Three die as Ukraine and Russia exchange drone attacks
Russia's defence ministry said air defences intercepted or destroyed 112 drones across eight Russian regions and the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.
A drone attack on the Rostov region, on the border with Ukraine, killed one person, acting governor Yuri Slyusar said.
Further from the front line, a woman was killed and two other people wounded in a drone strike on business premises in the Penza region, according to regional governor Oleg Melnichenko.
Emergency workers inspect a damaged car close to the residential house that was destroyed by a Russian missile on Thursday (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)
In the Samara region, falling drone debris sparked a fire that killed an elderly resident, regional governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said.
According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched 53 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight into Saturday. It said that air defences shot down or jammed 45 drones.
Eleven people were wounded in an overnight drone strike on the Kharkiv region, governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Saturday.
The reciprocal drone strikes followed a day of mourning in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday, after a Russian drone and missile attack killed 31 people, including five children, and wounded more than 150.
The continued attacks come after US President Donald Trump on Tuesday gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a shorter deadline – August 8 – for peace efforts to make progress.
Trump said on Thursday that special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made.
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RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Ukraine says it hit Russian oil facilities, military airfield
Ukraine's military has said it had struck oil facilities inside Russia, including a major refinery as well as a military airfield for drones and an electronics factory. In a statement on Telegram, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) said they had hit the oil refinery in Ryazan, about 180km southeast of Moscow, causing a fire on its premises. Also hit, the USF said, was the Annanefteprodukt oil storage facility in the Voronezh region that borders on north eastern Ukraine. The statement did not specify how the facilities were hit, but the USF specialises in drone warfare, including long-range strikes. There was no immediate comment from Russia on the reported attacks on its infrastructure sites. Separately, Ukraine's SBU intelligence agency said its drones had hit Russia's Primorsko-Akhtarsk military airfield, which has been used to launch waves of long-range drones at targets in Ukraine. The SBU said it also hit a factory in Penza that it said supplies Russia's military-industrial complex with electronics. At the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022,Ukraine had no response to Moscow's vast long-range strike capacity but it has since built up a fleet of long-range kamikaze drones able to carry explosive warheads for many hundreds of kilometres. Russia's defence ministry said in its daily report that its defence units had downed a total of 338 Ukrainian drones overnight. Its reports do not say how many Ukrainian drones were launched at any given time. For its part, Ukraine's air force said it had downed 45 of 53 Russian drones launched towards its territory overnight. On Ukraine's eastern battlefront, Russia's defence ministry said, Russian forces had captured the village of Oleksandro-Kalynove in the Donetsk region today. Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield report. Russian forces now control almost 20% of Ukraine in its east and south after three-and-a-half years of grinding war. A fire that broke out near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant after Ukrainian shelling has been brought under control, the Russian-installed administration of the Russia-held plant in Ukraine said. Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant in the first weeks of Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Both sides have accused each other of firing or taking other actions that could trigger a nuclear accident. The plant's administration said on Telegram that a civilian had been killed in the shelling, but that no plant employees or members of the emergency services had been injured. Reuters could not independently verify the Russian report. The station, Europe's biggest nuclear power plant, is not operating but still requires power to keep its nuclear fuel cool. The plant's Russia-installed management said radiation levels remained within normal levels and the situation was under control.
