Putin goes full throttle on hypersonic missiles as Israel, US strike Iran sparking World War III panic
Russia to Surge Oreshnik Hypersonic Missiles Production
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Vladimir Putin Says Hypersonic Missiles Are 'Impossible to Intercept'
Fear of World War III Grows
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Russian president Vladimir Putin has revealed that he has planned to increase the production of hypersonic missiles after the tensions in the Middle East escalated, and now there is a looming fear of World War III, as per a report.During a press conference, the Russian president shared his plans of producing more Oreshnik hypersonic missiles to be prepared in case a full-swing war breaks out, as per The Mirror report. The missiles reportedly have an intermediate range and were first used when Russia attacked Ukraine, according to the report.Putin emphasised that the missile had "proven itself very well in combat conditions," as quoted by Reuters in a report. He also highlighted that "Serial production of the latest Oreshnik medium-range missile system under way," as quoted in the report.ALSO READ: Big news you missed: Israel blows up gate to Iran's notorious Evin Prison to free Khamenei's critics According to The Mirror report, the missile, also known as the Hazel tree missile, was used when Russia attacked Ukraine on November 21, 2024. During that strike, the arsenal was aimed at a defence building in the city of Dnipro and caused major significant destruction to it, as per the report.The Russian president also pointed out that he had approved of the missile strike after Ukraine started to use ballistic missiles that were produced in the United States, which was just before former US president Joe Biden left the White House after his term ended, according to The Mirror report. Putin even had blamed the United Kingdom for allowing Ukraine to use cruise missiles that had been produced in the country to strike targets in Russia, reported The Mirror.The Oreshnik missiles, which is expected to be ready to use in the latter half of this year, can reportedly hit targets, which are as far as 3,415 miles away and would also be able to strike targets across Europe and even the ones in the western US, as per the report by The Mirror.During a previous press conference, Putin had asserted that the Oreshnik was "impossible to intercept," and even emphasised that the missile could even damage buildings like a nuclear weapon, however, military analysts have cast doubt over his reported claim, according to the report.ALSO READ: Aurora Borealis forecast: Northern Lights to light up skies in US this week - to be visible in these states today His move to ramp up production of the Oreshnik missiles comes after Iran attacked the American military bases in neighbouring Qatar on Monday in response to US President Donald Trump's decision to drop "bunker buster" bombs at nuclear sites in the country over the weekend, reported The Mirror.ALSO READ: New York City Mayoral Primary: How long will New Yorkers wait for mayoral primary results with ranked choice voting? Due to rising global tensions, especially after the US conducted military strikes on Iran amid the ongoing war between Israel and Iran.Putin says they can cause damage like nuclear weapons, but experts remain doubtful about this extreme claim.
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Business Standard
9 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Drone debris found in Ukraine indicates Russia using new tech from Iran
Last week, Ukrainian drone hunters picking up the debris from Russia's nightly assault on their cities found a weapon that stood out from the rest. It had an advanced camera, a computing platform powered by artificial intelligence and a radio link, allowing an operator to pilot it remotely from Russia. It also contained new, Iranian-made, anti-jamming technology, according to a Ukrainian drone expert. Most Russian attack drones are black, said Serhii Beskrestnov, an electronics expert more widely known as Flash. The new one, he told The Associated Press, was white. Inside, there were no markings or labels consistent with Russian-made drones. Instead, the stickers followed a standard Iran labelling system, Beskrestnov said. Experts who spoke to AP said the labels are not conclusive proof but the English-language words are consistent with how Iran marks its drones. It is quite possible, they said, that it was sold by Iran to Russia to test in combat. Moscow has pummelled Ukraine almost nightly with Iranian-designed drones throughout the course of the war, now in its fourth year. They swarm above Ukrainian cities, their moped-like sound filling the air, as air defences and sharpshooters take aim. While some carry warheads, many are decoys. Russia is improving its drone technology and tactics, striking Ukraine with increasing success. But the UK's Defence Ministry said Israel's strikes on Iran will likely negatively impact the future provision of Iranian military equipment to Russia," since Tehran had supplied significant quantities of attack drones to Moscow. Israeli attacks on Iran Israel's military would not comment on what it struck. Although it has carried out sweeping attacks across Iranian military facilities and the US bombed nuclear sites, the impact on Iran's drone industry is not yet clear. The anti-jammer in the latest drone discovered in Ukraine contained new Iranian technology, suggested Beskrestnov. Other components in Russia's drones often come from Russia, China and the West. Although Russia's drones are based on an Iranian design, the majority are now made in Russia. And because much of the technology to make them, including the Iranian software and technical expertise, has already been transferred to Russia, the immediate impact on Moscow's