Emirates Reviews Russia Flights as Ukraine Expands Drone Attacks
The world's largest long-haul carrier plans to review services to Russia following Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside the country over the weekend.
Dubai-based Emirates has contended with disruptions since the start of the war in early 2022, President Tim Clark said Monday in a Bloomberg Television interview. The airline, which has provided Moscow with crucial links to the outside world, has no current plan to curtail flights but will monitor the developing situation, he said.
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Gizmodo
24 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
New Russian Satellite Appears to Be Stalking U.S. Satellite in Orbit
A recently launched Russian satellite is getting uncomfortably cozy with a U.S. reconnaissance satellite, leading Space Command to worry that it's part of an anti-satellite weapon being deployed to orbit. Cosmos 2588 launched on May 23 to a near-circular orbit, placing it eerily close to a U.S. reconnaissance satellite, USA 338. The move prompted suspicion that it's an attempt by Russia to deliberately stalk the U.S. government satellite. This isn't the first time Russia has deployed a sneaky satellite to trail behind and allegedly observe another satellite in orbit, but this time it may be connected to Russia's controversial anti-satellite program. 'U.S. Space Command can confirm Russia's recent launch put a Russian satellite into an orbit near a U.S. government satellite,' a Space Command spokesperson is quoted as saying to Breaking Defense. 'Russia continues to research, develop, test, and deploy a suite of counter space systems that threaten the safety and the stability of the domain, so consistent with all on-orbit objects, USSPACECOM will continue to monitor for concerning behavior or activity related to this launch.' Slingshot Aerospace reports that the alleged spy satellite, Cosmos 2588, is a NIVELIR military inspection satellite likely carrying a kinetic weapon onboard. Its alignment with USA 338 'strongly suggests COSMOS 2588 may be actively monitoring or 'chasing' it,' the satellite tracking company wrote in a statement. Slingshot Aerospace has been tracking the two satellites, revealing that Cosmos 2588 is orbiting at a slightly higher altitude and that the two objects will have a close flyby of one another roughly every four days. The two satellites come as close as 62 miles (100 kilometers) from one another, Marco Langbroek, an astronomer and expert on space situational awareness at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, wrote on X. Not much else is known about USA 338 as it doesn't have publicly available orbital data, but it is believed to be a part of the National Reconnaissance Office's KH-series electro-optical surveillance network, known as the Crystal constellation, according to Interesting Engineering. This isn't the first time Russia has allegedly deployed a satellite for such a purpose. In April 2023, a Russian satellite appeared to be closely trailing a classified U.S. military satellite, and Russia's Kosmos 2558, launched in August 2022, was deployed into the same orbital plane as a U.S. military satellite, dubbed USA 326. In 2020, another Russian satellite, Kosmos 2542, stalked USA 245, an electro-optical spy satellite in low Earth orbit. The U.S. isn't completely innocent either. In June 2017, classified U.S. military satellite USA 276 snuck up on the International Space Station at a close distance of about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers). Earlier in 1998, hobbyists discovered a U.S. satellite that was believed to have been used for space spying purposes as well. Russia's satellites, however, are believed to be part of the country's efforts to develop an anti-satellite weapon designed to destroy other objects in space. In November 2021, Russia destroyed a defunct Soviet-era satellite in low Earth orbit, producing thousands of pieces of orbital debris. The test prompted the United Nations to draft a resolution against tests of anti-satellite (ASAT) missile systems, which was led by the Biden administration after the U.S. adopted a self-imposed ban on ASAT tests. A total of 155 countries voted in favor of the resolution, while nine voted against it, including Russia, China, Cuba, Syria, and Iran. 'This is the fourth time in five years that they launch a satellite into a coplanar orbit with a US optical reconnaissance satellite,' Langbroek wrote on X. 'So no, not mere coincidence but deliberate.'
