Russia bombards Ukraine as over 100 drones fired overnight
Russia launched over 100 drones at civilian areas of Ukraine overnight, intensifying aerial strikes after more than three years of conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia launched approximately 1,270 drones, 39 missiles, and nearly 1,000 glide bombs at Ukraine in the past week.
Ukraine is seeking increased military assistance from the US and Europe, with President Zelenskyy announcing deals to boost drone production to "hundreds of thousands" more this year.
The Kremlin dismissed its Transport Minister, Roman Starovoyt, following widespread flight disruptions at Russian airports attributed to Ukrainian drone threats.
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BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Russian drone and cruise missile attacks kill at least four in Ukraine
At least four people were killed overnight and on Saturday as Russia continued to pound Ukraine with hundreds of drones as part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has further dampened hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than three-year-old war. Two people died and 14 were wounded when Russian forces attacked the Bukovina area in the Chernivtsi region of southwestern Ukraine with four drones and a missile, regional governor Ruslan Zaparaniuk said on Saturday. Advertisement He said that the two people died because of falling debris from a drone. A drone attack in Ukraine's western Lviv region wounded nine people, regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi said. A damaged residential building after a Russian air attack in Lviv (Mykola Tys/AP) Three people were wounded in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine when the city was hit by eight drones and two missiles, mayor Ihor Terekhov said. Russia fired 597 drones and decoys, with 26 cruise missiles, into Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said. Advertisement Of these, 319 drones and 25 cruise missiles were shot down and 258 decoy drones were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. Two people were killed on Saturday in a missile strike in the Dnipropetrovsk region, according to regional governor Serhii Lysak. Russia has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities. Earlier this week, Russia fired more than 700 attack and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, topping previous nightly barrages for the third time in two weeks and targeting Lutsk near the border with Poland in western Ukraine, a region that is a crucial hub for receiving foreign military aid. Advertisement Poland's air force scrambled fighter jets in areas bordering Ukraine, Polish officials said. Russia's intensifying long-range attacks have coincided with a concerted Russian effort to break through parts of the roughly 620-mile front line, where Ukrainian troops are under severe pressure. Russia's defence ministry said it shot down 33 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Britain must start building bomb shelters NOW to prepare for war with Russia in next five years, says ex-Army head
Britain must start building bomb shelters immediately to prepare the nation for a potential war with Russia in the next five years. That's the chilling warning issued last night by the former head of the British Army, General Sir Patrick Sanders. Gen Sir Patrick, who stood down as Chief of the General Staff last summer, fears a clash with Putin by 2030 was a 'realistic possibility'. But the retired defence chief claimed the nation was woefully unprepared for the prospect of missiles and drones raining down on its cities. In a bleak assessment of the threat now posed by Moscow, Sir Patrick urged ministers to take action and ramp up Britain's national defences. Speaking to the Telegraph, the retired Army boss said it was critical the nation started to construct a network of bomb shelters capable of protecting millions of civilians. 'If Russia stops fighting in Ukraine, you get to a position where within a matter of months they will have the capability to conduct a limited attack on a Nato member that we will be responsible for supporting, and that happens by 2030,' he said. Sir Patrick said that during his time as Army chief, discussions with the Government about constructing civilian bomb shelters and underground command centres for military use had been dismissed as too costly or low priority. He claimed the concerns were swept aside because the 'threat didn't feel sufficiently imminent or serious to make it worth it'. But he said the landscape had dramatically changed in recent years, as he issued his starkest plea for action yet. 'I don't know what more signals we need for us to realise that if we don't act now and we don't act in the next five years to increase our resilience… I don't know what more is needed,' he told the Telegraph. Citing Finland as an example, he added: 'Finland has bomb shelters for 4.5million people. It can survive as a government and as a society under direct missile and air attacks from Russia. We don't have that.' Sir Patrick's comments come amid concerns the UK does not have enough military firepower to fend off a missile bombardment similar to those seen in Ukraine, Israel and Iran in recent months. Speaking from his Wiltshire garden while smoking an Epicure No 2 cigar alongside his labrador Fargo, the General insisted Britain did not need an Israeli-style 'Iron Dome' air defence missile system. As well as calling for a new network of national bomb shelters, the former military chief also lambasted the shrinking size of the British Army. At the moment, the number of regular soldiers stands at about 72,500 - which is the smallest standing army since the Napoleonic War. Meanwhile, the country has about 30,000 part-time reservists, who could bulk out the total number of troops in the army to around 100,000. But Sir Patrick said this was nowhere near enough, warning the army is currently 'too small to survive more than the first few months of an intensive engagement'. Sir Patrick had previously been barred from giving a speech warning that conscription could be required in the event of a major war, amid concern from ministers it would terrify the public. Likewise, the former Army boss said Labour's latest Strategic Defence Review 'didn't touch this at all' and failed to address the manpower issues facing the military. Last month, Chancellor Rachel Reeves vowed to increase defence spending to 2.6 per cent GDP by April 2027. Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer is facing pressure to drive military spending even higher, following pleas by US President Donald Trump for Nato allies to 'do more '. The PM has now committed to spending five per cent of GDP on national security within 10 years - including 3.5 per cent on core defence. However, he has come under fire for not yet setting a clear timeline of how and when this will be achieved. Sir Patrick's comments come after Nato chief Mark Rutte warned last week a simultaneous military strike by China and Russia could plunge the world into a devastating new global conflict. In a bleak assessment, the former Dutch Prime Minister suggested Chinese leader Xi Jinping could attempt to seize Taiwan while urging Vladimir Putin to launch a parallel attack on Nato territory - potentially sparking World War Three. This morning it emerged Nato was forced to scramble fighter jets after Vladimir Putin launched a fresh wave of deadly drone and bomber strikes on Ukraine. Russia staged the most intense attacks of the war on the west of the country - with estimates suggesting up to 30 missiles and 700 military drones were unleashed. Two people were confirmed killed in Chernivtsi, close to the Romanian border, with at least 18 wounded in the overnight strikes which yet again targeted civilians. Acrid smoke could be seen lingering over the city following the strikes and rescue workers were pictured inspecting burnt-out cars and rubble. Putin used his nuclear-capable Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers to hammer Ukraine in what was already the most intense week of the war for kamikaze drone strikes. Russia targeted major cities Lviv and Lutsk as well as Chernivtsi in the assault on western Ukraine.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Leonardo may offer drone tech but has no plans for plant in Ukraine, CEO tells paper
MILAN, July 12 (Reuters) - Italy's Leonardo ( opens new tab is open to supplying technology for drones but it does not plan to open a factory in Ukraine, the chief executive of the state-controlled defence group told daily Corriere della Sera in an interview published on Saturday. Rome hosted a conference on Thursday to mobilise international support for Ukraine, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the participants pledged more than 10 billion euros ($12 billion) to help the war-torn country. Leonardo has clinched an agreement with Turkish defence company Baykar and will soon begin production of drones in Italy, the Italian group's CEO Roberto Cingolani told Corriere, adding that Baykar was cooperating with Ukraine. "We, in cooperation with other players, can make a technological contribution. We will see what the real demands are," Cingolani told the paper. Leonardo could help with equipment that makes drones more effective, the CEO said without elaborating. "Having said that, we do not plan to open a factory in Ukraine," he added. Baykar was not immediately available to comment. ($1 = 0.8555 euros)
