Latest news with #Donetsk
The Sun
34 minutes ago
- The Sun
Brit PoW freed from Putin's torturers becomes citizen of Ukraine and says ‘my blood is British but spirit is Ukrainian'
A BRITISH PoW who was brutally tortured by his Russian captors has become a citizen of Ukraine. Brave Aiden Aslin, 31, was beaten, stabbed and forced to sing the Russian national anthem after being told: "Yours will be a beautiful death." 6 6 6 His terrifying five-month ordeal only came to an end after ex-Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich brokered a prisoner swap. Aiden returned to Ukraine in the wake of his release and was awarded the Order of Courage. He was granted citizenship earlier this month and pledged his future to the country. He said: "Some people may wonder why. "But for me, the answer is simple: I love Ukraine. "Everything that life has thrown at me, beating, stabbing, death sentence, psychological of it has made me retreat. "Maybe I'm British by blood, but I'm Ukrainian by spirit and will. "My future is here in Ukraine." In an exclusive interview after his release in September 2022, Aiden told The Sun: "I never thought I'd get out alive." He built a new life in Ukraine in 2018 as a marine and was on the frontline when Russia launched its illegal invasion in February 2022. He was among 500 marines who eventually surrendered to Russian troops after his cornered Battalion ran out of food and ammunition during the Azovstal steelworks siege in early April. He was driven into the countryside and told he would be shot before he was paraded in front of the cameras during a sham trial in the Donetsk People's Republic and sentenced to death. Aiden, of Newark, Nottinghamshire, revealed: "I genuinely thought my days were numbered. "As soon as we surrendered they flicked through my passport and quickly realised it wasn't Ukrainian. "The soldier processing me asked in Russian: 'Where are you from?' "I told him I was from Great Britain and as soon as I said that he punched me in the face." Aiden was freed alongside fellow Brit PoWs, Shaun Pinner, 51, John Harding, 59, Dylan Healy, 25, and Andrew Hill, 39. British aid worker Paul Urey, 45, died in captivity before their release. Who is Aiden Aslin? Born in Newark, Nottinghamshire, Aiden Aslin has built a new life for himself in Ukraine. As a marine, he fought on the frontlines when the Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. He was captured by Russian forces during the brutal battle for the Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol that April. Aiden had been sentenced to death by firing squad after a sham trial. But he was later freed in a prisoner exchange deal in September. He has since returned to the frontlines, saying: "I'll stay until the war is won." 6 6 6
Tahawul Tech
8 hours ago
- Tahawul Tech
Starlink shut down over Ukraine battlefield
Elon Musk is reported to have turned off the Starlink communications services during a key Ukrainian counteroffensive to win back territory from Russia in September 2022. Reuters, citing three sources, reported Musk told a senior SpaceX engineer to cut coverage in several areas, including Kherson. His decision also impacted other areas seized by Russia, including part of Donetsk province further east. The loss of SpaceX's Starlink satellite services caused a communications blackout for Ukrainian troops near the front lines. The signal loss impacted drones that were surveilling Russian forces and long-range artillery units which relied on the service to direct their fire, according to the news agency. According to a Ukrainian military official and a military advisor, troops were unable to encircle a Russian position in the town of Beryslav, east of Kherson. While Ukraine's armed forces were eventually able to reclaim Beryslav, the city of Kherson and some additional territory Russia had occupied, Reuters reported it was the first known instance of Musk shutting down Starlink over a battlefield. The news agency explained Musk's decision may have been related to his concern Russia would retaliate with nuclear weapons. Source: Mobile World Live Image Credit: Starlink
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukrainian drone raid leaves 150,000 without power in Russia
A large-scale Ukrainian drone attack overnight has left more than 150,000 residents without electricity in Russia's Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), with additional damage and casualties reported in the southern Rostov Region, local officials have confirmed. The assault began late Monday night and continued for over an hour. Ukrainian forces reportedly launched dozens of UAVs that targeted infrastructure across Donetsk, Makeyevka, and Yasinovataya, causing widespread blackouts after several electrical substations were struck. Local witnesses reported loud explosions and the sound of UAVs across several districts, with air defenses active throughout the night. A major blaze was seen in Donetsk's Kuibyshevsky district, while one drone reportedly crashed into a residential building in the Kievsky district. Emergency crews were deployed to multiple sites. No civilian injuries were reported in Donetsk as of Tuesday morning. In the neighboring Rostov Region, Governor Yury Slyusar confirmed that Ukrainian drones were intercepted over five districts: Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Salsk, Volgodonsk, Bokovsky, and Tarasovsky. Despite air defenses, several drones struck civilian