Latest news with #Danylo
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First Post
22-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Russia has lost 240,000 soldiers this year in Ukraine war, says UK Defence Minister
Even as Russia has ramped up attacks on Ukraine in recent months, it has lost up to 240,000 soldiers so far this year, according to a British assessment. read more Servicemen of the 24th Mechanized brigade, named after King Danylo, of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fire a BM-21 Grad multiple-launch rocket system toward Russian troops, on a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region, Ukraine February 15, 2025. (Photo: Reuters) Even as Vladimir Putin has ramped up attacks on Ukraine and made gains on the ground, the costs have been huge, according to the latest Western assessment. British Defence Minister John Healey has said that Russia suffered up to 240,000 casualties in the first seven months of this year. 'The number of Russian soldiers killed or wounded since the start of the full-scale invasion has surpassed 1,000,000. Since the beginning of this year alone—240,000 casualties,' said Healey at a meeting of Ukraine Defense Contact Group, as per military-focussed Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The British assessment is in line with US and Ukrainian assessments about the high toll of the war on Russia. ALSO READ: With Russia's terms to Ukraine, Putin seeks surrender — not a peace deal Since the beginning of the war in 2022, Russia has relied on a 'meat-grinder strategy' in which Russia has pushed waves after waves of soldiers to overwhelm Ukrainian defences with sheer numbers — instead of fighting tactical battles and trying to avoid losses. Even though the strategy has resulted in successes, the losses have been high for Russia and commentators have said that the approach may eventually fail if Western assistance to Ukraine continues. Russia has lost over 1 million soldiers since 2022 The British assessment is in line with previously reported assessment of the United States, Ukraine, and independent researchers. Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that at least 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed this year. Rubio said that 'since the beginning of 2025, roughly 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine—dead, not wounded'. Similarly, Ukraine this month said that the Russian toll —injured and killed— this year has been 252,360. Such figures are in line with the independent assessment of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) that concluded that Russia had suffered around 1 million casualties. The assessment was published in June. Out of around 1 million casualties, around 250,000 soldiers were killed and the rest were wounded, according to the CSIS study. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
First Post
21-07-2025
- Business
- First Post
Amid growing Russian threat, Poland eyes stake in satellite firm that helped Ukraine fight back
Amid growing threat to Europe from Russia, Poland is planning to acquire a stake in satellite imagery company that has been providing applications to Ukraine that have helped it plan the defences against the Russian invasion. read more Servicemen of the 24th Mechanized brigade, named after King Danylo, of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fire a BM-21 Grad multiple-launch rocket system toward Russian troops, on a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region, Ukraine February 15, 2025. (Photo: Reuters) Amid fears that Vladimir Putin wants to expand his aggression on Europe, Poland has planned to acquire a stake in a satellite company that has helped Ukraine in the war with Russia. The satellite company Iceye, founded by CEO Rafał Modrzewski and his partner Pekka Laurila, has tracked Russian troop deployment. Ahead of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Iceye supplied Ukraine with images of Russian troop movements that helped plan the defences better. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Financial Times has reported that Poland is in the final stages to acquire a stake in Iceye. The size of the stake has not been disclosed. In recent years, particularly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, satellite imagery and satellite internet have emerged highly strategic assets for nations. As most of these organisations are based in the United States, and European nations are no longer assured that President Donald Trump will allow European nations to maintain access to these companies. Notably, after the spat at the White House, the Trump administration blocked Ukraine from accessing Maxar. From Arctic shipping to Ukraine war Iceye was founded in 2014 to provide radar imagery of moving ice blocks to Arctic shipping companies. However, as tensions raged in Europe as Russia prepared to invade Ukraine, Iceye pivoted to providing satellite imagery related to the war in Ukraine. It has now become a provider of military applications and is one of the many firms trying to capitalise on Trump dictating US firms' dealings with European nations, such as Maxar or Starlink. Modrzewski told the FT they set up Iceye with backing from Aalto University's Center for Entrepreneurship when they were students and now want to expand its production capacity at least fourfold to meet surging demand for its satellites. They currently manufacture up to 25 satellites and raise it to 100-150 a year. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Poland will invest in the company via the country's nation's development bank and follows the defence ministry's $230 million purchase in May of six satellites. In recent years, as European nations have found their access to US-based tech giants' blocked or disrupted by politics, they have sought to develop alternatives. At times, access to Elon Musk-owned Starlink has also been compromised because of politics. As a result, European nations have explored alternative satellite internet services providers.