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
How world's most depraved killers tortured victims & injected bleach in testicles before dumping bodies in acid barrels
PRIZING open the first of six barrels stored at a disused bank vault, in Snowtown, South Australia, detective Gordon Drage expected to find fertiliser used to grow illegal cannabis. But, after releasing a stomach-churning stench he discovered the vats contained something far more horrific - the dismembered remains of multiple murder victims. 19 John Justin Bunting was convicted for his role in the grisly killing spree and sentenced to life imprisonment Credit: Getty Images 19 Robert Joe Wagner was also arrested after police found eight hacked up bodies stuffed in barrels Credit: AP 19 The remains of up to six people were discovered in a disused bank vault in Snowtown, a small village near Adelaide Credit: Reuters And the chilling find, in 1999, led police to uncover Australia's Over a period of seven years, twelve people had been tortured, murdered, decapitated and dismembered, their bodies left to rot in barrels or Meanwhile their killers, led by psychopath John Bunting, profited from their victims by selling their possessions and withdrawing their benefit payments. Bunting, described as a "charismatic" leader who made his victims call him "God", "Master" or "Sir Lord" during vile torture sessions, recruited a gang of followers to assist in his heinous crimes - including a stepson who helped to murder his own siblings. What makes these crimes all the more shocking is that many occurred while Bunting and his followers were under active police surveillance. Now the killing spree is revisited in a new Crime+Investigation documentary, Bodies in the Barrels, with interviews from the detectives and scientists who were first to uncover the horrific scene in Snowtown. Forensic psychiatrist Richard Furst explains that Bunting, who had a pathological hatred towards gay people, drug users and paedophiles, would use the trauma of abuse victims to manipulate them into doing whatever he wanted them to do. Forensic psychiatrist Richard Furst says: 'This crime sequence is quite unusual in that a lot of the victims were known to Bunting and his followers. Most read in The Sun "The recruitment and victim selection very much fitted what he was projecting, which was the hatred towards paedophiles, hatred towards gay people. 'I think there is a charisma that you might see in a lot of cults. People within a cult, do things because there's a greater motive, and they have a sense of belonging and allegiance.' Chilling position missing girl's body was found in as new details on heartbreaking final days with 'killer' dad revealed Killer squad 19 Robert Joe Wagner, John Justin Bunting and Mark Ray Haydon were all suspects in the killing spree which found between six and 12 bodies in acid vats Credit: Getty 19 The exterior of the bank in Snowtown where police discovered the bodies in vats stored in the vault Credit: News Pictures 19 Gordon Drage, a Former Forensic Officer, originally thought the smelly barrels contained fertilised water for cannabis plants Credit: Crime+Investigation John Bunting had had a trouble childhood, wasn't academic and had a fixation with killing animals and dropping insects into acid. One of his first jobs was as an In the 90s he lived in the marginalised, working-class suburbs of Adelaide, Australia, where he recruited a faithful flock of acolytes. They fancied themselves as righteous In fact, most of their victims were not paedophiles, but loners and outcasts. Bunting would invent excuses to justify his bloodlust, and with the assistance of his friends, conspire to steal the government benefits of those they monstrously tortured and murdered. His first accomplice was the easily manipulated Robert Wagner who had a troubled childhood and had been the The next key player Bunting met was Elizabeth Harvey who he soon moved in with. She perceived John Bunting as some sort of white knight, a saviour, if you like Jeremy Pudney She too was vulnerable. Her husband had died, but her children had also suffered abuse at his hands. He essentially became step-father to her children, one of whom was James Vlassakis, who Bunting took under his wing. James hero-worshipped him. Local journalist Jeremy Pudney says: 'She perceived John Bunting as some sort of white knight, a saviour, if you like." Journalist Peter Overton adds: 'But Bunting wasn't a saviour for this vulnerable family he was their downfall. "He would soon groom them and manipulate them into committing the Twisted torture chamber In 1994 , two farmers discovered a It would take several years for police to discover that the body belonged to John Bunting's first victim - Clinton Tresize - who had been bashed to death with a shovel after being invited into his home, two years earlier. His second victim was a man called Ray Davies who came to Bunting's attention after he exposed himself to children in the neighbourhood. In late 1995, he was ambushed, handcuffed, dragged into a car and driven to the house Bunting shared with Elizabeth Harvey. Bunting, Harvey and Wagner tortured Ray Davies with jump leads and beat him to death. Over the next four years, more and more people disappeared from Adelaide's north and investigators began