Latest news with #Grad
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
US raises flag in Damascus: New envoy signals shift in US–Syria relations post-Assad
For the first time since 2012, the flag was raised as the new US Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, arrived in Damascus. The new US Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, attended a flag-raising ceremony to inaugurate the US Ambassador's residence in Damascus. The ceremony was important as it shows how the US and Syria are quickly working to increase relations after more than a decade during which there was no US ambassador in Damascus. Since the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, relations between Syria and the US became frayed and basically ended in 2012. Now, the Trump administration's outreach to the new leadership in Damascus has brought a new dawn for the ties between the two countries. All of this has happened quickly in six months since the Assad regime fell. Trump met Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Shara'a, in Riyadh and then appointed Barrack to be the new envoy to Syria. Barrack is the US Ambassador to Turkey. Barrack went to Riyadh and Jordan over the last two days. He then went to Damascus. Syrian state media SANA noted that 'Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Asaad al-Shaibani, and US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack inaugurated Thursday the US ambassador's residence in Damascus. Minister al-Shaibani attended the ceremony as Mr. Barrack raised the US flag at the residence.' The flag raising is one of the many important changes taking place in Syria. On May 29, images posted online also show that the Syrian authorities intercepted a shipment of Grad rockets that may have been sent by Iran and destined for Hezbollah in Lebanon. It is one of many similar weapons shipments and smuggling attempts that the new Syrian government has prevented. This prevention of smuggling is important for the region. It also means that Hezbollah cannot threaten Syria or Israel. In the past, Hezbollah backed the Assad regime and sent forces to Syria. Despite the fact that the new Syrian government and Israel likely share interests in opposing Hezbollah, the two countries have had tensions since the fall of Assad. Israel carried out numerous bombing raids in Syria, claiming to be striking various threats. Some of the strikes hit military assets of the old regime that had been left around. However, Israeli political leaders also bashed Shara'a and accused him of being an extremist. In the wake of the Trump meeting, it appears Jerusalem has changed its tone and modified its approach. Also, Israel and Turkey appear to be de-conflicting in Syria. The presence of a US envoy in Syria and also visits by US members of congress make it more sensitive for Israel to be bombing a country that the US wants to help stabilize. It is one of several examples where Israel's political leadership diverges from the policies of the US administration. Israeli leaders made empty threats against Shara'a without first trying to do outreach to Damascus and see if the countries could open a new page in ties. The US has moved forward with those ties, leaving Israel to decide if it wants to change and embrace peaceful outreach to the new Damascus government. So far, it appears that rumors of contacts between Israel and Syria continue to be downplayed. North Press, which is usually linked to eastern Syria, said that 'the head of internal security in Suwayda Governorate, southern Syria, Ahmad al-Dalati, denied on Tuesday any involvement in direct negotiations with Israeli officials.' The report notes that 'his statement came in response to a report earlier by Reuters, which cited informed security sources claiming that al-Dalati had recently led direct meetings between Syrian and Israeli representatives.' He spoke to Syria's new media al-Ikhbariya channel.'I categorically deny participating in any direct negotiation sessions with the Israeli side. These claims are completely unfounded and lack both accuracy and credibility,' Dalati said. 'The Syrian position is clear and unwavering…[it] remains committed to taking all necessary measures to protect the Syrian people and to defend the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russians attack Dnipropetrovsk Oblast overnight, causing fires and damaging houses and cars
Russian forces attacked Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with various types of weapons on the night of 25-26 May, causing a fire that damaged residential buildings and cars. Source: Serhii Lysak, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "The attack in the Kamianske district caused a fire, which was quickly extinguished. The aggressor struck the Nikopol district with Grad multiple-launch rocket systems, artillery and UAVs. The Nikopol and Marhanets hromadas were affected. Apartment buildings, houses and cars were damaged." [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories – ed.] The aftermath of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. photo: serhii lysak on telegram Details: Lysak emphasised that no one was injured. The aftermath of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. photo: serhii lysak on telegram The Russians also attacked the Malomykhailivka hromada in the Synelnykove district with an FPV drone, damaging two houses. The aftermath of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. photo: serhii lysak on telegram "Ukrainian defenders destroyed three UAVs over Dnipropetrovsk Oblast overnight," Lysak concluded. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian strikes kill 6, injure 24 across Ukraine in 3rd consecutive day of mass attacks
