Ukraine hits Russian airbases with smuggled drones in major operation
NewsFeed Ukraine hits Russian airbases with smuggled drones in major operation
Ukraine says it struck 41 war planes deep inside Russian territory in a major operation using smuggled drones launched from the back of trucks within Russia.
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Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
At least four killed in Russian attacks on Kyiv
At least four people were killed and 20 were wounded in multiple Russian missile and drone attacks overnight on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, local officials have said. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Friday morning search and rescue operations were continuing in several locations. Among the wounded, 16 were admitted to hospital. Multiple explosions were heard in Kyiv, where falling debris sparked fires across several districts as air defence systems attempted to intercept incoming targets, said 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. Ukraine's human rights chief, Dmytro Lubinets, called for a strong international response to the overnight attack, saying the assault violated basic human rights. 'Russia is acting like a terrorist, systematically targeting civilian infrastructure,' Lubinets wrote on Telegram. 'The world must respond clearly and take concrete steps, including condemning the aggressor's actions.' Russia denies targeting civilians since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Authorities reported damage in several districts, and rescue workers were responding at multiple locations. They urged residents to seek shelter. Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs said three emergency workers were killed in Kyiv while responding to the aftermath of Russian attacks. 'They were working under fire to help people,' the ministry said in a statement. In Solomyanskyi district, a fire broke out on the 11th floor of a 16-storey residential building. Emergency services evacuated three people from the apartment, and rescue operations were under way. Another fire broke out in a metal warehouse. Tkachenko said the metro tracks between two stations in Kyiv were damaged in the attack, but no fire or injuries occurred. The attack hit at least six regions across Ukraine, leaving a trail of civilian injuries, damaged infrastructure and disrupted utilities. The number of people injured in a Russian attack on the western city of Ternopil early Friday rose to 10, including five emergency workers, regional governor Viacheslav Nehoda said. The strike damaged industrial and infrastructure facilities, left parts of the city without electricity, and disrupted water supplies. Three people were injured in Ukraine's central Poltava region following a Russian attack that damaged administrative buildings, warehouses and a cafe, regional head Volodymyr Kohut said. Fires caused by the strike have been extinguished, and debris fell on a private home. Russian forces also struck the Khmelnytskyi region overnight, damaging a private residential building, outbuildings, a fence, and several vehicles, regional governor Serhii Tiuryn said. Meanwhile, air defence forces shot down three Russian missiles over the western Lviv region overnight, the regional head Maksym Kozytskyi said. In the northern Chernihiv region, a Shahed drone exploded near an apartment building, shattering windows and doors, according to regional military administration chief Dmytro Bryzhynskyi. He said explosions from ballistic missiles were also recorded on the outskirts of the city. The overnight attack took place as hopes for a truce between Russia and Ukraine seemed to be faltering, despite two rounds of direct talks in Istanbul. On Thursday, United States President Donald Trump said it may be better to let Ukraine and Russia 'fight for a while' rather than pursue peace immediately – a remarkable shift from Trump's previous appeals for a quick end to the war. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Trump in a telephone conversation that Moscow would have to respond to the earlier huge Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside Russia against Russian military warplanes.
Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
The US has checked out. Can Europe stop Putin alone?
The United States was once Ukraine's most important ally – supplying arms, funding and political cover as Kyiv fought for its sovereignty. But today, Washington is losing interest. President Donald Trump, more at home on the golf course than in a war room, is pulling away from a conflict he no longer seems to care to understand. Trump has not hidden his disdain. He has echoed Kremlin narratives, questioned NATO's relevance and reduced Ukraine's defence to a punchline. Even his recent comment that Russian President Vladimir Putin has 'gone absolutely crazy' does little to undo years of indulgence and indifference. He has not become a credible peace broker or a consistent supporter of Ukraine. His words now carry little weight – and Kyiv is paying the price. Just last week, Ukraine launched what it called Operation Spiderweb, a coordinated series of drone strikes deep inside Russian territory. Dozens of aircraft were destroyed at airfields, and key military infrastructure was disrupted. The White House swiftly denied any US involvement. Trump responded by again threatening to 'walk away' from the war. Shortly afterwards, a second round of peace talks in Istanbul collapsed. The only agreement reached was a sombre one: the exchange of the remains of 6,000 fallen soldiers. That may help bring closure to grieving families – but it has done nothing to alter the course of the war. Trump's belated proposal – relayed by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt – that he supports direct talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin sounded more like political theatre than diplomacy. The moment had already passed. It is Trump – not Zelenskyy – who now lacks leverage. And with the US pulling back from its traditional security leadership, the burden is shifting decisively to Europe. Despite the brutality of Russia's invasion in 2022, American officials have frequently treated Kyiv as the side to pressure and Moscow as the side to appease. European leaders pushed back – but mostly with words. They posted pledges of 'unwavering support' yet hesitated to take full ownership of Europe's defence. Now, as US military aid slows and Trump continues to distance himself from the war, Europe faces a historic reckoning. For the first time in nearly 80 years, the continent stands alone. The future of NATO – the alliance created after World War II to ensure collective defence – is in question. Ukraine's ability to resist Russian aggression increasingly depends on European guarantees. Can Europe meet the moment? Can a loose coalition of willing nations evolve into a durable security bloc? And can it do so without the US? As of early 2025, Ukraine was meeting roughly 40 percent of its own military needs, according to the Centre for Security and Cooperation in Kyiv. Europe provided 30 percent and the US the remaining 