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First Post
06-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Russia and Ukraine trade massive drone attacks amid new arms deals
The Ukrainian attacks came just days after Russia pummelled Kyiv with waves of drones and missiles overnight into Friday, in what Ukrainian officials called the largest such strike since Moscow's all-out invasion read more A service member of a drone unit of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo of the Ukrainian Armed Forces controls a heavy combat drone while it flies over positions of Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk Region, Ukraine. File image/ Reuters Shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced agreements with Western partners that would allow Kyiv to expand up drone manufacturing, Russia and Ukraine fired hundreds of drones at one other on Sunday, causing chaos in Russian air travel. According to Russia's Transport Ministry, hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled on Saturday and overnight due to Ukrainian drone strikes, with photos spreading on social media showing masses huddling at Russian airports, including important international hubs in Moscow and St. Petersburg. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The flight interruptions occurred at Moscow's Sheremetyevo and St. Petersburg's main Pulkovo airports. Other airports in western and central Russia experienced difficulties. Russian air defenses shot down 120 Ukrainian drones during the nighttime attacks, and 39 more before 2 p.m. Moscow time (1100 GMT) on Sunday, Russia's Defense Ministry said. It did not clarify how many had hit targets, or how many had been launched in total. Early on Sunday, Ukrainian drones injured two civilians in Russia's Belgorod region near the border, its Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said Sunday. Russia pounded Kyiv last week The Ukrainian attacks came just days after Russia pummelled Kyiv with waves of drones and missiles overnight into Friday, in what Ukrainian officials called the largest such strike since Moscow's all-out invasion. The seven-hour onslaught killed at least two civilians, wounded dozens more and caused widespread damage, Ukraine said, while Moscow ramped up its push to capture more of its neighbor's land. In total, Russia launched 550 drones and missiles across Ukraine that night, according to the country's air force. The barrages have coincided with a concerted Russian effort to break through parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where Ukrainian troops are under severe pressure. Large-scale Russian drone strikes on Sunday injured three civilians in Kyiv and at least two in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city in the northeast, officials said. A Russian attack involving Shahed drones also targeted port infrastructure in Mykolaiv in central Ukraine, according to local Gov. Vitaliy Kim. He reported warehouses and the port's power grid were damaged but there were no casualties. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Hours later, Russia launched a glide bomb and a drone at the front-line town of Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine, killing four civilians and injuring a fifth, the prosecutor's office said. The drone struck a car in which a married couple were travelling, killing the 39-year-old woman and 40-year-old man on the spot, it said. Ukraine seeks to ramp up drone production Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukraine had inked deals with European allies and a leading US defense company to step up drone production, ensuring Kyiv receives 'hundreds of thousands' more this year. Zelenskyy did not name the US business in his nightly video address to Ukrainians, but said Ukraine and Denmark have also agreed to co-produce drones and other weapons on Danish soil. His remarks came days after the US paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defense missiles. Ukraine's main European backers are considering how they can help pick up the slack. Zelenskyy said plans are afoot to build up Ukraine's domestic arms industry, but scaling up will take time. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ukraine has previously used homemade drones to hit high-value military targets deep inside Russia, demonstrating its capabilities and denting Moscow's confidence. Last month, Kyiv said it destroyed more than 40 Russian planes stationed at several airfields deep inside Russia in a surprise attack. Outmanned and outgunned, Ukraine's army has also turned to drones to compensate for its troop shortage and shore up its defenses. While Russia has ramped up offensives this summer on two fronts in Ukraine, analysts say the front isn't about to collapse. On Friday, Zelenskyy said he had a 'very important and productive' phone call that day with US President Donald Trump, discussing possible joint drone production alongside U.S-led efforts to end the war. Trump said his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday left him 'very disappointed,' adding he did not think Putin was serious about ending the fighting.
The Star
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Russia downs 120 Ukrainian drones overnight, Defence Ministry says
FILE PHOTO: A service member of a drone unit of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo of the Ukrainian Armed Forces controls a heavy combat drone while it flies over positions of Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk Region, Ukraine June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Serhii Korovainyi/File Photo MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's anti-aircraft systems downed 120 Ukrainian drones overnight, mostly in regions bordering Ukraine, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Sunday, reporting no damage. More than three years into the war, Ukraine has increasingly been using drones to attack targets deep inside Russia. The Defence Ministry said the drones that were intercepted overnight included 30 over the western Bryansk region, 29 in the Kursk region and 17 in Belgorod - all of which share a border with Ukraine. Another 18 drones were downed over the Oryol region, which borders Kursk and has been hit by previous Ukrainian drone attacks targeting oil facilities. Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, said it had lifted restrictions that were introduced overnight to ensure safety due to the drones at airports in St. Petersburg, Kaluga, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin;Editing by Helen Popper)
Straits Times
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Russia downs 120 Ukrainian drones overnight, Defence Ministry says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: A service member of a drone unit of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo of the Ukrainian Armed Forces controls a heavy combat drone while it flies over positions of Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk Region, Ukraine June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Serhii Korovainyi/File Photo MOSCOW - Russia's anti-aircraft systems downed 120 Ukrainian drones overnight, mostly in regions bordering Ukraine, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Sunday, reporting no damage. More than three years into the war, Ukraine has increasingly been using drones to attack targets deep inside Russia. The Defence Ministry said the drones that were intercepted overnight included 30 over the western Bryansk region, 29 in the Kursk region and 17 in Belgorod - all of which share a border with Ukraine. Another 18 drones were downed over the Oryol region, which borders Kursk and has been hit by previous Ukrainian drone attacks targeting oil facilities. Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, said it had lifted restrictions that were introduced overnight to ensure safety due to the drones at airports in St. Petersburg, Kaluga, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. REUTERS
