Latest news with #UkrainianMilitary
The Sun
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Humiliation for Putin as £37m jets destroyed in strike before vengeful tyrant kills two in blitz on Ukraine tower block
UKRAINE has successfully blitzed a pair of Russia's prized Su-34 fighter jets - costing a humiliated Vladimir Putin £74million. Russia's despot hit back with a terrifying revenge strike which killed a married couple in a deadly attack on a Ukrainian tower block. 6 6 The twisted tyrant decimated a 21-storey residential block in Odesa and left it up in flames as 14 others, including a child as young as 3, were rescued and rushed to hospital. Two other children were also among the wounded in the overnight attack, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said. Russia has drastically increased its drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks amid growing issues around securing a lasting ceasefire. Kyiv has continued to defend themselves valiantly against enemy attacks with them landing a humiliating blow to the Kremlin. They launched a tactical drone attack on Russia's Marinovka military airfield in the Volgograd region in Friday. Ukraine used long range drones to fly 200 miles to inflict millions of pounds worth of damage to Putin's aerial firepower. The blitz targeted a set of four Su-34 fighter jets which are each worth a reported £37million. Furious Russian military analysts confirmed that two of the Su-34 multi-role fighters used on the frontline for bombing missions against Ukraine were destroyed. The two others also suffered damage. Pro-war Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomber raged that the hit 'could and should have been prevented'. Bodies pulled from under rubble after Vladimir Putin bombs Kyiv killing 28 as EU chief says 'fight or learn Russian' The channel expressed fury at the 'multi-billion dollar' losses Putin's forces are suffering each week to their military arsenal. Ukraine's SBU security service also commented on the successful strikes as they said: 'The Ukrainian Special Operations Forces and the SBU used long-range drones to attack Russian fighter jets. 'The attack also caused a fire in the technical and operational part of the enemy airfield, which is a critical infrastructure for a military facility. 'This is where the enemy prepares aircraft for flights, carries out their routine maintenance and repair work.' It came less than a month after Russia supposedly tightened its military air base security after 40-plus strategic bombers and spy planes were hit in Kyiv's audacious Operation Spiderweb. In Operation Spiderweb - one of the most stunning attacks of the war - drones were launched from trucks positioned close to at least four Russian airfields. It crippled much of Putin's doomsday bomber flee with 41 of his most prized aircraft lying in smouldering wrecks on tarmac. Ukraine said the sneak attack was worth $7bn (£5.2bn) in damage to Russia - caused by only 117 cheaply made drones. 6 6 Putin has launched countless revenge strikes since he was embarrassed by the attack. Last week, he unleashed the deadliest Russian strike on Kyiv in 2025 as 28 people were killed in airstrikes. Russia blasted 27 locations in Kyiv, with 440 drones and 32 missiles hammering the city for nine hours, according to Ukrainian officials. Buildings and critical infrastructure facilities were damaged. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it 'one of the most terrible strikes on Kyiv'. Days earlier, Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv was bombarded with 48 kamikaze drones, missiles and guided bombs. The assault killed three people and injured 21. Inside Russia's faltering war By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter THE Russian invasion of Ukraine has been advancing at an incredibly slow pace - with Kyiv's "dronegrinder" warfare miring Putin's summer offensive. The rate at which Moscow is capturing land has been dubbed "slower than a snail" - all while the human cost of Russian casualties is sky high. After 448 days of fighting inside Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, the Russians reportedly only managed to take control of 50 per cent of the city. Which means the troops, on average, are only able to take 0.00629 square miles of land per day - which is a painfully low conversion rate. Even snails, which have a speed of 0.03 miles per hour, can cover more land than what the Russians have gained in the region. Meanwhile, Kyiv has ramped up its defences as it seeks to thwart Vladimir Putin's final killer summer offensive, which military analysts say could start as early as July. Ukraine's fierce resistance forced Russian troops to stop in the Sumy region's border area, Kyiv's military Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky revealed. The military boss said that the Ukrainian armed forces managed to tie down a 50,000-strong force and stabilise the frontlines "as of this week". But, some 125,000 Russian soldiers are reportedly now massing along the Sumy and Kharkiv frontiers, according to Ukraine's military intelligence. Ukrainians have tasked a special defence group to strengthen fortifications near the frontlines, build anti-drone corridors and 'kill zones' It comes amid fears that Vladimir Putin may launch a fresh summer offensive to try and take as much land as he can before agreeing to a ceasefire. 6
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv hits warplanes in Russia as missile attack kills five in Ukraine
