Ukraine war briefing: Drones blast Russian plant for missile and fighter jet chips
Ukraine's military said 10 of its drones hit the Bolkhovsky semiconductor plant, a supplier in the Oryol region to Russian fighter jet and missile makers. Videos online and Nasa satellite fire monitoring supported the claim. 'This is one of the leading enterprises in the Russian Federation in the field of development and production of semiconductor devices and components,' said the Ukrainian military, adding that parts from the plant went into Iskander and Kinzhal missiles.
A Russian strike on a military training site in north-eastern Ukraine killed six soldiers and wounded at least 10 others, the Ukrainian national guard said on Wednesday. Russia's defence ministry confirmed a ballistic missile attack on the 'training camp' for Ukrainian special forces. Ukraine's national guard said: 'An internal investigation into the incident is under way. The commander of the military unit has been suspended, and the necessary information has been passed on to law enforcement agencies.' Commanders on both sides have been censured during the war after presiding over military assemblies for training, parades and presentations that have come under enemy attack, resulting in casualties.
Russia said more than 370 Ukrainian drones attacked across the border on Wednesday, including 27 aimed at Moscow, the capital, where airports had to be temporarily shut down.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in his nightly video address that the heaviest frontline battles were around Pokrovsk, while Ukrainian forces remained active in two Russian regions along the border: Kursk and Belgorod. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, visited the Kursk region on Tuesday. Russia's defence ministry said its forces were advancing at key points along the front, and pro-Russian war bloggers said Russia had penetrated Ukrainian lines between Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. The battlefield accounts could not be independently verified.
Zelenskyy spoke on Wednesday with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, about the need to put pressure on Russia: 'It is important that all decisions are coordinated. Then the sanctions will work. Without pressure on Moscow, a just peace cannot be achieved. Everyone understands this.'
Russian military intelligence (the GRU) is targeting organisations delivering assistance to Ukraine by hacking into cameras at crossings and railway stations and near military installations, as well as such tactics as phishing emails and stealing passwords, according to the UK's intelligence services and those of allies. Daniel Boffey writes that the unit involved – GRU Unit 26165, also known as APT 28 or Fancy Bear – has conducted the malicious cyber-campaign against public and private organisations in Nato states since 2022. In an advisory note, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – part of GCHQ – called on private companies involved in the delivery of aid to 'take immediate action to protect themselves'.
The Polish navy has chased a 'shadow fleet' oil tanker away from an undersea power cable connecting Poland to Sweden. Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, said on Wednesday that the ship was undertaking 'suspicious' activity and 'following a successful intervention by our military, the vessel left for one of the Russian ports'. The Polish defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said an emergency meeting of Poland's Maritime Operations Command would be held on Thursday.
Finland has said it expects Russia to further build up troops along their shared border when the war in Ukraine ends, writes Miranda Bryant, after reports that Moscow had strengthened its military bases near the Nato frontier. Maj Gen Sami Nurmi of the Finnish defence forces said the military was following Moscow's manoeuvring 'very closely' in order to 'prepare for the worst'. The Finnish border guard announced on Wednesday it had completed the first 35km of a planned 200km fence on its eastern border with Russia, which has been closed for more than a year after Helsinki accused Moscow of directing asylum seekers to Finland in a 'hybrid operation'. The fence also uses cameras and sensors to distinguish between people and animals crossing.
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Putin yet to retaliate in full force over Operation Spiderweb, officials say
Vladimir Putin's threatened retaliation against Ukraine over its drone attack on Russia's bomber fleet has not happened yet in earnest, despite heavy bombardment of Kharkiv and Kyiv the past two days, and is likely to be a significant, multi-pronged strike soon, US officials have told Reuters. One senior western diplomat anticipated a 'huge, vicious and unrelenting' assault by Moscow. Michael Kofman, a Russia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said Russia might seek to punish Ukraine's SBU domestic security agency which orchestrated last weekend's assault, possibly employing intermediate-range ballistic missiles, as well as targeting defence manufacturing sites. Still, Kofman suggested Russia's options for retaliation may be limited, as it was already throwing a lot of its military might at Ukraine. 'In general, Russia's ability to substantially escalate strikes from what they are already doing – and attempting to do over the past month – is quite constrained.' The Ukrainian drone attack – called Operation Spiderweb – likely damaged about 10% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet and hit some of the aircraft as they were being prepared for strikes on Ukraine, according to a German military assessment. Maj Gen Christian Freuding told a YouTube podcast that 'more than a dozen aircraft were damaged, TU-95 and TU-22 strategic bombers as well as A-50 surveillance planes'. He said 'only a handful' of the A-50s exist and can now no longer be used for spare parts. Despite the losses, Freuding did not see any immediate reduction of Russian strikes against Ukraine, noting that Moscow retained 90% of its strategic bombers, which can launch ballistic and cruise missiles in addition to dropping bombs. 'But there is, of course, an indirect effect as the remaining planes will need to fly more sorties, meaning they will be worn out faster, and, most importantly, there is a huge psychological impact.' Freuding said Russia had felt safe in its vast territory, which also explained why there was little protection for the aircraft. 