Latest news with #droneoperation
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
From Real-Life Covert War Mission to Explosive On-Screen Adaptation in a Week: How AI Short ‘The Decisive Moment' Hopes to Become ‘Mission: Impossible' for the News
On June 1, Ukraine carried out Operation Spiderweb, an 18-months-in-the-making covert operation in which 117 drones — secretly built inside Russia and concealed in and launched from trucks driven by unsuspecting local drivers — carried out coordinated attacks on five air bases across the country. According to Ukrainian security services, the strikes damaged one-third of Russia's strategic cruise missile carriers causing billions of dollars of damage, and via drones worth around $400 each. The audacious secret mission sounds like something straight out of a spy novel and the perfect story to be adapted for screen. In fact, it already has been and is now available to watch. We are, at the time of publication, still in the month of June. More from Variety Google's Sanjay Gupta Sees AI as 'Magic Wand' for Asia's Storytellers at APOS Darren Aronofsky's AI-Driven Studio Primordial Soup Inks Google DeepMind Partnership, First Film Project to Premiere at Tribeca Festival YouTube Ad Revenue Bulks Up 10.3% to $8.9 Billion as Alphabet Q1 Net Profit Jumps 46% 'The Decisive Moment: Spiders in the Sky' — which has launched on YouTube less than four weeks after the event took place — is a five-minute short film telling its own version of the 'most incredible drone operation ever.' A narrator (a real-life British military drone operator known as Big Mac) explains the entire mission, from a fake company being set up in a Russian industrial city to 'killer drones' flying out the back of lorries and causing destructive havoc across air bases. It's all highly dramatic — there are huge explosions, irate Russian generals and even, for a splash of 007, men dressed as Rabbis secretly disposing of their belongings in airport trash cans. Even for those who knew about Operation Spiderweb, it's like an edge-of-the-seat thriller. As per its description, it's ''Mission: Impossible' for the news: fast, emotional, and unforgettable.' Of course, it's all AI. But it was also made in under a week, effectively serving as a proof-of-concept for U.K.-based director Samir Mallal and his company OneDay to showcase what can be achieved using AI when it comes to such non-fiction storytelling. 'I wanted to use these new tools to tell a cinematic version of the news,' he explains. 'I was thinking: what if Vice launched in 2025.' A documentary-maker and Cannes Lions-winning commercials director whose film 'Nollywood Babylon' premiered in Sundance in 2009, Mallal had spent the last two years 'dabbling in AI.' But it was only when Google launched its latest AI video generator Veo3 at the end of May that he thought he had the tools to 'make something that looked like a big budget Netflix documentary and turn it around as fast as possible.' 'Spiders in the Sky' was made using Veo3, OpenAI's Sora and MidJourney, with Mallal feeding in replicated images that had been put out in the press by Ukraine from the mission, plus details already available — such as those of the Russian bases — alongside the AI tools' own search and incredible specific prompt capabilities. 99% of the graphics in the film were AI created. There were efforts to keep as much to the facts as possible, with most of the details of Operation Spiderweb having already been reported on. Even the Ukrainian general in the film, says Mallal, 'looks like the general that met with Zelensky,' with a photo of him used to create a character. But then there are creative, fictional and even humorous elements too. In one moment, we see 'Halo' character Master Chief charging through an airbase, with the narrator suggesting that 117 drones were selected because of the video game (the character's full name is 'Master Chief Petter Officer John-117). 'These guys planning the operation grew up playing Halo,' he exclaims with a jovial tone in his voice. 'What I was very happy with about this process was the ability to take something in the news, dramatize it and add some humor. Normally it would take years to figure that out and have that level of detachment,' says Mallal. 'Now to do this with something newsworthy, to me, is really interesting.' In all, the entire production process took — from concept to completion— a week (and the idea itself came to Mallal a week after the Operation took place). While it's difficult to put a price on it all, Mallal says it's about as expensive as a high-end short film, in the region of $50,000. But it was a cost OneDay took on itself, with 'The Decisive Moment: Spiders in the Sky' set to be the first in a series to launch on YouTube in the hopes that studios or backers might be interested in funding more. A second is already in development, this time about the very recent bombing of Tehran by Israel. These films, of course, are dealing with very real and highly sensitive geo-political situations and, unlike documentaries or most narrative retellings, are being made and released while events are still actually unfolding and on-the-ground facts are still blurred. But Mallal insists that 'The Decisive Moment' films will clearly be labelled as an 'interpretation' of what happened, with viewers 'literate enough' to recognize that. 