Navy launches 5-day op as 'intelligence gathering' Putin ship seen in UK waters
Royal Navy warships and helicopters have been launched for the second time this month after an 'intelligence gathering' Russian ship was spotted 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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Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- 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
Reuters
31 minutes ago
- Reuters
Russia says its strike against Kyiv and other centres was a response to Ukrainian 'terrorist acts'
MOSCOW, June 6 (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that its forces had carried out a massive and successful strike on military and military-related targets in Ukraine overnight in response to what it called Ukrainian "terrorist acts" against Russia. Russia's military released the statement after Ukrainian officials said Russia had launched an intense missile and drone barrage at Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, in the early hours of Friday and that three people had been killed. Russia has accused Ukraine of being behind a deadly bomb attack on a bridge over a railway line in western Russia at the weekend that was blown up just as a train carrying 388 passengers to Moscow was passing underneath. Seven people were killed and 155 injured in the incident which Kyiv has not taken responsibility for. Separately, Ukraine attacked Russian nuclear-capable bomber planes at airfields over the same weekend, causing significant damage. President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump this week that he would retaliate. The Kremlin confirmed on Friday that the big overnight strikes had been a response to what it called Kyiv's "acts of terrorism". "Everything that is taking place within the framework of the special military operation (in Ukraine), everything that is being done by our military on a daily basis, is a response to the actions of the Kyiv regime, which has acquired all the characteristics of a terrorist regime," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Ukraine has frequently accused Russia of terrorism, citing attacks in which thousands of civilians have been killed. Both sides say they do not target civilians. The Russian military said in its statement that it had used long-range weapons to strike Ukraine. "In response to terrorist acts by the Kyiv regime, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a massive strike overnight with long-range air, sea and land-based precision weapons," the ministry said. It said the strike had targeted "Ukrainian design bureaus, enterprises for the production and repair of weapons and military equipment, assembly workshops for strike drones, flight training centres, and Ukrainian armed forces weapons and military equipment depots." "The objective of the strike was achieved. All designated targets were hit." Russian troops had also taken control of the settlement of Fedorivka in eastern Ukraine, the Defence Ministry said. Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report.
New Statesman
2 hours ago
- New Statesman
Britain's gift to Putin
Photo byOn Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Russia has now used more than 27,000 aerial bombs, more than 11,000 armed drones and thousands more guided munitions to attack Ukraine. Among the victims of this week's attacks were an emergency worker, his wife and their one-year-old grandson, the 632nd child killed in Ukraine since Russia's invasion. And yet British businesses continue to enable the Russian state to secure its main source of income: revenue from oil and gas. New research shared exclusively with the New Statesman has found that since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, more than £200bn in Russian fossil fuel exports have been shipped using UK-based maritime services. A single UK-based firm has carried almost a quarter of Russia's exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) since the war began. While our government seeks to increase its defence budget, Britain's active role in the Russian fossil fuel trade helps to maintain the military spending of a nuclear power currently at war with a close European ally. The study, which has been conducted by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), finds that the value of Russian crude oil, oil products and LNG shipped under British ownership or insurance since the war began has now reached £205.8bn. Three quarters of Russian LNG carriers were covered by UK insurance. Britain officially stopped importing Russian oil and oil products nine months after the invasion (it became illegal to do so on 5 December 2022). But a sanctions loophole means Britain keeps buying Putin's products: Russian crude is shipped to refineries in Turkey and India and then returns as oil products. CREA estimates that the UK has indirectly bought £1.4bn in Russian oil through this loophole, providing more than half a billion pounds' worth of revenue to the Kremlin. Much of the jet fuel taking British holidaymakers to sunnier climes this summer will have entered the supply chain in the oilfields of Siberia. Europe continues to buy Russian LNG directly, and in 2024 imported more LNG from Russia than ever before. Much of this is shipped, entirely legally, by a single British company: Seapeak, which is headquartered in Glasgow and which owns seven specialist LNG carriers, which can power through ice two metres thick. This is not subject to a ban and there is no suggestion that Seapeak has broken any laws. Seapeak was mentioned in an Early Day Motion on Russian LNG, which was signed by 34 cross-party MPs in January. CREA says that Seapeak alone has carried Russian LNG worth £13bn since the war began. Elsewhere, Russian fossil fuels are also shipped by a 'dark fleet' of uninsured vessels, whose ownership is obscured. As previously reported, these ships pass in sight of our shores on an almost daily basis as they sail through the English Channel. Since Labour came to power, the UK government has taken a more determined stance towards sanctioning these ships and those who enable their sale, including an accountant who allegedly arranged for the sale of vessels. A government spokesperson told the New Statesman: 'We are working with G7 and EU partners to eliminate remaining dependencies on Russian energy as soon as possible. We will not hesitate to take further action to increase economic pressure on Putin.' Why can't we stop paying Putin immediately? In a word: inflation. If Western countries entirely quit the Russian oil and gas habit, the wholesale price of energy would spike in a similar manner to 2022, bringing the price of almost everything else with it. The last inflationary surge cost the UK government £67bn in a single year in additional spending in support for consumers and businesses, and the population still endured a historic rise in the cost of living accompanied by strikes across the public sector. No government is going to impose that upon its voters, and even if it did, it wouldn't last long. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe This doesn't mean there is nothing the UK can do. Energy analysts say it is a question of supply: when the oil and gas market has enough capacity to make a sudden drop in Russian fossil fuels less important, sanctions can be imposed and enforced. The pragmatic answer is probably then to secure LNG and crude from other countries. The most realistic answer to this problem therefore comes from productive diplomacy with the US for LNG, and Saudi Arabia and others for oil. In the long term, of course, it means not relying on fossil fuels, because we don't have enough to power our country. Amid all the talk of how much we're going to spend on our military, it's important we also try to avoid paying for our enemy's. [See also: Revealed: how the City of London keeps Putin's oil flowing] Related
