Russia Downs Ukrainian Drones, UK-Supplied Missiles In Fresh Counter Assault, Claims Moscow
Russia says it has intercepted another major Ukrainian drone attack, downing multiple UAVs overnight across Crimea, Belgorod, Kursk, and the Sea of Azov. The Russian MoD also claims to have destroyed NATO-supplied weapons, including Storm Shadow and JDAM missiles. This comes days after a major Ukrainian drone assault, marking a sharp escalation. Meanwhile, Russian shelling in eastern Ukraine reportedly killed five people, as Ukraine accuses Moscow of targeting civilians. The total number of downed drones now exceeds 300, according to Russian sources.#russia #ukraine #putin #zelensky #stormshadow
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NDTV
41 minutes ago
- NDTV
6 Killed, 80 Injured In Intense Russian Air Attacks In Kyiv, Says Ukraine
Russia launched an intense missile and drone barrage at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in the early hours of Friday, killing at least six people, Ukrainian officials said, as powerful explosions reverberated across the country. The attacks followed a warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin, conveyed via U.S. President Donald Trump, that the Kremlin would hit back after Ukrainian drones destroyed several strategic bomber aircraft in attacks deep inside Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy 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," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, writing on X, said Russia had "'responded' to its destroyed aircraft... by attacking civilians in Ukraine.... Multi-storey buildings hit. Energy infrastructure damaged." 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. "They gave Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, when asked about how Ukraine's earlier drone strikes had affected the conflict. Zelenskiy 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. ATTACKS HIT KYIV TRANSPORT SYSTEM 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. Zelenskiy 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 three-year-old war between Ukraine and Russia, Ukrainian spies last weekend destroyed some of Russia's strategic bomber aircraft on the ground using quadrocopter drones hidden in wooden sheds. After a phone conversation with Putin on Wednesday, Trump said the Kremlin was planning an unspecified response to the Ukrainian attack on the Russian air bases.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Germany's Merz says he found Trump open to dialogue and committed to NATO
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday, a day after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, that he encountered a U.S. administration open to discussion and returned confident that Washington remains committed to NATO. Merz described his Oval Office meeting and extended lunch with Trump as constructive but also candid, noting that the two leaders expressed different views on Ukraine. "Yesterday, in the meeting at the Oval Office, I expressed a distinctly different position on the topic of Ukraine than the one Trump had taken, and not only was there no objection, but we discussed it in detail again over lunch," Merz said in Berlin after his return. Thursday's White House meeting marked the first time the two sat down in person. Merz, who became chancellor in May, avoided the kind of confrontations in the Oval Office that have tripped up other world leaders, including Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa. The two leaders opened with pleasantries. Merz presented Trump with a gold-framed birth certificate of the president's grandfather, Friedrich Trump, who emigrated from Kallstadt, Germany. Trump called Merz a 'very good man to deal with.' The American administration, he said, is open to discussion, listens, and is willing to accept differing opinions. Add he added that dialogue should go both ways: 'Let's stop talking about Donald Trump with a raised finger and wrinkled nose. You have to talk with him, not about him." He said he also met with senators on Capitol Hill, urging them to recognize the scale of Russian rearmament. 'Please take a look at how far Russia's armament is going, what they are currently doing there; you obviously have no idea what's happening,' he said he told them. 'In short, you can talk to them, but you must not let yourself be intimidated. I don't have that inclination anyway.' Merz, who speaks English fluently, stressed the need for transatlantic trust and said he reminded Trump that allies matter. 'Whether we like it or not, we will remain dependent on the United States of America for a long time,' he said. 'But you also need partners in the world, and the Europeans, especially the Germans, are the best-suited partners. 'This is the difference between authoritarian systems and democracies: authoritarian systems have subordinates. Democracies have partners — and we want to be those partners in Europe and with America.' He reiterated that the U.S. remains committed to NATO, particularly as Germany and others boost their defence spending. Trump has in the past suggested that the U.S. might abandon its commitments to the alliance if member countries don't meet defence spending targets. 'I have absolutely no doubt that the American government is committed to NATO, especially now that we've all said we're doing more. We're ensuring that we can also defend ourselves in Europe, and I believe this expectation was not unjustified," Merz said. "We've been the free riders of American security guarantees for years, and we're changing that now.'
