Russia has effectively launched offensive on Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts, says Ukraine's commander-in-chief
Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has stated that Russian forces have, in effect, already begun an offensive on Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts.
Source: Syrskyi in an interview with LB.ua
Quote: In response to a question about Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement on Russia preparing an offensive on Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts, Syrskyi replied: "I can say that the president is absolutely right and this offensive has effectively already begun."
Details: Syrskyi said that this is evidenced in part by the fact that for nearly a week there has been a near twofold increase in Russian offensive operations across all major directions.
Background:
During a meeting of European leaders in Paris focused on support for Ukraine, Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian intelligence indicates Russia is preparing new offensives on Sumy, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
"According to our intelligence, Russia is getting ready for new offensives against the Sumy, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. They're dragging out the talks and trying to get the US stuck in endless, pointless discussions about fake 'conditions' just to buy time and then try to grab more land," Zelenskyy said.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
25 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Map Shows Ukraine's Crippling Strikes on Russia's Microchip Plants
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. Ukraine targeted a technology plant close to Moscow overnight, Kyiv's military said on Thursday, the latest in a run of attacks on Russian microelectronics plants since the beginning of the year. The assault was launched on the Rezonit facility roughly 25 miles, from the center of the Russian capital city, Andriy Kovalenko, an official with Ukraine's national security and defense council, said on Thursday. The site was a "bold target" for Ukraine, Kovalenko added. Ukraine's military, confirming the overnight attack, said the Rezonit plant was an "important facility" for Russia's industry, supplying its military. Why It Matters Kyiv has repeatedly targeted Russian facilities pumping out microelectronics and components key for some of the country's most advanced weapons, including next-generation missiles. What To Know Russia's Defense Ministry said it had destroyed three Ukrainian drones over the broader Moscow overnight. The mayor of the city of Moscow and the governor of the Moscow region had not commented at the time of writing. The extent of the damage is not clear, but footage circulating online on Thursday appears to show at least one bright flash and plumes of smoke at the site. Newsweek could not independently verify the footage and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email. The microelectronics made at the Rezonit plant are used for flight control, navigation and guidance systems in Russia's Iskander missiles, Kalibr and Kh-101 cruise missiles, as well as Russian drones and artillery systems, Kovalenko said. Ukraine said on May 21 it had attacked the Bolkhovsky semiconductor plant in Russia's Oryol region, southwest of Moscow, with ten drones. Kyiv's military described the site as one of Russia's major suppliers of semiconductors and microelectronics, key for producing Iskander and Kinzhal missiles, as well as Russia's aircraft. Russia has frequently fired Iskander missiles at Ukraine and debuted the Kinzhal, one of the Kremlin's "next generation" weapons, during the conflict. Russia claims the missile is hypersonic and impossible to intercept. Ukrainian and Western intelligence suggests advanced U.S.-made air defense systems have shot down Kinzhal missiles in Ukraine. A week later, Kyiv said it had struck a microelectronics plant, named as the Mikron facility in Zelenograd, near Moscow. Ukraine's Kovalenko said Russia's Kremniy-EL microelectronics plant in the Bryansk region bordering Ukraine was attacked in late April. Russian state-controlled media reported in January the Bryansk plant suspended operations after six Ukrainian drones homed in on the site. What People Are Saying Ukraine's military said on Thursday its forces had "struck an important facility of the Russian aggressor's military-industrial complex."
