logo
Ukraine hits back after Russia's record drone strike — destroying radar, supply depots in the Black Sea

Ukraine hits back after Russia's record drone strike — destroying radar, supply depots in the Black Sea

New York Post19-05-2025

A pair of drones destroyed a Russian radar system and military warehouse facilities at a gas production platform in the Black Sea on Monday, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The strike followed Russia's mass drone attack Ukrainian territory on Saturday, which Kyiv said was the largest recorded so far in the bloody 3-plus-year war.
Footage from the SBU shows the first drone soaring across the Black Sea and crashing into the tower of the gas production site, reportedly taking out a Russian Neva radar used to monitor aerial attacks.
A second drone flew underneath the plant for a follow-up strike, which was aimed at destroying military supply depots that Ukraine said were being held at the facility.
3 Ukrainian drones blew up a Russian radar and military depot allegedly stationed on a gas production platform in the Black Sea.
Security Service of Ukraine
3 The first drone targeted the bases' tower to destroy a Russian Neva radar, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
Security Service of Ukraine
'We once again reminded the enemy that no Russian junk has a place in the Black Sea,' the SBU said in a statement.
'The Security Service of Ukraine continues to develop and implement unique special operations to clear the Black Sea from Russian invaders, their military equipment and other equipment,' the agency added.
The SBU's claims could not be independently verified.
The Black Sea has remained a key conflict site in the Ukraine war after Moscow undermined a US-backed maritime truce deal in March.
3 Russian President Vladimir Putin was accused of failing to uphold a maritime truce in the Black Sea brokered by the US in March.
AP
Since then, Kyiv has found success with its drone strikes against Russia's military sites, including one that took out a Su-30 fighter jet earlier this month.
Kyiv touted the successful strike against the fighter jet, noting that it followed another first when its naval drones were used to take out two Russian helicopters on the last day of 2024.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Fusion Energy May Be The Key To World Hegemony
Fusion Energy May Be The Key To World Hegemony

Forbes

time16 minutes ago

  • Forbes

Fusion Energy May Be The Key To World Hegemony

What would it take for the United States to lose its hegemony to a rising power like China? Right now, America appears to be ahead economically and militarily. However, there is a stark difference between America's national strategy (insofar as one exists) and China's. The US under President Trump calls for regression. It seeks to restore a manufacturing economy that peaked in the 1950s—like an elderly man trying to restore hair where it hasn't grown for decades. It is doubling down on domestic oil, gas and coal. Through tariffs, disparagement of NATO and aggression towards allies like Canada and Denmark, the administration has alienated partners that long supported a US-led world order. China, meanwhile, has a tremendous lead in developing the economy of the future. It has a near monopoly on rare earth minerals, which are needed for electronics, renewable energy systems, defense technologies and more. China leads in solar, wind and batteries, the energy systems growing at the fastest rate. It is ahead in electric vehicles, industrial robotics and drones as well. It probably has achieved parity in artificial intelligence and may surpass the US soon. If China were to take Taiwan, it would control the global market for advanced chip manufacturing. In the background, but probably most importantly, China may be on track to commercialize fusion energy before the US or its disgruntled allies. Unlike the US, China has no domestic energy industry with vocal lobbyists (and purchasable politicians) to slow progress. It is funding fusion as a national strategy while private fusion companies in the West are at the mercy of investors that, for the most part, chase low risk and quick returns. Fusion promises cheap, plentiful, baseload energy without carbon emissions. AI, data centers and industrial robotics powered by fusion would produce goods and services at much lower costs than value chains dependent on fossil-fired electricity. Militaries built on swarms of small, cheap, electronic drones and robots—powered by small, distributed fusion facilities deep underground, safe from attack—would have an edge over competitors using large, expensive, petroleum-powered vehicles with vulnerable supply chains. I cannot overstate the ramifications of China developing fusion first. As an analogy, imagine if Japan and Germany had uncovered vast reserves of oil at home in the 1920s. American and Soviet oil gave the Allies a strategic advantage over the Axis powers. Had the situation been reversed, World War II could have ended differently. While private fusion companies in the West have raised about $8 billion total, China is investing at least $1.5 annually into fusion projects—double what the US government spends. Japanese and German investments in fusion don't even come close. Canada, for the record, has no fusion funding strategy. Moreover, the government of British Columbia, home of industry leader General Fusion, seems not to understand the value of this crown asset.* On all fronts nuclear, China is leaping ahead. In April, its scientists added fresh fuel to an operational thorium molten salt reactor—a first. The thorium reserves found in Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region of China, could theoretically meet Chinese energy demand for thousands of years. The kicker: this reactor design originated in the US. As project lead Xu Hongjie put it, 'The US left its research publicly available, waiting for the right successor. We were that successor." Moreover, in January, China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) sustained a fusion reaction for 1,066 seconds, setting a new record. Its Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) fusion reactor could come online by 2027 and is expected to produce five times the amount of energy it consumes. When BEST announces this milestone, Western fusion companies may be announcing that they've run out of funding. To China, fusion is not a startup project—it's a matter of national interest and security. Its scientists are patenting more fusion-related technologies than any other single country and graduating more doctorates in fusion-related fields. And because China is the top refiner and exporter of the critical minerals needed in fusion reactors (e.g., for magnets), no external force is going to slow their progress. In the meantime, China has a cheap gas station next door—Russia—supplying all the fossil fuels China could need in exchange for support in its war with Ukraine. That support includes critical minerals needed by Russian arms manufacturers. Is fusion energy, along with other Chinese-dominated technologies, enough to end US hegemony? In 1988, historian Paul Kennedy published The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, a book that tried to explain the relative success (and failure) of powerful states. According to Kennedy, their rise and fall '…shows a very significant correlation over the longer term between productive and revenue-raising capacities on the one hand and military strength on the other.' Essentially, states must balance economic prosperity with strategy. Technological breakthroughs are vital to both. Innovation creates wealth, which enables the state to invest in defense and win wars. While underinvestment in defense leaves the state vulnerable to other powers, overextension and overspending on defense can run an economy into the ground, leaving it unable to sustain a strong military. Now, picture a great power—China—with a military to rival the US and fusion reactors that provide virtually unlimited energy. Imagine the clout China would have in establishing ports, military bases and consumer markets around the world if it could license that fusion technology. A China that exceeds the US in energy, industry, intelligence, mobility and defense is positioned to usurp it. Of course, China could bungle its advantage. Authoritarian regimes have a habit of mismanaging internal dissent, falsifying reality and making preventable mistakes. The rise of China is inevitable, but the self-inflicted decline of the US and its allies isn't. Rather, it's a choice reflecting how societies invest their resources and envision their future. *Disclosure: The author is an investor in General Fusion and sits on its board of directors.

