Latest news with #Euromaidan
Metro
2 days ago
- Politics
- Metro
How a former DJ orchestrated 'Pearl Harbour' drone strike on Putin's bombers
The man behind what is considered the 'worst day in the history of the Russian air force' is a former DJ who took part in the 2014 Euromaidan revolution. Artem Tymofieiev, 37, is the focus of a nationwide manhunt in Russia after more than 40 warplanes were blown up this weekend by unsuspecting lorries carting drones. He's believed to be the mastermind behind 'Operation Spider's Web', an audacious plot which saw Ukraine orchestrate drone launches within striking distance of major Russian bases. Tymofieiev, now believed to be back in Ukraine, first moved to the Russian city of Chelyabinsk years ago, where he took up work as an 'entrepreneur', which saw him operate several lorries for haulage. But before his move, he was a supporter of the Ukrainian revolution in 2014, which toppled pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. He and his wife previously lived in Kyiv and owned a clothing brand while working as a DJ on the side. Reports show that he shared photos online from the Euromaidan protests and openly mocked Ukraine's Putin-loving ex-president Yanukovych. The Euromaidan protests began in November 2013 when the pro-Russian government attempted to reverse long-running efforts to integrate the country with Europe. In February 2014, it was swept away after months of huge and often violent demonstrations, culminating in a revolution and the installation of a pro-European government. It's unclear if Tymofieiev was working for Kyiv intelligence the entire time he lived in Russia, or if he was recruited after the war began while living abroad. One Russian blogger suggested he was a 'wolf in sheep's clothing', helping to orchestrate the large attack from within Russian borders, while going seemingly undetected. His wife also lived with him in Russia, working as a stylist and tattoo artist, even penning erotic novels. She's suspected of aiding her husband in the audacious plot. Here's how the unsuspecting couple living in Russia helped orchestrate the attack which crippled Putin's air forces. Operation Spider's Web targeted four air bases deep inside Russia – Belaya airfield in Irkutsk, Siberia; Olenya air base in Murmansk, near the Arctic Circle; Diaghilev air base in Ryazan; and a base near Ivanovo. But managing to get drones across Russian borders and up to 2,000 miles inland is no easy feat. Tymofieiev did run a haulage business and operated multiple lorries in his own name. It seems he used this business as a front to trick heavy goods drivers into driving the drones, which they believed were wooden-framed homes, to the various locations. Drivers Alexander and Andrei told local media they had been hired by a man named Artem, who provided the trucks, with each driver sent to separate locations near the four air bases. When the drivers neared the air bases, they said they were called by an unknown number who told them where to stop the trucks. It was then that the drones were launched. Photos and videos then showed how Operation Spider's Web went off without a hitch – the drones launched from within the trucks, striking the nearby air bases, crippling the Russian air force. Pro-Putin Telegram channels were flooded by reaction to the strikes, with some commentators calling them 'Russia's Pearl Harbour' and the 'blackest day in aviation'. More Trending The planes hit by Ukraine are expensive and vital parts of Russia's arsenal, with A-50 jets costing as much as £ 260 million each. Russia only has fewer than 10 of these planes in its possession. Operation Spider's Web appears to have been a success, with the whereabouts of Tymofieiev and his wife currently unknown. The attack took Russian forces by surprise, but Putin appears to have launched a revenge attack overnight. Cities across Ukraine were on fire today in savage new Russian strikes as the Kremlin dictator began exacting revenge for the destruction and damage to his nuclear-capable T-95MS and Tu-22M aircraft. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: The UK is 'sleepwalking into a bloody ambush and may not be around in 2034' MORE: I'm a liberal snowflake but I'd fight for Britain in a heartbeat MORE: Ukraine's 'Pearl Harbour' strike on Putin 'may have breached nuclear doctrine'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-Ukrainian politician shot dead while dropping daughter at Madrid school
A former Ukrainian politician has been shot dead in what appears to be a professional hit job at the entrance of an exclusive school in Madrid. Andriy Portnov, a pro-Russian who worked as a close aide to the former president, was dropping off his daughters on Wednesday morning when motorcycle assassins shot him five times. The shooting took place at the American School of Madrid on the school run while other parents were also dropping off their children. Portnov had previously worked closely with President Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted in the 2014 Euromaidan revolution. He was placed on sanctions lists by the EU and the US. He was declared dead at the scene by emergency services. The murderer is reported to have fled and police have launched a manhunt. The 51-year-old Portnov had arrived in a Mercedes at 9.15am at the school in the wealthy Pozuelo de Alarcón suburb of Madrid to drop off his two children. He was shot five times in the head and body by his assailant while still in his car, according to witness reports. The Spanish police's homicide group and forensic officers have taken charge of the investigation. Their initial hypothesis for a motive points to a settling of scores, probably related to politics or unpaid debts. Between 2010 and 2014 Portnov, who was a trained lawyer, served Yanukovych as an advisor and headed up the presidential legal department. Portnov was a controversial figure, blacklisted by the European Union for misuse of state funds and human rights violations in Ukraine. During the pro-Western Euromaidan protests of 2013 and 2014 – which led to the overthrow of Yanukovych – Portnov helped bring in so-called 'dictatorship laws' to restrict freedom of expression and the right to assembly. Portnov left Ukraine immediately after the Euromaidan revolution. He initially lived in Russia before settling in Vienna, where he practised law until 2019 and then returned to Ukraine. Several criminal cases had been filed against him in his home country, including an accusation of treason over allegedly aiding Putin's annexation of Crimea. The EU imposed sanctions against Portnov in 2014, but these were lifted a year later when he won a case at the EU's General Court. It recognised that the imposition of sanctions based solely on co-operation with the Yanukovych government was not fair. In 2021 the US Treasury placed Portnov under sanctions for corruption. It said Portnov was 'widely known as a court fixer', using corrupt means and his influence to secure desired rulings from Ukraine's courts. 