'After this successful operation, this no longer holds true. Russia will need to ramp up the security measures.' Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of thwarting a large-scale prisoner exchange that was agreed in the last week, with Kyiv denying Russian allegations that it had indefinitely the postponed prisoner swaps while accusing Moscow of 'playing dirty games'. At talks in Istanbul on Monday, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to release more than 1,000 people on each side, while Russia said it would also hand back the remains of 6,000 killed Ukrainian soldiers. Russia's defence ministry said in a statement: 'The Russian side has provided the Ukrainian side with a list of 640 names, but the Ukrainian side is currently refraining from setting a date for the return of these individuals and the transfer of the corresponding number of Russian prisoners of war.' Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said no date had been agreed for the return of bodies and that a list of names Russia said would be released did not match the terms of the agreement. Andriy Kovalenko, an official with Ukraine's national security and defence council, said 'statements by the Russian side do not correspond to reality'.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Watch: New footage of Ukraine's daring drone raid on Russian planes
Ukraine has released new footage of its daring raid last week that struck four Russian airfields. The clip, posted by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), appears to show a first-person view drone taking off from a mobile wooden cabin and flying across fields before landing on a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber. Footage from the drone seems to show a previously hit plane engulfed in flames. The attack on Belaya airbase in Siberia – which is more than 2,500 miles from Ukraine – was part of the wider Operation Spiderweb on June 1 in which drones were planted on trucks and launched at key strategic sites across Russia. In total, 41 planes were damaged, Kyiv claimed, including bombers used to attack Ukrainian cities, and an A-50 spy plane. The attack was reportedly 18 months in the planning and is estimated to have caused about £5 billion in damage.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Exclusive: US believes Russia response to Ukraine drone attack not over yet, expects multi-pronged strike
WASHINGTON, June 7 (Reuters) - The United States believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin's threatened retaliation against Ukraine over its drone attack last weekend has not happened yet in earnest and is likely to be a significant, multi-pronged strike, U.S. officials told Reuters. The timing of the full Russian response was unclear, with one source saying it was expected within days. A second U.S. official said the retaliation was likely to include different kinds of air capabilities, including missiles and drones. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity. They did not detail Russia's expected targets nor elaborate on intelligence matters. The first official said Moscow's attack would be "asymmetrical," meaning that its approach and targeting would not mirror Ukraine's strike last weekend against Russian warplanes. Russia launched an intense missile and drone barrage at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday and Russia's Defense Ministry said the strike on military and military-related targets was in response to what it called Ukrainian "terrorist acts" against Russia. But the U.S. officials believe the complete Russian response is yet to come. A Western diplomatic source said that while Russia's response may have started, it would likely intensify with strikes against symbolic Ukrainian targets like government buildings, in an effort to send a clear message to Kyiv. Another, senior, Western diplomat anticipated a further devastating assault by Moscow. "It will be huge, vicious and unrelenting," the diplomat said. "But the Ukrainians are brave people." The Russian and Ukrainian embassies in Washington and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Michael Kofman, a Russia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said he expected Moscow might seek to punish Ukraine's domestic security agency, the SBU, for its role in last weekend's assault. To send a message, Russia could employ intermediate-range ballistic missiles for the attack, he said. "Most likely, they will attempt to retaliate against (SBU) headquarters, or other regional intelligence administration buildings," Kofman said, adding Russia could also target Ukrainian defense manufacturing centers. Still, Kofman suggested Russia's options for retaliation may be limited as it is already throwing a lot of its military might at Ukraine. "In general, Russia's ability to substantially escalate strikes from what they are already doing - and attempting to do over the past month - is quite constrained," he said. Kyiv says Sunday's audacious attack employed 117 unmanned aerial vehicles launched deep from within Russian territory in an operation code-named "Spider's Web." The United States assesses that up to 20 warplanes were hit - around half the number estimated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy - and around 10 were destroyed. The Russian government on Thursday denied that any planes were destroyed and said the damage would be repaired, but Russian military bloggers have spoken of loss or serious damage to about a dozen planes, including those capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The strikes, prepared over 18 months and conducted by drones smuggled close to the bases in trucks, dealt a powerful symbolic blow to Russia, which throughout the Ukraine war has frequently reminded the world of its nuclear might. Putin told President Donald Trump in a telephone conversation on Wednesday that Moscow would have to respond to attack, Trump said in a social media post. Trump later told reporters that "it's probably not going to be pretty." "I don't like it. I said: 'Don't do it. You shouldn't do it. You should stop it,'" Trump said of his conversation with Putin. "But, again, there's a lot of hatred."
