Latest news with #A-50
Euronews
9 minutes ago
- General
- Euronews
Kyiv releases new drone footage and details of Operation ‘Spiderweb'
Ukraine's security service (SBU) released new drone footage of Operation "Spiderweb", showing how exactly Kyiv struck 41 Russian heavy military bombers last Sunday. The footage released on Wednesday shows Ukraine's first-person-view drones striking four Russian airfields: Dyagilevo in the Riazan region, Ivanovo in the Ivanovo region, Belaya air base in the Irkutsk region, located in south-eastern Siberia over 4,000km east of the frontline, and Olenya air base in Russia's Murmansk region, some 2,000km away from Ukraine's border. Kyiv said these were the airfields where Russian strategic aviation "had been based". The damaged aircraft include A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22, Tu-160, as well as An-12 and Il-78. Moscow uses these heavy bombers for daily attacks on Ukrainian cities. The SBU also revealed that it used a modern UAV control technology during this operation. It combined autonomous artificial intelligence algorithms and manual operator interventions. Ukraine's security service says some of the UAVs lost signal and would switch to an artificial intelligence-assisted mission following a pre-planned route. The warhead then automatically detonated as it approached and made contact with a specific target. Earlier, Ukraine's president said that 117 drones had been used in Operation Spiderweb, each with its own pilot. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed on Tuesday that Russia lost 41 military aircraft. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it took Kyiv "one year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective execution." Kyiv managed to smuggle FPV drones deep inside Russia and hide them inside trucks in mobile log cabins. The cabins' roofs were then opened remotely, and the drones proceeded to launch their attack on Russian military bombers. Social media footage widely shared by Russian media appears to show the drones rising from inside containers, while the panels lie discarded on the road. On Wednesday, Ukraine's president said Kyiv would not have launched its drone strike on Russian strategic bombers if Moscow had accepted Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire. Zelenskyy said Ukraine has repeatedly urged Russia to accept the US-backed 30-day ceasefire proposal, which could be the first step to putting an end to Russia's all-out war against Ukraine. However during the second round of talks on Monday, Moscow rejected the proposal once again. "If there had been a ceasefire, would the operation have taken place? No," Zelenskyy said, adding that roughly half of the planes will be impossible to repair, while others will require significant time to be put back into service. Shock over the murder of a Tunisian hairdresser in a village near the French Riviera last weekend continues to reverberate throughout the Western European country, as authorities condemn the crime as fuelled by hatred. After the 46-year-old Hichem Miraoui was shot dead near his home in Puget-sur-Argens in southern France on Saturday, one of his neighbours has claimed responsibility for the attack, in which a man of Turkish background was also injured. In videos posted on Facebook shortly before his arrest, the suspect, identified as Christophe B, 53, used racist language and appeared to incite French citizens to conduct further acts of violence against Muslims. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on Tuesday that the murder was 'clearly a racist crime', 'probably also anti-Muslim' and 'perhaps also a terrorist crime'. The national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office (PNAT), which opened in 2019, launched a probe into the killing this week, the first time it has done so for a murder that is thought to have been inspired by far-right ideology. Since Miraoui's murder, Muslim communities across France have spoken of their sadness and fear. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Rhône Council of Mosques said the crime was indicative of the 'troubling and increasingly hostile climate toward citizens of Muslim faith in France'. Meanwhile, Hafiz Chems-Eddine, Rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, called for 'urgent, national awareness of the dangers of xenophobic, racist, and Islamphobic rhetoric'. 'It is time to question the promoters of this hatred, who, in the political and media spheres, operate with impunity and lead to extremely serious incidents,' he said. Islamic leaders also made a connection between Miraoui's murder and the fatal stabbing of the 22-year-old Malian Aboubakar Cissé in a mosque in southern France on 25 April. In a video filmed while Cissé was dying, his French attacker criticised Islam.
