Ukraine informed US of large-scale attack on Russian airfields in advance, says Axios
Source: Axios, citing an anonymous Ukrainian official; European Pravda
Details: The Ukrainian official, speaking to Axios on condition of anonymity, said that Ukraine had informed the administration of US President Donald Trump in advance of the planned attack on Russian airfields.
Background:
On 1 June, Russia was hit by a series of strikes on at least four airfields.
Sources told Ukrainska Pravda this was an SSU special operation that resulted in damage to approximately 40 aircraft, particularly strategic bombers.
An Ukrainska Pravda source within the SSU said that this operation had been in preparation for over a year and a half.
As part of the operation, the Ukrainian special service first smuggled first-person view drones into Russia, followed later by mobile wooden crates used to conceal the drones.
"At the right moment, the roofs of the crates were remotely opened and the drones flew out to target Russian bombers," the source stated.
The strikes on Russian aircraft have taken place shortly before the Ukraine-Russia negotiations scheduled for 2 June in Istanbul.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a minute ago
- Yahoo
The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox on Disney+ review: twists itself in knots
'Story is a powerful thing,' intones the voiceover during an episode of The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, a new TV miniseries produced by Amanda Knox herself alongside Monica Lewinsky. Who has the power to tell their story – or others' – is the issue at stake. Knox has described Lewinsky as her comrade in their 'sisterhood of ill repute'; this eight-part show on Hulu (streaming on Disney+ in the UK) is their attempt to set the record straight over what exactly happened almost two decades ago. But when the story has become so tangled in its retellings, can anything unpick it? Knox, 37, was wrongly convicted of murdering her British roommate Meredith Kercher in 2007, along with her boyfriend of just a week, Raffaele Sollecito. Excoriated in the British press as the she-devil Foxy Knoxy, she spent eight years on trial and four in prison. Two memoirs and a Netflix documentary later, she's still attempting to clear up the smear campaign against her. Is a TV show up to that mammoth task? Doubtful, but you can empathise with Knox here. Hollywood has already had so many bites of her apple – the pulpy Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy in 2011, then Matt Damon's Stillwater (2021), which Knox claims fictionalised her experience without her consent. Everyone's told her story on screen except her, until now. Grace Van Patten is fantastic as Knox, capturing not just her mannerisms but her unfortunate blend of brash Americanism and kookiness that gave the police and the press so much room to twist the knife. Each episode requires multiple emotional nadirs, yet you feel the fear, the distress, the choking grief with every micro expression. It's an all the more impressive performance given Van Patten came to the table late in production, after Margaret Qualley bowed out in 2024 due to scheduling conflicts. The whole cast is rock solid but too often the narrative eats the plot. Kercher's killer, Rudy Guede, is only alluded to in the second episode and doesn't appear until the fourth. By immersing the viewer in the confusion of the case as it unfolded in real time, those unfamiliar with the facts may lose their way. It should have been cut and dried. Guede was a drifter with a history of armed burglary and violence against women, who had previously been invited into the downstairs neighbour's home. His fingerprints and DNA alone were all over the crime scene. The jaw-dropping mishandling of the case feels like an exaggeration on screen. The phone tapping, physical assault during interrogation, a faked HIV test to weasel a list of sexual partners out of Knox. Sometimes the truth is so much stranger than fiction it is hard to comprehend. Blink and you miss the cross-contamination between evidence items alluded to in a quick panning shot. Kercher's role is handled sensitively – we never see her dead, only vibrant with life – but the show lingers over Knox's discovery of the crime scene, rather than the tragedy of a young woman losing her life. Understandably, Kercher's family were against this show ever being made. I doubt they will see this portrayal as anything more than another self-centred episode from Knox. Twisted Tale also extends more grace than it should to Giuliano Mignini (Francesco Acquaroli), Knox's prosecutor, who came up with the sordid and deranged theories about sex games gone wrong based off little more than a vibrator and Catholic guilt. Yes, Mignini felt persecuted by the public humiliation he experienced over his theories on the Monster of Florence case. The man sees satanic sex and death cults everywhere – that's far weirder than anything Knox said or did. I found Knox's memoir of her choice to make peace with Mignini incredibly moving. This show just re-ignited my petty loathing for him. Twisted Tale takes some interesting creative swings that brings Knox's oddball personality to life. Travel leaflets come to life with animations beckoning her to Europe. Subtitles for rapid-fire Italian fall away when she becomes confused during an intense legal meeting. A jury member pops his own ears clean off his as the bizarre trial set-up is explained via voiceover. Knox and Sollecito (Giuseppe De Domenico) were tried at the same time as Patrick Lumumba's case against Knox for her false confession – made under extreme duress – that implicated him in the crime. More of this zany energy would have been welcome, instead of the noir-ish police rooms where no one seems to have been able to locate the overhead light switch. The Italian investigators are cartoonishly evil, brooding in shadows as they come up with obviously stupid theories. But then again, the British media did swallow those lies whole. Tabloid hacks get off lightly in comparison, as brainless bottom feeders dashing off salacious copy on the hoof. For true accuracy, there should have been some cuts back to newsrooms where top editors salivated over slut-shaming front pages. Ultimately, Twisted Tale never seems quite sure of its audience. Americans will enjoy its hero's journey and cliffhanger true crime drama moments, but may falter at the hurdle of subtitles. Italians will baulk at the way their countrymen are portrayed, despite so much of it happening in their language. Brits will shudder at the melodrama of it all. A different edit would have made this show excellent. As it is, it gets tangled trying to escape the morass of all that's already been said about Knox. Even if the story has been told by the person who lived it, there will be plenty who refuse to see it as the definitive edition. The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox is streaming on Disney+ in the UK and Ireland