'As of 2019, Portnov took steps to control the Ukrainian judiciary, influence associated legislation, sought to place loyal officials in senior judiciary positions, and purchase court decisions,' the Treasury said in a statement. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there have been several crimes involving high-profile Russian and Ukrainians in Spain, which has significant expatriate populations from both countries. In November and December 2022, six letter bombs were sent to high profile targets around Spain, including to Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid, government offices, a European Union satellite company and the US Embassy. A 76-year-old retired Spanish civil servant whose social media searches suggested sympathy for Russia was jailed for the offences. In April 2022, a Russian businessman tied to Russia's gas company Novatek was found dead in an apparent suicide together with his wife and daughter who had suffered stab wounds. A Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with his helicopter was found dead in February 2024 from multiple gunshot wounds in the parking garage of his apartment block near Alicante. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Euronews
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Euronews
Five guilty of racist abuse of footballer Vinicius in landmark ruling
Five people have been given suspended prison sentences for racially abusing Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr during a match in what was described as a landmark hate crime ruling in Spain. Brazil international Vinicius was verbally abused by fans on 30 December 2022 after being substituted during a game between Real Madrid and Real Valladolid at the latter side's Jose Zorrilla stadium. The five offenders — who have not been named — were sentenced by the Valladolid Provincial Court to a year in prison and fines ranging from €1,080 to €1,620. However, the prison sentences were suspended on condition that the individuals do not commit any offence within three years or attend any football matches during that period. LaLiga said the "exemplary ruling" was the first in Spain to classify racist abuse in a football stadium as a hate crime. "This judicial decision represents an unprecedented milestone in the fight against racism in sport in Spain, where, until now, rulings had addressed conduct against moral integrity with a racial aggravating factor," LaLiga said in a statement. "The fact that this ruling explicitly refers to hate crimes associated with racist insults reinforces the message that intolerance has no place in football." Last June, three Valencia fans were handed eight-month prison sentences after pleading guilty to racially insulting Vinicius in the first ever conviction for racism-related cases in professional football in Spain. The fans, who were not identified, were detained after a match between Real Madrid and Valencia at Mestalla Stadium in May 2023. The match was briefly stopped after Vinicius was insulted. That incident sparked an outpouring of support for Vinicius and set off widespread calls for action by Spanish authorities and society in general. In Spain, prison sentences of less than two years for non-violent crimes rarely result in jal time for defendants without prior convictions. Former Ukrainian politician Andriy Portnov was shot dead on Wednesday morning outside a US school in a wealthy suburb of Madrid, Spanish authorities said. Police received a call about the shooting at the American School of Madrid in the Pozuelo area at 9:15 am, and rushed to the scene, according to Spain's interior ministry. Radio station Cadena SER said the 52-year-old was taking his children to school when he was shot several times. El Mundo newspaper said no one else was injured. Witnesses reported that Portnov was shot "several times" in the head and body by more than one gunman when he was getting into a vehicle, according to Spanish police. The assailants then fled on foot into a nearby wooded area, the police said. Portnov was a senior aide to Ukraine's former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, who notoriously withdrew from signing the Ukrainian association agreement with the EU, sparking the bloody Euromaidan protests in 2013-2014. During Yanukovych's presidency, Portnov was widely viewed as a pro-Kremlin figure and was involved in drafting legislation aimed at persecuting participants of the 2014 revolution. After Yanukovych fled Ukraine for Russia in February 2014 following months of unrest that ended in scores of protesters killed by his forces in Kyiv, Portnov was placed on several sanctions lists by the West, including the EU and Canada, for his actions as part of the former administration. Portnov, who had challenged the sanctions placed upon him, was removed from the EU blacklist of people whose funds were frozen for misappropriation of state funds or human rights violations in Ukraine in 2015. Having also fled Ukraine in 2014, Portnov reportedly lived in Russia in 2015 before relocating to Austria. It was not immediately clear when he moved to Spain. In 2018, Ukraine's Security Service, or SBU, opened an investigation against him on suspicion of state treason, alleging his involvement in Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. The criminal case was closed in 2019. In 2021, Portnov was placed on the US sanctions list for "using his influence to buy access and decisions in Ukraine's courts and undermining reform efforts", according to the US embassy in Kyiv. Following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, several crimes involving Russia have occurred in Spain. In one such recent incident, a man who was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds in the parking garage of his apartment block near Alicante in February 2024 was identified as Maksim Kuzminov, a Russian pilot who had defected to Ukraine in his army helicopter.
Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Ukrainian ex-politician shot dead outside elite American school in Madrid
MADRID - An unidentified gunman or gunmen shot and killed former Ukrainian politician Andriy Portnov on Wednesday morning outside a school in a wealthy suburb of Madrid, a source close to the police investigation said. Police received a call about the shooting of a Ukranian citizen at 9.15 a.m. (0715 GMT) local time outside the elite American School of Madrid, located in Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid police told Reuters, without identifying the victim. Portnov was a senior aide to Ukraine's former President Viktor Yanukovich who was ousted in the 2014 Euromaidan revolution. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there have been several crimes involving high-profile Russian and Ukrainians in Spain, which has significant expatriate populations from both countries. In November and December 2022, six letter bombs were sent to high profile targets around Spain, including to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid, government offices, a European Union satellite company and the U.S. Embassy. A 76-year-old retired Spanish civil servant whose social media searches suggested sympathy for Russia was jailed for the offences. In April 2022, a Russian businessman tied to Russia's gas company Novatek was found dead in an apparent suicide together with his wife and daughter who had suffered stab wounds. In February 2024, a Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with his helicopter was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds in the parking garage of his apartment block near Alicante. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Activists hold 'die-in' protest at Soviet monument in Warsaw
Pro-Ukrainian activists held a protest at a Soviet memorial in Warsaw where Moscow's ambassador placed a wreath on Friday, as Russia celebrates World War II Victory Day. Some two dozen protesters wrapped in white sheets, their clothes and faces splattered with a red substance imitating blood, lay at the foot of a monument at the cemetery for Soviet soldiers in Poland's capital. They chanted "terrorists" as Russia's ambassador to Poland, Sergei Andreyev, made his way to the monument with a wreath to commemorate the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany. "The idea was that the path the ambassador would take to reach the monument would be lined with the graves of people who died innocently during the war" in Ukraine, Miroslaw Petryga, 70, who participated in the lie-in, told AFP. Poland is a staunch ally of Kyiv, supporting Ukraine with military and political aid as it fends off a Russian invasion that is grinding through its fourth year. "It was the gait of a man pretending not to see anything, with tunnel vision," Petryga, a Ukrainian engineer who has lived in Poland for decades, said of Andreyev. The ambassador walked past the protesters amid a heavy police presence and with a handful of supporters and security guards around him. - 'Make Russia small again' - The activists also scattered children's toys at the entrance to the cemetery. The teddy bears, balls and other items were also splattered with a blood-like liquid to symbolise child victims of Russia's war in Ukraine. Some were wearing t-shirts with the slogan "Make Russia small again" and were collecting signatures under a petition to expel the Russian ambassador from Poland. At the site, around a dozen people also gathered at a counter protest, wearing the St George ribbon, a historical symbol of Russian and Soviet military successes. Minor scuffles and verbal altercations broke out between the groups. A handful of people also showed up to lay flowers at the cemetery away from the protests. "We should honour the memory of those soldiers who died in the World War," said Natalia, a 67-year-old who held a black-and-white photo that she said showed her father who had fought in the war. The Russian citizen and longtime Polish resident declined to give her full name. - 'Terrorist state' - In 2022, the year Russia launched the full-scale war, protesters at the Soviet mausoleum threw a red substance at Moscow's envoy. A year later Andreyev was blocked by activists from laying flowers at the monument. The Kremlin is using its annual Victory Day parade in Moscow -- marking 80 years since the end of World War II -- to whip up patriotism at home and project strength abroad as its troops fight in Ukraine. But for Natalia Panchenko from the pro-Ukrainian organisation Euromaidan, the day should serve as a reminder of Russia's ongoing war. "It is important to us that today, when people remember that there is a country called Russia, they do not remember Russia through Russian propaganda, but remember the real Russia," Panchenko told AFP. "And Russia is a terrorist state," she said. mmp/amj/cw