'We are telling a truth, regardless of whether it is factual, and there's a difference,' he says. 'As artists, our job is not to express facts. Our job is to tell a story and bring our point of view to it and let people interpret things on an emotional and immersive level.' And now, he says he's able to do this at speeds unheard of before, at a fraction of the price of traditional production methods and without any of the usual hurdles. 'As somebody who's been working in the industry for 30 years and always having had to go out and get permission to tell the story that I want to tell, I don't want to have to get permission anymore,' he says. 'I want to be the studio and make the work that I want to make and I don't want it watered down. I think we're entering this new era where one artist or a small team of artists, in this case, with the right tools, can do what used to take 100 people and a green light.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
Forbes
13-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Brussels, Washington, And The Kremlin's Exports, Oil And Gas For War
Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on the state armament program for 2027-2036 at ... More the Kremlin. Given continued funding by gas exports to Europe, Moscow's economy may be able to support further conflict in Ukraine and beyond.(Photo by Gavriil Grigorov / POOL / AFP) (Photo by GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) A major Ukrainian drone operation dubbed 'Spiderweb', conducted on Sunday, June 1, damaged strategic bomber assets deep in Russia. The attack, combined with a strike against the multi-billion-dollar Kerch Strait bridge built after Moscow annexed the Crimea in 2014 to connect it to the Russian mainland, was a huge blow, both in image and in substance. However, it comes at a time when Russia's economic picture is quietly improving, and the offensive picking up steam, which has allowed Moscow to refuse to make any real progress on ceasefire talks despite U.S. President Donald Trump's best efforts. Financial improvement is excellent news for Russia's President Vladimir Putin, who is hellbent on outrunning economic decline at home and attaining victory on the battlefield. Money from energy sales continues to fill Russia's war chest, which is why now is the time for Washington and Europe to work together to turn off Moscow's spigot. Only by depriving the Kremlin of the funds needed to sustain the war can peace be restored at the battlefront. Unfortunately, things have been going in exactly the opposite direction during the first half of 2025. Despite sanctions, Russian gas exports to Europe through the Turkstream pipeline rose more than 10% from April to May, and Russia's oil and gas giant Gazprom posted an unexpected $8.4 billion Q1 profit, up from $7 billion in losses in 2023. On Tuesday, June 10th, the EU announced that it is working on a package of additional sanctions, lowering the price cap for Russian oil from $45 per barrel from $60, as well as banning the use of Russian banks by third countries and stopping any EU operators from being allowed to use Russia's Nord Stream pipelines. If the EU members approve these new proposed sanctions, they will certainly have an impact -- but this is by no means guaranteed. Slovakia and Hungary are two of the most pro-Russian regimes in the EU and have actively opposed sanctions on Russia. It may change, now that Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary announced that Russia only understands the language of force. However, if Washington and Brussels cooperate to tighten the sanctions regime, this could be a game-changer and eventually force Moscow to negotiate. On the other side of the Atlantic, leaders in the United States are acting to decisively end Russia's benefit from its energy industries. The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, introduced by Senator Linsey Graham (R-SC), a Trump ally, contains measures to prohibit American entities from investing in or exporting to the Russian energy sector, impose a 500 percent tariff on Russian goods and services entering the and levy the same tariff on countries that sell, supply, transfer, or purchase oil, uranium, natural gas, petroleum products, or petrochemical products originating in Russia. These measures would serve the dual purpose of weakening Moscow's energy trade while putting pressure on states that hesitate to halt their purchases of Russian energy products, including the Europeans, if they fail to step up actively. Russia's economic turnaround through 2025 can primarily be attributed to