Russia and Ukraine trade drone strikes
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Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Trump has dudded Ukraine. Can Europe come to its rescue?
That coalition remains a loose group of nations with an even looser set of commitments. The two leading members are willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, but others are vague with their pledges. (Australia sent a representative to observe previous coalition meetings after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was willing to consider helping the cause. Former Liberal leader Peter Dutton ruled this out, but siding with Trump did not help him when the election came.) The big shift among European leaders is the hardening in their language about military options. This is not just about meeting Trump's demand to spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence – a long-term aspiration. It is about doing more – fast – to help Ukraine, and in doing so, helping themselves. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, a key figure now that Denmark has taken the presidency of the EU for the second half of this year, summed this up at a press conference with Zelensky and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen last Thursday. 'The war in Ukraine has never been only about Ukraine – it's about Europe,' she said in Aarhus. 'All of us hope that [the] US will continue their support for Ukraine, and because of Ukraine, for Europe. But if there are any gaps, then I personally believe that we should be willing to fill in.' The ambition is clear. The capacity, however, is not. The huge question in Europe is whether the major powers have the industrial capacity – the sheer military muscle – to match Russia at a time when Putin shows no sign of stopping the war in Ukraine and every sign he wants to start fights elsewhere. The latest evidence is in Azerbaijan, where Russia is turning on its former ally. Can Europe counter Putin in the grim scenario of outright war? No less than Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, admits the Europeans do not have the military might they need. Loading 'We have an enormous geopolitical challenge on our hands,' Rutte told The New York Times in a sobering interview on the weekend. 'And that is first of all Russia, which is reconstituting itself at a pace and a speed which is unparalleled in recent history. They are now producing three times as much ammunition in three months as the whole of NATO is doing in a year.' Put simply, the blockades and sanctions are not enough. Russia is rebuilding. Rutte added a warning about China's military ambitions, as well. China, Russia, Iran and North Korea – the CRINKs – are sharing military technology in a way that steadily increases the risk to the West. The Shahed drones that deliver death from the air show the CRINK economic model in action. The drones are based on an Iranian design but have been adapted by Russia in more lethal versions. They are made in Russia using parts from China. One day soon, according to Japanese news site NHK, they may be assembled by visiting North Korean workers. The argument about defence spending as a percentage of GDP in 2030 seems hopelessly abstract in the light of concrete facts. Right now, for all its economic wealth, western Europe lacks the capacity to match Putin where it counts – in the missile bombardment seen over Ukraine. Ukraine's military intelligence, known as the HUR, estimates Russia is producing 60 to 70 of its Iskander ballistic missiles and more than 10 of the hypersonic Kinzhals each month. That suggests an annual tally of 960 – although it is obviously difficult to be certain. That sum is greater than the American production of Patriot air defence missiles – the essential systems Trump is denying Ukraine. Lockheed-Martin has increased annual output of the Patriot PAC-3 MSE to 400 units a year and is aiming for 500 this year and 650 in a few years' time. So America has the stockpiles to help Ukraine, but it also has a challenge in matching Putin. Europe, meanwhile, is struggling to keep up. Fabian Hoffmann, a research fellow at the University of Oslo and a non-resident fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, says the European public will be 'enraged' if war comes and civilians discover the failure of their leaders to invest in missile defence. Loading Hoffmann estimates Europe's annual production of the PAC-3 MSE interceptor is about 550 units a year. Europe makes other defence systems, so this is not the full picture, but he believes the number of available systems is far too low. European leaders have responded to this moment with fine words. They know they must do what Trump will not. But the meeting this Thursday may only highlight the severe challenge in turning words into actions. This is a shocking state for Europe more than a decade after Putin began his military incursion into Ukraine and more than three years after he launched a full-scale war that is dominated by missile and drone attacks. Putin told the world about the future of war. Too many were too slow to listen.
The Age
a day ago
- The Age
Trump has dudded Ukraine. Can Europe come to its rescue?