San Francisco Chronicle
3 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
First domino in national redistricting fight likely to fall with Texas GOP poised for vote on maps
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The first domino in a growing national redistricting battle is likely to fall Wednesday as the Republican-controlled Texas legislature is expected to pass a new congressional map creating five new winnable seats for the GOP. The vote follows prodding by President Donald Trump, eager to stave off a midterm defeat that would deprive his party of control of the House of Representatives, and weeks of delays after dozens of Texas Democratic state lawmakers fled the state in protest. Some Democrats returned Monday, only to be assigned round-the-clock police escorts to ensure their attendance at Wednesday's session. Those who refused to be monitored were confined to the House floor, where they protested on a livestream Tuesday night. Furious national Democrats have vowed payback for the Texas map, with California's legislature poised to approve new maps adding more Democratic-friendly seats later this week. The map would still need to be approved by that state's voters in November. Normally, states redraw maps once a decade with new census figures. But Trump is lobbying other conservative-controlled states like Indiana and Missouri to also try to squeeze new GOP-friendly seats out of their maps as his party prepares for a difficult midterm election next year. In Texas, Democrats spent the day before the vote continuing to draw attention to the extraordinary lengths the Republicans who run the legislature were going to ensure it takes place. Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier started it when she refused to sign what Democrats called the 'permission slip' needed to leave the House chamber, a half-page form allowing Department of Public Safety troopers to follow them. She spent Monday night and Tuesday on the House floor, where she set up a livestream while her Democratic colleagues outside had plainclothes officers following them to their offices and homes. Dallas-area Rep. Linda Garcia said she drove three hours home from Austin with an officer following her. When she went grocery shopping, he went down every aisle with her, pretending to shop, she said. As she spoke to The Associated Press by phone, two unmarked cars with officers inside were parked outside her home. 'It's a weird feeling,' she said. 'The only way to explain the entire process is: It's like I'm in a movie.' The trooper assignments, ordered by Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows, was another escalation of a redistricting battle that has widened across the country. Trump is pushing GOP state officials to tilt the map for the 2026 midterms more in his favor to preserve the GOP's slim House majority, and Democrats nationally have rallied around efforts to retaliate. Other Democrats join the protest House Minority Leader Gene Wu, from Houston, and state Rep. Vince Perez, of El Paso, stayed overnight with Collier, who represents a minority-majority district in Fort Worth. On Tuesday, more Democrats returned to the Capitol to tear up the slips they had signed and stay on the House floor, which has a lounge and restrooms for members. Dallas-area Rep. Cassandra Garcia Hernandez called their protest a 'slumber party for democracy,' and she said Democrats were holding strategy sessions on the floor. 'We are not criminals,' Houston Rep. Penny Morales Shaw said. Collier said having officers shadow her was an attack on her dignity and an attempt to control her movements. Republican leader says Collier 'is well within her rights' Burrows brushed off Collier's protest, saying he was focused on important issues, such as providing property tax relief and responding to last month's deadly floods. His statement Tuesday morning did not mention redistricting, and his office did not immediately respond to other Democrats joining Collier. 'Rep. Collier's choice to stay and not sign the permission slip is well within her rights under the House Rules,' Burrows said. Under those rules, until Wednesday's scheduled vote, the chamber's doors are locked, and no member can leave 'without the written permission of the speaker.' To do business Wednesday, 100 of 150 House members must be present. The GOP wants 5 more seats in Texas The GOP plan is designed to send five additional Republicans from Texas to the U.S. House. Texas Democrats returned to Austin after Democrats in California launched an effort to redraw their state's districts to take five seats from Republicans. Democrats also said they were returning because they expect to challenge the new maps in court. Republicans issued civil arrest warrants to bring the Democrats back after they left the state Aug. 3, and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott asked the state Supreme Court to oust Wu and several other Democrats from office. The lawmakers also face a fine of $500 for every day they were absent. How officers shadowed Democratic lawmakers Democrats reported different levels of monitoring. Houston Rep. Armando Walle said he wasn't sure where his police escort was, but there was still a heightened police presence in the Capitol, so he felt he was being monitored closely. Some Democrats said the officers watching them were friendly. But Austin Rep. Sheryl Cole said in a social media post that when she went on her morning walk Tuesday, the officer following her lost her on the trail, got angry and threatened to arrest her. Garcia said her 9-year-old son was with her as she drove home, and each time she looked in the rearview mirror, she could see the officer close behind. He came inside a grocery store where she shopped with her son. 'I would imagine that this is the way it feels when you're potentially shoplifting and someone is assessing whether you're going to steal," she said.
