Zelensky 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 Zelensky 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," Zelensky 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," Zelensky 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 Ukranian 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.
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SBS Australia
3 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Reprisal for Operation Spider's Web arrives, with six killed by Russian air attacks on Ukraine
Russia launched an intense missile and drone barrage of the Ukrainian capital overnight, killing at least six people, Ukrainian officials said, as powerful explosions reverberated across the city. The attacks followed a warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin, conveyed via United States leader Donald Trump , that the Kremlin would hit back after Ukrainian drones destroyed several strategic bomber aircraft in attacks deep inside Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said three emergency responders were killed in the missile and drone salvo against the capital. Two died in an attack on the northern city of Chernihiv and at least one more in the northwestern city of Lutsk. "Those killed in Kyiv were rescue workers who arrived at the scene of an initial strike and, unfortunately, were killed in a repeat Russian strike," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. "Overnight, Russia 'responded' to its destroyed aircraft ... by attacking civilians in Ukraine ... Multi-storey buildings hit. Energy infrastructure damaged," foreign minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had carried out the strike on military and military-related targets in response to what it called Ukrainian "terrorist acts" against Russia. Zelenskyy said 80 people nationwide had been injured in the attacks, which also struck several other towns and cities. He said residents could still be trapped under rubble. In Chernihiv, the national emergency services said two bodies were recovered from the rubble of a wrecked industrial enterprise. In Lutsk, the body of a man was found in the ruins of an apartment block, while emergency crews kept searching for his wife. Thirty people were hurt in the city, where educational institutions and a government building were also hit. Russian forces also struck industrial facilities and infrastructure in the western city of Ternopil, leaving parts of it without power, Mayor Serhii Nadal said. The regional administration said the attack had injured 10 people and asked residents to temporarily stay inside due to a high concentration of toxic substances in the air after a fire. The air force said Russia had used 407 drones, one of the largest numbers recorded in a single attack. It said 45 cruise and ballistic missiles were also fired. In response to the strikes, Zelenskyy called for concerted pressure on Russia. "If someone is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take lives — that is complicity and accountability. We must act decisively," he wrote on X. The Ukrainian military said it had launched a pre-emptive strike overnight on the Engels and Dyagilevo airfields in the Russian regions of Saratov and Ryazan, in addition to striking at least three fuel reservoirs. In one of the most audacious attacks of the war between Ukraine and Russia, Ukrainian spies last weekend destroyed a claimed US$7 billion ($10.8 billion) worth of Russian strategic bomber aircraft on the ground using quadrocopter drones hidden in wooden sheds. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the mission — dubbed Operation Spider's Web — "our most long-range operation" in more than three years of war. The Kremlin was planning an unspecified response to the Ukrainian attack on Russian air bases, Trump said after a telephone conversation with Putin on Wednesday. "President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields," Trump said after the conversation. Russia has also 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.
ABC News
6 hours ago
- ABC News
As Russian planes burned, Putin's military bloggers were 'choking with hurt'
Some members of Vladimir Putin's online army think Ukraine's drone attack on Russian air bases was their Pearl Harbor. Others are in denial about the damage now visible on satellite imagery. And then there are the online accounts that have been boldly outspoken and willing to question, even blame, the Russian establishment for not protecting the country's prized strategic bomber fleet. "When I watched the video of our planes burning, everything inside me was burning. I was choking with hurt," known Russian propagandist Anastasia Kashevarova posted. This group of Telegram and sometimes YouTube warriors is part of Putin's strongman mythology — often faceless and fervent. They staunchly support Russia, but are willing to point the finger at its military brass when they believe the strategy is bad and letting the forces down. They are far from a reliable source of information about Putin's war, but they post often and appear to be well sourced about the Russian apparatus — and that gives them influence online. The ones most loyal to Putin help uphold the facade he has created. Others are loyal to the motherland and its military and, as they dance around directly criticising Putin, they help him too. Vladimir Putin uses military bloggers to direct frustrations over the war towards military officials, analysts say. "The Kremlin tolerates and sometimes platforms these bloggers because their criticism is usually directed at the military or specific officials, not Putin himself," security analyst and hybrid warfare expert Ruslan Trad said. They help Putin deflect failures and, in the wake of Ukraine's drone attack inside Russia, they're busy. The bloggers' love Russia's military might. And now there are verified images of how it's been damaged and, in parts, destroyed. Ukraine says it destroyed up to 13 aircraft in the covert drone attack deep inside Russia. The United States now puts that number at 10, with up to 20 hit in the attack. Via United States President Donald Trump, Putin says retaliation is inevitable. In Russia, state-owned newspapers might have buried stories and images detailing the attack but, in the so-called "milblogger" corner of the internet, you will find pro-Russian, even pro-war critics of the men running Putin's war. Ukraine has released images purported to show drones used in the attack on Russian air bases. ( Reuters ) Telegram lights up after attack Russia's military and mercenary presence around the world was being documented online by some of these so-called "Z" accounts before Putin's war in Ukraine, but the accounts' follower lists exploded after February 2022. Telegram is the platform of choice for these warhead influencers. The app is not state-owned — it belongs to a Russian French dual citizen — so the fact the Kremlin hasn't blocked it or shut it down is notable. These accounts are permitted to be critical because Putin