That coalition remains a loose group of nations with an even looser set of commitments. The two leading members are willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, but others are vague with their pledges. (Australia sent a representative to observe previous coalition meetings after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was willing to consider helping the cause. Former Liberal leader Peter Dutton ruled this out, but siding with Trump did not help him when the election came.) The big shift among European leaders is the hardening in their language about military options. This is not just about meeting Trump's demand to spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence – a long-term aspiration. It is about doing more – fast – to help Ukraine, and in doing so, helping themselves. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, a key figure now that Denmark has taken the presidency of the EU for the second half of this year, summed this up at a press conference with Zelensky and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen last Thursday. 'The war in Ukraine has never been only about Ukraine – it's about Europe,' she said in Aarhus. 'All of us hope that [the] US will continue their support for Ukraine, and because of Ukraine, for Europe. But if there are any gaps, then I personally believe that we should be willing to fill in.' The ambition is clear. The capacity, however, is not. The huge question in Europe is whether the major powers have the industrial capacity – the sheer military muscle – to match Russia at a time when Putin shows no sign of stopping the war in Ukraine and every sign he wants to start fights elsewhere. The latest evidence is in Azerbaijan, where Russia is turning on its former ally. Can Europe counter Putin in the grim scenario of outright war? No less than Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, admits the Europeans do not have the military might they need. Loading 'We have an enormous geopolitical challenge on our hands,' Rutte told The New York Times in a sobering interview on the weekend. 'And that is first of all Russia, which is reconstituting itself at a pace and a speed which is unparalleled in recent history. They are now producing three times as much ammunition in three months as the whole of NATO is doing in a year.' Put simply, the blockades and sanctions are not enough. Russia is rebuilding. Rutte added a warning about China's military ambitions, as well. China, Russia, Iran and North Korea – the CRINKs – are sharing military technology in a way that steadily increases the risk to the West. The Shahed drones that deliver death from the air show the CRINK economic model in action. The drones are based on an Iranian design but have been adapted by Russia in more lethal versions. They are made in Russia using parts from China. One day soon, according to Japanese news site NHK, they may be assembled by visiting North Korean workers. The argument about defence spending as a percentage of GDP in 2030 seems hopelessly abstract in the light of concrete facts. Right now, for all its economic wealth, western Europe lacks the capacity to match Putin where it counts – in the missile bombardment seen over Ukraine. Ukraine's military intelligence, known as the HUR, estimates Russia is producing 60 to 70 of its Iskander ballistic missiles and more than 10 of the hypersonic Kinzhals each month. That suggests an annual tally of 960 – although it is obviously difficult to be certain. That sum is greater than the American production of Patriot air defence missiles – the essential systems Trump is denying Ukraine. Lockheed-Martin has increased annual output of the Patriot PAC-3 MSE to 400 units a year and is aiming for 500 this year and 650 in a few years' time. So America has the stockpiles to help Ukraine, but it also has a challenge in matching Putin. Europe, meanwhile, is struggling to keep up. Fabian Hoffmann, a research fellow at the University of Oslo and a non-resident fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, says the European public will be 'enraged' if war comes and civilians discover the failure of their leaders to invest in missile defence. Loading Hoffmann estimates Europe's annual production of the PAC-3 MSE interceptor is about 550 units a year. Europe makes other defence systems, so this is not the full picture, but he believes the number of available systems is far too low. European leaders have responded to this moment with fine words. They know they must do what Trump will not. But the meeting this Thursday may only highlight the severe challenge in turning words into actions. This is a shocking state for Europe more than a decade after Putin began his military incursion into Ukraine and more than three years after he launched a full-scale war that is dominated by missile and drone attacks. Putin told the world about the future of war. Too many were too slow to listen.
