Russia ‘trying to strike fear and terror' amid drone attack in Kyiv: Fraser
Watch
(Ret'd) Maj.-Gen David Fraser says Russia has been 'prosecuting the war more aggressively' than they have in months amid the attack on Kyiv.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Canada to meet 2% NATO spending pledge this year: Carney
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is pledging that Canada will achieve NATO's two per cent target this year — five years ahead of his prior commitment which promised to meet the mark by 2030. Article content Carney, who is set to attend the NATO Summit later this month, made the announcement in a speech at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy in Toronto on Monday. Article content Article content He said Canada's strategy is focused on four pillars: investing in the men and women who serve, expanding and enhancing military capabilities, strengthening the government's relationship with the defence industry and diversifying Canada's defence partnerships. Article content Article content 'We will ensure every dollar is invested wisely, including by prioritizing made-in-Canada manufacturing and supply chains,' he said. Article content 'We should no longer send three quarters of our defence capital spending to America.' Article content Carney said the government will invest in new submarines, aircraft, ships, armed vehicles and artillery, as well as new radar, drones and sensors. He also committed to a larger and sustained Canadian Armed Forces presence in Canada's north, year-round. He said the government will expand the reach and security mandate of the Canadian Coast Guard and integrate those investments into Canada's defence capabilities. And he said members of the Canadian Armed Forces will receive a 'well-deserved' salary bump. Article content Article content 'We will further accelerate our investments in the years to come, consistent with meeting our new security imperatives,' he said. Article content Carney called on all parties in Parliament to support these 'critical investments in our security and sovereignty.' Article content He will be taking questions from reporters this afternoon. Article content
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Russia launches nearly 500 drones into Ukraine, as sides exchange more prisoners
Social Sharing Russia hit Ukraine overnight with its largest drone attack since the start of the war, causing some damage at a military airfield in the west of the country, the Ukrainian air force said on Monday. It was the latest Russian onslaught since Ukraine destroyed a number of bombers in drone attacks on air bases deep inside Russia earlier this month. Ukraine's air defence units downed 460 out of 479 drones and 19 out of 20 missiles launched by the Russian forces, the air force said in a statement. A military airfield close to Ukraine's western border was the key target, air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said. "The main strike was targeting … one of the operational air fields. There are some hits," Ihnat told Ukrainian TV, without elaborating on the damage. The airfield is in the city of Dubno, about 60 kilometres from Ukraine's border with Poland, Ukrainian regional authorities said. Polish and allied aircraft were activated early on Monday to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, the Polish armed forces said. Prisoner swaps 'complex,' Zelenskyy says Russia's Defence Ministry said the attack was another strike in response to Kyiv's attacks on Russian bases this month, adding that "all designated facilities" had been hit. The more than three-year-old war in Ukraine has been escalating as peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow have so far failed to yield any significant results. The two sides remain deeply divided on how to end the war. Ukraine is pushing for an unconditional ceasefire as a first step, something Russia has repeatedly rejected. They did confirm that the latest exchange of prisoners of war was taking place on Monday. It involves PoWs under the age of 25 and others who had been severely wounded, the start of what could become the biggest swap of the war so far. The exchange was the result of direct talks in Istanbul on June 2, which resulted in an agreement to conduct an exchange of at least 1,200 POWs on each side and to repatriate thousands of bodies of those killed in the war. "Today's exchange has begun. It will be done in several stages in the coming days," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on the Telegram app. "The process is quite complex, with many sensitive details, and negotiations continue virtually every day. We count on the full implementation of the humanitarian agreements reached during the meeting in Istanbul. We are doing everything possible to bring back every single person." WATCH l Ex-Ukraine economic minister discusses latest war developments: Ukrainian drone strikes 'changing the landscape' of the war: former Ukrainian minister 19 hours ago Duration 6:28 Neither side said how many prisoners had been swapped on Monday, but the Russian Defence Ministry said in its own statement that the same number of military personnel had been exchanged on each side. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on the weekend that a first list of 640 POWs had been handed to Ukraine. The Russian military said its returned servicemen were now in Belarus, a close Russian ally, where they were getting psychological and medical assistance before being transferred to Russia for further care. Russia eyes 'buffer zone' on the ground Russia also said on Monday that its forces had taken control of more territory in Ukraine's east-central region of Dnipropetrovsk, where the Kremlin said fighting was partly aimed at creating a "buffer zone." State media quoted the Defence Ministry as saying that Russian troops "continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defence" and had increased the area of territory in Dnipropetrovsk they controlled. Asked if Russia was trying to create a buffer zone by pushing into Dnipropetrovsk, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, "Without a doubt that is part of it." The Russian offensive there is notable because Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five regions of Ukraine — including Crimea and four areas in the south and east of the country — that Russia has previously claimed as part of its own territory. The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said the purpose of a Russian thrust into Dnipropetrovsk could be to cut off Ukraine's lines of communication and supply to its troops in the Donetsk region, further east.
CBC
4 hours ago
- CBC
Carney to announce Canada will meet 2% NATO spending target by March
Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to announce that his government plans to meet the NATO benchmark target of two per cent of the country's gross domestic product by the end of the current fiscal year in March, Radio-Canada has confirmed. The prime minister will outline a pathway to the often-hyped two per cent goal in a speech in Toronto this morning, said the confidential source who was not authorized to speak publicly. The Globe and Mail was the first to report the plan. The source that spoke to Radio-Canada says the biggest element of Monday's announcement will be the unveiling of a new defence industrial strategy, which will focus on meeting Canada's military through homegrown production. The prime minister is apparently set to announce the acquisition of more drones, armoured vehicles, aircraft and underwater sensors, which will aim to increase surveillance capabilities in the Arctic. Coast Guard to be folded into DND Military members are also expected to get a pay raise, which the Liberals promised in the last election campaign. In addition, Carney is expected to announce that the Canadian Coast Guard will be folded entirely into the Department of National Defence — something other countries do. The coast guard is currently a special operating agency under the Fisheries Department with an annual budget of $2.5 billion. Federal ministers have been quietly signalling the pathway to a two percent commitment for the last couple of weeks. The former head of NATO, George Robertson, speaking on CBC's Rosemary Baron Live on June 1, 2025, said Industry Minister Mélanie Joly had assured him that Canada would reach the alliance goal, which was first agreed upon in 2014, by the end of the year. Last week, at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Defence MInister David McGuinty signalled Carney would address Canada's defence spending targets before the upcoming leaders' summit in The Hague. Canada under former prime minister Justin Trudeau faced regular criticism from allies for not meeting NATO's current target of two per cent of GDP. The dispute became public at last year's leaders' summit in Washington when members of the U.S. Congress from both sides of the aisle called out Canada for not having a plan to meet the goal, unlike all other allies.
