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Al Jazeera
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,250
Here is how things stand on Monday, July 28: Fighting Russian forces attacked Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, early on Monday, wounding five people and damaging a residential building, according to the head of the city's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko. A Russian drone hit a Ukrainian bus carrying 39 evacuees in the eastern Sumy region, near Ukraine's border with Russia, on Sunday, killing three people and wounding 19 others, according to the regional governor. Two others were killed in a landmine explosion in Sumy's Esman community on Saturday, while two more were killed in Russian attacks on the front-line Donetsk region, according to officials, taking the death toll from attacks across Ukraine on that day to at least six. Ukraine's forces also launched drone attacks at Russia on Sunday, with the governor of the Leningrad region reporting that at least 10 Ukrainian unmanned aircraft were downed over the areas surrounding the city of St Petersburg. Falling debris injured a woman, Governor Alexander Drozdenko said. St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport was closed during the attack, with 57 flights delayed and 22 diverted to other airports, according to a statement. The Kremlin, meanwhile, confirmed that the large-scale televised Navy Day parade in St Petersburg had been cancelled for security reasons. Russian President Vladimir Putin still watched naval drills featuring 150 vessels and 15,000 military personnel in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, and the Baltic and Caspian Seas, from St Petersburg's naval headquarters. The Russian Ministry of Defence said that air defence units downed a total of 291 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones on Sunday, below the record 524 drones downed in attacks on May 7, ahead of Russia's Victory Day parade on May 9. Politics and diplomacy European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to uphold independent anticorruption bodies, amid a firestorm of criticism after the country's parliament voted to revoke the autonomy of two anticorruption agencies. 'Ukraine has already achieved a lot on its European path,' von der Leyen said in a post on X after a call with Zelenskyy. 'It must build on these solid foundations and preserve independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of Ukraine's rule of law.' Zelenskyy, who has submitted draft legislation to restore the independence of the two agencies, thanked the EU and said it was important that the bill be 'adopted without delay'. Russia opened a regular air link between Moscow and the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, with the first flight between the cities in decades taking off at 16:25 GMT on Sunday, according to the Sheremetyevo airport's website. The route will be serviced once a month, Russia's Ministry of Transport said. Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Beate Meinl-Reisinger told the German media outlet Welt that the country was willing to engage in a 'national debate' about joining NATO, after decades remaining neutral.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Ukrainian drones target St Petersburg as Putin visits city to mark Navy Day
Ukrainian drones targeted St Petersburg on Sunday, Russian authorities said, forcing the airport to close for five hours as Vladimir Putin marked Russia's Navy Day in the city, despite the earlier cancellation of its naval parade due to security concerns. St Petersburg usually holds a large-scale, televised navy parade on Navy Day, which features a flotilla of warships and military vessels sailing down the Neva river and is attended by Mr Putin. Last year, Russia suspected a Ukrainian plan to attack the city's parade, according to state television. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Sunday that this year's parade had been cancelled for security reasons, following first reports of its cancellation in early July. READ MORE Mr Putin arrived at the city's historic naval headquarters on Sunday by patrol speed boat, from where he followed drills involving more than 150 vessels and 15,000 military personnel in the Pacific and Arctic oceans and Baltic and Caspian seas. 'Today we are marking this holiday in a working setting, we are inspecting the combat readiness of the fleet,' Mr Putin said in a video address. The Russian ministry of defence said air defence units downed a total of 291 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones on Sunday, below a record 524 drones downed in attacks on May 7th, ahead of Russia's Victory Day parade on May 9th. Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region surrounding St Petersburg, said that more than 10 drones were downed over the area, and falling debris injured a woman. At 8.40am Irish time on Sunday Mr Drozdenko said that the attack was repelled. St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport was closed during the attack, with 57 flights delayed and 22 diverted to other airports, according to a statement. Pulkovo resumed operations later on Sunday. Russian blogger Alexander Yunashev, part of an official group of reporters travelling with Mr Peskov, said Mr Peskov had told him their flight from Moscow to St Petersburg had been delayed by the drone attack for two hours on Sunday. – Reuters
Hindustan Times
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Russia claims 42 Ukrainian drones destroyed in widespread cross-border attacks
Russian air defence units downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in widely dispersed parts of the country, including two near the country's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, officials said. Smoke and fire rise following what local authorities called a Ukrainian drone attack, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Sergiyev Posad, outside Moscow, Russia.(Reuters) Alexander Drozdenko, Governor of Leningrad region surrounding St. Petersburg, wrote on Telegram that two drones were downed in different districts south of the city. He said no injuries or damage was reported. Operations were suspended for a time at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airport. The governor of Smolensk region in western Russia said anti-aircraft units had downed three drones without any casualties or damage. The governor of Voronezh region, next to Ukraine said "several" drones had been destroyed. The Russian Defence Ministry reported a total of 42 drones destroyed over a three-hour period, 37 of them in three regions bordering Ukraine -- Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk. Ukraine has deployed drones increasingly in attacks on distant targets in Russian territory. In one spectacular set of strikes last month, in an operation dubbed "Spider's Web", a number of Russian bombers were hit at various air bases. Russian forces have used increasing numbers of drones to target Ukrainian cities, with a record total of 539 drones and 11 missiles deployed against Kyiv on Thursday night, according to the Ukrainian air force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his military had successfully deployed drone interceptors to down Russian drones in the overnight attack.
