
Navy launches 5-day op as 'intelligence gathering' Putin ship seen in UK waters
HMS Dragon monitored Russian intelligence gathering ship Yuri Ivanov as it loitered in waters off the Outer Hebrides following the completion of major NATO exercise Formidable Shield that took place nearby. A five-day operation which began on May 18 tracked Russian vessels and escorted them through the UK's sea-lanes, the Royal Navy said. It followed the activation of HMS Tyne three weeks ago. Warships and helicopters were activated in a bid to 'ensure the security and integrity of the UK's critical sea-lanes', Lieutenant Commander James Bradshaw said.
HMS Dragon, a destroyer based in Portsmouth, launched a Merlin helicopter to collect aerial information until the Yuri Ivanov headed north towards its base in the Arctic. Three Russian vessels, two cargo boats and a warship, RFN Stoikiy, were shadowed by HMS Ledbury, HMS Hurworth and 814 Naval Air Squadron, the Royal Navy added.
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Reuters
40 minutes ago
- Reuters
Russia strikes Kharkiv with ballistic missile, injures 11, Ukraine says
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Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Putin general, 57, ‘has arm and leg amputated' as he fights for life after Ukrainian strike on Russian column in Kursk
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A TOP Putin general is fighting for his life after a brutal Ukrainian strike blew up a Russian column in Kursk – reportedly leaving him with devastating injuries and multiple amputations. Lt-Gen Esedulla Abachev, 57, was hit on the Rylsk–Khomutovka highway in the Kursk region early on Saturday, according to Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR). Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Russian Lt-Gen Esedulla Abachev was severely injured in a Ukrainian strike in Kursk Credit: East2West 7 The 57-year-old general reportedly had an arm and a leg amputated Credit: East2West 7 He was airlifted to a Moscow hospital and is fighting for his life Credit: East2West The decorated officer – deputy commander of Russia's North Group of Forces – was urgently airlifted to the Vishnevsky Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow where surgeons amputated an arm and a leg, the Kyiv Post reported. A pro-Moscow source admitted: 'He is alive, but in serious condition [after] traumatic amputation of the arm and part of the leg.' Ukrainian forces also blew up an ammo depot in occupied Melitopol a day earlier, killing marines and fighters from Ramzan Kadyrov's notorious 'Akhmat-Vostok' Chechen unit. HUR gloated: 'There will be just retribution for every war crime against the Ukrainian people.' Bloody track record Abachev has been at the heart of nearly every Kremlin war in recent decades. He graduated from the Kharkiv Higher Tank Command School in 1989 before fighting in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, the Second Chechen War, Russia's 2008 invasion of Georgia, and the terror campaign in Syria. 'For each of these 'bloody feats,' Abachev was personally awarded the Order of Courage by Putin,' reported Since 2022, Abachev has played a major role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, commanding the 2nd Army Corps of the so-called 'Luhansk People's Republic.' Ukraine cut Putin's two-pronged frontline breach in HALF in wake of Trump summit 7 Ukrainian sources accuse him of war crimes against civilians in Lysychansk. Putin himself previously decorated Abachev with the Hero of Russia – Gold Star for 'courage and heroism.' He also received an award from occupied Luhansk for his role in the bloody takeover. In August last year, amid surging Ukrainian cross-border operations, he was appointed commander of Russia's border-cover group in the Kursk direction – where he was now taken out. Humiliating blows The strike on Abachev is just the latest in a string of humiliating Ukrainian hits on Putin's top brass. Maj. Gen. Mikhail Gudkov – Russia's Deputy Navy Chief and another Hero of Russia – was killed in July during a suspected HIMARS strike on a command post in Kursk. In April, Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik was eliminated near Moscow. 7 This attack is part of Ukraine's strategy to target senior Russian commanders, aiming to weaken their military Credit: East2West 7 Abachev (left) commanded Russian forces in Ukraine and was accused of war crimes Credit: East2West 7 Abachev was previously decorated a Hero of Russia – with a Gold Star for 'courage and heroism.' Credit: East2West Ukrainian Telegram channels have already circulated footage allegedly showing the burning wrecks of the Russian convoy in Kursk after Abachev's column was smashed. The attack comes as Kremlin forces in Kursk push to seize territory across the border – with Zelensky facing mounting pressure to concede ground to Putin to secure a peace deal. Analysts say Kyiv is intensifying strikes on senior commanders to weaken Moscow's chain of command and sap morale on the frontline. Each successful hit is seen as both a psychological and tactical blow for Putin's faltering war machine.


Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Ukrainian troops cut Putin's two-pronged frontline breach in HALF in wake of Trump summit in major blow to Vlad
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) UKRAINE has managed to cut Russia's two-pronged frontline incursion in half in the latest major blow to Vladimir Putin. Moscow suddenly breached an area in the Donetsk region as a reported 110,000 troops advanced on the eastern front being swiftly contained and pushed back. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Ukraine's armed forces prepare a Howitzer in Donetsk as they fight back against Russia's two-pronged frontline incursion Credit: Getty 7 Dozens of Russian military assets have been left up in flames as Ukraine continues to push back any advancing troops Credit: X/@NAFORaccoon 7 Soldiers of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, known as 'Kholodnyi Yar' fire an anti-aircraft gun equipped with a thermal imaging camera in Donetsk region Credit: Getty 7 Putin's bloodthirsty forces reportedly advanced by at least 10km north in two prongs as part of his attempt to capture the entire Donetsk region. The terrifying development came just days before the Alaska summit with Donald Trump and was seen as a warmongering Putin trying to gain the upper hand ahead of the talks. Moscow currently controls over 70 per cent of the highly-contested Donetsk region. 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Trump said Russia and Ukraine both believe a full peace deal is "the best way" to end the war - rather than a short term ceasefire. Now diplomatic sources have revealed some of the initial details of the potential agreement, according to news agency AFP. The US has reportedly proposed an agreement that would see Ukraine not join Nato - but instead be offered Nato-esque protections similar to Article 5. Article 5 on Nato's founding treaty agrees collective defense - meaning allies see an attack on one as an attack on all of them. Trump reportedly floated the plan with Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders during a call after his meeting with Putin. The US President is set to discuss the terms of an agreement with Zelensky on Monday when he travels to the White House. Zelensky did not directly address any potential plan but he did say on X: "We discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing security for Ukraine." 7 A Ukrainian walks through his decimated restaurant on the frontline near Dobropillia after a Russian strike at the start of the week Credit: Getty 7 A clip shows a kamikaze drone smashing straight into two bumbling Russian troops in Vesele Credit: X/@NAFORaccoon