Ukraine's military has said it struck four warplanes at an airbase in central Russia's Volgograd region as part of a drive to hit Russian war assets. It said on Telegram it had hit four Su-34 aircraft at the Marinovka base outside the city of Volgograd, about 900km (550 miles) from the Ukrainian border. The post on Friday 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's military said the damage to Marinovka was being assessed and described the Su-34 as Russia's main aircraft used in bombing raids on Ukrainian territory. Volgograd governor Andrei Bocharov on Friday listed the region's Kalanchyovsky district where Marinovka is located among three areas targeted by Ukrainian drones and said traffic on the bridge over the Don River in the district was temporarily restricted. A Russian missile attack killed at least five people and wounded 25 in the industrial city of Samar in Ukraine's south-east on Friday, officials said – the second strike on the city in three days. At least four of the wounded were in severe condition and taken to hospital, regional governor Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram. Officials gave no immediate details on damage in the city, where an attack on an infrastructure facility on Tuesday killed two people. In the Kherson region to the south, authorities urged residents on Friday to prepare for extended periods without power after a Russian attack hit a key energy facility. Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said the attack caused power cuts in some settlements in the region, which is close to the front lines with Russian forces. Russia said its troops had captured the village of Nova Kruhlyakivka in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region. The report on Friday from Russian state news agency Tass, citing the defence ministry, could not be independently verified. Russian president Vladimir Putin said Russia and Ukraine's demands for peace were 'absolutely contradictory', after two rounds of talks have failed to bring a ceasefire. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators exchanged memorandums on how to end the war at talks in Istanbul this month and the Russian president said in Minsk on Friday: 'As for the memorandums, as expected, nothing surprising happened ... these are two absolutely contradictory memorandums.' At the press conference in Minsk after a meeting with allies in Belarus, Putin also denounced what he called an 'aggressive' pledge by Nato members to increase their defence spending to 5% of GDP. US president Donald Trump called Nato's decision a 'big win' for western civilisation. Putin also said on Friday that Russia was ready to hold a new round of peace talks with Ukraine, potentially in Istanbul, although the time and venue had yet to be agreed.
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv hits warplanes in Russia as missile attack kills five in Ukraine
Ukraine's military has said it struck four warplanes at an airbase in central Russia's Volgograd region as part of a drive to hit Russian war assets. It said on Telegram it had hit four Su-34 aircraft at the Marinovka base outside the city of Volgograd, about 900km (550 miles) from the Ukrainian border. The post on Friday 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's military said the damage to Marinovka was being assessed and described the Su-34 as Russia's main aircraft used in bombing raids on Ukrainian territory. Volgograd governor Andrei Bocharov on Friday listed the region's Kalanchyovsky district where Marinovka is located among three areas targeted by Ukrainian drones and said traffic on the bridge over the Don River in the district was temporarily restricted. A Russian missile attack killed at least five people and wounded 25 in the industrial city of Samar in Ukraine's south-east on Friday, officials said – the second strike on the city in three days. At least four of the wounded were in severe condition and taken to hospital, regional governor Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram. Officials gave no immediate details on damage in the city, where an attack on an infrastructure facility on Tuesday killed two people. In the Kherson region to the south, authorities urged residents on Friday to prepare for extended periods without power after a Russian attack hit a key energy facility. Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said the attack caused power cuts in some settlements in the region, which is close to the front lines with Russian forces. Russia said its troops had captured the village of Nova Kruhlyakivka in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region. The report on Friday from Russian state news agency Tass, citing the defence ministry, could not be independently verified. Russian president Vladimir Putin said Russia and Ukraine's demands for peace were 'absolutely contradictory', after two rounds of talks have failed to bring a ceasefire. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators exchanged memorandums on how to end the war at talks in Istanbul this month and the Russian president said in Minsk on Friday: 'As for the memorandums, as expected, nothing surprising happened ... these are two absolutely contradictory memorandums.' At the press conference in Minsk after a meeting with allies in Belarus, Putin also denounced what he called an 'aggressive' pledge by Nato members to increase their defence spending to 5% of GDP. US president Donald Trump called Nato's decision a 'big win' for western civilisation. Putin also said on Friday that Russia was ready to hold a new round of peace talks with Ukraine, potentially in Istanbul, although the time and venue had yet to be agreed.