CNN
4 minutes ago
- CNN
5 things to know for August 20: Smithsonian, Immigration, DC, Texas redistricting, Covid-19
Hurricane Erin may not be forecast to make landfall, but the sprawling Category 2 storm is still going to impact much of the East Coast as it tracks north this week. On Tuesday, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency to prepare for the life-threatening rip currents and storm surge expected to affect the coastal region. Here's what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day. President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric about the Smithsonian Institution on Tuesday, alleging that its museums were too focused on the negative aspects of US history, including 'how bad slavery was.' The comments, which he posted on his social media site, came a week after the White House ordered a review of the Smithsonian's museums and exhibits 'to ensure alignment with the President's directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.' If the Smithsonian refuses to purge materials that conflict with Trump's political directives, it could suffer a fate similar to the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities. Both organizations lost tens of millions of dollars in federal funding earlier this year, which has affected small museums, libraries, arts programs and research projects across the country. People applying to live or work in the US will now be screened for 'anti-Americanism' in their immigration applications, authorities said Tuesday. According to a policy update by US Citizenship & Immigration Services, immigration officers will be able to scrutinize applicants' social media posts for any 'anti-American activity.' Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, compared the move to McCarthyism in the 1950s, when authorities prosecuted left-wing individuals amid a widespread public panic over communism and its influence on US institutions. 'The term (anti-Americanism) has no prior precedent in immigration law and its definition is entirely up to the Trump (administration),' Reichlin-Melnick said. More National Guard troops arrived in Washington, DC, on Tuesday to assist in President Trump's emergency crime crackdown in the nation's capital. The troops, which were deployed from West Virginia, could begin operations as soon as today, a defense official told CNN. Republican governors from five other states — Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee — have also promised to deploy their National Guard troops and escalate Trump's efforts to amass armed forces in the capital. Although the president has repeatedly complained about rising crime in DC, overall crime numbers are lower this year than in 2024. Some Texas House Democrats ripped up agreements to leave the House floor under police escort and spent Tuesday night in the chamber in protest. They joined state Rep. Nicole Collier, who on Monday refused to 'sign away my dignity as a duly elected representative just so Republicans can control my movements and monitor me with police escorts.' Texas Republicans' efforts to redraw the state's congressional districts in the middle of the decade were hindered when dozens of quorum-breaking Democratic House members left the state. Upon their return to the Capitol on Monday, House Speaker Dustin Burrows ordered constraints put on their movements. The Texas House is aiming to vote on the redistricting measure after it reconvenes today, and Republicans are expected to move quickly to approve their new map, which could potentially eliminate five Democratic US House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. With Covid-19 levels on the rise in the US, and transmission increasing in at least 45 states, the American Academy of Pediatrics released its updated recommendations for vaccines on Tuesday, including Covid-19 shots. The AAP's guidance is a break from the current CDC recommendations and defies HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who announced in May that the CDC would no longer recommend Covid-19 vaccines for healthy children or pregnant women. The AAP, on the other hand, recommends that all children, ages 6 months through 23 months, should receive a Covid-19 vaccine unless they have allergies to the vaccine or its ingredients. It also recommends a single dose of the vaccine for children ages 2 through 18 years if they are at high risk of Covid-19, residents of long-term care facilities, have never been vaccinated against Covid-19 or live in a household with people who are high risk for Covid-19. GET '5 THINGS' IN YOUR INBOX If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. The public is urged not to eat certain bags of shrimp sold at Walmart, citing concerns about unsanitary conditions and radioactive contamination. Her husband, writer/director Jeff Baena, died in January at the age of 47. That's what major food companies are hoping as they tap celebrities to create new flavors. The list includes popular slang like 'broligarchy' and 'dululu.' And will Taylor Swift's new album, which will be available on cassette, turn the trend into a revival? 460 millionThat's how many metric tons of plastic are made each year. 'I represent every Palestinian woman and child whose strength the world needs to see. We are more than our suffering — we are resilience, hope, and the heartbeat of a homeland that lives on through us.' — Nadeen Ayoub Ayoub will become the first woman to represent the Palestinian people at the Miss Universe pageant. 🌤️ Check your local forecast to see what you can expect. It's cool. The '80s are back. Today's edition of 5 Things AM was edited and produced by CNN's Andrew Torgan.