surging energy exports. The Trump Administration's hesitancy to impose sanctions, despite Trump's willingness to threaten them, created room for this export surge. Without seeing sanctions ratchet up, and with rumors floating that sanctions might be lifted, more customers became willing to turn to Russia. Despite successful maneuver like Operation Spiderweb, a war economy fueled by oil and gas exports ... More still allows Russia to conduct large scale counterattacks, like that seen in Kyiv on June 6th. Russia's foreign currency reserves, once under pressure, as Moscow struggled to keep the ruble from imploding, have recovered, moving past their pre-war high of $630 billion to $680 billion. The Russian ruble made a strong recovery, becoming a top-performing currency of 2025 so far. The ruble has outperformed the Russian government's own budgetary projections with a 40% increase in value against the dollar, a jump of almost four times the next best-performing currency. While this can be attributed to increased domestic economic controls, rising oil prices, and continued exports, another factor may be the sustained trade and indirect financial flows from China, which has remained Moscow's most reliable economic partner. It isn't the entire EU that is importing Russian oil and gas, but a few key countries are more reliant on these imports than others. Hungary, Slovakia, and France were the largest importers in November 2024 with Austria and Spain rounding out the top five. Countries with pro-Russian leadership are not the only ones that have continued importing Russian energy. European governments that decry Russia's aggression continue to throw Moscow an economic lifeline due to their inability to find alternative energy sources. For now, Russian oil and gas are cheaper and more easily accessible despite sanctions, making them the primary solution for the energy security issues regularly experienced by the EU, like cold temperatures and lackluster wind generation. President Trump has also shaken the Europeans by using energy as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations, making some European countries realize that their reliance on the U.S. may be a vulnerability. This has, paradoxically, driven EU countries back towards Russia as an energy supplier—it remains to be seen whether they will reverse course and move in unison to stop funding Moscow's war. Europe's stance on Russia is only growing more divided, as the recent Polish election, which narrowly awarded right-wing candidate Karol Nawrocki the presidency, demonstrates, posing a further challenge for the EU. President Nawrocki has supported military aid to Ukraine but is against allowing it to join NATO, believing it could drag the alliance into conflict with Russia. The new Polish president's 'Eurosceptic' stance may lead to alignment with more pro-Russian leaders in Europe such as Hungary's Orban and Slovakia's Fico. The European Union has been far from united on sanctions regarding oil and gas exports since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in early 2022. Despite sanctions, Russia's energy exports have proven more resilient than expected, thanks to strategic rerouting through the TurkStream pipeline and continued demand from nations unwilling or unable to pivot quickly. ISTANBUL, TURKEY - The TurkStream pipeline is a key avenue through which Russia continues to ... More transport gas to Europe. (Photo by Isa Terli/) The EU had set a goal of ending all Russian gas imports by 2027, but the road to that goal has been riddled with a lack of enforcement, exceptions, and relapses of reliance. While this plan sets a roadmap for measures to end energy dependence on Russia, it must be supported by baseload energy generation that will not fluctuate like solar and wind. The plan includes measures to reduce uranium and other nuclear energy imports from Moscow, but both individual states and the EU as a whole must focus on rebuilding a nuclear supply chain and stimulating domestic growth in nuclear power generation. Simply declaring long-term goals without follow-up and enforcement is ineffectual and undermines Europe's geostrategic credibility. Russia's 2025 economic gains demonstrate the need for sustained pressure and a united front that presses Moscow to the negotiating table. Despite impressive wins like the recent drone strike, allowing Russia to make economic gains, risks a weakening of Ukraine, and heightened Russian ambition looking toward the rest of the continent. The options seem clear—either the West moves to hit Russia in the pocketbook and press for a ceasefire and peace, or money will flow that allows Moscow to keep grinding on. While care must be taken not to destabilize the world economy and reignite inflation, a window of opportunity for cooperation is open now to help stop the bloodshed. And certainly, the world economy – including America's – will only suffer if Russia is emboldened to keep advancing aggressively in Ukraine and beyond.