drone program could be limited, experts said. However, if Israel struck facilities producing drones and components such as engines and anti-jamming units which are shipped to Russia, then Moscow could face supply shortages, experts suggested. A secretive Russian factory Moscow makes its Shahed meaning witness in Farsi drones based on an Iranian model in a highly secure factory in central Russia. The Alabuga plant in the Tatarstan region took delivery of its first Iranian drones in 2022 after Russia and Iran signed a USD 1.7 billion deal. It later established its own production lines, churning out thousands of them. The upgrades identified from debris in Ukraine are the latest in a series of innovations that began with Russia buying drones directly from Iran in the fall of 2022, according to leaked documents from Alabuga previously reported on by AP. In early 2023, Iran shipped about 600 disassembled drones to be reassembled in Russia before production was localized. In 2024, the design was adapted. Specialists added cameras to some drones and implemented a plan, revealed in an AP investigation, dubbed Operation False Target creating decoys to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Alabuga also modified the Shahed to make it more lethal, creating a thermobaric drone which sucks out all the oxygen in its path potentially collapsing lungs, crushing eyeballs and causing brain damage. The size of the warhead was also upgraded. Jet-propelled drones and AI In at least one case, Iran shipped a jet-powered Shahed that Russia experimented with in Ukraine, said Fabian Hinz, an expert on Russian and Iranian drones at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. Ukraine's air force found two more examples of jet-powered Shaheds in May but it appears they have not been widely adopted. That's possibly because the Iranian design uses a very sophisticated jet engine that also powers Iran's cruise missiles, Hinz said. That likely makes it too expensive to use nightly in Ukraine, he said, even if the engine is swapped to a cheaper Chinese model. The electronics in the drone most recently found in Ukraine are also very expensive, Beskrestnov said, pointing to its AI computing platform, camera and radio link. It's unclear why it was deployed but Beskrestnov suggested it could be used to target critical infrastructure, including electrical transmission towers. Previous versions of the Shahed drone could not hit a moving object or change their flight path once launched. They sometimes ended up travelling in circles all through Ukraine before they finally hit a target, which made them easier to shoot down, said David Albright of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. The radio link means an operator can communicate with the drone from Russia, introduce a new target and potentially control many drones at the same time, the experts said. The remotely operable Shahed has similarities to drones Russia is already using on the front lines and is particularly resistant to jamming, Beskrestnov said. There are eight, rather than four, antennas on the drone which means it is harder for Ukraine to overwhelm it with electronic warfare, he said. The new drone has markings that suggest the anti-jamming unit was made in Iran within the past year and similarities to Iranian components found in older models of the Shahed, said Beskrestnov. Such advanced antennas, said Hinz, have not previously been seen on drones used in Ukraine but have been found on Iranian missiles destined for Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. In a statement, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence told AP in the past four months it had found drones with eight and 12 antennas made in China and Russia. Despite sanctions, both Russia and Iran have continued to find ways to procure Western technology. The drone's AI computing platform can help it autonomously navigate if communications are jammed. Similar technology was used by Ukraine to attack aircraft deep inside Russia during Operation Spiderweb, when it used drones to target Russian air bases hosting nuclear-capable strategic bombers. Changing tactics Russia is improving its technology at the same time as it is also changing its tactics. Moscow is flying the Shahed drones at high altitudes where they are out of reach of Ukrainian shooters, as well as lower down to avoid radio detection. It is also carrying out massive group attacks on cities including where drones sometimes dive-bomb a target, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said. The drones can be used to clear a path for cruise missiles or to exhaust Ukrainian air defences by sending a wave of decoys followed by one or two with a warhead. The tactics appear to be working. AP collected almost a year's worth of Russian drone strike data on Ukraine posted online by the Ukrainian air force. An analysis shows that Russia significantly ramped up its attacks after US President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January. And Russian hits have increased markedly since March shortly before reports emerged that Russia was using Shahed drones with advanced jammers. In November 2022, only around 6 per cent of drones hit a discernible target but, by June, that reached about 16 per cent. On some nights, almost 50 per cent of drones got through Ukraine's air defences. Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said the Shaheds' effectiveness is likely because Russia is firing more drones, including decoys, as well as the change in technology and tactics. But although Russia appears to have had increasing success striking Ukraine, it is not clear if that will continue. Israel's strikes on Iran will certainly hurt Russia long-term, Albright said. Moscow, he said, is not going to be able to get as much assistance from Iran as it has been.