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
China To Give Pakistan Most Advanced J-35A Stealth Fighter With 400-KM PL-17 Missiles; How Will India Counter The Threat?
New Delhi: China is set to deliver its most advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter, the J-35A, to Pakistan. The aircraft is armed with the deadly PL-17 air-to-air missile. Confirmed by Pakistani defence officials, the move is raising alarms across India's security establishment. Why? Because this missile reportedly has a striking range of 400 kilometres, potentially altering the dynamics of aerial combat in the region. The PL-17 is not only an upgraded missile, it is a battlefield equaliser. Developed as a successor to the PL-15E, this radar-guided missile is designed to take out high-value airborne targets such as AWACS, refueling aircraft and command planes before they can even detect the incoming threat. Dubbed CH-AA-12 Auger by NATO, this missile is thought to operate beyond 400 km range and gives its host fighter an ability to kill from afar. Pakistan already used the PL-15 against India. Now, with the PL-17 mounted on a stealth fighter like the J-35, it will be about shock and awe. The J-35, also known as the FC-31 or Gyrfalcon in China, is a twin-engine and single-seat multirole stealth fighter with advanced design features to evade L-band and Ku-band radars. Equipped with diverterless supersonic inlets (DSI) and stealth-optimised composite materials, this fighter is designed to slip past radar and hit hard before even being seen. Pakistani pilots are already training in China to fly this machine. While exact details of the arms deal remain classified, leaks suggest Pakistan could acquire up to 40 J-35 fighters, with deliveries starting soon. What Does This Mean For India? India currently operates 4.5-generation fighters like Rafale and Su-30MKI. The indigenous fifth-generation AMCA program is still under development, with a prototype not expected before 2028. That means Pakistan could enjoy a stealth edge for years, unless India acts fast. The PL-17's range, allegedly over 60 km longer than even India's Astra MkII, could allow Pakistani fighters to fire before Indian jets even enter engagement range. Even worse, defence experts worry that J-35s connected to China's satellite and surveillance network could get real-time battlefield updates, making them near-invisible predators in the sky. India's strategy has multiple layers but urgency is key. The Astra MkIII, with a proposed range of 340 km, is in development phase and may become India's answer to the PL-17. Defence scientists are under pressure to fast-track it. India already has the S-400 Triumf system, which stunned the world when it shot down a Pakistani AWACS 314 km away. It remains a key long-range defence pillar. To survive in the stealth era, India must strengthen its electronic warfare capabilities and radar systems designed to detect low-RCS targets like the J-35. Above all, India needs to accelerate the AMCA program, which could neutralise the stealth advantage once inducted. What's China's Game Here; Why is it Alarming? Strategically, this is Beijing's move to tip the regional balance in Pakistan's favour, just months after the latest India-Pakistan skirmish. It is no coincidence that China is speeding up jet deliveries now. Defence analyst and retired IAF Squadron Leader Vijayendra K. Thakur told Eurasian Times, 'Against stealth fighters, conventional air defence is blunt. J-35s can launch missiles before detection. That is a deadly edge.' It is more than trade. It is about China weaponising Pakistan as a proxy to challenge India without direct confrontation. The PL-17 and J-35 combo is not only hardware but a geopolitical signal. India now finds itself on a strategic clock. Every delay in response is a free runway for Pakistan to soar into next-gen air warfare, with China fuelling the take-off. The arrival of J-35 jets with PL-17 missiles in Pakistan's hangars could mark the most serious airpower escalation in the region in a decade. India will need more than diplomacy to prepare for what may soon dominate its skies.