Forbes
12-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Brussels, Washington, And The Kremlin's Oil-And-Gas-For-War Exports
Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on the state armament program for 2027-2036 at ... More the Kremlin. Given continued funding by gas exports to Europe, Moscow's economy may be able to support further conflict in Ukraine and beyond.(Photo by Gavriil Grigorov / POOL / AFP) (Photo by GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) A major Ukrainian drone operation dubbed 'Spiderweb', conducted on Sunday, June 1, damaged strategic bomber assets deep in Russia. The attack, combined with a strike against the multi-billion-dollar Kerch Strait bridge built after Moscow annexed the Crimea in 2014 to connect it to the Russian mainland, was a huge blow, both in image and in substance. However, it comes at a time when Russia's economic picture is quietly improving, and the offensive picking up steam, which has allowed Moscow to refuse to make any real progress on ceasefire talks despite U.S. President Donald Trump's best efforts. Financial improvement is excellent news for Russia's President Vladimir Putin, who is hellbent on outrunning economic decline at home and attaining victory on the battlefield. Money from energy sales continues to fill Russia's war chest, which is why now is the time for Washington and Europe to work together to turn off Moscow's spigot. Only by depriving the Kremlin of the funds needed to sustain the war can peace be restored at the battlefront. Unfortunately, things have been going in exactly the opposite direction during the first half of 2025. Despite sanctions, Russian gas exports to Europe through the Turkstream pipeline rose more than 10% from April to May, and Russia's oil and gas giant Gazprom posted an unexpected $8.4 billion Q1 profit, up from $7 billion in losses in 2023. On Tuesday, June 10th, the EU announced that it is working on a package of additional sanctions, lowering the price cap for Russian oil from $45 per barrel from $60, as well as banning the use of Russian banks by third countries and stopping any EU operators from being allowed to use Russia's Nord Stream pipelines. If the EU members approve these new proposed sanctions, they will certainly have an impact -- but this is by no means guaranteed. Slovakia and Hungary are two of the most pro-Russian regimes in the EU and have actively opposed sanctions on Russia. It may change, now that Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary announced that Russia only understands the language of force. However, if Washington and Brussels cooperate to tighten the sanctions regime, this could be a game-changer and eventually force Moscow to negotiate. On the other side of the Atlantic, leaders in the United States are acting to decisively end Russia's benefit from its energy industries. The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, introduced by Senator Linsey Graham (R-SC), a Trump ally, contains measures to prohibit American entities from investing in or exporting to the Russian energy sector, impose a 500 percent tariff on Russian goods and services entering the and levy the same tariff on countries that sell, supply, transfer, or purchase oil, uranium, natural gas, petroleum products, or petrochemical products originating in Russia. These measures would serve the dual purpose of weakening Moscow's energy trade while putting pressure on states that hesitate to halt their purchases of Russian energy products, including the Europeans, if they fail to step up actively. Russia's economic turnaround through 2025 can primarily be attributed to surging energy exports. The Trump Administration's hesitancy to impose sanctions, despite Trump's willingness to threaten them, created room for this export surge. Without seeing sanctions ratchet up, and with rumors floating that sanctions might be lifted, more customers became willing to turn to Russia. Despite successful maneuver like Operation Spiderweb, a war economy fueled by oil and gas exports ... More still allows Russia to conduct large scale counterattacks, like that seen in Kyiv on June 6th. Russia's foreign currency reserves, once under pressure, as Moscow struggled to keep the ruble from imploding, have recovered, moving past their pre-war high of $630 billion to $680 billion. The Russian ruble made a strong recovery, becoming a top-performing currency of 2025 so far. The ruble has outperformed the Russian government's own budgetary projections with a 40% increase in value against the dollar, a jump of almost four times the next best-performing currency. While this can be attributed to increased domestic economic controls, rising oil prices, and continued exports, another factor may be the sustained trade and indirect financial flows from China, which has remained Moscow's most reliable economic partner. It isn't the entire EU that is importing Russian oil and gas, but a few key countries are more reliant on these imports than others. Hungary, Slovakia, and France were the largest importers in November 2024 with Austria and Spain rounding out the top five. Countries with pro-Russian leadership are not the only ones that