Trump Changes Top Middle East General For Strong Iran Hawk
Trump Changes Top Middle East General For Strong Iran Hawk

Newsweek

time22 minutes ago

  • Newsweek

Trump Changes Top Middle East General For Strong Iran Hawk

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The U.S. has underlined the priority of maritime operations and integrated joint forces in the Middle East with the nomination of a naval officer as the region's top commander ahead of a potential confrontation with Iran over its nuclear program and other threats. President Donald Trump has nominated Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, currently the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), to be appointed to the rank of admiral and serve as its new commander. He has been a strong critic of Iran and supportive of Israel in the past. Only one Navy officer has previously commanded CENTCOM—Admiral William Fallon in 2007—while the role has traditionally been held by Army and Marine generals. Why It Matters Commanding U.S. operations in the Middle East is one of the military's critical roles amid ongoing tensions with Iran and with a fragile truce with the Yemeni Houthis, after the Iranian-backed group multiply targeted U.S. aircraft carriers in response to Trump's airstrike campaign launched in March. Trump has threatened to use military force against Iran if diplomacy fails to achieve a deal to curb its nuclear program. CENTCOM is further engaged in regional security efforts related to Gaza since the war that erupted following Hamas' 2023 October attack on Israel. Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq remain key theaters for CENTCOM's anti-ISIS operations. What To Know If confirmed, Adm. Cooper will succeed commander General Michael Kurilla, who is due to retire this summer. Kurilla, with an army background, has also been strongly critical of Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has endorsed Cooper over Army General James Mingus, the presumed frontrunner, shifting away from Biden administration preferences, The Washington Post reported in April. A fierce critic of Iran's activities in the Middle East, Cooper has repeatedly identified it as a threats to regional security, navigation, and stability. As commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, he played a central role in Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S.-led multinational mission safeguarding Red Sea shipping lanes from Houthi missile and drone attacks from 2023. In 2024, he orchestrated the U.S. military's support for humanitarian aid to Gaza, through the establishment of a maritime corridor that boosted aid delivery without deploying troops on the ground, although it faced security challenges and quickly ended. Cooper had visited Israel in January to discuss U.S.-Israeli defense cooperation, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Cooper, a 1989 Naval Academy graduate, holds a master's in strategic Intelligence, studied international relations at Harvard and Tufts, and is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College. A recipient of the Admiral Elmo Zumwalt Award, he has led Navy ships and crews across key regions, served on the ground in Afghanistan, commanded U.S. naval forces in the Middle East for nearly three years, and led major Navy groups in the Atlantic, Japan, and Korea, including the USS Russell and USS Gettysburg. What People Are Saying Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said on CBS' 60 Minutes in 2024: "For a decade, the Iranians have been supplying the Houthis. They've been resupplying them. They're resupplying them as we sit here right now, at sea. We know this is happening. They're advising them, and they're providing target information. This is crystal clear." Pentagon's press release on Wednesday: "Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced today that the President has made the following nominations: Navy Vice Adm. Charles B. Cooper II for appointment to the grade of admiral, with assignment as commander, U.S. Central Command." What Happens Next His appointment is pending approval by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Russia used 400 strike drones and 40 missiles against Ukraine overnight, Zelenskyy says
Russia used 400 strike drones and 40 missiles against Ukraine overnight, Zelenskyy says

Yahoo

time27 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Russia used 400 strike drones and 40 missiles against Ukraine overnight, Zelenskyy says

Russia bombarded six regions of Ukraine in one of its largest aerial attacks of the three-year war, Ukrainian officials said Friday. The nighttime assault lasted for hours and killed three emergency responders in the capital Kyiv, according to authorities."In total, there were over 400 drone strikes and more than 40 missiles, including ballistic missiles," said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking at the International Summit of Cities and Regions in Kyiv.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store