Scottish Sun
14 minutes ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Clearest vid yet of daring Op Spiderweb shows 35 Ukrainian bomb drones blowing up plane after multimillion dollar plane
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DRONE after drone can be seen hammering Russia's nuclear bomber fleet and turning it into flaming wrecks, new footage released by Ukraine shows. Operation Spiderweb can now astonishingly be seen in the clearest picture yet as 35 of the kamikaze craft spiral down onto the doomsday planes. 16 Plane after plane can be seen burning on the runway during the strike 16 The drones quickly descend down into the planes on the tarmac 16 Planes are left burning on the runway 16 Kyiv's daring raid destroyed 41 Russian planes - costing an estimated $7bn (£5.4bn) to Moscow's coffers and humiliating Vladimir Putin. New footage released as Ukraine doubles down on embarrassing Vlad shows the kill shots for dozens of the drones - with bombers left burning on the tarmac. Kamikaze drones line up their target and then spiral down onto the planes. Footage cuts out just as the drones blow themselves up. But other drones from the swarm already in the air capture the moments wings, cabins and fuselage are bombed. One clip shows a drone descending down onto a bomber, as an identical one can be seen burning in a heap behind it. Another, shows a row of planes burning in a line along the side of the runway. Several drones are able to fly so close to the planes without any Russian defences that they can land on them. Red and orange flames erupt into black smoke on the runways as the next craft in the swarm looks for its target. Ukraine's spy agency which conducted the attack - the SBU - employed 117 drones in the daring operation to target Tu-95MS and Tu-22M strategic bombers, and A-50 spy planes. Moment Ukraine's 'Spiderweb' trucks rumble into position before drone blitz The fresh drone strike footage comes after other footage emerged on Wednesday showing the trucks carrying the craft beginning the operation. Clueless lorry drivers then parked the containers next to Russian airbases - where they sat and waited in plain sight. Nondescript shipping containers parked in laybys and verges had attracted little attention - before their lids blew open and the drone swarms poured out. Russian civilians stood in awe as they saw the drones zoom out of the containers and head in the direction of the bases. 16 One-by-one the nuclear bombers are targeted 16 The crafts film as they line up their targets 16 Russia's air bases were left burning The targeted air bases were: Olenya in the Arctic Murmansk region, Belaya in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, Dyagilevo in Ryazan region, and Ivanovo-Severny in Ivanovo region. Footage caught one truck self destruct as Russian civilians climbed into it. Each of the 117 drones had its own dedicated pilot and Russia had little defences to protect its bases and stop them. The covert drone plot - 18 months in the planning - targeted four airfields deep inside Russia, and is reminiscent of the most daring raids of WW2 that turned the tide against the Nazis. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky oversaw the operation and said: "It's genuinely satisfying when something I authorized a year and six months ago comes to fruition and deprives Russians of over forty units of strategic aviation. "We will continue this work." 16 Thick black smoke pours into the sky as the planes burn 16 Some of the bombers have car tires sitting on them for protection 16 Nothing stops the drones from getting right up close to the planes and exploding In Putin's first appearance since the attack, the tyrant did not mention the attack. Instead, in a meeting with officials, he branded Zelensky's government as 'terrorists' for killing civilians. Something the Kremlin dictator has done on an industrial scale in Ukraine's cities. Putin talked about attacks by Ukraine on Russia's rail network - which led to two train crashes and killing civilians. 16 Ukraine also hit transport aircraft 16 Russian air bases were left covered in smoke 16 Drones even had to dodge the explosions from burning craft Satellite pictures have also confirmed the destruction - with burnt wrecks of ash and metal left lying on the tarmac. Some debris has been hastily removed - perhaps in an attempt to conceal the scale of the destruction. Despite the humiliating blow, Putin has laid out ridiculous demands for peace in Ukraine. The deranged tyrant's negotiators said an end to the war would only be agreed if Kyiv surrenders huge chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army. 16 Satellite images showed the planes burned out on the ground Credit: AP 16 A drone takes off from one of the containers they had been smuggled in 16 Vladimir Putin has been left humiliated in by the attack Credit: Reuters Despite being left red-faced by the mammoth assault, Putin's mouthpieces shamelessly gave his terms for a ceasefire during a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on Monday. Its first section contained Moscow's "basic parameters of a final settlement". The sham proposal demands Ukraine withdraw its troops from four eastern regions that Russia only partly occupies at the moment. It also ordered that the international community recognise Crimea as Russia's sovereign territory - after they annexed the peninsula in 2014.