have continued importing Russian energy. European governments that decry Russia's aggression continue to throw Moscow an economic lifeline due to their inability to find alternative energy sources. For now, Russian oil and gas are cheaper and more easily accessible despite sanctions, making them the primary solution for the energy security issues regularly experienced by the EU, like cold temperatures and lackluster wind generation. President Trump has also shaken the Europeans by using energy as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations, making some European countries realize that their reliance on the U.S. may be a vulnerability. This has, paradoxically, driven EU countries back towards Russia as an energy supplier—it remains to be seen whether they will reverse course and move in unison to stop funding Moscow's war. Europe's stance on Russia is only growing more divided, as the recent Polish election, which narrowly awarded right-wing candidate Karol Nawrocki the presidency, demonstrates, posing a further challenge for the EU. President Nawrocki has supported military aid to Ukraine but is against allowing it to join NATO, believing it could drag the alliance into conflict with Russia. The new Polish president's 'Eurosceptic' stance may lead to alignment with more pro-Russian leaders in Europe such as Hungary's Orban and Slovakia's Fico. The European Union has been far from united on sanctions regarding oil and gas exports since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in early 2022. Despite sanctions, Russia's energy exports have proven more resilient than expected, thanks to strategic rerouting through the TurkStream pipeline and continued demand from nations unwilling or unable to pivot quickly. ISTANBUL, TURKEY - The TurkStream pipeline is a key avenue through which Russia continues to ... More transport gas to Europe. (Photo by Isa Terli/) The EU had set a goal of ending all Russian gas imports by 2027, but the road to that goal has been riddled with a lack of enforcement, exceptions, and relapses of reliance. While this plan sets a roadmap for measures to end energy dependence on Russia, it must be supported by baseload energy generation that will not fluctuate like solar and wind. The plan includes measures to reduce uranium and other nuclear energy imports from Moscow, but both individual states and the EU as a whole must focus on rebuilding a nuclear supply chain and stimulating domestic growth in nuclear power generation. Simply declaring long-term goals without follow-up and enforcement is ineffectual and undermines Europe's geostrategic credibility. Russia's 2025 economic gains demonstrate the need for sustained pressure and a united front that presses Moscow to the negotiating table. Despite impressive wins like the recent drone strike, allowing Russia to make economic gains, risks a weakening of Ukraine, and heightened Russian ambition looking toward the rest of the continent. The options seem clear—either the West moves to hit Russia in the pocketbook and press for a ceasefire and peace, or money will flow that allows Moscow to keep grinding on. While care must be taken not to destabilize the world economy and reignite inflation, a window of opportunity for cooperation is open now to help stop the bloodshed. And certainly, the world economy – including America's – will only suffer if Russia is emboldened to keep advancing aggressively in Ukraine and beyond.
CNN
07-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Kharkiv hit by ‘most powerful attack' of entire war, mayor says, as Russia pounds Ukraine again
Russia bombarded Ukraine's second-largest city with massive strikes in the early hours of Saturday, its mayor said, one night after Moscow carried out one of the war's largest aerial assaults on Ukraine. Russia has conducted extensive attacks on Ukraine in recent days, in what is being viewed as retaliation for an audacious drone operation by Kyiv that debilitated more than a third of Moscow's strategic cruise missile carriers. The northeastern city of Kharkiv – which sits about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Russian border – was shaken by 'at least 40 explosions' on Saturday, killing at least two people and wounding more than a dozen, according to a Telegram post by Mayor Igor Terekhov. 'Kharkiv is currently experiencing the most powerful attack since the start of the full-scale war,' Terekhov said. 'The enemy is striking simultaneously with missiles, (drones) and guided aerial bombs. This is outright terror against peaceful Kharkiv.' Video released by emergency services showed a large fire burning in a multi-story apartment block in the Osnovyanskyi district in the city's southwest, where Terekhov said two people had died. One person was also killed in a strike that hit a house in the Kyivskyi district to the north, he said. A day earlier, in the apparent retaliation to Ukraine's drone swarm, Russia launched a barrage of drones and ballistic missiles across broad swaths of Ukraine, killing at least six people and injuring dozens of others. 