Russia launched its third large-scale aerial and drone assault against Ukraine in three nights, killing at least six people and injuring 24 across multiple oblasts over the past 24 hours, regional authorities reported on May 26. In Kharkiv Oblast, two people were killed in Kupiansk as Russian forces launched a wide-ranging barrage involving glide bombs, various drone types, and artillery. Three other civilians were injured, according to Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov. Russian strikes damaged 39 houses, a business, a car repair shop, a store, and two vehicles in the Kupiansk district. Other infrastructure, including power lines in the Bohodukhiv district and a civilian enterprise in the Kharkiv district, was also hit. In Donetsk Oblast six civilians were injured in Russian attacks across the region, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin. In Kherson Oblast, one person was killed and four others wounded as Russian forces shelled and launched drone attacks on at least 30 settlements, including the city of Kherson. The strikes damaged two apartment buildings, 11 houses, a gas pipeline, a cellphone tower, and several vehicles. Social infrastructure sites were also targeted, the governor said. In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, two civilians were injured after Russian forces launched 419 attacks across 12 settlements, including 26 air strikes and over 250 drone strikes. Authorities reported damage to houses, cars, and civilian infrastructure in multiple towns. In Odesa Oblast, a 14-year-old teenager was injured in the village of Velykodolynske after a Russian drone strike. In the Odesa district, a 100-square-meter residential building was destroyed, and several more buildings, garages, and vehicles were damaged or destroyed, the governor said. In Kyiv Oblast, Russia launched another combined missile and drone attack overnight, local authorities said. No injuries were reported, but explosions damaged three houses and several utility buildings in the Boryspil district, one house in the Fastiv district, and a car in the Bucha district. Air defenses intercepted several incoming threats, and no critical infrastructure facility was hit. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russian forces targeted Nikopol and surrounding communities with Grad rockets, artillery, and drones, damaging both residential buildings and vehicles. In the Synelnykove district, two houses were struck by an FPV drone. No casualties were reported. In Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Russian forces launched a second consecutive night of combined attacks on the region, Governor Serhii Tiurin said. No injuries were reported, but several houses and businesses were damaged. In Mykolaiv Oblast, two civilians were killed and six others injured during a massive drone attack on the city of Mykolaiv, Governor Vitalii Kim said. Three of the injured were hospitalized and are in serious condition. In separate incidents, FPV drones targeted the Kutsurub and Ochakiv communities overnight. No further casualties were reported in those areas. In Sumy Oblast, one person was killed and two others injured in separate drone and artillery attacks across the region, local authorities said. Russian forces launched 80 attacks on 33 settlements using glide bombs, rocket artillery, and FPV drones. Houses and infrastructure were damaged in the communities of Khotin and Romny. In Cherkasy Oblast, air defenses shot down 25 drones over the region overnight. No casualties were reported, although blast waves from earlier strikes damaged windows and infrastructure in Uman. In response to the Russian strikes, Poland once again scrambled military aircraft overnight. This marks the second consecutive night that Polish air defenses have been placed on high alert due to activity by Russia's long-range aviation, according to the Polish Armed Forces. Warsaw has repeatedly taken similar measures during major Russian attacks on Ukraine. Read also: 'I don't know what the hell happened to Putin,' says Trump as Russia unleashes 3rd consecutive attack on Ukraine We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Economist
08-05-2025
- Business
- Economist
A glimpse inside Putin's secret arms empire
The Economist tracks mobile signals to plot the Kremlin's build-up General Chris Cavoli, NATO's top commander, recently told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia was replacing troops, tanks and munitions 'at an unprecedented pace'. Its factories would roll out 1,500 tanks this year, compared with America's 135. It would produce 3,000 armoured vehicles; America produces no new infantry fighting vehicles. Russia would produce 250,000 shells per month, putting it 'on track to build a stockpile three times greater than the United States and Europe combined'. To understand the scale of Russia's defence-industrial expansion, The Economist consulted a Western company which uses artificial intelligence to sift through data from a variety of mostly commercially available sources. This shows how the number of electronic devices, such as mobile phones, present at an industrial site has changed over time. The data capture only a fraction of total devices present—perhaps 2% to 10% of the number—but they serve as a proxy for the level of activity. The firm asked to remain anonymous owing to the sensitivity of the topic. OmskOmskRUSSIA Image: Airbus, Google Consider Omsktransmash, or the Omsk