The Sun
14 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Clearest vid yet of daring Op Spiderweb shows 35 Ukrainian bomb drones blowing up plane after multimillion dollar plane
DRONE after drone can be seen hammering Russia's nuclear bomber fleet and turning it into flaming wrecks, new footage released by Ukraine shows. Operation Spiderweb can now astonishingly be seen in the clearest picture yet as 35 of the kamikaze craft spiral down onto the doomsday planes. 16 16 16 Kyiv's daring raid destroyed 41 Russian planes - costing an estimated $7bn (£5.4bn) to Moscow's coffers and humiliating Vladimir Putin. New footage released as Ukraine doubles down on embarrassing Vlad shows the kill shots for dozens of the drones - with bombers left burning on the tarmac. Kamikaze drones line up their target and then spiral down onto the planes. Footage cuts out just as the drones blow themselves up. But other drones from the swarm already in the air capture the moments wings, cabins and fuselage are bombed. One clip shows a drone descending down onto a bomber, as an identical one can be seen burning in a heap behind it. Another, shows a row of planes burning in a line along the side of the runway. Several drones are able to fly so close to the planes without any Russian defences that they can land on them. Red and orange flames erupt into black smoke on the runways as the next craft in the swarm looks for its target. Ukraine's spy agency which conducted the attack - the SBU - employed 117 drones in the daring operation to target Tu-95MS and Tu-22M strategic bombers, and A-50 spy planes. Moment Ukraine's 'Spiderweb' trucks rumble into position before drone blitz The fresh drone strike footage comes after other footage emerged on Wednesday showing the trucks carrying the craft beginning the operation. Clueless lorry drivers then parked the containers next to Russian airbases - where they sat and waited in plain sight. Nondescript shipping containers parked in laybys and verges had attracted little attention - before their lids blew open and the drone swarms poured out. Russian civilians stood in awe as they saw the drones zoom out of the containers and head in the direction of the bases. 16 16 16 The targeted air bases were: Olenya in the Arctic Murmansk region, Belaya in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, Dyagilevo in Ryazan region, and Ivanovo-Severny in Ivanovo region. Footage caught one truck self destruct as Russian civilians climbed into it. Each of the 117 drones had its own dedicated pilot and Russia had little defences to protect its bases and stop them. The covert drone plot - 18 months in the planning - targeted four airfields deep inside Russia, and is reminiscent of the most daring raids of WW2 that turned the tide against the Nazis. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky oversaw the operation and said: "It's genuinely satisfying when something I authorized a year and six months ago comes to fruition and deprives Russians of over forty units of strategic aviation. "We will continue this work." 16 16 16 In Putin's first appearance since the attack, the tyrant did not mention the attack. Instead, in a meeting with officials, he branded Zelensky's government as 'terrorists' for killing civilians. Something the Kremlin dictator has done on an industrial scale in Ukraine's cities. Putin talked about attacks by Ukraine on Russia's rail network - which led to two train crashes and killing civilians. 16 16 16 Satellite pictures have also confirmed the destruction - with burnt wrecks of ash and metal left lying on the tarmac. Some debris has been hastily removed - perhaps in an attempt to conceal the scale of the destruction. Despite the humiliating blow, Putin has laid out ridiculous demands for peace in Ukraine. The deranged tyrant's negotiators said an end to the war would only be agreed if Kyiv surrenders huge chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army. 16 16 16 Despite being left red-faced by the mammoth assault, Putin's mouthpieces shamelessly gave his terms for a ceasefire during a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on Monday. Its first section contained Moscow's "basic parameters of a final settlement". The sham proposal demands Ukraine withdraw its troops from four eastern regions that Russia only partly occupies at the moment. It also ordered that the international community recognise Crimea as Russia's sovereign territory - after they