to link these missing persons cases, suspecting foul play may have been afoot. Several of the bodies had ropes around their necks, others had gags in their mouths Forensic pathologist, Roger Byard In August 1999, the trail led to Snowtown, South Australia, a desolate and dusty hamlet which is little more than a battered collection of rundown buildings on the side of a highway. Officers investigating five of the missing had been watching three suspects and were following a suspicious four wheel drive vehicle that had been under surveillance. When they got to the address where the car was, they were told by a resident that it had been driven there by John Bunting and it had smelly barrels in it. When asked what was in them, John Bunting claimed they were the carcasses of dead 19 Clinton Tresize, John Bunting's first victim Credit: News Ltd 19 Barry Wayne Lane's body was found in the abandoned State Bank building in Snowtown Credit: News Pictures 19 Elizabeth Audrey Haydon was also found in the abandoned State Bank Credit: News Pictures Police discovered that the barrels were now in a disused bank across town. Former detective Gordon Drage says: 'At that stage, we had no suspicion of there being bodies at the bank we thought it was going to be a drug crop, we suspected that the smelly liquids was probably going to be fertilised water for his cannabis crop growing inside the vault.' But when they got inside the bank their investigations took a sinister turn - on top of the six barrels were saws, handcuffs and used rubber gloves. A cheap couch, containers of hydrochloric acid and a machine which delivered electric shocks were also found. I think there is a charisma that you might see in a lot of cults people within a cult, do things because there's a greater motive, and they have a sense of belonging and allegiance Forensic psychiatrist, Richard Furst The police officers gingerly opened a barrel. Gordon Drage says: 'Only then did the smell come out. This was not hydroponics. That smelled very much like dead bodies.' In the first barrel, a human foot was found at the top, so they drove all six to the forensics lab in Adelaide. Forensic pathologist Roger Byard says some of the bodies were whole, others had been dismembered and all of them gave clues as to how they had reached their grisly end. 'There were handcuffs and thumb cuffs. There were plastic bags, rubber gloves they'd been using when they were dismembering the bodies. Several of the bodies had ropes around their necks, others had gags in their mouths.' Hand-picked victims 19 The murders took place in a poor neighbourhood and people were largely unemployed or on pensions Credit: Getty 19 The victims had their benefit payments withdrawn and properties sold Credit: Getty 19 Richard Furst, a Forensic Psychiatrist, doesn't believe the defrauding of the victims was a reason for killing them Credit: Crime+Investigation As police looked into the bodies from the bank vault, a full picture of Bunting's depravity began to emerge. On the wall of his home, the cold-blooded killer had a spider chart of potential victims. Some of the information had been provided by paedophile Barry Lane who had abused his accomplice Robert Wagner. Soon Lane was deemed surplus to requirements and was also tortured, beaten and murdered by Bunting, Wagner and a new accomplice Thomas Trevilyan, with his body taped up and left lying on the floor. When Trevilyan found it difficult to cope with what he had done and started speaking out, he too was murdered - with his death staged to look like suicide. But as well as sick brutality, there was also greed behind the killings. The killers would sell the Richard Furst adds: 'It was a poor neighbourhood and people were largely unemployed or on pensions, but I don't think the defrauding of the victims was a reason for "But I think it was certainly a factor in selection. I think it was the issue of a double reward. So you kill someone, but you also get money, regular income from that, and they kept on going to withdraw money from the account.' So you kill someone, but you also get money, regular income from that, and they kept on going to withdraw money from the account Forensic psychiatrist, Richard Furst Jeremy Pudney adds: 'One of the reasons this was able to go undetected for so long is some of these victims were really isolated from their families for whatever reason, didn't have many friends. And sadly, people didn't really notice when they went missing, so this is a story of how Another victim was a woman called Suzanne Allen who had had relationships with both Ray Davies and Bunting himself. When that affair ended she became a target. Despite Bunting and Wagner never being convicted of Suzanne Allen's murder, her body was found 19 Suzanne Allen and Ray Davies were buried in a shallow grave in Bunting's garden Credit: 19 Frederick Brookes was just 18 Credit: Supplied 19 Roger Byard, a Forensic Pathologist, said some of the bodies were whole while others had been dismembered Credit: Crime+Investigation The barrels in Snowtown bank Killing was easy for Wagner and Bunting, but disposing of the bodies was another matter. And this is when they recruited Mark Haydon. He had become friends with Bunting and between them they cooked up the plan to store the By 1997, police had begun investigating the disappearance of Bunting's first victim Clinton Tresize. And the group of fairly inept murderers brought together by Bunting were soon on the police radar. 