'They gave Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night,' US President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One late on Friday. Trump had earlier warned Russian retaliation was imminent, after speaking with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if Putin intends to further escalate Moscow's retaliation. Ukraine's drone attack against Russian airfields on Sunday was audacious and daring. But most of all, it was meticulously planned and executed flawlessly against Russia. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh explains how the attack unfolded. Trump is eager to bring an end to the three-year war, but has been reluctant to impose new sanctions on Russia while the US pushes the warring nations to strike a ceasefire deal. On Friday, he said he will use further sanctions against Russia 'if necessary.' 'If I think Russia will not be making a deal or stopping the bloodshed… I'll use it if it's necessary,' he told reporters. Officials from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul on Monday for a second round of peace talks, but the meeting lasted barely over an hour and the only real outcome was an agreement to work towards another prisoner swap. CNN's Kate Irby contributed reporting
Daily Mail
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Putin's nuclear revenge: Why Kyiv's devastating drone attack could be trigger for Russia to use tactical nukes in Ukraine
Ukraine's breathtaking drone operation that heralded the destruction of Russian bomber aircraft thousands of miles from the border has raised fears Kyiv 's forces may have crossed a threshold set out in Moscow's nuclear weapon use policy. Operation Spiderweb, conducted Sunday by Ukraine's security services (SBU), saw more than a hundred drones destroy and damage at least a dozen strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons after being smuggled across Russia on trucks. The drones were reportedly piloted by Ukrainian operatives housed in a building close to an office of Russia's FSB security service and successfully evaded detection in a scathing indictment of Russia's intelligence apparatus. While the attack may not have significantly impacted Moscow 's immediate warfighting capabilities, it showed a willingness and a capability on the part of Ukraine to threaten some of Russia's most prized military assets - up to and including parts of its nuclear triad. Several civilians have already been killed in retributive barrages of drone and missile attacks unleashed by Putin's forces on towns and cities across Ukraine, including Kyiv, since the attacks unfolded on Sunday. But these brutal bombardments are likely just one part of Russia's revenge. US President Donald Trump claimed Putin said that he had to retaliate during a call between the two leaders, before the Kremlin yesterday issued an official statement saying it would choose 'how and when' to respond. Then this morning, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov elevated the rhetoric, telling reporters in Moscow that the war in Ukraine is an 'existential issue for Russia's national interest, safety, on our future and the future of our children'. Now, analysts and officials have warned the daring drone strikes could be considered in Moscow to have crossed a red line set out in Russia's nuclear doctrine, opening up the prospect of a tactical nuclear weapon being deployed on Ukrainian soil. Putin in November signed off on an updated version of the Kremlin's nuclear doctrine that broadened the scope for Moscow to turn to its fearsome atomic arsenal on the same day that US-made missiles rained down on Russian soil. The new document, which replaced the previous iteration outlined in 2020, allows Putin's strategic forces to deploy their devastating weapons if Russia or ally Belarus is threatened by a non-nuclear nation supported by a nuclear power. It also greenlit the use of nuclear weapons in the event of attacks by an adversary on important state or military infrastructure that could potentially disrupt the actions of Russia's nuclear forces. Threats that could warrant a nuclear response from Russia's leadership include an attack with conventional missiles, aircraft or drones, according to the updated document. It is unclear whether any of Ukraine's nuclear-powered backers in the West - namely the US, UK and France - were in any way responsible for supporting the planning or execution of Operation Spiderweb. But George Beebe, Director of Grand Strategy at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and former director of Russia analysis at the CIA, said there is a real possibility that Putin's inner circle may believe that to be the case. 'They might well look at this situation and decide that this was a joint attack - that the Ukrainians could not have pulled this off without the knowledge and support of the United States or our NATO allies in Europe,' he told Foreign Policy magazine. 'Now, whether that is true or not, the danger here is that Russians might perceive that to be the case. 