annexed the peninsula in 2014. Who is The Spider? By James Halpin, foreign news reporter It remains unclear who quarterbacked Ukraine's incredible drone strike operation for their spy agency - the SBU. But Vladimir Putin's goons have accused a Ukrainian ex-DJ of being the spy behind Operation Spiderweb. Desperate to save face, Russian war bloggers have named the man they think ran Ukraine's operation inside the the country as Artem Timofeev. Artem, 37, is a former Ukrainian DJ and is believed by the sleuths to have owned the lorries used to carry the containers to the strikes. One pro-Russian blogger said: 'Artem is now wanted in connection with a terrorist attack in Irkutsk region. 'Four lorries were registered in his name, and one of them was the source of the drones that launched [in an attack on a Putin airbase].' Artem's wife Ekaterina Timofeeva, 34, is also suspected to have aided him. According to pro-Kremlin Russian media, Ekaterina describes herself as a 'witch' and is the author of B-list erotic novels.
The Irish Sun
14 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Clearest vid yet of daring Op Spiderweb shows 35 Ukrainian bomb drones blowing up plane after multimillion dollar plane
DRONE after drone can be seen hammering Russia's nuclear bomber fleet and turning it into flaming wrecks, new footage released by Ukraine shows. 16 Plane after plane can be seen burning on the runway during the strike 16 The drones quickly descend down into the planes on the tarmac 16 Planes are left burning on the runway 16 New footage released as Ukraine doubles down on embarrassing Vlad shows the kill shots for dozens of the drones - with bombers left burning on the tarmac. Kamikaze drones line up their target and then Footage cuts out just as the drones blow themselves up. Read more on Op Spiderweb But other drones from the swarm already in the air capture the moments wings, cabins and fuselage are bombed. One clip shows a drone descending down onto a bomber, as an identical one can be seen burning in a heap behind it. Another, shows a row of planes burning in a line along the side of the runway. Several drones are able to fly so close to the planes without any Russian defences that they can land on them. Most read in The US Sun Red and orange flames erupt into black smoke on the runways as the next craft in the swarm looks for its target. Ukraine's spy agency which conducted the attack - the SBU - employed 117 drones in the daring operation to target Tu-95MS and Tu-22M strategic bombers, and A-50 spy planes. Moment Ukraine's 'Spiderweb' trucks rumble into position before drone blitz The fresh drone strike footage comes after other footage emerged on Wednesday showing the trucks carrying the craft beginning the operation. Clueless lorry drivers then parked the containers next to Russian airbases - where they sat and waited in plain sight. Nondescript shipping containers parked in laybys and verges had attracted little attention - before their lids blew open and the drone swarms poured out. Russian civilians stood in awe as they saw the drones zoom out of the containers and head in the direction of the bases. 16 One-by-one the nuclear bombers are targeted 16 The crafts film as they line up their targets 16 Russia's air bases were left burning The targeted air bases were: Olenya in the Arctic Murmansk region, Belaya in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, Dyagilevo in Ryazan region, and Ivanovo-Severny in Ivanovo region. Footage caught one truck self destruct as Russian civilians climbed into it. Each of the 117 drones had its own dedicated pilot and Russia had little defences to protect its bases and stop them. - 18 months in the planning - targeted four airfields deep inside Russia , and is reminiscent of the most daring raids of WW2 that turned the tide against the Nazis . Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky oversaw the operation and said: "It's genuinely satisfying when something I authorized a year and six months ago comes to fruition and deprives Russians of over forty units of strategic aviation. "We will continue this work." 16 Thick black smoke pours into the sky as the planes burn 16 Some of the bombers have car tires sitting on them for protection 16 Nothing stops the drones from getting right up close to the planes and exploding In Putin's first appearance since the attack, the tyrant did not mention the attack. Instead, in a meeting with officials, he branded Zelensky's government as 'terrorists' for killing civilians. Something the Kremlin dictator has done on an industrial scale in Ukraine's cities. Putin talked about attacks by Ukraine on Russia's rail network - which led to two train crashes and killing civilians. 