Russia says it downs 99 Ukrainian drones overnight
Russia's defense ministry said on Tuesday that its air defense systems had downed 99 Ukrainian drones, including 56 over the Belgorod region, overnight.
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Al Arabiya
41 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump signs orders to bolster US drone defenses, boost supersonic flight
President Donald Trump on Friday signed executive orders to bolster US defenses against threatening drones and to boost electric air taxis and supersonic commercial aircraft, the White House said. In the three executive orders, Trump sought to enable routine use of drones beyond the visual sight of operators — a key step to enabling commercial drone deliveries — and to take steps to reduce the US reliance on Chinese drone companies and begin testing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Trump is establishing a federal task force to ensure US control over American skies, expand restrictions over sensitive sites, broaden federal use of technology to detect drones in real time, and provide assistance to state and local law enforcement. Trump also aims to address the 'growing threat of criminal terrorists and foreign misuse of drones in US airspace,' said Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. 'We are securing our borders from national security threats, including in the air, with large-scale public events such as the Olympics and the World Cup on the horizon.' Sebastian Gorka, senior director of counterterrorism at the National Security Council, cited the use of drones in Russia's war in Ukraine and threats to major US sporting events. 'We will be increasing counter-drone capabilities and capacities,' Gorka said. 'We will increase the enforcement of current laws to deter two types of individuals: evildoers and idiots.' The issue of suspicious drones also gained significant attention last year after a flurry of drone sightings in New Jersey. The FAA receives more than 100 drone-sighting reports near airports each month. Drone sightings have at times disrupted flights and sporting events. Trump also directed the Federal Aviation Administration to lift a ban imposed in 1973 on supersonic air transport over land. 'The reality is that Americans should be able to fly from New York to L.A. in under four hours,' Kratsios said. 'Advances in aerospace engineering, material science, and noise reduction now make overland supersonic flight not just possible, but safe, sustainable, and commercially viable.' The Trump orders do not ban any Chinese drone company, officials said. Last year, former President Joe Biden signed legislation that could ban China-based DJI and Autel Robotics from selling new drone models in the US. DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer, sells more than half of all US commercial drones.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Zelenskyy slams Russia after three generations killed in drone strike
A Russian drone slammed into a residential house in central Ukraine overnight Thursday, killing three members of one family, including a one-year-old baby, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He accused Moscow of trying to 'buy time for itself to continue killing' and called for the West to put 'maximum sanctions' and 'pressure" on Moscow, after Russia has repeatedly rejected calls for a full and unconditional ceasefire. A total of five people were killed in Pryluky, a city in central Ukraine, including victims from three generations of the same family. A local firefighting chief was responding to an earlier attack when his own house was hit by a Russian drone, officials said. 'His wife, daughter and one-year-old grandson were killed,' Zelenskyy said. Photos showed houses on fire, billowing grey smoke into the pitch black sky as rescuers battled the blaze. A picture at dawn, published by the emergency services, showed a firefighter standing in the burned-out carcass of a residential home, the roof gone, surrounded by charred ashes and debris. 'Russia is constantly trying to buy time for itself to continue killing. When it does not feel strong enough condemnation and pressure from the world, it kills again,' Zelenskyy said. 'This is yet another reason to impose maximum sanctions and put pressure together. We expect action from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who can really help change these terrible circumstances,' he added. Fighting and aerial attacks have escalated in recent weeks, even as the sides have held two rounds of talks in Istanbul that they say are aimed at finding an end to the three-year war. But Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday told US President Donald Trump that Moscow would respond to an audacious Ukrainian drone attack that destroyed several Russian nuclear-capable military jets over the weekend, Trump said after a call between the pair. Another attack on the northeastern city of Kharkiv wounded 18 people, including four children, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said in a post on social media. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, swaths of eastern and southern Ukraine destroyed, and millions forced to flee their homes since Russia invaded in February 2022.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Russia launches major overnight attack on Kharkiv, killing one
Russia pummelled Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv before dawn on Saturday, launching its 'most powerful attack' there since the start of the war, the mayor said, announcing one person killed. In recent weeks, Russian troops have accelerated their advance while the latest negotiations in Istanbul failed to broker an end to the three-year war. 'Kharkiv is currently experiencing the most powerful attack since the beginning of the full-scale war,' Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov posted on Telegram, describing a barrage of missiles, drones and guided bombs striking simultaneously. 'As of now, at least 40 explosions have been heard in the city over the past hour and a half,' he wrote at 4:40 a.m. (1:40 a.m. GMT), adding that drones were still buzzing overhead. 'The threat remains.' A strike on a residential building in Kyivsky district killed one person, the mayor said. Kharkiv regional Governor Oleg Synegubov posted that seven people were wounded in the aerial assault. 'Medical personnel are providing the necessary assistance,' he wrote. On Thursday, at least 18 people, including four children, were wounded in strikes on the northeastern city that set an apartment block on fire. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed that Moscow would respond to an audacious Ukrainian drone attack that destroyed several nuclear-capable military jets. Ukraine has been pushing for an unconditional and immediate 30-day truce, issuing its latest proposal to Moscow at peace talks in Istanbul on Monday. But Russia has repeatedly rejected calls for such a ceasefire. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, swaths of eastern and southern Ukraine destroyed, and millions forced to flee their homes since Russia invaded in February 2022.