'We're dealing with a situation here where the Russians may be concerned that Trump is doing just what people accuse Putin of doing - namely, talking about peace while conducting war.' In November, when Western-made missiles launched by Ukrainian forces struck targets in Russia, Moscow delivered a clear signal that it was serious about lowering the threshold for nuclear conflict. Days later, Putin's forces delivered a punishing strike on Ukraine's Dnipro region with an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) dubbed 'Oreshnik' - which is believed to have been derived from the RS-26 missile capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads. Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova hinted that Western nations aided Kyiv in carrying out Operation Spiderweb. 'The West is involved in the terrorist activities of the Kiev regime... The countries of the 'collective West' supply weapons specifically for the purpose of committing terrorist acts,' she said in a statement. Some analysts have pointed out that Ukraine's attack, while more shocking than any prior assault on Russian strategic assets, was still carefully calculated to show restraint. The operation sought to damage Russia's Tu-22 and Tu-95 bomber aircraft, which have been frequently deployed since the start of the war to deliver conventional air-launched missile attacks on Ukraine. Although both the Tu-22 and Tu-95 are capable of carrying strategic nuclear weapons, that role is largely the reserve of Russia's fleet of Tu-160 'BlackJack' planes. These advanced, heavy strategic bombers are seen as a cornerstone of Russia's airborne nuclear deterrent, able to fly some 12,500 kilometres while carrying up to 40 tonnes of ordnance - and have largely remained absent from the Ukraine conflict. Kyiv, despite clearly boasting the capability to strike Russia's airborne assets thousands of kilometres from the border, chose not to target Tu-160s en masse - a move that could signal Volodymyr Zelensky's understanding of Moscow's limits and one which offers the Kremlin some wiggle room when plotting its response. But Beebe warned that Ukraine's operation was likely to cause a rapid escalation in the conflict regardless, reasoning that those close to Putin will be saying 'we can't afford not to respond, because if we don't, this will just cement this impression that Ukraine and its allies in the West can just continue to push across all Russian red lines'. For now though, it seems Ukrainian citizens will simply have to contend with an ever increasing threat of conventional drone and missile strikes. Russia targeted at least six regions across the country with 407 drones and 44 missiles in one of its largest coordinated attacks of the three-year war overnight into today. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said search and rescue operations are underway at several locations in the city. Multiple explosions were heard in Kyiv, where falling debris sparked fires across several districts as air defence systems attempted to intercept incoming targets, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration. 'Our air defence crews are doing everything possible. But we must protect one another - stay safe,' Tkachenko wrote on Telegram. Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said the barrage included ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as a mix of strike drones and decoys. Ukrainian forces said they shot down about 30 of the cruise missiles and up to 200 of the drones. Ukrainian cities have come under regular bombardment since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. The attacks have killed more than 12,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. Meanwhile in the UK, Britain's Strategic Defence Review (SDR) has warned of what the UK could expect to face in the event of a conflict with Russia as concern grows over the potential consequences of Operation Spiderweb. In a comprehensive 144-page document unveiled by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary John Healey earlier this week, defence chiefs outlined the five terrifying 'methods of attack' Britain should brace itself for. Military bases, ports and airfields in the UK would be the first to come under siege, blasted by waves of drones and long-range cruise, ballistic or hypersonic missiles. Oil rigs, subsea cables, satellite communications and merchant vessels would also find themselves in the crosshairs of any onslaught by Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, with saboteurs seeking to damage or destroy them. And a shadowy digital army of hackers would also launch a devastating barrage of cyber attacks, targeting government bodies, stock exchanges, communications and other critical infrastructure in a bid to paralyse Britain. The SDR warned: 'Based on the current way of war, if the UK were to fight a state-on-state war as part of NATO in 2025, it could expect to be subject to some or all of the following methods of attack: Attacks on the armed forces in the UK and on overseas bases Air and missile strikes from long range drones, cruise and ballistic missiles targeting military infrastructure and critical national infrastructure Increased sabotage and cyber attacks Attempts to disrupt the UK economy - especially the industry that supports the armed forces - through cyber attacks, intercepting shipping trade and attacks on space-based infrastructure
