Latest news with #ASRAAM
Metro
17 hours ago
- Business
- Metro
Putin's chief propagandist issues revenge threat on UK over missile deal
One of Vladimir Putin's chief propagandists has threatened revenge on Britain after Sir Keir Starmer unveiled a new missile deal for Ukraine. As many as 350 highly-agile ASRAAM air defence missiles will be sent, worth £70 million – and funded from the interest on seized Russian assets. Arriving in the Hague, the prime minister said: 'Russia, not Ukraine, should pay the price for Putin's barbaric and illegal war. 'It is only right we use the proceeds from seized Russian assets to ensure Ukraine has the air defense it needs.' Rattling Russia further, he vowed that Britain's 'support will never waver' in the war. The supply of the ASRAAMs was the top subject for Putin's mouthpiece, Vladimir Solovyov, on his Kremlin-funded primetime show on state TV. He said: 'The British [are giving missiles] to Ukraine, and it will be paid for with our frozen interest. What does that mean? 'All British companies that are still operating in Russia in any way have to pay for it. Perhaps British citizens too.' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Estimates vary widely, but the number of British citizens in Russia ranges from around 6,400 to more than 22,000. Solovyov added: 'If we know for a fact that factories are working to supply weapons to the Ukrainian Nazis so that they can shell our cities… '[And] the British are manufacturing drones, like the Baltic states. Based on the Iranian-Israeli conflict, these are all legitimate targets for us.' The Kremlin has been riled by the historic first in using seized funds for direct weapon procurement. The UK government has previously confirmed that £22.7 billion in Russian assets have been frozen under sanctions imposed in response to Russia's full-scale invasion. More Trending The British-made missiles – also known as AIM-132 – were originally made for aerial combat but have since been adapted as ground-launched from UK‑supplied Raven systems – 4×4 Supacat trucks equipped with twin missile rails and sensors. The first delivery by the UK of the system reportedly took place in August 2023, with its operational debut in Ukraine confirmed by October the same year. Footage from the frontline shows the system demolishing Russian drones during nighttime operations. The missiles have a hit rate of between 70% and 90% against helicopters, loitering munitions, cruise‑type weapons and drones. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Pip rebels mulling confidence vote in PM say 'don't threaten us with good time' MORE: Zelensky suits up for Trump meeting and congratulates him on 'successful operation' on Iran MORE: Sleeper cells are lurking in the UK — experts reveal how worried we should be
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Putin's 'Doomsday Radio' spews out weird coded messages as NATO leaders meet
Russia's 'Doomsday Radio' began broadcasting a series of cryptic messages as world leaders including Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump met at a crucial NATO summit Vladimir Putin's bizarre 'Doomsday Radio' has started broadcasting dozens of mysterious coded messages today as NATO leaders met in The Hague to discuss the war in Ukraine. World leaders including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and US president Donald Trump gathered for a summit in The Hague today with the European conflict high up on the agenda - and it appears the meeting sparked a reaction from inside the Kremlin. Russia's UVB-76 radio station, also known as 'The Buzzer', was first set up in the Cold War, and is typically activated at moments of high tension on the international stage. Its broadcasts are thought to be related to a strategic communication test involving multiple military units, the start of a nuclear command-and-control exercise, or internal military readiness also might indicate training involving Russia's Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) or General Staff. But they are not currently decodable without classified keys, and carry no meaningful content to the average listener. The station - and known as Dead Hand Radio or Judgement Day Radio - has existed since the Cold War more than 50 years ago, but its purpose remains classified. One theory is that it is a 'dead man's switch', automatically triggering a military response possibly to nuclear attack. Today's splurge of messages equals the highest number sent in a short period since the end of the Cold War. Among the translations of code words appearing in Russian in today's output are the words 'Narcissus, Blooming, Meticulous, Caviar, Cognac, Sweetness and Lisbon'. Other words were nonsensical. Earlier this week, Doomsday radio broadcast the word Otniatiye - or 'taking away'. In its original Russian, the word mean to take away life, or hope. The station has previously been active this year around the time of telephone calls on the war in Ukraine between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. The signals it broadcasts can be sent without the internet or satellite. Its transmission tower is believed to be located northwest of Moscow, in a military zone classified during the Cold War. NATO countries pledge to spend more at key summit At the summit in the The Hague today, key NATO allies agreed to a significant boost in defence spending in the wake of Russia's military buildup and its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Last night, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that Britain will help bolster Ukraine's air defences by using £70million of seized Russian assets to pay for ASRAAM missiles. He said: " Russia, not Ukraine, should pay the price for Putin's barbaric and illegal war, so it is only right we use the proceeds from seized Russian assets to ensure Ukraine has the air defence it needs. "The security of Ukraine is vital to the security of the UK and the Euro-Atlantic area, and our support will never waiver. "My message to President Putin is clear: Russia needs to stop its indiscriminate attacks on innocent Ukrainian people and return to the negotiating table.'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
UK makes huge move to support Ukraine military and Russian money will fund it
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that Britain will help bolster Ukraine's air defences by using £70million of seized Russian assets ahead of a crucial NATO summit in The Hague The UK will shore up Ukraine's air defence with hundreds of missiles paid for using £70million from seized Russian assets. The ASRAAM (Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles) missiles have been adapted by RAF engineers so they can be fired from the back of military trucks. Keir Starmer announced yesterday that Kyiv would be given a new package of 350 missiles, which can be fired using UK-provided air defence launchers. It comes as the Prime Minister arrived in The Hague for a critical NATO summit on Tuesday, where the crisis in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine will top the agenda. Mr Starmer said: " Russia, not Ukraine, should pay the price for Putin's barbaric and illegal war, so it is only right we use the proceeds from seized Russian assets to ensure Ukraine has the air defence it needs. "The security of Ukraine is vital to the security of the UK and the Euro-Atlantic area, and our support will never waiver. "My message to President Putin is clear: Russia needs to stop its indiscriminate attacks on innocent Ukrainian people and return to the negotiating table.' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is attending the NATO summit on Wednesday to push for guarantees of further Western aid against Russia. Multiple civilian sites hit Russian air attacks killed at least 24 civilians and injured more than 200 others in Ukraine, officials said on Tuesday. A Russian ballistic missile attack on Dnipro hit multiple civilian sites in the central Ukrainian city around midday, killing 17 people and injuring more than 200 others. And in the nearby town of Samar, an attack killed two people and injured 14, Dnipro's regional administration head Serhii Lysak said. The barrage damaged 19 schools, 10 kindergartens, a vocational school, a music school and a social welfare office, as well as eight medical facilities, according to Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov. Schools in the reigion are currently closed for the summer holidays. One of the blasts blew out the windows of a passenger train carrying about 500 people, and Mr Filatov declared Wednesday to be an official day of mourning. In a post on Telegram, Zelensky said Russia needs foreign components to build its ballistic missiles - and urged countries to crack down on Moscow's 'schemes' to obtain them. He said: 'Sanctions against Russia must also be significantly strengthened.' Vladimir Putin's forces also shelled residential neighbourhoods and critical infrastructure across Ukraine's southern Kherson region, killing four civilians and wounding at least 11 others, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the regional military administration. According to the most recent UN estimates in February, more than 12,654 civilians have been killed and over 29,392 injured since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Ukraine has also lost between 60,000 and 100,000 serving military personnel.