16 Ukraine also hit transport aircraft 16 Russian air bases were left covered in smoke 16 Drones even had to dodge the explosions from burning craft Some debris has been hastily removed - perhaps in an attempt to conceal the scale of the destruction. Despite the humiliating blow, Putin has laid out The deranged tyrant's negotiators said an end to the war would only be agreed if Kyiv surrenders huge chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army. 16 Satellite images showed the planes burned out on the ground Credit: AP 16 A drone takes off from one of the containers they had been smuggled in 16 Vladimir Putin has been left humiliated in by the attack Credit: Reuters Despite being left red-faced by the mammoth assault, Putin's mouthpieces shamelessly gave his during a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on Monday. Its first section contained Moscow's "basic parameters of a final settlement". The sham proposal demands Ukraine withdraw its troops from four eastern regions that It also ordered that the international community recognise Crimea as Russia's sovereign territory - after they annexed the peninsula in 2014. Who is The Spider? By James Halpin, foreign news reporter It remains unclear who quarterbacked Ukraine's incredible drone strike operation for their spy agency - the SBU. But Vladimir Putin's goons have accused a Ukrainian ex-DJ of being the spy behind Operation Spiderweb. Desperate to save face, Russian war bloggers have named the man they think ran Ukraine's operation inside the the country as Artem Timofeev. Artem, 37, is a former Ukrainian DJ and is believed by the sleuths to have owned the lorries used to carry the containers to the strikes. One pro-Russian blogger said: 'Artem is now wanted in connection with a terrorist attack in Irkutsk region. 'Four lorries were registered in his name, and one of them was the source of the drones that launched [in an attack on a Putin airbase].' Artem's wife Ekaterina Timofeeva, 34, is also suspected to have aided him. According to pro-Kremlin Russian media, Ekaterina describes herself as a 'witch' and is the author of B-list erotic novels.
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Russian aircraft Ukraine said it hit were missile carriers and other key planes that aren't easily replaced
Ukraine said it hit 41 Russian aircraft in a daring attack on multiple airfields. The aircraft Ukraine said that it hit fire missiles at Ukraine and execute other critical missions. Many of them cannot be easily replaced as Russia has stopped making them. Ukraine launched a daring attack on multiple Russian airfields on Sunday, claiming hits on 41 Russian aircraft, including certain strategic planes that aren't easily replaced. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said that its operatives positioned drones close to airfields in trucks before releasing them to target Russian aircraft in "Operation Spiderweb." Videos, including drone footage obtained by Business Insider, showed burning Russian bombers. The SBU said aircraft hit included the A-50 airborne early warning and control plane, Tupolev Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160 bombers, An-12 transport aircraft, and the Il-78 refueling tanker., Any A-50 loss means a loss of situational awareness for Russia's air force. These important air assets amplify the effectiveness of Russia's air force by detecting enemy aircraft, missiles, air defense systems, and ground targets. They also act as mobile command-and-control centers for directing attacks. Ukraine has shot down multiple A-50s during Russia's invasion, meaning Russia likely only has a handful left. These aircraft are estimated to cost around $300 million each. Among the other planes that Ukraine said it hit are ones Russia has used to fire missiles in its invasion. The Tu-22M is a Soviet-era bomber that its manufacturer, Tupolev, describes as a "long-range supersonic missile carrier bomber" designed to strike ground and sea targets using guided missiles and aerial bombs. The head of Ukraine's military intelligence service told BBC Ukraine last year that it carries the Kh-22 missiles, which have caused tremendous damage to Ukrainian