areas. One fatality was reported in Volgodonsk, where a drone strike damaged a vehicle, killing the driver. A private home in Salsk sustained roof damage and broken windows, while a fire also broke out at a local railway station. At least one passenger train 'was moved to a safe distance' amid the raid, according to Slyusar. Russian Railways (RZhD) reported that train traffic through Salsk station in Rostov Region was temporarily suspended after drone debris caused a fire on a freight train. There were no injuries, and the blaze was quickly contained, the company said. Ukraine has been conducting UAV raids deep into Russian territory for months, often striking residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. The Russian government has condemned the attacks as 'terrorist acts' that deliberately target civilians. In May, a string of suspected Ukrainian sabotage operations on Russian railroads caused the derailment of a passenger train in Bryansk Region, killing seven civilians and injuring dozens more.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Monday, July 28. Russia's War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine
KRAMATORSK, UKRAINE - JULY 24: Katerina with her daughter Melania says goodbye to her husband Sergyi ... More before being evacuated from Oleksijevo-Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on July 24, 2025. (Photo by Vincenzo Circosta/Anadolu via Getty Images) Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,251. Russian Attacks on Ukraine 324 drones and seven missiles swarmed the sky over western Ukraine overnight into July 28. Ukraine's Air Force reported intercepting or electronically jamming 309 drones and two cruise missiles. The primary target was the city of Starokostiantyniv, in Khmelnytskyi oblast, or region, home to one of Ukraine's most important airfields. All three Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles failed to reach intended sites; still, impacts were recorded at three locations. Relative to the two biggest aerial assaults on Ukraine to date, where Russian forces launched 741 and 623 projectiles, Russia's latest overnight strike is considerably smaller. It followed an even smaller overnight strike on July 26, in which 208 drones and 27 missiles were deployed; of these, 183 drones and 17 missiles were downed. In addition to nighttime barrages, Russian daytime strikes across Ukraine killed at least 11 civilians and injured more than 88 on July 25-28. In the northeastern province of Sumy, a Russian drone targeted a civilian bus, killing three non-combatants and wounding five others. In eastern Donetsk province, sustained shelling killed three people and injured 17 others. Further south in Kherson, drone attacks resulted in four civilian deaths and left 24 wounded; artillery fire in central Dnipropetrovsk region killed one individual and injured 13 residents. Strikes in eastern Kharkiv oblast left 29 residents wounded, while a Russian nighttime attack on the southern port city of Odesa on July 24 caused extensive damage, setting fire to the historic Pryvoz bazaar, one of the oldest markets in Europe, as well as damaging UNESCO World Heritage sites and injuring three residents. Ukraine has also been launching counter strikes. Its latest drone salvo targeted the iconic city of St. Petersburg, tsarist Russia's imperial capital, forcing its airport to close for five hours on July 27. The attack coincided with President Vladimir Putin's visit to the historic city for its annual Navy Day celebrations, though the traditional naval parade was already canceled due to security concerns. Russian air defenses intercepted more than ten Ukrainian drones over the region, underscoring Kyiv's continued capacity to wreak havoc deep inside Russian territory despite Moscow's intensified military pressure. Trump Tightens Deadline for Russia to Negotiate Peace U.S. President Donald Trump has moved up the deadline he previously gave Russia to make progress toward ending the war in Ukraine. During a July 28 joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland, President Trump announced he would give Moscow '10 or 12' days to show meaningful action, down from the 50-day timeline he initially announced on July 14, which would have expired in early September. Trump has threatened additional sanctions on Russia, as well as tariffs, along with secondary tariffs on buyers of Russian exports, if Moscow fails to end the war. President Trump's tougher approach appears to be triggered by deepening dismay with Russian President Vladimir Putin's handling of the conflict. 'There's no reason for waiting…we just don't see any progress [in negotiations] being made,' President Trump said. He also indicated his growing skepticism toward diplomatic engagement with Putin: 'I'm not so interested in talking anymore,' Trump told reporters. 'We have such nice conversations…and then people die the following night,' he continued. But despite expressing disappointment with the Russian leader, Trump emphasized a distinction between President Putin and ordinary Russians, saying he 'loves the Russian people' and would prefer not to impose harsh economic penalties, if they can be avoided. He further highlighted Russia's vast natural resource wealth and its potential for a prosperous future. 