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cheap, fast and armed: U.S. looks to thwart Ukraine-style drone swarms
WASHINGTON − Cheap weaponized drones pose a threat to military bases and civilians, leading a senior military official to predict they'll be used soon to inflict a 'mass-casualty event.' Ukraine underscored the risk to advanced military powers on June 1 when its inexpensive drones damaged or destroyed strategic warplanes across Russia. U.S. military bases, and targets like major sports events, share similar vulnerabilities, officials say. Neither the Pentagon nor the militaries of other developed countries have figured out how to defend against swarms of small drones packed with explosives, according to the military official, who has been briefed on counter-drone efforts but was not authorized to speak publicly. More: Russia's 'Pearl Harbor': What to know about Ukraine's audacious drone strike We're not even close, the official said. No one is. The threat from drones to military isn't just overseas. Last year, the military tallied 350 drone incursions on domestic bases, according to U.S. Northern Command. Most of those probably were hobbyists who strayed into restricted airspace, the defense official said. Some, however, could have been from foreign adversaries spying on the military. And some people have wondered whether they could have carried explosives. More: Ukraine drone attack shows familiar-looking drones can be terrifying weapons How does the Pentagon, which spends nearly $1 trillion a year on defense, have such a vulnerability? What's being done to address it, and how the future of drone warfare plays out, gains greater and greater urgency for lawmakers and military planners as technology improves almost daily. For the better part of two decades, the Pentagon had unmatched superiority in drone technology. Early in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Predator and later Reaper drones armed with Hellfire missiles allowed pilots in dark bases in the Nevada desert to attack militant targets in the Middle East. A Reaper costs about $28 million, according to the Congressional Research Service. For a fraction of that cost today, a small drone can be weaponized and flown to its target and deliver devastating effects, too. 'At a cost of a mere tens of thousands of dollars, Ukraine inflicted billions in damage, potentially setting back Russia's bomber capabilities for years,' Army Secretary Dan Driscoll testified to Congress earlier in June. 'The world saw in near-real time how readily available technology can disrupt established power dynamics.' Ukraine has been at the forefront of militarized drone development. By necessity, it needs a cheap alternative to thwart Russia, a country with a far larger military force that has advantages in conventional weapons like warplanes, tanks and artillery. Ukraine deployed first-person view, or FPV, drones in its attack on the Russian airfields. FPV drones allow a pilot with a headset to steer the aircraft to its target. That technology has proliferated and gotten relatively cheap in recent years. You can buy an FPV drone on Amazon for under $700. The Ukrainian military has refined technology for small drones and improves nearly weekly to offset Russian countermeasures, the defense official said. More: No. 1 threat: Drone attacks prompt urgent $500 million request from Pentagon The Pentagon is painfully aware of the threat. In January 2024, militants in Jordan launched a drone attack on an outpost in the desert as soldiers slept in their quarters. Three died when the drone slammed into their building. Realizing the urgency of the threat, the Pentagon began funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into counter-drone weaponry. That includes electronic jamming devices that can sever the link between the operator and the drone, rendering it harmless. Small missiles can be fired at drones at a distance, and shotgun-type weapons can be used for those closer in, the official said. Even nets can be used to snag drones in the air before they reach their target. Defending against a swarm of small drones is a tough problem, the official said. There's no simple solution. More: Zap it and put it in a bag: Inside the military's response to drones flying over bases On Capitol Hill, Sen. Roger Wicker, Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, assured Army officials that Congress is prepared to spend billions on drone defense. Before senators and Army officials retreated to discuss the drone threat in secret, Driscoll raised another alarm about the threat. 'We are not doing enough,' he said. 'The current status quo is not sufficient.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cheap, fast, explosive: Stopping Ukraine-style drone swarms
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Most G7 members ready to lower Russian oil price cap without US
By Julia Payne and John Irish BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) -Most countries in the Group of Seven nations are prepared to go it alone and lower the G7 price cap on Russian oil even if U.S. President Donald Trump decides to opt out, four sources familiar with the matter said. G7 country leaders are due to meet on June 15-17 in Canada where they will discuss the price cap first agreed in late 2022. The cap was designed to allow Russian oil to be sold to third countries using Western insurance services provided the price was no more than $60 a barrel. The European Union and Britain have been pushing to lower the price for weeks after a fall in global oil prices made the current $60 cap nearly irrelevant. The sources, who declined to be named, said the EU and Britain are ready to lead the charge and go it alone, backed by the other European G7 countries and Canada. They said it is still unclear what the U.S. will decide, though the Europeans are pushing for a united decision at the meeting. Japan's position also remains uncertain, they said. "There is a push among European countries to reduce the oil price cap to $45 from $60. There are positive signals from Canada, Britain and possibly the Japanese. We will use the G7 to try to get the U.S. on board," one of the sources said. The White House had no immediate comment. During the G7 finance ministers meeting in the Canadian Rockies last month, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained unconvinced there was a need to lower the cap, according to sources. However some U.S. Senators may endorse the idea, including Lindsay Graham, who in recent weeks told reporters he supports lowering the cap. Graham is pushing a hard-hitting new set of Russia sanctions that could impose steep tariffs on buyers of Russian oil. The Canadian foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment. The EU has proposed lowering the price to $45 a barrel in its latest 18th package of sanctions. The package must have unanimity from member states in order for it to be adopted, which could take several weeks. Russia's largest export grade, Urals, trades at around a $10 a barrel discount to the Dated Brent benchmark out of Baltic ports. Brent futures have been trading below $70 a barrel since early April. Sources said Washington's buy-in was not essential to lower the cap owing to Britain's dominance in global shipping insurance, and the EU's influence on the Western rules-abiding tanker fleet. The U.S., however, does matter when it comes to dollar-denominated payments for oil and its banking system. The EU and its Western allies have been progressively cracking down on Russia's shadow fleet of tankers and related actors, which work to circumvent the cap. The pressure has started to hurt Moscow's revenues and Western allies hope this will push more of the oil trade back under the cap. Russia's state-owned oil producer Rosneft reported a 14.4% slump in profits last year.