19 Karen Davies, the sister of Ray Davies who was killed by Bunting, Harvey and Wagner Credit: Crime+Investigation 19 The film crew interviewed John McCready, a shop owner in the Snowtown area Credit: Crime+Investigation Cops soon discovered that missing Barry Lane's benefits were still being withdrawn. So they set up a security camera at the cashpoint and spotted Robert Wagner making the withdrawals. At first police thought they were dealing with a few missing people who had possibly had their benefits plundered. But they still had no idea there was a Incredibly, in the 16 months after the case became a missing persons and potentially a murder investigation, eight more people were killed by the gang. And the murders became more frequent and more sadistic. At least one of them had a firework sparkler put into his penis, in the urethra Forensic pathologist Roger Byard Forensic pathologist Roger Byard says: 'At least one of them had a firework sparkler put into his penis, in the urethra. There was there were stories of having the scrotum injected with bleach, of being electrocuted, of having their toes squashed with pliers.' Soon Bunting brought his stepson James Vlassakis into the murder team - encouraging him to help in the killing of his own half brother Troy. He was beaten, dragged from his bed and handcuffed before having his toes crushed with pliers. He was then strangled. Frederick Brookes, who was just 18 and the son of accomplice Jodie Elliott, was handcuffed and tortured for hours, and his genitals electrocuted, before choking on a gag. The next victim was disabled local Gary O'Dwyer, tortured for hours and recorded, pleading for his life. Bunting and Wagner then murdered Elizabeth Haydon, the wife of their accomplice Mark Haydon, attacking her in her own home before gagging and strangling her. It was her disappearance that made police realise this was a much more 19 Court sheriffs lead accused murderer, Robert Wagner, from the old bank Credit: Getty But incredibly the watch wasn't 24/7, and it was during one of the blank spots that the pair murdered another of Vlassakis' step-siblings, David Johnson. Lured to the bank in Snowtown by his stepbrother, Johnson was murdered in May 1999, before Bunting and Wagner cooked and ate a piece of his flesh. This was to be the last murder the killers committed. Days later, the investigators finally stumbled on the horrific scene in Snowtown and arrested Bunting, Wagner and Haydon in dawn raids. James Vlassakis later handed himself into police, consumed with guilt about what he had done. His interviews brought police to further victims, and revealed a whole new depravity to Bunting and Wagner's crimes. Wagner was convicted of ten murders. Bunting, the ringleader was convicted of 11. They were both given a mandatory life sentence meaning they will never be released. Read more on the Irish Sun James Vlassakis confessed to four murders and was jailed for life. Mark Haydon was convicted for his role in disposing of the bodies, but was released from prison last year under a supervision order after serving almost 25 years behind bars. Bodies in the Barrels premiers on Crime+Investigation and Crime+Investigation Play from Sunday 3 August at 9pm. 19 Detectives, scientists and reporters who were first on the scene are tell their stories as part of a new Crime+Investigation documentary, Bodies in the Barrels Credit: Crime+Investigation
The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Trump says US is ‘totally prepared' for nuclear attacks after moving nuke subs closer to Russia in warning to Putin
DONALD Trump has said that the US is "totally prepared" for a nuclear war following a slew of threats against America from a Kremlin comrade. In an extraordinary escalation, the commander-in-chief ordered that 7 Trump has said the US is 'fully prepared' for a nuclear war Credit: Getty 7 Don slammed former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev's comments as 'highly provocative' Credit: The Mega Agency 7 Russia's Security Council's Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev seemed to threaten America with nuclear annihilation in the tit-for-tat row with Trump Credit: Reuters 7 The US Navy's USS Minnesota (SSN-783), a Virginia-class fast attack submarine Credit: AFP The nuclear sabre-rattling comes after Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's security council, made an ominous threat and warned that the US is . Trump slammed Medvedev's words as "foolish and inflammatory" before ordering the placement of nuclear submarines near Russian territory. "Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Medvedev, who was the former Russian president from 2008 to 2012, seemed to threaten America with nuclear annihilation in the tit-for-tat row with Trump. He said: "If some words of the former Russian president [Medvedev] cause such a nervous reaction in the entire, formidable US president, then Russia is right in everything and will continue to go its own way. "Let him remember his favorite films about the "walking dead", as well as how dangerous a "dead hand" that does not exist in nature can be." Medvedev may