Time of India
15 minutes ago
- Time of India
Trump says China can buy Iranian oil, urges it to buy US crude
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that China can continue to purchase Iranian oil after Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire, a move that the White House clarified did not indicate a relaxation of US sanctions. "China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran. Hopefully, they will be purchasing plenty from the US, also," Trump said in a post on Truth Social, just days after he ordered US bombings of three Iranian nuclear sites. Trump was drawing attention to no attempts by Iran so far to close the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, as a closure would have been hard for China, the world's top importer of Iranian oil, a senior White House official told Reuters. "The president continues to call on China and all countries to import our state-of-the-art oil rather than import Iranian oil in violation of US sanctions," the official said. After the ceasefire announcement, Trump's comments on China were another bearish signal for oil prices, which fell nearly 6 per cent. Any relaxation of sanctions enforcement on Iran would mark a US policy shift after Trump said in February he was re-imposing maximum pressure on Iran, aiming to drive its oil exports to zero, over its nuclear program and funding of militants across the Middle East. Trump imposed waves of Iran-related sanctions on several of China's so-called independent "teapot" refineries and port terminal operators for purchases of Iranian oil. "President Trump's greenlight for China to keep buying Iranian oil reflects a return to lax enforcement standards," said Scott Modell, a former CIA officer, now CEO of Rapidan Energy Group. In addition to not enforcing sanctions, Trump could suspend or waive sanctions imposed by executive order or under authorities a president is granted in laws passed by Congress. Trump will likely not waive sanctions ahead of coming rounds of US-Iran nuclear talks, Modell said. The measures provide leverage given Tehran's demand that any deal includes lifting them permanently. Jeremy Paner, a partner at Hughes Hubbard & Reed lawfirm, said if Trump chooses to suspend Iran oil-related sanctions, it would require lots of work between agencies. The Treasury would need to issue licenses, and the State Department would have to issue waivers, which require Congressional notification. 'Flash the glock' China has long opposed what it has called Washington's "abuse of illegal unilateral sanctions." China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Trump's post. Larger purchases of Iranian oil by China and other consumers could upset US ally Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter. The impact of US sanctions on Iran 's exports, however, has been limited since Trump's first administration when he cracked down harder on Tehran. Trump has "flashed the Glock" this year with sanctions on Chinese trading companies and terminals, but the results have been far more "minimum pressure" than maximum, Modell said. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters that Trump had signaled what he wanted to happen and that his administration is focused on delivering that. She would not say what the process would entail. "But clearly we are focused on making sure that (the) guiding hand of President Trump prevails and moves this government forward, so we will have to wait and see when it comes to what that ends up looking like," Bruce said.]
Time of India
19 minutes ago
- Time of India
Drone debris found in Ukraine indicates Russia is using new technology from Iran
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Last week, Ukrainian drone hunters picking up the debris from Russia 's nightly assault on their cities found a weapon that stood out from the had an advanced camera, a computing platform powered by artificial intelligence and a radio link, allowing an operator to pilot it remotely from Russia. It also contained new, Iranian-made, anti-jamming technology, according to a Ukrainian drone Russian attack drones are black, said Serhii Beskrestnov, an electronics expert more widely known as Flash. The new one, he told The Associated Press, was there were no markings or labels consistent with Russian-made drones. Instead, the stickers followed a "standard Iran labeling system," Beskrestnov who spoke to said the labels are not conclusive proof but the English-language words are consistent with how Iran marks its drones. It is quite possible, they said, that it was sold by Iran to Russia to test in has pummeled Ukraine almost nightly with Iranian-designed drones throughout the course of the war, now in its fourth year. They swarm above Ukrainian cities, their moped-like sound filling the air, as air defenses and sharpshooters take aim. While some carry warheads, many are is improving its drone technology and tactics, striking Ukraine with increasing success. But the U.K's Defense Ministry said Israel's strikes on Iran will "likely negatively impact the future provision of Iranian military equipment to Russia," since Tehran had supplied "significant quantities" of attack drones to attacks on Iran Israel's military would not comment on what it struck. Although it has carried out sweeping attacks across Iranian military facilities and the U.S. bombed nuclear sites, the impact on Iran's drone industry is not yet anti-jammer in the latest drone discovered in Ukraine contained new Iranian technology, suggested Beskrestnov. Other components in Russia's drones often come from Russia, China and the Russia's