Latest news with #JohnHardie
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Su-35s Once Expected To Arm Iran Are Now In Algeria
Satellite imagery has confirmed the presence of the Su-35 Flanker-M multirole fighter in Algerian service, indicating that at least some of these aircraft have been transferred to the country, a new customer for the type. The Su-35 is almost certainly from a batch of aircraft originally built for Egypt, but never delivered, and then repeatedly connected with a sale to Iran. Algeria had also previously been reported as the first export customer for the Su-57 Felon next-generation fighter, as you can read about here. Firm evidence of the Su-35 in Algerian Air Force service appears in commercially available satellite imagery, including from Google Earth, as seen at the top of this page, dated March 10. Previously, similar imagery had been published recently by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), U.K.-based think tank. One of the jets, with an Algerian Air Force roundel on its left wing, is seen at Ain Beida/Oum el Bouaghi Air Base in eastern Algeria. The camouflage scheme is the same as that applied to Su-35s originally built for Egypt, but which remained in Russia. Interesting report indicating Algeria has purchased at least some of the Russian Su-35s originally built for Egypt and later reported to be sought by — John Hardie (@JohnH105) April 9, 2025 1/ A Su-35 at Oum el Bouaghi Air Base, Algeria. — Guy Plopsky (@GuyPlopsky) April 9, 2025 Earlier satellite imagery, dated March 2, shows a disassembled Su-35 being loaded into an An-124 Condor transport aircraft in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Russian Far East, where the fighters are built. On March 5, an An-124 — assumed to be the same example — appeared at Ain Beida/Oum el Bouaghi Air Base. A Su-35 was first noted in satellite imagery at the same base on March 10. While it is unconfirmed if this is the first and only Su-35 delivered to date, more are on the way. Recent imagery from Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia indicates Algerian roundels have now been applied at least four other aircraft from the Egyptian order — Joseph Dempsey (@JosephHDempsey) April 9, 2025 Unverified videos purportedly showing Su-35s flying in Algeria have been circulating on social media for several weeks. – Possible Su-35 Delivery to Algeria?Over the past week, there have been unusual Ilyushin flights carrying military cargo to Oum El Bouaghi Airbase in Algeria. These flights have sparked speculation, and now, new footage from the base suggests that Su-35s may have finally… — Uncensored News (@Uncensorednewsw) March 14, 2025 At this point, it's unclear how many Su-35s have been delivered to Algeria, although IISS reports that at least four other examples of the jets at Komsomolsk-on-Amur have also received Algerian Air Force markings. The Su-35 is a somewhat surprising addition to the Algerian Air Force, the combat fleet of which is dominated by Russian products, including another Flanker variant, the two-seat Su-30MKA Flanker-H. Currently, the Algerian Air Force operates 63 Su-30MKA and 40 MiG-29S/M/M2 multirole fighters, 42 Su-24MK2 strike/reconnaissance aircraft, and 16 Yak-130 combat trainers. It also operates 33 Russian-made Mi-24 Mk III and 42 Mi-28NE attack helicopters. All those figures are for 2024 and are published by FlightGlobal. These acquisitions have been enabled by the highest level of defense spending in Africa, supported by one of the continent's largest economies in Africa, due mostly to its large oil and gas reserves. Algeria's status as a leading buyer of Russian combat aircraft was apparently further underlined in February of this year, when the country's state-run media announced that Algeria was the first export customer for the Su-57. That development follows a statement earlier the same week from Russia that an undisclosed foreign customer will start to receive Su-57s this year. Algeria receiving the Su-35 doesn't rule out the purchase of the Su-57 as well, especially bearing in mind unconfirmed accounts suggesting that Algeria may initially be acquiring just six Su-57s. If true, that could suggest that an initial batch will be used for evaluation, or it might be that Russia is able to supply an initial batch of six, with more to follow. Perhaps Algeria is being impacted by the very slow rate of Su-57 production. Russia placed orders for 76 Su-57s to be delivered by 2028. As of the first quarter of 2025, however, IISS records that only 19 had been delivered. In 2023–24, just seven Felons were delivered. At the same time, transfer of the Su-35s to Algeria looks like it could be bad news for Iranian plans to modernize its aging air force. Back in March 2023, Iranian state-run media reported that the country had come to an agreement with Russia on the purchase of Su-35s for the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF). Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN announced on Friday that Iran has finalized buying #Sukhoi fighter jets from Russia. Here is what Iran has purchased: — IRNA News Agency (@IrnaEnglish) March 11, 2023 Ever since the October 2020 expiration of Iran's conventional arms embargo, a transfer of Su-35s had been expected, with any such deal likely to involve the 24 Su-35s once destined for Egypt before the threat of U.S. sanctions and a teased offer of F-15s put an end to that sale. In particular, Washington had said it would put sanctions on Cairo under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Despite this, production of the Su-35s continued at Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Not mentioned here is that Egypt's deal for 24 Russian Su-35 fighters, which are currently sitting at two airfields in Russia due to CAATSA concerns, is even less likely to be executed at this — Rob Lee (@RALee85) March 17, 2022 Senior U.S. officials revealed in December that Russia had trained Iranian pilots on the Su-35 in the spring of 2022, with the training and eventual transfers tied to continued support for Russia's war in Ukraine. Iran has supported the Russian war effort in Ukraine in multiple ways, including by delivering kamikaze drones for Russia's continued air attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, and