Latest news with #RussianAirForce
South China Morning Post
05-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Ukraine says it struck Russian base containing fighter jets and glide bombs
Ukraine said it struck a Russian air base on Saturday, while Russia continued to pound Ukraine with hundreds of drones overnight as part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than three-year-old war. Ukraine's military General Staff said that Ukrainian forces had struck the Borisoglebsk air base in Russia's Voronezh region, describing it as the home base of Russia's Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter aircraft. Writing on social media, the General Staff said it hit a depot containing glide bombs, a training aircraft and 'possibly other aircraft'. Russian officials did not immediately comment on the attack. Such attacks on Russian air bases aim to dent Russia's military capability and demonstrate Ukraine's capability to hit high-value targets in Russia. Last month, Ukraine said it destroyed more than 40 Russian planes stationed at several airfields deep in Russia's territory in a surprise drone attack. An exploded drone is seen in the sky over Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday. Photo: Reuters Russia fired 322 drones and decoys into Ukraine overnight into Saturday, Ukraine's air force said. Of these, 157 were shot down and 135 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.
Arab News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Ukraine strikes Russian air base
KYIV, Ukraine: Ukraine said it struck a Russian air base on Saturday, while Russia continued to pound Ukraine with hundreds of drones overnight as part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than 3-year-old war. Ukraine's military General Staff said Saturday that Ukrainian forces had struck the Borisoglebsk air base in Russia's Voronezh region, describing it as the 'home base' of Russia's Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter jets. Writing on Facebook, the General Staff said it hit a depot containing glide bombs, a training aircraft and 'possibly other aircraft.' Russian officials did not immediately comment on the attack. Such attacks on Russian air bases aim to dent Russia's military capability and demonstrate Ukraine's capability to hit high-value targets in Russia. Last month, Ukraine said it destroyed more than 40 Russian planes stationed at several airfields deep in Russia's territory in a surprise drone attack. Russia fired 322 drones and decoys into Ukraine overnight into Saturday, Ukraine's air force said. Of these, 157 were shot down and 135 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. According to the air force, Ukraine's western Khmelnytskyi region was the main target of the attack. Regional Gov. Serhii Tyurin said Saturday that no damage, injuries or deaths had been reported. Russia has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Ukraine. Waves of drones and missiles targeted Kyiv overnight into Friday in the largest aerial assault since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began. On Saturday, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the number of people killed in the assault had increased to two. A further 26 people were wounded. The fresh wave of attacks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that he had a 'very important and productive' phone call with US President Donald Trump. The two leaders discussed how Ukrainian air defenses might be strengthened, possible joint weapons production between the US and Ukraine, and broader U.S-led efforts to end the war with Russia, according to a statement by Zelenksyy. Asked Friday night by reporters about the call, Trump said, 'We had a very good call, I think.' When asked about finding a way to end the fighting, Trump said: 'I don't know. I can't tell you whether or not that's going to happen.' The US has paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defense missiles. Ukraine's main European backers are considering how they can help pick up the slack. Zelensky says plans are afoot to build up Ukraine's domestic arms industry, but scaling up will take time. Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down 94 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday, along with 12 further drones on Saturday morning. No casualties were reported.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kyiv hits Russian airbase after Moscow pounds Ukraine with hundreds of drones
Ukraine said it has struck a Russian airbase, while Russia continued to pound Ukraine with hundreds of drones overnight as part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the war. Ukraine's military General Staff said Ukrainian forces had struck the Borisoglebsk airbase in Russia's Voronezh region, describing it as the 'home base' of Russia's Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter jets. Writing on Facebook, the General Staff said it hit a depot containing glide bombs, a training aircraft and 'possibly other aircraft'. It was a rocky start to the day, with more than 500 Russian attack drones and missiles. Difficult, but a significant number were shot down. Interceptor drones demonstrated important performance today and we are scaling this up to the hilt. Today marks an important decision in… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 4, 2025 Russian officials did not immediately comment on the attack. Such attacks on Russian airbases aim to dent Russia's military capability and demonstrate Ukraine's capability to hit high-value targets in Russia. Last month, Ukraine said it destroyed more than 40 Russian planes stationed at several airfields deep in Russia's territory in a surprise drone attack. Russia fired 322 drones and decoys into Ukraine overnight into Saturday, Ukraine's air force said. Of these, 157 were shot down and 135 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. According to the air force, Ukraine's western Khmelnytskyi region was the main target of the attack. Regional governor Serhii Tyurin said no damage, injuries or deaths had been reported. Russia has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Ukraine. Waves of drones and missiles targeted Kyiv overnight into Friday in the largest aerial assault since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, killing one person and wounding at least 26 others. The fresh wave of attacks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that he had a 'very important and productive' phone call with US President Donald Trump. I had a very important and fruitful conversation with @POTUS. I congratulated President Trump and the entire American people on the US Independence Day. We – in Ukraine – are grateful for all the support provided. It helps us protect lives, safeguard our freedom and… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 4, 2025 The two leaders discussed how Ukrainian air defences might be strengthened, possible joint weapons production between the US and Ukraine, and broader U.S-led efforts to end the war with Russia, according to a statement by Mr Zelenksy. Asked on Friday night by reporters about the call, Mr Trump said: 'We had a very good call, I think.' When asked about finding a way to end the fighting, the US leader said: 'I don't know. I can't tell you whether or not that's going to happen.' The US has paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defence missiles. Ukraine's main European backers are considering how they can help pick up the slack. Mr Zelensky says plans are afoot to build up Ukraine's domestic arms industry, but scaling up will take time. Russia's defence ministry said it shot down 94 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday, along with 12 further drones on Saturday morning. No casualties were reported.