knows he needs to give any rumbling frustrations an outlet. "This criticism serves as a pressure release for public anger and helps the Kremlin manage elite competition within the state," Trad said. "However, when bloggers cross certain red lines — such as directly attacking Putin or threatening regime stability — they risk arrest or censorship. "The Kremlin tolerates criticism that does not undermine Putin's personal authority or the overall legitimacy of the regime, but it cracks down if bloggers become too influential or shift blame to the top." Their influence has massively grown over the course of the invasion, and with it, their access too, with them now regularly posting from the battlefield or providing first-hand accounts from soldiers. After trucks parked in not-at-all random locations across Russia exploded with first-person view drones and set aircraft covered in spare tyres on fire, Telegram lit up too. Referencing a video, which has not been verified, of men trying to stop drones as they lifted up out of a semi-trailer container, blogger Anastasia Kashevarova said: "This is truly a symbol of what is happening." "People created and built all this, and now we can't even preserve it, let alone increase it. When will this disgrace and inaction end?" For a regime that holds tight control over what the world gets to really know about it, and one that crushes signs of dissent, the commentary from military bloggers occupies a unique place in Russia's media landscape. "In general, Russian military bloggers are both amplifiers and critics of the Kremlin's war narrative," Mr Trad said. "While they are nationalist and pro-war, they often highlight failures or shortcomings in the Russian military's conduct, providing a more detailed and sometimes critical perspective than state media." Trad said the arrangement allowed Putin to use the military bloggers "as a tool to pressure or scapegoat military leaders". That pressure is now building. Aerospace forces commander-in-chief Viktor Afzalov and former defence minister Sergei Shoigu — now secretary of Russia's Security Council — are among those being publicly singled out for blame. Influential blogger Voyenkor Kotenok said Shoigu had promised as far back as April 2021 to build more than 300 reinforced concrete shelters for aircraft, but this had not happened. He also publicly rejected any excuse that the bases were deep enough inside Russia that they could have been considered safe. Ukraine was able to strike the Belaya air base more than 4,000 kilometres inside Russia, and the Olenya facility in the Arctic Circle. According to Kotenok, military officials "relied on chance". "The result is a strong slap in the face and invaluable experience for the enemy, including strategic, which will apply the results of the operation to other objects, including those related to submarine bases, chemical production and nuclear research, but they saved on shelters. How did this saving pay off?" This is a typical piece of criticism — directed at military officials, rooted in the need to protect and defend Russia's military and always with a strategic bent. "Many military bloggers are intensely focused on military hardware, strategy, and operational details. The destruction or damage of strategic bombers — a core element of Russia's nuclear triad — provokes particular outrage," Trad said. By analysing the position the aircraft were left in on the tarmacs where some were damaged, and seemingly destroyed, it's possible to see Russia's apparent attempt at decoys, rather than protective measures. Painted on the tarmac are outlines of planes, visible from satellite imagery. Trad said Ukraine's drone strike triggered an outcry among military bloggers, and that "many reacted with anger and alarm, calling the attack a 'Russian Pearl Harbor'", a description he described as an exaggeration and "rather emotional". Blogger Roman Alekhin said Moscow had underestimated Ukraine's ability to strike inside Russia and was one of the voices comparing the so-called Operation Spider's Web to Japan's attack on the US Navy at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. At Pearl Harbor in 1941, more than 2,000 members of the US military were killed and 180 American aircraft were destroyed. Then there are, of course, the accounts that are very busy posting most of the time, but when Russia suffers an obvious blow, they are subdued or downplay the damage. There is significant diversity among military bloggers. "Some are openly critical of military failures and call for accountability, while others echo the official line, downplay setbacks, or issue threats of retaliation against Ukraine and the West," Trad said. "Bloggers closely tied to state media or with government roles tend to reinforce Kremlin narratives and avoid criticising Putin. Meanwhile, independent or ultra-nationalist bloggers are often more candid about problems, though even they usually stop short of directly blaming Putin." There have been some who massively downplayed the damage inflicted by Ukraine's drone attack, but those strikes "were widely seen as exposing serious vulnerabilities in Russia's defences," Trad said. The satellite evidence Bouncing around Telegram, scattered and often buried by the criticism of Russia's military officials and threats of retaliation, are screenshots, maps and videos that both evidence what Ukraine was able to achieve and anger the online mob. Putin may have sent a threat of retaliation to Ukraine via Trump, but the Kremlin has otherwise not given the attack any oxygen. The Russian Defence Ministry issued a brief statement in which it sought to minimise the success of Ukraine's covert and long-running operation. It said Ukraine tried to strike five airfields, but was only successful at two of them. The statement did not give much more detail and did not mention any aircraft being destroyed, only that "several" caught fire. Based on its analysis, Ukrainian open-source intelligence group AviVector believes the Ukrainian attack took out 11 bombers and a transport aircraft at Russia's Olenya and Belaya airfields. Satellite images that show the wreckage of destroyed aircraft at the two airfields appear to back that up. Damage at Olenya: Damage at Belaya: As open-source experts pore over the available details, Ukraine has released new footage of its drones striking the Russian aircraft. The new video, which has been verified by Reuters, shows a series of Ukrainian drones buzzing down to explode near aircraft that were sitting in the open. As more details emerge of what went into Operation Spider's Web and Ukraine's publicity machine makes the most of this moment, the criticism from Russia's military bloggers is gathering pace. They're accusing military leadership of negligence, complacency, and corruption, and questioning how such valuable assets were left exposed. As has been the case historically, despite the evidence of Russia's losses, this criticism may be allowed to continue as long as it does not turn towards President Vladimir Putin.