by transferring short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs). As we have reported in the past, Iranian Su-35s, even only two dozen of them, would represent a huge leap in air combat capability over the aging and oft-cannibalized American, Chinese, and Soviet-era fighters in its inventory. Of course, such a transfer remains a possibility, although it's puzzling as to why the deal has been stalled for so long. In the meantime, Algeria has apparently jumped the queue and taken at least some of the Su-35s once destined for Egypt. On the other hand, some kind of split deal could also happen, with Algeria taking, for example, 12 of the jets, with a similar number heading to Iran. Otherwise, with the demands of the war in Ukraine, the bulk of the production output of the Su-35 at Komsomolsk-on-Amur is very likely to be absorbed by the Russian Aerospace Forces, which have reportedly received 'a small number' of these jets last month. For Algeria, the Su-35 provides yet another multirole Russian fighter to its air force's inventory, and it will be the most modern that the country operates, at least until any Su-57 deliveries materialize. For Iran, however, it looks like its wait for new fighter equipment might continue, at least for a while longer, or otherwise the country may end up with a smaller batch of Su-35s than was previously anticipated. Contact the author: thomas@
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As Russian troops retake settlements in Kursk Oblast, Ukraine launches attack on adjacent Russian region
In late March, Ukrainian troops launched a raid into Russia's Belgorod Oblast. The small-scale incursion into yet another Russian region may be Ukraine's attempt to alleviate the pressure from the country's troops still fighting in the adjacent Kursk Oblast, military experts say. Following Russia's recapture of the logistics hub of Sudzha in mid-March, Ukrainian troops were forced to withdraw from a substantial part of Russia's Kursk Oblast, which was in Kyiv's hands for over seven months. Now, using both mechanized attacks with engineering vehicles to clear obstacles and mines, as well as small-scale infiltration tactics, Kyiv has been attempting a new cross-border operation, said John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He added that it is unclear which side controls the villages in no-man's land near the border. "In general, it doesn't look like any gains Ukraine has made have been very significant in terms of territory taken," Hardie told the Kyiv Independent. While it is too early to draw conclusions, the scale of the Belgorod Oblast raid and the proximity to Russian units already fighting in Kursk Oblast likely won't allow "a huge diversion of Russian forces," according to Hardie. It is still unclear whether Ukraine wants to hold onto the possible captured territory in Belgorod Oblast for longer or if it was meant to be a short-term raid. Kyiv has carried out occasional cross-border raids since 2023, with a variety of Russian volunteer soldiers fighting alongside Ukraine leading the way. The raids were hours-long and were primarily political operations rather than military ones. The Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian troops were trying to "wedge" into the western part of Belgorod Oblast, toward the villages of Demidovka and Prilesye just near the border. Moscow claimed that Kyiv was conducting a cross-border raid "to create a negative background" amid the ongoing talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, who is pushing for a rushed peace deal to end the war at all costs. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed in the same Telegram post on March 18 that it prevented a border breakthrough and claimed to have killed 60 Ukrainian soldiers, as well as destroyed one tank, seven armored combat vehicles, three engineering vehicles, and a car. The Ukrainian military has not commented on the developments in Belgorod Oblast so far. The D.C.-based think tank Institute for the Study of War said, citing geolocated footage published on March 29, that Ukrainian forces advanced in the village of Popovka, which sits right near the Ukrainian border and is next to the embattled Kursk Oblast. Emil Kastehelmi, an analyst at the Finland-based Black Bird Group, observing the open-source data to track the war in Ukraine, said that it is possible that Russian troops may have already conducted some counteroperations to restrict a further Ukrainian advance. He assessed that Ukraine is likely still operating, at least around the Demidovka village. Kastehelmi said it is likely "a lie-fixing operation" to divert the Russian attention from Russian Kursk and the adjacent Ukrainian Sumy Oblast. But Russia should have enough forces in the area to carry on their offensive operations in Kursk Oblast while also preventing Ukrainian advances in Belgorod Oblast, the analyst added. "It's really difficult to say what the larger goal of this operation is, because such a tiny piece of land doesn't really hold any military or political advantage," Kastehelmi told the Kyiv Independent. The Ukrainian troop number is unclear, but Western vehicles, such as U.S. Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, appear to have been part of the operation, Kastehelmi said, citing Russian videos. He added that he is not sure if Ukrainian troops were still actively pushing forward or if they were just holding onto the positions that they captured, as the "element of surprise" at the initial phase of the raid is gone. With the city of Belgorod being about 100 kilometers away and the absence of larger Russian logistical routes nearby, the area around the few villages where fighting allegedly continues "isn't really important," the analyst said. Read also: The rise and fall of Ukraine's Kursk gambit We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine's strategic new incursion into Russian territory