BreakingNews.ie
05-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Kyiv hits Russian airbase after Moscow pounds Ukraine with hundreds of drones
Ukraine said it has struck a Russian airbase, while Russia continued to pound Ukraine with hundreds of drones overnight as part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the war. Ukraine's military General Staff said Ukrainian forces had struck the Borisoglebsk airbase in Russia's Voronezh region, describing it as the 'home base' of Russia's Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter jets. Advertisement Writing on Facebook, the General Staff said it hit a depot containing glide bombs, a training aircraft and 'possibly other aircraft'. It was a rocky start to the day, with more than 500 Russian attack drones and missiles. Difficult, but a significant number were shot down. Interceptor drones demonstrated important performance today and we are scaling this up to the hilt. Today marks an important decision in… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 4, 2025 Russian officials did not immediately comment on the attack. Such attacks on Russian airbases aim to dent Russia's military capability and demonstrate Ukraine's capability to hit high-value targets in Russia. Last month, Ukraine said it destroyed more than 40 Russian planes stationed at several airfields deep in Russia's territory in a surprise drone attack. Advertisement Russia fired 322 drones and decoys into Ukraine overnight into Saturday, Ukraine's air force said. Of these, 157 were shot down and 135 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. Metro stations are used as bomb shelters in Kyiv (AP) According to the air force, Ukraine's western Khmelnytskyi region was the main target of the attack. Regional governor Serhii Tyurin said no damage, injuries or deaths had been reported. Russia has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Ukraine. Waves of drones and missiles targeted Kyiv overnight into Friday in the largest aerial assault since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, killing one person and wounding at least 26 others. The fresh wave of attacks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that he had a 'very important and productive' phone call with US President Donald Trump. Advertisement I had a very important and fruitful conversation with @POTUS . I congratulated President Trump and the entire American people on the US Independence Day. We - in Ukraine - are grateful for all the support provided. It helps us protect lives, safeguard our freedom and… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 4, 2025 The two leaders discussed how Ukrainian air defences might be strengthened, possible joint weapons production between the US and Ukraine, and broader U.S-led efforts to end the war with Russia, according to a statement by Mr Zelenksy. Asked on Friday night by reporters about the call, Mr Trump said: 'We had a very good call, I think.' When asked about finding a way to end the fighting, the US leader said: 'I don't know. I can't tell you whether or not that's going to happen.' Strikes have continued on Kyiv (AP) The US has paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defence missiles. Advertisement Ukraine's main European backers are considering how they can help pick up the slack. Mr Zelensky says plans are afoot to build up Ukraine's domestic arms industry, but scaling up will take time. Russia's defence ministry said it shot down 94 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday, along with 12 further drones on Saturday morning. No casualties were reported.