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Before-and-After Satellite Images Reveal Russian ‘Pearl Harbor' Devastation
Newly available satellite imagery reveals the devastating aftermath of Ukraine's long-range drone strike on multiple Russian airbases in what pro-Moscow bloggers are calling "Russia's Pearl Harbor." The operation, codenamed "Operation Spiderweb," saw the deployment of 117 drones that targeted at least four strategic sites deep inside Russian territory. The drones were smuggled across the border, placed in wooden containers with removable roofs fixed on trucks. The Belaya air base in Irkutsk Oblast, more than 2,500 miles from Ukraine's border, bore the brunt of the assault. Ukrainian intelligence reported the destruction of at least 13 aircraft across all targeted sites. Satellite images provided to Newsweek from Maxar Technologies shows rows of strategic bombers reduced to scorched wreckage. A wide-angle before-and-after image of Belaya air base shows intact bomber aircraft in revetments replaced by charred remains and blackened craters. Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) stated that the drone barrage disabled 34 percent of Russia's cruise missile bomber fleet and inflicted an estimated $7 billion in damage. Among the aircraft confirmed destroyed at Belaya were at least three Tu-95MS bombers and one Tu-22M3 aircraft. Others were damaged but not obliterated, according to Ukrainian officials. A close-up image shows a cluster of Tu-95MS bombers with visible fire damage and blast debris surrounding their parking spots. Satellite images that captured the damage at multiple airfields show previously pristine runways now marked by burn scars and aircraft fragments. A detailed damage shot captures melted fuselage sections, crumpled wings, and residual fire damage across the concrete apron. Russia's Ministry of Defense admitted that aircraft caught fire at multiple sites but framed the strikes as "terrorist attacks" by the Kyiv regime. In a statement to Tass, the ministry said some drones were intercepted and added that several perpetrators had been detained. It denied any casualties among servicemen or civilians. Other airbases targeted included Olenya in Murmansk Oblast and Diaghilev in Ryazan Oblast. The Kyiv Independent cited Ukrainian sources who said the drones were smuggled into Russia in trucks outfitted with wooden cabins and deployed from beneath removable roofs. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War noted that the operation "will likely force Moscow to reconfigure its air defenses," possibly expanding coverage and introducing mobile air defense groups to counter future drone threats. Open-source analysis has suggested one A-50 spy plane was damaged or destroyed at Ivanovo air base, as well as four Tu-95 aircraft and three Tu-22M3 bombers at the Belaya air base, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said on Monday. The drone strikes came on the eve of fresh rounds of face-to-face talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Turkey. Initial discussions last month produced the largest prisoner swap of the war but little shuffling toward a peace deal that U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to broker. Related Articles 'Russia's Pearl Harbor' Fuels Fears Over Chinese Cargo Ships at US PortsSteve Bannon Says Lindsey Graham Should Be Arrested Over Ukraine SupportWhat 'Russia's Pearl Harbor' Says About Trump's Golden DomeOperation Spiderweb: How Ukraine's Daring Top Secret Drone Assault Unfolded 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Condoleezza Rice reveals concerning shift in Putin's behavior, calls him 'desperate' as Ukraine strikes back
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin has grown "more out of control," arguing he is "desperate" to eradicate Ukraine. Rice was asked about reports of Ukraine striking a bridge linking Crimea and Russia in a series of underwater explosions. Rice called the attack "extraordinary" during "Fox & Friends," saying it shows Ukraine can hold Putin accountable for his "aggression.""It shows a couple of things," she told Brian Kilmeade on Wednesday. "First, the changing nature of warfare, that you can do this with relatively cheap drones... against the Russian strategic air fleet, which has cost billions and billions of dollars. Secondly, it shows that the Ukrainians are very advanced in what they are doing in their defense industry with the building of these drones and an employment strategy for them."UKRAINE'S SURPRISE ATTACK SHOWS IT MAY TAKE A 'MAJOR DRONE STRIKE' TO CHANGE US DEFENSE POLICY, EXPERTS SAY "And third, it is an incredible intelligence coup," she added. "Vladimir Putin is undoubtedly now wondering whether there was an inside job. You're probably going to see a witch hunt in Russia as he tries to figure out who did this inside. So it just shows that just with a little bit of help, Ukrainians can make Vladimir Putin pay for his aggression."A massive underwater blast targeting a bridge linking Russia to Crimea left it in a "state of emergency" Tuesday, according to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU). The SBU said it detonated around 2,500 pounds of underwater explosives along the Kerch Bridge. Footage showed a blast centered around one of the bridge pillars, followed by people surveying damage on top of the bridge. The surprise detonation comes just days after Ukraine carried out "Operation Spider's Web," a series of coordinated drone strikes penetrating deep into Russian territory that is believed to have taken out dozens of Russia's most powerful bomber jets and surveillance planes as they sat idle on five military noted Putin's behavior has become more unstable since she served under former President George W. Bush, pointing to his unwavering determination in trying to "extinguish" Ukraine. "He seems to be more out of control than he used to be," Rice said. "He was always a very controlled figure. Don't get me wrong, he was never a Jeffersonian Democrat. He was always an autocrat. He was always an imperialist, but there is something about him now that seems almost more desperate in wanting to extinguish Ukraine."Rice argued it is imperative for President Donald Trump to make it clear that Russia will not win in its effort to take over the country after peace talks failed to yield a major breakthrough in Istanbul on Monday. "I do think there's a little part of Vladimir Putin that recognizes, particularly, that the energy infrastructure in Russia is degrading, and that he would be better off to stop this war," she said. "But it's being overcome by that other Putin who still thinks he can extinguish Ukraine. And, you know, he needs the president more than the president needs him. And so, making very clear to him that he's not going to get his maximalist claims is extremely important at this point."Fox News' Greg Norman and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