As dawn broke over the western Russian region of Belgorod, a growing thrum could be heard near its heavily fortified border with Ukraine. The sound came from a column of tanks and fighting vehicles storming across muddy fields, carving a path through minefields and lines of dragon's teeth barricades. It was the start of a new incursion into Russian territory. That was two weeks ago and, despite the Kremlin's claims that the attack was thwarted, Ukraine's forces are moving forward and steadily capturing ground. The battle plan has been closely guarded, and it is still unclear whether the Belgorod incursion was intended as a brief raid or a longer-term operation. There is currently fierce fighting in the villages of Demidovka, Prilesye and Popovka, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a US think-tank. Ukraine has also been carrying out a series of precision air strikes, targeting command posts, bridges, helicopters and depots. There are several reasons why Ukraine may have acted so decisively for more war at a time when it is also pleading for peace. Volodymyr Zelensky has said only that his military was taking 'strategic steps' to counter a potential Russian offensive from Sumy, where there has been a troop build-up. The sudden rush of soldiers across the border could help protect Ukraine against a Russian offensive in Sumy by diverting those forces. Belgorod borders Ukraine's Sumy, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions and is regularly used by Russian forces to launch attacks on Ukraine. Crucially, it is also next to Kursk, where the last Ukrainian troops are holding on to a sliver of high ground, trying to cling on to Kyiv's big military gamble that it hoped would provide a bargaining chip during ceasefire negotiations. However, unlike in Kursk, when Kyiv's forces caught Russia by surprise and rapidly seized hundreds of miles of territory, the Ukrainian gains have been slower and staggered. Credit: Telegram 'Russia seems to have been better prepared for this operation,' said John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia programme at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies. 'And this operation is considerably smaller in scale and its objectives,' he told The Telegraph. He described the force size as 'modest', likely totalling less than a battalion of 500 soldiers. But while the Kremlin has been defiant, there is dissent in Moscow. 'How did this happen? Russian forces completely f----d up... They just gave it up. They just left. After that, the enemy occupied it,' fumed well-known Russian war correspondent Vladimir Romano on Sunday as he reported the loss of Demidovka. Reports suggest that some of Ukraine's best units have been deployed to the operation as well as dozens of US-supplied Bradley fighting vehicles. Rybar, an influential pro-Kremlin military blogger, said fierce battles were ongoing in Demidovka on Wednesday as Russian troops fought back. 'The enemy has repeatedly tried to enter our strongholds across the border,' he wrote on Telegram. 'The situation remains tense,' he said, and cited Russian military reports that Ukraine was continuing to mass troops and vehicles on the border. Two Majors, another prominent Telegram channel, reported that Ukraine was 'stretching' Russian troops along the frontline by broadening attacks on the border. 'The gains have so far been modest, but Ukraine is advancing and taking high ground,' said Mr Hardie, who argued it was still 'too early' to say whether it was having meaningful effects elsewhere along the front. 'The fact that Ukraine is still attacking after nine days suggests Ukraine is more likely trying to have a long-term presence to establish a buffer zone,' said Mr Hardie. Kyiv may be hoping this incursion will bolster its position at ceasefire talks. 'Its a risky plan,' Mr Hardie said, citing Kyiv's broad manpower shortages and the uncertainties in future military aid deliveries from the US. 'If it drags on, can Ukraine sustain big losses in Belgorod? Will it be worth it?' 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.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
Voyeur toilet teacher struck off indefinitely
A teacher who attempted to spy on a girl in the toilets at a fast-food restaurant has been struck off. John Hardie, 41, admitted following the girl into the female toilets at a branch of McDonald's, in Cottingham Road, Hull, in 2019, in an attempt to watch her carrying out a private act. The Teaching Regulation Agency panel, which published its findings last week, heard the incident had been sexually motivated. The panel found his behaviour amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and he was prohibited from teaching indefinitely. The hearing, which took place on 4 February, heard that Mr Hardie was caught on CCTV in McDonald's leaving the male toilets as the girl entered the female toilets. He was then seen to hesitate before following her in, before returning to the main restaurant area. In a police interview in 2019, Mr Hardie admitted there had been "an element of sexual curiosity", the report stated. In October 2019, he was issued with a sex offender notification requirement until October 2021 after accepting a police caution for attempted voyeurism. The panel heard Mr Hardie had been engaged on a self-employed basis to undertake small groups and one-to-one tuition, working for Hull City Council and a number of local schools, including Winifred Holtby Academy and Wolfreton School and Sixth Form College. At the time of the incident, he was working for Newland School for Girls, although the incident took place "outside the education setting". Vicky Callaghan, the head teacher at Newland School for Girls, told the BBC: "Mr Hardie was working for the school as a part-time, self-employed tutor. "He was immediately suspended from duty and his services terminated. "We reassure our school community that there was absolutely no suggestion of any improper behaviour at the school." In a statement, Hull City Council confirmed that Mr Hardie was also employed at Newland School for Girls in 2014 and 2015 while under local authority control, before the school became an academy in 2017. Outlining its decision, the panel found all of the allegations proven, which it said amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute. The order means Mr Hardie is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth-form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England. The BBC has contacted the other named schools, as well as the Department for Education. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Teaching Regulation Agency
