Russia strikes prison in Ukraine, killing 16 and wounding dozens
Ivan Fedorov said buildings at one of Zaporizhzhia's prisons were destroyed, without detailing where in the region they were. Russian forces have frequently targeted Zaporizhzhia since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Ukraine's human rights commissioner said attacking a prison was a gross violation of humanitarian law as people in detention did not lose their right to life and protection.US President Donald Trump issued a stark ultimatum to Moscow Monday, warning that Russia had "about 10 or 12 days" to agree a ceasefire or face sweeping sanctions. Speaking during a visit to Scotland, Trump told reporters he would "announce it probably tonight or tomorrow," adding, "there's no reason to wait, if you know what the answer is".Earlier in July, Trump set a 50-day deadline for the Kremlin to reach a truce with Kyiv or risk economic penalties, but the warning has not halted Russia's barrage of strikes.There were further casualties in a missile and drone attack late on Monday in the Dnipropetrovsk region of eastern Ukraine.A strike on the industrial city of Kamyanske left two people dead and five injured, according to regional head Serhiy Lysak. Another person was killed and several were wounded in the Synelnykivsky district, while a 75-year-old woman was killed and a 68-year-old man injured when their home was hit in a village late on Monday.The wave of attacks came as Russia pushed deeper into Ukrainian territory in Dnipropetrovsk. At the weekend, Moscow said its forces had captured the village of Maliyevka, weeks after capturing their first village in the region. Ukraine has rejected Russia's claims.Meanwhile, in Russia, officials said Ukraine had launched dozens of drones overnight in the southern Rostov region, killing one person in their car in the town of Salsk and setting fire to a goods train. Another person was reported killed in their car in the border region of Belgorod and his wife was wounded.
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Times
25 minutes ago
- Times
Enlisted, deployed, still fighting: the Ukrainians at the front 1,200 days on
In the days following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, thousands of men left their families and jobs to defend their country, swelling the ranks of Kyiv's armed forces. Many had never fired a weapon in anger. About 1,200 days later, many of the same men are still fighting. With each passing day, however, there are fewer of them left alive. Ukraine's skilled infantry is thinning out. Russian troops were advancing across Ukraine in the spring of 2022 when Mykhailo, a music teacher from a small town near Kyiv, enlisted. The life-changing decision took him almost no time at all. 'I took a shower and then went straight to the military recruitment office,' he said. Bohdan, a cook from Kryvyi Rih, President Zelensky's home city, was another who volunteered to fight at the start. 'I didn't even know that the army would feed me, let alone pay me,' he said. 'I just wanted to protect our country's future.' Both are now battle-hardened fighters with the 47th Separate Mechanised Brigade in Ukraine's Sumy region and their combat experience, and that of other long-serving soldiers, has become invaluable to Kyiv's hopes of holding back Russia. Their previous lives seem like a dream and many are unsure of how they will adapt to civilian life when the war eventually ends. 'I'm not afraid of death. I've been injured six times — three shrapnel wounds and three bullet wounds,' Bohdan, 29, said. In 2023, he was badly injured while fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region and evacuated from the battlefield. He spent a year recovering before returning to the army. As the war approaches its three-and-a-half-year point, with no end in sight, many of those who joined up at the start are either dead or injured, while others have refused to fight on. There is little hope of a fresh wave of motivated recruits to plug growing manpower gaps along the more than 600-mile front. 