'Russia could be so rich, it could be thriving like practically no other country…instead, they spend all their money on war,' Trump stated. However, his shifting tone has suggested he might be preparing to increase pressure on Moscow if necessary to jumpstart stalled peace negotiations. In Ukraine, officials welcomed Trump's recent statements. President Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak praised the president for delivering 'a clear message of peace through strength.' So far, there has been no official response from the Kremlin to Trump's tighter deadline. But Moscow has consistently criticized Western support for Ukraine for prolonging the conflict. Russian markets seem to be taking Trump's updated ultimatum more seriously: unlike his July 14 warning, which saw the Moscow Stock Exchange gain 2.7%, the index closed down 1.49% on July 28. Ukraine Positions Itself as a Global Drone Manufacturer Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a potential $30 billion deal for the sale of Ukrainian drones to the U.S. Speaking on July 24, President Zelenskyy said the agreement had been reached with U.S. President Donald Trump as part of a 'win-win' framework, under which Ukraine would supply drones to Washington in exchange for U.S. weapons. The Trump administration has already approved two separate military sales to Kyiv totaling $330 million. At the same time, Ukraine is expanding its defense manufacturing beyond its borders. President Zelenskyy announced plans for joint projects with Denmark, Norway, and Germany, aiming to decentralize arms production amid intensified, increasingly precise Russian aerial strikes. Denmark has already committed to co-financing long-range drone factories under a public-private partnership. The country expects to produce and supply drones to Ukraine during the war, and afterward, stockpile the drones for Danish defense. By Danylo Nosov, Karina L. Tahiliani
CNN
2 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Analysis: Ukraine sees glimmer of hope as Trump shortens deadline for Putin to talk peace
US President Donald Trump has said he will slash the 50-day deadline he gave for Russia's Vladimir Putin to reach a ceasefire with Ukraine by weeks, to just '10 or 12 days' from now. But does a shorter deadline make a difference at all, if, as Trump says, his Russian counterpart has already made up his mind to not make peace? Possibly. Ukraine is facing its most challenging moment on the front lines since the start of the war. By September 3 – when the original 50-day mark would have passed – many of the gains Moscow is in the midst of making would likely be realized. Given the pace and strategic nature of the advances Moscow has made in just the past fortnight, it is likely that in the coming weeks its forces will have gotten close to encircling the eastern hubs of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, and Kupiansk in the north. That would massively change the dynamic of the front lines and bring Putin's goal of taking the Donetsk region within reach. It would also make the defense of the land between the east of Ukraine and Kyiv a much greater challenge for the winter ahead. Ukraine would have lost control of most of the towns it relies on now to hold the east, and be struggling to retain a grip on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Trump's words were welcomed in Kyiv, where Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said he was 'standing firm and delivering a clear message of peace through strength.' '(The US President) has already said he's shortening the timeline he gave Putin, because he believes the answer is obvious. Putin respects only power – and that message is loud and clear,' Yermak said on X. What comes in 10 to 12 days is key. Another empty threat or altered Trump deadline would play into the TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) sensitivities of his administration and be a gift to those who doubt that Trump is willing to really play hardball with the Kremlin. Imposing the secondary sanctions, or tariffs, that Trump has threatened would, however, have enormous global impact. These involve punishing India and China for buying Russian oil and gas. India is a US ally, hugely dependent on Russian energy and allowed to buy it through various complex mechanisms to prevent its demand on other energy markets causing oil prices to soar, damaging the American economy too. China is a Russian ally, even more dependent on Russian energy, and caught in a complex, at times symbiotic, economic relationship with the United States, which often teeters towards a trade war. If Trump sanctions either, it will damage the US and the global energy market, and mean his actions have likely been more pronounced and aggressive than any of the actions of his predecessor, US President Joe Biden. Chinese pressure could influence Moscow's behaviour, but Beijing has also told European diplomats it cannot afford for Russia to lose because the US would then turn its entire attention to China. China may bank on a weakened Trump rather than rejig its entire geopolitical approach. And so, we have a fortnight in which Moscow must persuade its allies and customers to hold fast in buying the energy they so badly need. Ukraine must try to hold whatever positions it can, in the face of a furious and successful Russian assault. And the Trump administration must decide whether its threats mean something. And if they are unwilling to impose and endure a vast economic earthquake, they must find a convincing off-ramp so their deadlines and threats continue to carry some weight.