cities like Odesa. Ukraine has previously claimed to have destroyed some Tu-22Ms, both in the air and at an airfield deep inside Russia. Ukraine estimates the planes cost around $100 million each. The Tu-95 is a Cold War-era long-range turboprop bomber that can carry eight long-range cruise missiles armed with either conventional or nuclear warheads. Russia has also used it for attacks on Ukraine. Russia also uses the Tu-160 — a heavy supersonic long-range strategic bomber first introduced during the Soviet era that is able to carry nuclear and conventional cruise missiles — in its attacks. Justin Bonk, an airpower expert at the Royal United Services Institute, told Business Insider that both the Tu-95 and the Tu-160 had been "heavily tasked" with firing Kh-101 missiles at Ukraine. The SBU said the damage inflicted by its attack could be $7 billion, a figure that has not been independently verified. The head of the agency, Lt. Gen. Vasyl Maliuk, said that the attack was meant to curb Russian attacks on Ukraine. "The adversary bombed our country almost every night from these aircraft, and today they have felt that retribution is inevitable," Maliuk said. The general said the security agency "is doing and will do everything possible to protect Ukraine." Dollar figures are tossed around for the planes Ukraine hit, but Russia can't replace some of these aircraft easily. Production of the Tu-95 and Tu-22M stopped after the USSR collapsed in 1991. Russia also no longer makes A-50s, though it said last year that production may restart. Tu-160s are still made, but slowly. Reports indicate only two have been made since 2022. Bronk said replacing the losses will be "very challenging" for Russia. "The Tu-95 has not been produced for more than 30 years and production/modernisation of the Tu-160 is at a very limited scale," he said in emailed comments to BI. Maliuk said that "34% of strategic cruise missile carriers at the main Russian airfields were hit." Imagery from the sites confirms some of the reported destruction. Satellite images from company Capella Space and seen by Reuters show what experts told the outlet appeared to be several destroyed and damaged Tu-95s and Tu-22s. Bronk said that the destruction that can be seen visually shows "this is a stunning success for Ukraine's special services." He pointed to confirmation of the destruction of around eight Tu-95 bombers, a Tu-22M3, and several other aircraft. The 41 aircraft figure given by Ukraine is being debated. Some analyses based on visual evidence that is available so far have pointed to a lower figure. Bronk said that if even half of Ukraine's claim of 41 aircraft were damaged or destroyed, "it will have a significant impact" on Russia's ability to "keep up its regular large scale cruise missile salvos against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure" while also keeping up its nuclear deterrence and signaling patrols against NATO and Japan. How the attack affects the battlefield, where Ukraine is facing a relentless push from Russia's larger military and dampening US support, remains to be seen. Dan Grazier, a security expert at the Stimson Center, told BI that he was skeptical that it was "really going to move the needle in one way or the other" on the battlefield. That said, the attack is still significant and rewrites the rules of warfare, experts say. The SBU said the attack hit four Russian airfields simultaneously across three time zones, explaining that the plan allowed it to hit the largest number of Russian aircraft at the same time. It said it brought drones in mobile containers into Russia, hiding the drones on trucks. The container roofs were opened remotely "at the right moment" and the drones struck their targets. The details of the operation have not been independently verified. It said the operation was planned for more than a year and a half. Tim Robinson, a military aviation specialist at the UK's Royal Aeronautical Society, told BI the attack will spook Western air forces. "If you're an Air Force chief and you are not lying awake at night thinking about how to protect you, you're going to lose the next war." And it's a statement of intent from Ukraine. Maliuk said "the enemy thought it could bomb Ukraine and kill Ukrainians endlessly and with impunity. This is not the case. We will respond to russian terror and destroy the enemy everywhere — at sea, in the air and on land." Read the original article on Business Insider