SBS Australia
14 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Reprisal for Operation Spider's Web arrives, with three killed by Russian air attack on Kyiv
The mayor of Ukraine's capital said Russia's air attack had left 20 people injured, in addition to the three deaths. Source: AP / AP Photo / Evgeniy Maloletka Russia mounted an intense missile and drone barrage of the Ukrainian capital overnight, killing three people, Ukrainian officials said, as powerful explosions reverberated across the city. The attack followed a warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin, conveyed via United States leader Donald Trump , that the Kremlin would hit back after Ukrainian drones destroyed several strategic bomber aircraft in attacks deep inside Russia. Kyiv's military administration said three people were killed in the missile and drone salvo against the capital. They were first responders who had rushed to the scene of one of the strikes, interior minister Ihor Klymenko said. "Overnight, Russia 'responded' to its destroyed aircraft ... by attacking civilians in Ukraine ... Multi-storey buildings hit. Energy infrastructure damaged," foreign minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had carried out the strike on military and military-related targets in response to what it called Ukrainian "terrorist acts" against Russia. "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. In one of the most audacious attacks of the war between Ukraine and Russia, Ukrainian spies last weekend destroyed a claimed US$7 billion ($10.8 billion) worth of Russian strategic bomber aircraft on the ground using quadrocopter drones hidden in wooden sheds. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the mission — dubbed Operation Spider's Web — "our most long-range operation" in more than three years of war. The Kremlin was planning an unspecified response to the Ukrainian attack on Russian air bases, Trump said after a telephone conversation with Putin on Wednesday. "President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields," Trump said after the conversation. Russia has also 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. Zelenskyy said 49 people nationwide had been injured in the attacks on Kyiv, which also struck several other towns and cities, as he called on Ukraine's Western allies to ramp up pressure on Russia. The air force said Russia had used 407 drones, one of the largest numbers recorded in a single attack. Forty-five cruise and ballistic missiles were also fired, it said. Kyiv's metro transport system was disrupted by a Russian strike that hit and damaged tracks between stations, the military administration said. The state rail company said it was also diverting some trains due to rail damage outside the city. Reuters witnesses reported a series of booming explosions powerful enough to rattle windows far from the impact sites. Some Kyiv residents sought shelter in metro stations, or in underground car parks. In the capital's Solomianskyi district, a Russian drone slammed into the side of an apartment building, leaving a gaping hole and burn marks, a Reuters photographer at the scene said. Falling concrete blocks from the building crushed cars parked below. Two police investigators were examining what appeared to be the drone's engine. Earlier in the night, Reuters reporters heard the sound of Russian kamikaze drones buzzing in the sky, accompanied by the sounds of outgoing fire from Ukrainian anti-aircraft batteries. 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." Zelenskyy called for concerted pressure on Russia. "If someone is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take lives – that is complicity and accountability. We must act decisively," he wrote on X. As well as Kyiv, Russian forces also struck industrial facilities and infrastructure in the western city of Ternopil, leaving parts of it without power, Mayor Serhii Nadal said. The regional administration said the attack had injured 10 people and recommended that residents temporarily stay inside due to a high concentration of toxic substances in the air after a fire. Fifteen people were injured in the northwestern city of Lutsk where an attack damaged private homes, educational institutions and a government building, prosecutors said. The Ukrainian military said it had launched a pre-emptive strike overnight on the Engels and Dyagilevo airfields in the Russian regions of Saratov and Ryazan, in addition to striking at least three fuel reservoirs.