drones are based on an Iranian design, the majority are now made in because much of the technology to make them, including the Iranian software and technical expertise, has already been transferred to Russia, the immediate impact on Moscow's drone program could be limited, experts if Israel struck facilities producing drones and components - such as engines and anti-jamming units - which are shipped to Russia, then Moscow could face supply shortages, experts suggested.A secretive Russian factory Moscow makes its Shahed - meaning "witness" in Farsi - drones based on an Iranian model in a highly secure factory in central Alabuga plant in the Tatarstan region took delivery of its first Iranian drones in 2022 after Russia and Iran signed a $1.7 billion deal. It later established its own production lines, churning out thousands of upgrades identified from debris in Ukraine are the latest in a series of innovations that began with Russia buying drones directly from Iran in the fall of 2022, according to leaked documents from Alabuga previously reported on by early 2023, Iran shipped about 600 disassembled drones to be reassembled in Russia before production was localized. In 2024, the design was added cameras to some drones and implemented a plan, revealed in an AP investigation, dubbed Operation False Target - creating decoys to overwhelm Ukrainian air also modified the Shahed to make it more lethal, creating a thermobaric drone which sucks out all the oxygen in its path - potentially collapsing lungs, crushing eyeballs and causing brain damage. The size of the warhead was also drones and AI In at least one case, Iran shipped a jet-powered Shahed that Russia "experimented" with in Ukraine, said Fabian Hinz , an expert on Russian and Iranian drones at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in air force found two more examples of jet-powered Shaheds in May but it appears they have not been widely possibly because the Iranian design uses a very sophisticated jet engine that also powers Iran's cruise missiles, Hinz said. That likely makes it too expensive to use nightly in Ukraine, he said, even if the engine is swapped to a cheaper Chinese electronics in the drone most recently found in Ukraine are also very expensive, Beskrestnov said, pointing to its AI computing platform, camera and radio link. It's unclear why it was deployed but Beskrestnov suggested it could be used to target "critical infrastructure," including electrical transmission versions of the Shahed drone could not hit a moving object or change their flight path once launched. They sometimes ended up "traveling in circles all through Ukraine before they finally hit a target," which made them easier to shoot down, said David Albright of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security The radio link means an operator can communicate with the drone from Russia, introduce a new target and potentially control many drones at the same time, the experts remotely operable Shahed has similarities to drones Russia is already using on the front lines and is particularly resistant to jamming, Beskrestnov are eight, rather than four, antennas on the drone which means it is harder for Ukraine to overwhelm it with electronic warfare, he new drone has markings that suggest the anti-jamming unit was made in Iran within the past year and similarities to Iranian components found in older models of the Shahed, said advanced antennas, said Hinz, have not previously been seen on drones used in Ukraine but have been found on Iranian missiles destined for Iran-backed Houthi rebels in a statement, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense told AP in the past four months it had found drones with eight and 12 antennas made in China and sanctions, both Russia and Iran have continued to find ways to procure Western drone's AI computing platform can help it autonomously navigate if communications are jammed. Similar technology was used by Ukraine to attack aircraft deep inside Russia during Operation Spiderweb, when it used drones to target Russian air bases hosting nuclear-capable strategic tactics Russia is improving its technology at the same time as it is also changing its is flying the Shahed drones at high altitudes where they are out of reach of Ukrainian shooters, as well as lower down to avoid radio is also carrying out massive group attacks on cities including where drones sometimes dive-bomb a target, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense drones can be used to clear a path for cruise missiles or to exhaust Ukrainian air defenses by sending a wave of decoys followed by one or two with a tactics appear to be collected almost a year's worth of Russian drone strike data on Ukraine posted online by the Ukrainian air analysis shows that Russia significantly ramped up its attacks after U.S. President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January. And Russian hits have increased markedly since March - shortly before reports emerged that Russia was using Shahed drones with advanced November 2022, only around 6% of drones hit a discernible target but, by June, that reached about 16%. On some nights, almost 50% of drones got through Ukraine's air Ministry of Defense said the Shaheds' effectiveness is likely because Russia is firing more drones, including decoys, as well as the change in technology and although Russia appears to have had increasing success striking Ukraine, it is not clear if that will strikes on Iran will "certainly" hurt Russia long-term, Albright he said, is "not going to be able to get as much assistance from Iran as it has been."