'Everyone in Ukraine who wanted to fight is already fighting,' Robert Brovdi, the commander of the military's drone forces, said. He spoke after Russian troops were able to enter Pokrovsk, a besieged town in the east of the country, when a Ukrainian brigade 'simply ran out of infantry', according to DeepState, a Ukrainian website that monitors the front lines. On Friday, Mariia Berlinska, a well-known war veteran who also heads Kyiv's Centre for Aerial Reconnaissance Support, estimated that Ukraine's military was suffering daily casualties of 300 dead and 750 injured. About 500 troops also desert every day, she said. She warned that Russian forces could be in Kyiv by the winter 'if we don't change something'. Under martial law that was introduced at the start of the invasion, anyone who was mobilised for the war effort, voluntarily or otherwise, must stay in the army until the end of the conflict. There are exceptions for people suffering from serious health conditions, single fathers and men caring for close relatives with serious illnesses or disabilities. Soldiers aged 18-24 who signed up under a new programme that was launched in February are also allowed to discharge themselves after a year of service. For many other men, the prospect of fighting indefinitely, unless killed or injured, is something that they want to avoid at any cost. Draft-dodging has become routine and hundreds of thousands of men of fighting age have fled to Europe, according to EU statistics. Ukraine is hoping to solve at least some of its manpower problems with a fresh influx of foreign fighters. Bohdan, who is now a platoon commander, is instructing a new reconnaissance and strike unit that is dominated by soldiers from Colombia. In a surreal turn of events, the Colombians are fighting against North Korean troops, who are supporting President Putin's forces in western Russia's Kursk region, where Kyiv maintains a tiny foothold after last year's surprise incursion. The Times saw dozens of the Spanish-speaking soldiers at a military training ground, but was denied permission to interview them. 'The Colombians are much better than the current crop of new Ukrainian soldiers because they haven't been dragged here against their will. Our guys are obsessed with thoughts about how they will all die, how they will get sent on suicide missions and so on. They don't want to learn and they have no motivation,' Bohdan said. When asked what motivated the Colombians, he replied: 'Money, basically. For them, it's work.' The average monthly frontline salary for a member of the Ukrainian armed forces is 120,000 hryvnias (£2,165), a sum eight times higher than the average earnings of a Colombian soldier. Mykhailo, who is now a company commander, was equally scathing about the new Ukrainian recruits. 'These guys who were snatched and thrown into a [military draft patrol] vehicle while they were going to the shop aren't ready for war at all. Out of ten of them there is maybe one who will prove himself. These are completely different people from the guys that joined up at the start of the war.' More than three years at the front, with only 30 days of annual leave, has taken its toll on soldiers. There is growing frustration that no serious efforts are being undertaken to ensure they do not have to shoulder the burden alone. Zelensky recently said there would be no demobilisation of troops 'until the enemy is defeated'. Laying out anti-drone nets on a road near Sumy OLEKSIY MOROZOV FOR THE TIMES The nets are deployed like a cage over the road OLEKSIY MOROZOV FOR THE TIMES Ihor Raykov, a soldier with the 13th Khartiia Brigade, which was formed by volunteers, wrote this week in a Facebook post: 'When I went to war, my eldest son was 140cm tall, now he is 167cm. These 27cm of his life passed without me. Many children will never be able to see their fathers again. No one forced me [to join up]. But I did not choose to become a serf.' He appealed to Zelensky to adopt a 'fair law' on military service terms and to allow soldiers to be rotated on a regular basis. He admitted, however, that such a scheme would require three times more soldiers than at present. Dmytro, another soldier who has been at the front since 2022, raged against what he said was the corruption and callousness of government officials. 'They don't give a f*** about ordinary soldiers,' he said, as he repaired a window at his family's home in Kyiv after a Russian attack that killed at least 31 people. 'We are losing so many people. I've lost count of how many of my friends have been killed. I go to the graveyard and I scream inside because these men should be alive,' he said. Some soldiers who have been fighting for more than three years say they have become almost like killing machines, eliminating Russian soldiers without emotion. Bohdan said he had killed more than 580 Russian troops while serving as a sniper for almost 18 months, an average of more than one a day. 'I haven't even counted how many I killed on assault missions,' he said. Mykhailo, 31, said he had killed in close combat and as a sniper. 'I didn't feel any emotions, neither sadness nor joy. I didn't dream about the people I killed. I slept peacefully,' he said. Like many of his fellow soldiers, he tries not to think too much about how and when the war will end, or his plans for peacetime. 'I don't know if I will be able to go back to being a teacher again,' he said. 'A lot has changed inside me.'