have referring to Moscow's "Dead Hand" nuclear weapons system, which is designed to launch a doomsday retaliation attack with full nuclear force - even if the Kremlin leadership is wiped out. He also warned that Russia "isn't Israel or even Iran." Most read in The US Sun "Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war," the former Russian president wrote in an X post. The MAGA prez hit back saying: "Just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Donald Trump orders nuclear submarines to be moved near Russia as he blasts 'foolish' nuke threat from Putin crony "Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump did not say in his post whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines. He also did not elaborate on the exact deployment locations, which are kept secret by the US military. But in an interview with Newsmax that aired Friday night, Trump said the submarines were "closer to Russia." "We always want to be ready. And so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines," he said. "I just want to make sure that his words are only words and nothing more than that." Trump v Medvedev: War of words July 2025 : Donald Trump announced a 50-day deadline for Russia to move toward ending the war in Ukraine or face "severe" tariffs. Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, dismissed this as a "theatrical ultimatum" that Russia "didn't care" about. Late July 2025 : President Trump reduced his deadline for Russia to secure a peace deal to just "10 or 12 days," threatening sanctions and secondary tariffs on countries that do business with Russia. In response, Medvedev wrote on X that Trump was "playing the ultimatum game" and warned that each new ultimatum was a step toward war, not between Russia and Ukraine, but with the United States. July 30, 2025 In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump publicly targeted Medvedev, calling him a "failed former President of Russia" who was "entering very dangerous territory" with his remarks. This statement came as Trump also announced a 25% tariff on India, criticizing its "dead economy" and continued defense and energy ties with Moscow. July 31, 2025 " Medvedev retaliated on social media by referencing the "Dead Hand," a Cold War-era Soviet nuclear retaliation system, in a veiled threat to the US. He also stated that Trump's "jittery reaction" proved Russia was "completely in the right" and would continue on its own path. August 1, 2025 In a further escalation, President Trump announced he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned near Russia in response to Medvedev's "foolish and inflammatory statements." This move highlights the dangerous rhetorical turn the conflict has taken, now including nuclear threats from both sides. Trump's remarks came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had started mass producing its hypersonic nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile. Putin previously said he could deploy them to Belarus, a close Russian ally neighbouring Ukraine, by year-end. The US has the largest nuclear-powered submarine fleet in the world, including its lead ship the USS Virginia - a 377-feet long sub, equipped with cruise missiles. The US has nuclear-powered attack submarines that can search for targets. Several of the US Navy's vessels are specifically designed for stealth and are able to precisely strike targets with nuclear warheads. The Western superpower also has larger, nuclear-armed submarines, which do not need to be repositioned as they can reach targets thousands of miles away. It's unclear which nuclear submarines will be deployed. 7 7 President Vladimir Putin Credit: AFP The nuclear sabre-rattling came against the backdrop of a deadline set by Trump for the end of next week for Russia to take steps to end the Ukraine war or face unspecified new sanctions. Trump initially gave The president also vowed to impose secondary tariffs on Russia if it does not reach a ceasefire agreement by August 8. Despite the pressure from Washington, Russia's onslaught against its pro-Western neighbour continues to unfold at full bore. 'TALK DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING' Trump has expressed frustration with Putin, questioning whether the Russian leader really wants peace with Ukraine. In early July, Trump described having a good conversation with Putin over the phone, only to learn the next that Russia had launched another attack on Ukrainian cities. "I always hang up, [and] say, 'Well, that was a nice phone call,'" Trump told reporters. "And then missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city, and I say, 'That's strange.' "And after that happens three or four times, you say, the talk doesn't mean anything." Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, and European leaders have also voiced their concerns that Putin is not interested in peace. Zelensky said Putin has the final say in any ceasefire with Russia. "We understand who makes the decisions in Russia and who must end this war," the Ukrainian president wrote on X. "The whole world understands this too. The United States has proposed this. Read more on the Irish Sun "Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia's readiness." 7 Trump has expressed frustration with Putin Credit: Getty