tank plant, one of the largest tank factories in Russia. The facility takes old T-80 tanks, which were produced decades ago, and upgrades them, working around the clock. The level of activity at Omsktransmash grew slightly prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, before dropping. But since the invasion, the number of people at the factory has climbed dramatically. The level of activity has remained particularly high since the middle of 2023, when the Kremlin realised that it would need to mobilise for a long war. The same story can be seen across Russia's defence-industrial facilities. Vehicles Uralvagonzavod tank facility Arzamas plant Kurganmashzavod plant Motovilikha plant Uralvagonzavod, Russia's largest tank facility, saw significantly higher activity in 2024 than in 2023. The Arzamas plant, which produces armoured personnel carriers, and the Kurganmashzavod and Motovilikha plants, which make infantry fighting vehicles, are also booming. Artillery Yekaterinburg Factory No.9 NPO Novator Volgograd Titan-Barrikady NPO Splav The Yekaterinburg Factory No.9 produces the barrels for howitzers and tanks. Artillery pieces and cannons can be seen parked in the open on satellite images. A few kilometres away lies NPO Novator, which develops Iskander ballistic missiles. There are also signs of strong growth at Volgograd Titan-Barrikady, where Iskander launch systems are built, and at NPO Splav in Tula, which makes Grad, Uragan and Smerch rockets. Explosives Sverdlov plant Selmash plant Kazan gunpowder plant Perm gunpowder plant Filling 3m shells per year requires prodigious amounts of explosives. The Sverdlov plant in Dzerzhinsk is Russia's largest explosives plant, producing chemicals for shells and glide bombs. The number of monthly devices there has shot up in recent months. Activity has also increased at the Selmash plant in Kirov, which makes casings for munitions, according to Julian Cooper of the University of Birmingham. Aircraft Alabuga factory Begishevo airport Kazan helicopter plant Zala Aero Kalashnikov (Lancet) The Iranian-designed Shahed-136 suicide drone is an increasingly familiar sight in Ukraine's skies. There were almost 140 daily attacks in February, far above levels seen in 2024. That is consistent with rising activity at the Alabuga factory in Tatarstan, where the drones are made, as well as at Begishevo airport nearby. The scale of recent construction work at Alabuga is apparent in photographs. Alabuga drone plant March 2024 Buildings under construction September 2024 Buildings added Building work started Satellite images ©2025 Maxar Technologies These are not the only signs of Russia's hyperactive defence industry. The Economist has also seen a range of other indicators. In Biysk, for instance, home to an important plant that produces oleum, which is used in explosives, and a centre of military research, average daily traffic between dormitory areas and districts with chemical plants rose 19% in 2023. 'Dwell time'—how long people remain in one place—rose by 32% during periods associated with second and third working shifts. Strava, an app which logs exercise, showed new clusters of running and cycling in areas near those plants, a sign that new workers had arrived in the area—which might also explain why housing rental costs grew by 21% a year. Similar patterns can be seen at sites associated with Russia's planned expansion of military forces on NATO's borders. In Luga, for instance, where Russia began forming a new division last year, mobile-phone location data showed increases in population density around industrial zones, an increase in dwell time from 10pm to 6am, pointing to night shifts, and new commuter corridors between dormitories and military plants. There are still constraints on Russian industry. Last year the country relied on North Korea to provide a significant proportion of artillery ammunition used in Ukraine; those stocks are not limitless. Key inputs to the artillery supply chain—chromite for barrels and cotton cellulose for propellant—still have to be imported, according to research by the Open Source Centre and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London. But Russia is now able to produce some important components at home. 'In principle, there would seem to be no reason why this mobilised defence effort cannot be maintained for quite a long period of time,' writes Mr Cooper, in a recent study for the RUSI Journal which surveys many of the facilities discussed above. 'It is not without irony,' concludes Mr Cooper, 'that advanced Western economies may now find the need to look closely at Russia to understand how to adapt.' This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline 'Putin's secret arms empire' More from
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
Russians attack Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast: garage and car on fire
The Russians attacked the Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with Grad multiple-launch rocket systems, heavy artillery and kamikaze drones on the night of 4-5 May, resulting in a garage and car catching fire. Source: Serhii Lysak, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "The Marhanets, Myrove and Pokrovske hromadas and Nikopol itself were affected. A garage and a car caught fire. No casualties have been recorded." [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories – ed.] Details: Lysak added that there had been no Russian strikes in the rest of the oblast. Units from Air Command Skhid (East) downed two drones over Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