30 percent. To sustain the fight, Europe must now do more – quickly. The alternative would be disastrous. The Kiel Institute for the World Economy has estimated that if Russia were to occupy Ukraine, it could cost Germany alone 10 to 20 times more than maintaining current levels of support – due to refugee flows, energy instability, economic disruptions and defence risks. One of Ukraine's most urgent needs is ammunition – particularly artillery shells. Until recently, the US was the main supplier. As American deliveries decline, Ukraine is burning through its reserves. Europe is now scrambling to fill the gap. The problem is scale. Europe's arms industry has long been underdeveloped. It is only now beginning to respond. According to European Union Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius, the bloc aims to produce 2 million artillery shells annually by the end of 2025. This would just meet Ukraine's minimum battlefield requirements. A particularly ambitious initiative is a Czech-led plan to procure and deliver up to 1.8 million shells to Ukraine by the end of next year. Confirmed by Czech President Petr Pavel in May and backed by Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and other countries, the effort is one of the few on track to make a meaningful impact – if it arrives on time. Germany has also moved beyond donations. In late May, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius signed an agreement with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, to cofinance the production of long-range weapons inside Ukraine, tapping into local industrial and engineering capacity. The United Kingdom remains one of Kyiv's most dependable allies. On Wednesday, London announced a new 350-million-pound ($476m) drone package – part of a broader 4.5-billion-pound ($6.1bn) support pledge. It includes 100,000 drones by 2026, a substantial increase on previous commitments. But war is not waged with weapons alone. Financial and economic power matter too. Trump recently told Fox News that US taxpayer money was being 'pissed away' in Ukraine. The remark was not only crude – it was also misleading. Since 2022, the US has provided about $128bn in aid to Ukraine, including $66.5bn in military assistance. Meanwhile, the EU and its member states have contributed about 135 billion euros ($155bn), including 50 billion euros ($57bn) in military support, 67 billion euros ($77bn) in financial and humanitarian aid, and 17 billion euros ($19.5bn) for refugee programmes. The UK has added another 12.8 billion pounds ($17.4 billion). These are not gifts. They are strategic investments – meant to prevent far higher costs if Russia succeeds in its imperial project. Europe has also led on sanctions. Since 2014 – and with renewed urgency since 2022 – it has imposed 17 successive rounds of measures targeting Russia's economy. None has ended the war, but each has taken a toll. On May 20, one day after a reportedly warm call between Trump and Putin, the EU and UK unveiled their most sweeping sanctions package yet. It included nearly 200 vessels from Russia's so-called shadow fleet, used to smuggle oil and circumvent global price caps. Some estimates, including AI-assisted modelling, suggest the sanctions could cost Russia $10bn to $20bn per year if loopholes are closed and enforcement holds. Even partial implementation would disrupt Moscow's wartime revenue. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was clear: 'The longer Russia wages war, the tougher our response.' Europe is beginning to back that promise with action. From drones to shells, sanctions to weapons production, the continent is finally moving from statements to strategy – slowly but steadily building the foundations of Ukrainian resilience and Russian defeat. But this momentum cannot stall. This is no longer just Ukraine's war. The US has stepped aside. Europe is no longer the backup plan. It is the last line of defence. If it fails, so does Ukraine – and with it, the idea of a secure, sovereign Europe. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
Al Jazeera
8 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
North Korea raises capsized warship after botched launch: Report
North Korea has raised a capsized warship and moored it at a port in the country's northeast for repair, after the vessel was damaged during a failed inaugural launch in May, the country's state news media reports. KCNA reported that 'after restoring the balance of the destroyer early in June, the team moored it at the pier' in the city of Chongjin on Thursday. The report on Friday aligns with South Korea's military assessments and recent commercial satellite images, which indicated that the 5,000-tonne destroyer has been restored to an upright position following the 'serious accident' on May 21, when it suffered damage to its hull after a transport cradle detached prematurely during a launch ceremony. The failed side-launch of the ship, which was witnessed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, also left the vessel partially capsized in a port. Kim described the incident as a 'criminal act caused by absolute carelessness'. As part of a probe into the accident, four officials were arrested and accused of tarnishing North Korea's national dignity, according to KCNA. Experts will now examine the warship's hull for the next stage of restorations, to be carried out at Rajin Dockyard over the coming week to 10 days, KCNA said. The ship's full restoration is expected to be completed before a ruling party meeting later this month. Jo Chun Ryong, a senior official from North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, was quoted by KCNA as saying that the 'perfect restoration of the destroyer will be completed without fail' before the deadline set by the country's ruler, Kim. The damaged warship is North Korea's second known destroyer and is seen as a crucial asset in Kim's goal of modernising his country's naval forces. The South Korean military estimates, based on its size and scale, that the new warship is similarly equipped to the 5,000-tonne destroyer-class vessel Choe Hyon, which North Korea also unveiled last month. Pyongyang has said the Choe Hyon is equipped with the 'most powerful weapons', and that it would 'enter into operation early next year'. South Korea's military said the Choe Hyon could have been developed with Russian assistance, possibly in exchange for Pyongyang deploying thousands of soldiers to help Moscow fight Ukraine. Kim has framed the modernisation of his military as a response to threats from the US and South Korea, who are key allies and regularly conduct military drills together. The North Korean leader has also said that the acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine would be the next step in strengthening his country's navy. On Wednesday, Kim met with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang in the latest sign of the countries' deepening ties, which were elevated when they signed a mutual defence pact in June last year that obliges them to provide immediate military assistance to each other using 'all means' necessary if either faces 'aggression'.