Sky News
37 minutes ago
- Sky News
US manhunt for 'dangerous' murder suspect who dropped off baby after four relatives found dead
A car has been found during the search for a man suspected of killing the parents, grandmother and uncle of a baby girl found abandoned in a US state. Austin Robert Drummond, 28, is suspected of having murdered four relatives in Tennessee - James M Wilson, 21, Adrianna Williams, 20, Cortney Rose, 38, and Braydon Williams, 15, who were identified on Wednesday. Mr Wilson and Adrianna Williams were the parents of the infant found alive in a car seat in a front yard on Tuesday afternoon. Police say Drummond then dropped off the baby and made people aware of the child, in an act of "compassion". However, officers added Drummond remains on the run and should be considered "armed and dangerous". Ms Rose was Adrianna and Braydon Williams' mother, according to District Attorney Danny Goodman. No details have been given on how they were murdered. Drummond dropped off the seven-month-old infant and brought attention to people nearby to come get the child, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch said during a news conference. The baby is safe and being cared for, according to Stephen Sutton, a spokesperson for the Lake and Dyer county sheriffs. "While this was an extremely tragic and violent event... there was a sign of compassion, if you will," Mr Rausch said. "That tells us that there's a possibility that Austin may have a sense that there is hope for him to be able to come in and have a conversation about what happened." Mr Rausch said he believes it was a targeted attack by Drummond, who had a relationship with the victims and their family. A relative of the victims posted on Facebook after the deaths, saying the suspect has "literally been nothing short of amazing to us and our kids", according to our US partner network NBC News. "We all trusted him," the relative added. The unoccupied car that police said Drummond had been driving was found on Friday in Jackson, Tennessee, about 70 miles from where the bodies were found and some 40 miles from where the baby was left in a car seat in a front yard. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has said it obtained warrants for Drummond. He is wanted on four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping, and weapons offences. Authorities offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. Drummond was convicted of one count of aggravated robbery in August 2014, according to public records. His sentence ended in September 2024, according to Tennessee Department of Correction records. He was charged criminally for activities inside the prison, including attempted murder, after he completed the sentence that put him behind bars, District Attorney Mr Goodman said. Drummond was out on bond on the other charges at the time of the killings, he added.
Scottish Sun
43 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Watch moment huge mushroom cloud erupts over Russian plant after massive Ukrainian strike in major blow to Putin
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THIS is the jaw-dropping moment when a huge fireball erupted over a Russian oil refinery during Ukrainian drone strikes. The vast mushroom cloud rose over the military-linked Novokuybyshevsk refinery in Russia's Samara region. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 Ukrainian drones struck the ELOU AVT-11 installation at the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery Credit: East2West 8 A vast fireball erupted into the air following the strike Credit: East2West 8 It is just one of several blazes reported at strategic sites across Russia Credit: East2West 8 But it comes as Russia continues to brutally bombard civilian targets in Ukraine Credit: East2West 8 Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during Russian-Laotian talks at the Kremlin Credit: Getty Images - Getty This plant supplies aviation fuel for Putin's combat aircraft, which have been used in barbaric attacks against Ukrainian civilians. Stunning footage shows flames erupting high into the air, engulfing the facility in a bright orange inferno. Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ claimed the attack led to fire surging 590ft into the sky. But, in a major blow to Vlad's war machine, it is just one of several blazes reported at strategic sites across Russia. read more in world news WHAT A JERK-ULES Brazen tourists anger locals with 'disrespectful' act at ancient site Elsewhere, another oil refinery was set alight in Ryazan - which is a critical supplier for the Russian capital Moscow. Fires were also reported at a military airfield Primorsko-Akhtarsk in the Krasnodar region - which is used for Russia's brutal drone strikes against Ukraine. A "major hit" was further reported on a Russian air defence radar company in occupied Crimea. One woman died in drone strikes on the Electropribor plant in Penza city - which makes special-purpose telecoms and cryptographic equipment to support Putin's war machine. As many as eight massive explosions were heard in the city during the drone strikes, according to reports. Ukrainian forces also reportedly hit military targets in the Rostov region, leading to one death. Trump says US is 'fully prepared' for war after moving subs towards Russia It comes as Russia continues to brutally bombard civilian targets in Ukraine. A total of 31 people died, including five children, after Putin's forces fired an Iskander missile into a residential tower block in Kyiv. Devastating Russian strikes against civilian targets have also been reported in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions over the past week. It comes after Donald Trump ordered two nuclear submarines be positioned near Russia. The US President's patience with Putin has worn thin in recent weeks over the Russian tyrant's unwillingness to agree to a ceasefire. He also slashed his 50 day deadline for a peace deal down to "10 to 12" days - towards the end of next week. One of Putin's cronies hit back at Trump following this move, accusing him of fanning the flames of war. Ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said: "Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. "Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don't go down the Sleepy Joe road!" But Trump slammed Medvedev's comments as "foolish and inflammatory" as he ordered for the submarines to be sent out. "We always want to be ready, and so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines," Trump said. "I just want to make sure that his words are only words and nothing more than that." He added: "A threat was made by a former president of Russia and we're going to protect our people." 8 Trump's patience with Putin has worn thin in recent weeks Credit: Reuters 8 Stunning footage shows flames erupting high into the air Credit: East2West