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Sky supremacy: Why Israel owns Iran's skies-Russia still can't crack Ukraine's
Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze after a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP photo) In the fourth day of open war between Israel and Iran, both countries are reeling from mutual missile attacks, a mounting civilian toll, and a grim sense that the conflict has only just begun. Israeli jets struck Iranian military, nuclear, and command infrastructure as far east as Mashhad. Iran retaliated by launching hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones into Israeli cities, killing more than two dozen civilians and injuring hundreds. Yet despite the chaos, one strategic truth has crystallized: Israel now owns Iran's skies. Israeli aircraft are flying unhindered over Iran's capital, dropping bombs from within Iranian territory-something that the Russian Air Force has conspicuously failed to accomplish in Ukraine after more than three years of war. The contrast is not just tactical; it's philosophical. The current war began Friday with a surprise Israeli strike that destroyed much of Iran's top military command, set back its nuclear program, and cratered air defense installations across western Iran. Since then, Israeli air power has dismantled nearly a third of Iran's surface-to-surface missile launchers and taken out key leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Meanwhile, Iranian salvos continue to rain down on Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Petah Tikva, with civilian deaths rising by the hour. The destruction on both sides is immense. But Israel, unlike Russia, has secured the rarest-and arguably most decisive-military advantage in modern warfare: unchallenged control of enemy airspace. Why air superiority matters The Israeli campaign, as devastating as it is, also underscores a broader lesson about 21st-century warfighting: whoever controls the skies controls the tempo, scale, and eventual outcome of the fight. 'The two campaigns are showing the fundamental importance of air superiority in order to succeed in your overall military objectives,' retired US Air Force Lt Gen David Deptula told the Wall Street Journal. 'In the case of Russia-Ukraine war, you see what happens when neither side can achieve air superiority: stalemate and devolution to attrition-based warfare. In the case of the Israel-Iran war, it allows them unhindered freedom to attack where they possess air superiority over segments of Iran. ' That freedom has translated into a relentless bombing campaign using a blend of fifth-generation stealth F-35s-custom-modified by Israel-and older, more expendable F-15s and F-16s once Iran's air defenses were degraded. Now, Israel is relying more on cheap, plentiful guided bombs like the JDAM and Spice kits instead of expensive long-range missiles. The effect: more strikes, lower cost, and more devastation. Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, Chief of Staff of the Israeli military, described the offensive with cold precision. 'IAF pilots are flying at great risk to their lives, hundreds of kilometers away from Israel, striking hundreds of different targets with precision,' he said. What Russia couldn't-and can't-do The success stands in stark contrast to Russia's ongoing frustrations in Ukraine. Despite possessing one of the largest air forces in the world, Russia has failed to establish air dominance over its neighbor. Its jets still do not operate freely over Kyiv or other major Ukrainian cities. Instead, the war has devolved into trench fighting, artillery duels, and long-range missile attacks-precisely the scenario Israeli planners worked to avoid. Why the difference? As per the WSJ report, one reason is qualitative. 'The asymmetry in capability between Israel's air force and Russia's is vast and can be easily observed,' Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment and an expert on Russian and Ukrainian militaries, told the WSJ. Israeli pilots fly with tighter integration into cyber and intelligence operations. Their training emphasizes maneuver, autonomy, and real-time decision-making. Russian pilots, by contrast, fly what retired British Air Marshal Edward Stringer calls 'flying artillery.' 'All the Russians have is pilots,' Stringer said. 'They grow these pilots to drive flying artillery, and that's it.' Iran's fatal miscalculation Israel's air war has benefited from something else: Iran's glaring strategic blind spots. Over decades, Tehran invested in missile deterrence-not air defense. And when the attacks began, Iran's air defense system-an ad-hoc mix of S-300s, Chinese knockoffs, and home-built batteries-was overwhelmed. 'Iran never relied on air defenses alone to ward off attacks like this. The idea was always to use deterrence,' said Fabian Hinz of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. But deterrence failed. Iran's strongest deterrent, Hezbollah, was crippled last year and physically cut off by Israel's destruction of the Syrian corridor. Israeli strikes on Syrian air-defense systems effectively opened a corridor-a 'superhighway'-for Israeli planes to reach Iranian airspace unopposed. Unlike Ukraine, which used early US intelligence in 2022 to scatter and conceal its mobile air defenses, Iran was caught by surprise. Israeli intelligence operatives and drones sabotaged key systems on the ground in the hours before the first wave of strikes. Simultaneously, Mossad assassinated top military leaders in their homes. 'What Israel did with Iran is what Russia wanted to do with Ukraine,' Israeli analyst Michael Horowitz told the Journal. 'But it turned out that the Ukrainian society has a resilience and cannot be so easily penetrated-whereas when it comes to Iran, the regime is so unpopular that it's easy to find people there who will agree to work with Israel.' The numbers game For now, Israeli generals believe time is on their side. Iran's missile attacks continue, but with one-third of its launchers gone and Israeli jets flying freely, the odds are shifting. 'It's a numbers game, and it seems like Israel has the upper hand,' said retired US Air Force Gen. Timothy Ray. 'After all, the best way to shoot a missile is on the ground while it's in a container, and not in the air while it's flying.' Ray's comment reveals the brutal calculus behind air campaigns: preemptive destruction isn't just tactical-it's strategic, psychological, and political. With Iran reeling and international pressure mounting, Israel may have redefined modern air warfare. Not since the opening days of the Gulf War has a country so swiftly gained dominance over an adversary's skies. And as Russia grinds on in the mud of eastern Ukraine, Israel has flown past in the stratosphere-proving that supremacy in the air remains the shortest path to power on the ground.