CTV News
18 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Russia has amassed 110,000 troops near strategic Ukrainian city, Kyiv says
An abandoned car stands against the background of damaged buildings in central Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Shtekel) Russia has amassed 110,000 troops in the vicinity of Pokrovsk as part of its efforts to take over the strategic eastern Ukrainian city, the Ukrainian military chief said Friday. Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Friday that the area around Pokrovsk was the 'hottest spot' along the 1,200-kilometre (745 miles) front line which runs across the east. Russian forces have been trying to capture Pokrovsk for almost a year, staging one grinding offensive after another. But despite having a clear advantage in terms of the number of troops and weapons available, Moscow has failed to take over the city. Pokrovsk is a strategic target for Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that his goal is to seize all of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk his forces partially occupy. Kyiv and its allies accuse Russia's President Vladimir Putin of stalling on peace efforts so that his forces can seize more Ukrainian territory. Although not a major city, Pokrovsk sits on a key supply road and railroad that connect it with other military hubs in the area. Together with Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, it forms the backbone of Ukrainian defenses in the part of Donetsk region that are still under Kyiv's control. Some 60,000 lived in Pokrovsk before the war, but the majority have left in the three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukraine's last operating coking coal mine was in Pokrovsk and many of its employees were staying in the area to keep it going. Once it was forced to shut down early this year, they too began to leave. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based conflict monitor, said late last year that Ukrainian defensive operations in Pokrovsk have forced Russia to abandon its original plan to take over Pokrovsk in a frontal assault. The ISW said this was because Ukrainian troops began using drones as integral part of their defensive strategy, successfully integrating drone operators with their ground forces. At the same time, Russia was unable to increase the number of troops in the area by much, because it was trying to contain the surprise incursion of Ukrainian troops into its own territory in the southern Kursk region. Syrskyi told reporters last week that at one point, the Kursk operation pulled back nearly 63,000 Russian troops and some 7,000 North Korean troops. 'This allowed us to weaken the enemy's pressure on the main fronts and regroup our troops. And the enemy's capture of Pokrovsk, announced back in September 2024, has not yet taken place, thanks in part to our Kursk operation,' he said. Instead of continuing to attacking the city directly, Russian troops then began encircling the city from south and northeast. The ISW said in its most recent assessment on Friday that Russian forces were continuing assaults with small fireteams of one to two soldiers, sometimes on motorcycles, in all-terrain vehicles and buggies. In a statement issued on Friday, Syrksky said Russia continued to try to break through to the administrative border of the Donetsk region. 'They want to do this not only to achieve some operational results, but primarily for demonstrative purposes. To achieve a psychological effect: to put the infamous 'foot of the Russian soldier' there, plant a flag and trumpet another pseudo-'victory',' he said. Ivana Kottasová and Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN
CNN
20 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Russia has amassed 110,000 troops near strategic Ukrainian city, Kyiv says
Russia has amassed 110,000 troops in the vicinity of Pokrovsk as part of its efforts to take over the strategic eastern Ukrainian city, the Ukrainian military chief said Friday. Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Friday that the area around Pokrovsk was the 'hottest spot'along the 1,200-kilometre (745 miles) front line which runs across the east. Russian forces have been trying to capture Pokrovsk for almost a year, staging one grinding offensive after another. But despite having a clear advantage in terms of the number of troops and weapons available, Moscow has failed to take over the city. Pokrovsk is a strategic target for Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that his goal is to seize all of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk his forces partially occupy. Kyiv and its allies accuse Russia's President Vladimir Putin of stalling on peace efforts so that his forces can seize more Ukrainian territory. Although not a major city, Pokrovsk sits on a key supply road and railroad that connect it with other military hubs in the area. Together with Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, it forms the backbone of Ukrainian defenses in the part of Donetsk region that are still under Kyiv's control. Some 60,000 lived in Pokrovsk before the war, but the majority have left in the three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukraine's last operating coking coal mine was in Pokrovsk and many of its employees were staying in the area to keep it going. Once it was forced to shut down early this year, they too began to leave. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based conflict monitor, said late last year that Ukrainian defensive operations in Pokrovsk have forced Russia to abandon its original plan to take over Pokrovsk in a frontal assault. The ISW said this was because Ukrainian troops began using drones as integral part of their defensive strategy, successfully integrating drone operators with their ground forces. At the same time, Russia was unable to increase the number of troops in the area by much, because it was trying to contain the surprise incursion of Ukrainian troops into its own territory in the southern Kursk region. Syrskyi told reporters last week that at one point, the Kursk operation pulled back nearly 63,000 Russian troops and some 7,000 North Korean troops. 'This allowed us to weaken the enemy's pressure on the main fronts and regroup our troops. And the enemy's capture of Pokrovsk, announced back in September 2024, has not yet taken place, thanks in part to our Kursk operation,' he said. Instead of continuing to attacking the city directly, Russian troops then began encircling the city from south and northeast. The ISW said in its most recent assessment on Friday that Russian forces were continuing assaults with small fireteams of one to two soldiers, sometimes on motorcycles, in all-terrain vehicles and buggies. In a statement issued on Friday, Syrksky said Russia continued to try to break through to the administrative border of the Donetsk region. 'They want to do this not only to achieve some operational results, but primarily for demonstrative purposes. To achieve a psychological effect: to put the infamous 'foot of the Russian soldier' there, plant a flag and trumpet another pseudo-'victory',' he said.
