmanuel Macron has declared Europe's freedom to be under its greatest threat since 1945 in a speech condemning Russia and terrorists. The French leader yesterday announced 6.5 billion euros (5.6 billion pounds) worth of extra military spending for the next two years. Citing 'new and unprecedented threats' in his traditional speech to the military on the eve of the Bastille Day national holiday, Mr Macron proclaimed: 'Since 1945, freedom has never been so threatened, and never so seriously.' He added: 'We are experiencing a return to the fact of a nuclear threat, and a proliferation of major conflicts. 'To be free in this world, we must be feared. To be feared, we must be powerful.' The president laid out his spending plans as he called for intensified efforts to protect Europe and support Ukraine against Russia. He said France would aim to dish out 64 billion euros (55 billion pounds) in annual defence spending in 2027, the last year of his second term. This would amount to double the 32 billion euros in annual spending when he became president in 2017. Mr Macron insisted France could find the money to spend more on the military even as the country tried to bring down massive national debts. It comes as right-leaning parties have supported greater defence spending while left-wing parties accuse the government of sacrificing social welfare benefits in exchange. Mr Macron concluded Europe is in danger because of Russia's war in Ukraine and wars in the Middle East, and because 'the United States has added a form of uncertainty'. Other dangers mentioned included online disinformation campaigns by unnamed foreign governments and propaganda operations targeting children, in 'the screen era.' Mr Macron also ordered France's top military and defence officials to start a 'strategic dialogue' with European partners about the role that the French nuclear arsenal could play in protecting Europe. In an exceptional move, France and Britain have agreed in recent days to cooperate on nuclear defense issues. Mr Macron's speech came as U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to make an announcement about Russia on Monday, and the head of NATO is travelling to Washington for two days of talks. Mr Trump last week announced plans to sell NATO allies weaponry they can then pass on to Ukraine, which has been struggling to repel massive and complex Russian air assaults. The French President recently spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time in three years, but remains a target of widespread criticism in Russia for his vocal support for Ukraine. Mr Putin argues the Ukraine conflict is a consequence of Western countries' decision to ignore Russia's security interests. The head of the French military, Gen. Thierry Burkhard, laid out risks emanating from Russia that stretch beyond Ukraine. Russia is disrupting trajectories of satellites to jam them or spy on them, is involved in undersea infrastructure sabotage, and leads disinformation campaigns in France and Africa, Mr Burkhard said on Friday. He added Russian attack submarines penetrate into the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and Russian military planes interact frequently with other aircraft over the Black Sea, Syria, the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic. French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, in an interview published Sunday in La Tribune Dimanche, urged more French spending on defense technology and better training of engineers and technicians. He said: 'Big powers and certain proliferating countries are working secretly on quantum computers ... that will be capable tomorrow of revolutionizing the battlefield. Do we want to stay in the game?'
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Oil edges up, investors eye Trump statement on Russia
SINGAPORE, July 14 (Reuters) - Oil prices nudged higher on Monday, adding to gains of more than 2% from Friday, as investors eyed further U.S. sanctions on Russia that may affect global supplies, but a ramp-up in Saudi output and ongoing tariff uncertainty limited gains. Brent crude futures rose 8 cents to $70.44 a barrel by 0011 GMT, extending a 2.51% gain on Friday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed to $68.50, up 5 cents, after settling 2.82% higher in the previous session. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he will send Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine. He is due to make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday. Trump has expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin due to the lack of progress in ending the war in Ukraine and Russia's intensifying bombardment of Ukrainian cities. In a bid to pressure Moscow into good-faith peace negotiations with Ukraine, a bipartisan U.S. bill that would hit Russia with sanctions gained momentum last week in Congress, but it still awaits support from Trump. European Union envoys are on the verge of agreeing an 18th package of sanctions against Russia that would include a lower price cap on Russian oil, four EU sources said after a Sunday meeting. Last week, Brent rose 3%, while WTI had a weekly gain of around 2.2%, after the International Energy Agency said the global oil market may be tighter than it appears, with demand supported by peak summer refinery runs to meet travel and power generation. However, ANZ analysts said price gains were limited by data showing Saudi Arabia lifted oil output above its quota under the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies' supply agreement. The IEA said that Saudi Arabia exceeded its oil output target for June by 430,000 barrels per day to reach 9.8 million bpd, compared with the kingdom's implied OPEC+ target of 9.37 million bpd. Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said on Friday the kingdom had been fully compliant with its voluntary OPEC+ output target, adding that Saudi marketed crude supply in June was 9.352 million bpd, in line with the agreed quota. Elsewhere, the release of China's preliminary commodity trade data later on Monday should highlight any ongoing signs of weaker demand, ANZ said in a note. Investors are also eyeing the outcome of U.S. tariff talks with key trading partners that could impact global economic growth and fuel demand.