AsiaOne
05-07-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Russian air defences down dozens of Ukrainian drones, including 2 near St Petersburg, World News
Russian air defence units downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in widely dispersed parts of the country, including two near the country's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, officials said. Alexander Drozdenko, Governor of Leningrad region surrounding St. Petersburg, wrote on Telegram that two drones were downed in different districts south of the city. He said no injuries or damage was reported. Operations were suspended for a time at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airport. The governor of Smolensk region in western Russia said anti-aircraft units had downed three drones without any casualties or damage. The governor of Voronezh region, next to Ukraine said "several" drones had been destroyed. The Russian Defence Ministry reported a total of 42 drones destroyed over a three-hour period, 37 of them in three regions bordering Ukraine — Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk. Ukraine has deployed drones increasingly in attacks on distant targets in Russian territory. In one spectacular set of strikes last month, in an operation dubbed Spider's Web, a number of Russian bombers were hit at various air bases. Russian forces have used increasing numbers of drones to target Ukrainian cities, with a record total of 539 drones and 11 missiles deployed against Kyiv on Thursday night (July 3), according to the Ukrainian air force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his military had successfully deployed drone interceptors to down Russian drones in the overnight attack. ALSO READ: Russia's all-night drone attack on Kyiv injures 14, Ukraine says
The Hindu
05-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Russian air defences down dozens of Ukrainian drones, including two near St. Petersburg
Russian air defence units downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in widely dispersed parts of the country, including two near the country's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, officials said. Alexander Drozdenko, Governor of Leningrad region surrounding St. Petersburg, wrote on Telegram that two drones were downed in different districts south of the city. He said no injuries or damage was reported. Operations were suspended for a time at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airport. The governor of Smolensk region in western Russia said anti-aircraft units had downed three drones without any casualties or damage. The governor of Voronezh region, next to Ukraine said 'several' drones had been destroyed. The Russian Defence Ministry reported a total of 42 drones destroyed over a three-hour period, 37 of them in three regions bordering Ukraine – Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk. Ukraine has deployed drones increasingly in attacks on distant targets in Russian territory. In one spectacular set of strikes last month, in an operation dubbed 'Spider's Web', a number of Russian bombers were hit at various air bases. Russian forces have used increasing numbers of drones to target Ukrainian cities, with a record total of 539 drones and 11 missiles deployed against Kyiv on Thursday (July 3, 2025) night, according to the Ukrainian air force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his military had successfully deployed drone interceptors to down Russian drones in the overnight attack. Russia launches largest missile, drone barrage on Kyiv since beginning of war Waves of drones and missiles targeted Kyiv overnight in the largest aerial assault since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began more than three years ago, officials said Friday (July 4, 2025), amid a renewed Russian push to capture more of its neighbour's land. The seven-hour bombardment of Kyiv caused severe damage across multiple districts of the capital in a seven-hour onslaught, authorities said. Blasts lit up the night sky and echoed across the city as air raid sirens wailed. The blue lights of emergency vehicles reflected off high-rise buildings, and debris blocked city streets. 'It was a harsh, sleepless night,' Mr. Zelenskyy said. Russia has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities. Less than a week ago, Russia launched what was then the largest aerial assault of the war. That strategy has coincided with a concerted Russian effort to break through parts of the roughly 1,000-km front line, where Ukrainian troops are under severe pressure. Russia launched 550 drones and missiles across Ukraine during the night, the country's air force said. The majority were Shahed drones, but Russia also launched 11 missiles in the attack. Alya Shahlai, a 23-year-old Kyiv wedding photographer, said that her home was destroyed in the attack. 'We were all in the (basement) shelter because it was so loud, staying home would have been suicidal,' she told The Associated Press. 'We went down 10 minutes before and then there was a loud explosion, and the lights went out in the shelter, people were panicking.' Five ambulances were damaged while responding to calls, officials said, and emergency services removed more than 300 tons of rubble. Mr. Zelenskyy, Mr. Trump hold 'very important and productive' phone call Hours after the barrage that killed one person and wounded at least 26 others, including a child, Mr. Zelenskyy said he had a 'very important and productive' phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump. The two leaders discussed how Ukrainian air defences might be strengthened, possible joint weapons production between the U.S. and Ukraine, and broader U.S.-led efforts to end the war with Russia, according to a statement by Mr. Zelenskyy. The U.S. has paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defence missiles. Ukraine's main European backers are considering how they can help pick up the slack. Mr. Zelenskyy says plans are afoot to build up Ukraine's domestic arms industry, but scaling up will take time. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the call. In Friday's (July 4, 2025) call, Mr. Zelenskyy said he congratulated Mr. Trump and the American people on Independence Day and thanked the United States for its continued support. They discussed a possible future meeting between their teams to explore ways of enhancing Ukraine's protection against air attacks, Mr. Zelenskyy said. He added that they talked in detail about defence industry capabilities and direct joint projects with the U.S., particularly in drone technology. They also exchanged views on mutual procurement, investment, and diplomatic cooperation with international partners, Mr. Zelenskyy said.