The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
Drones pound Ukraine as Russia transport chief sacked
Russia has fired more than 100 drones at civilian areas of Ukraine, as the Kremlin dismissed the country's transport chief after a weekend of travel chaos when Russian airports grounded hundreds of flights due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks. At least 10 civilians were killed and 38 injured, including three children, in Russian attacks during the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said on Monday. Russia recently has intensified its aerial strikes on civilian areas after more than three years of war. In the past week, Russia launched some 1270 drones, 39 missiles and almost 1000 powerful glide bombs at Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Russia's bigger army is also trying hard to break through at some points along the roughly 1000km front line, where Ukrainian forces are severely stretched. The strain of keeping Russia's invasion at bay, and the lack of progress in direct peace talks, has compelled Ukraine to seek more military help from the US and Europe. Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukraine had inked deals with European allies and a leading US defence company to step up drone production, ensuring Kyiv receives "hundreds of thousands" more in 2025. "Air defense is the main thing for protecting life," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram on Monday. That included developing and manufacturing interceptor drones that could stop Russia's long-range Shahed drones, he said. Extensive use of drones has also helped Ukraine compensate for its troop shortages on the front line. One person was killed in the southern city of Odesa, 27 were injured in northeastern Kharkiv and falling drone debris caused damage in two districts of Kyiv, the capital, during night-time drone attacks, Ukrainian authorities said. Russian short-range drones also killed two people and injured two others in the northern Sumy region, officials said. Sumy is one of the places where Russia has concentrated large numbers of troops. Also, nine people were injured and seven killed in the eastern Donetsk region, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said. He did not specify the type of weapons used. Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry said its troops shot down 91 Ukrainian drones in 13 Russian regions overnight, as well as over the Black Sea and the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. The Kremlin dismissed transport minister Roman Starovoyt on Monday, an order published on the Kremlin website said. The announcement did not give a reason for Starovoyt's dismissal. At the weekend, hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo and St Petersburg's Pulkovo airports. Other airports in western and central Russia also faced disruptions because of Ukrainian drone attacks. Russia has fired more than 100 drones at civilian areas of Ukraine, as the Kremlin dismissed the country's transport chief after a weekend of travel chaos when Russian airports grounded hundreds of flights due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks. At least 10 civilians were killed and 38 injured, including three children, in Russian attacks during the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said on Monday. Russia recently has intensified its aerial strikes on civilian areas after more than three years of war. In the past week, Russia launched some 1270 drones, 39 missiles and almost 1000 powerful glide bombs at Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Russia's bigger army is also trying hard to break through at some points along the roughly 1000km front line, where Ukrainian forces are severely stretched. The strain of keeping Russia's invasion at bay, and the lack of progress in direct peace talks, has compelled Ukraine to seek more military help from the US and Europe. Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukraine had inked deals with European allies and a leading US defence company to step up drone production, ensuring Kyiv receives "hundreds of thousands" more in 2025. "Air defense is the main thing for protecting life," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram on Monday. That included developing and manufacturing interceptor drones that could stop Russia's long-range Shahed drones, he said. Extensive use of drones has also helped Ukraine compensate for its troop shortages on the front line. One person was killed in the southern city of Odesa, 27 were injured in northeastern Kharkiv and falling drone debris caused damage in two districts of Kyiv, the capital, during night-time drone attacks, Ukrainian authorities said. Russian short-range drones also killed two people and injured two others in the northern Sumy region, officials said. Sumy is one of the places where Russia has concentrated large numbers of troops. Also, nine people were injured and seven killed in the eastern Donetsk region, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said. He did not specify the type of weapons used. Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry said its troops shot down 91 Ukrainian drones in 13 Russian regions overnight, as well as over the Black Sea and the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. The Kremlin dismissed transport minister Roman Starovoyt on Monday, an order published on the Kremlin website said. The announcement did not give a reason for Starovoyt's dismissal. At the weekend, hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo and St Petersburg's Pulkovo airports. Other airports in western and central Russia also faced disruptions because of Ukrainian drone attacks. Russia has fired more than 100 drones at civilian areas of Ukraine, as the Kremlin dismissed the country's transport chief after a weekend of travel chaos when Russian airports grounded hundreds of flights due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks. At least 10 civilians were killed and 38 injured, including three children, in Russian attacks during the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said on Monday. Russia recently has intensified its aerial strikes on civilian areas after more than three years of war. In the past week, Russia launched some 1270 drones, 39 missiles and almost 1000 powerful glide bombs at Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Russia's bigger army is also trying hard to break through at some points along the roughly 1000km front line, where Ukrainian forces are severely stretched. The strain of keeping Russia's invasion at bay, and the lack of progress in direct peace talks, has compelled Ukraine to seek more military help from the US and Europe. Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukraine had inked deals with European allies and a leading US defence company to step up drone production, ensuring Kyiv receives "hundreds of thousands" more in 2025. "Air defense is the main thing for protecting life," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram on Monday. That included developing and manufacturing interceptor drones that could stop Russia's long-range Shahed drones, he said. Extensive use of drones has also helped Ukraine compensate for its troop shortages on the front line. One person was killed in the southern city of Odesa, 27 were injured in northeastern Kharkiv and falling drone debris caused damage in two districts of Kyiv, the capital, during night-time drone attacks, Ukrainian authorities said. Russian short-range drones also killed two people and injured two others in the northern Sumy region, officials said. Sumy is one of the places where Russia has concentrated large numbers of troops. Also, nine people were injured and seven killed in the eastern Donetsk region, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said. He did not specify the type of weapons used. Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry said its troops shot down 91 Ukrainian drones in 13 Russian regions overnight, as well as over the Black Sea and the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. The Kremlin dismissed transport minister Roman Starovoyt on Monday, an order published on the Kremlin website said. The announcement did not give a reason for Starovoyt's dismissal. At the weekend, hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo and St Petersburg's Pulkovo airports. Other airports in western and central Russia also faced disruptions because of Ukrainian drone attacks. Russia has fired more than 100 drones at civilian areas of Ukraine, as the Kremlin dismissed the country's transport chief after a weekend of travel chaos when Russian airports grounded hundreds of flights due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks. At least 10 civilians were killed and 38 injured, including three children, in Russian attacks during the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said on Monday. Russia recently has intensified its aerial strikes on civilian areas after more than three years of war. In the past week, Russia launched some 1270 drones, 39 missiles and almost 1000 powerful glide bombs at Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Russia's bigger army is also trying hard to break through at some points along the roughly 1000km front line, where Ukrainian forces are severely stretched. The strain of keeping Russia's invasion at bay, and the lack of progress in direct peace talks, has compelled Ukraine to seek more military help from the US and Europe. Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukraine had inked deals with European allies and a leading US defence company to step up drone production, ensuring Kyiv receives "hundreds of thousands" more in 2025. "Air defense is the main thing for protecting life," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram on Monday. That included developing and manufacturing interceptor drones that could stop Russia's long-range Shahed drones, he said. Extensive use of drones has also helped Ukraine compensate for its troop shortages on the front line. One person was killed in the southern city of Odesa, 27 were injured in northeastern Kharkiv and falling drone debris caused damage in two districts of Kyiv, the capital, during night-time drone attacks, Ukrainian authorities said. Russian short-range drones also killed two people and injured two others in the northern Sumy region, officials said. Sumy is one of the places where Russia has concentrated large numbers of troops. Also, nine people were injured and seven killed in the eastern Donetsk region, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said. He did not specify the type of weapons used. Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry said its troops shot down 91 Ukrainian drones in 13 Russian regions overnight, as well as over the Black Sea and the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. The Kremlin dismissed transport minister Roman Starovoyt on Monday, an order published on the Kremlin website said. The announcement did not give a reason for Starovoyt's dismissal. At the weekend, hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo and St Petersburg's Pulkovo airports. Other airports in western and central Russia also faced disruptions because of Ukrainian drone attacks.
