Latest news with #KN-23
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russian drone hits apartment block in Donetsk Oblast, injuring two
A Russian drone has struck a five-storey residential building in the city of Bilozerske, Donetsk Oblast, on the night of 29-30 May, injuring a woman and her teenage son. Source: Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office on Telegram Quote: "At 02:30, the occupiers struck Bilozerske. A Russian Geran-2 UAV hit a five-storey residential building. The strike caused a fire." The aftermath of the attack. Photo: Prosecutor's Office Details: A 40-year-old woman and her 16-year-old son sustained injuries while inside their flat. The aftermath of the attack. Photo: Prosecutor's Office "The injured have been diagnosed with blast injuries and carbon monoxide poisoning. Medical assistance has been provided." the prosecutor's office summed up. The aftermath of the attack. Photo: Prosecutor's Office Background: Ukraine's Air Force reported that on the evening of 29 May, Russia launched two Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and 90 Shahed-type attack UAVs, along with various decoy drones. A total of 56 drones were shot down, but impacts were recorded at 12 locations. On the same night, Russian forces targeted Kharkiv, Odesa and Donetsk oblasts. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How much does a Russian drone attack on Ukraine cost? The question is more complicated than it sounds
Beginning overnight on Saturday, May 24, Russia rained down nearly a thousand drones and missiles on villages and cities across Ukraine in three nights of large-scale aerial attacks, as civilians spent hours sheltering underground. Russia's bombardment killed more than a dozen people and injured dozens more, in one of the largest coordinated attacks since the start of the war. Such deadly storms of drones and missiles are not cheap to carry out, but the costs of these weapons are sensitive military information that Russia keeps classified. Experts and media outlets have estimated that attacks like the one this past weekend cost Russia hundreds of thousands of dollars in weaponry. The estimated figures vary significantly, however, and that's before adding in other costs beyond their price tag, like the price of a flight that launches a missile, or storage costs before weapons are used. "The cost of these large strikes is quite difficult to estimate in the open-source because Russia goes to great lengths to obfuscate the cost of the missiles and drones," said Angelica Evans, a Russia analyst with the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). "Particularly with the onset of western sanctions and Russia's many sanctions evasion schemes, it's difficult to know how much all of the various components in the projectiles really cost, let alone the cost of production itself." According to Ukraine's Air Force, the weekend attack used Shahed drones, decoy drones, three types of cruise missiles, and Iskander-M and KN-23 ballistic missiles. Most of the 995 weapons — 903 of them — were Shahed kamikaze drones or decoy drones meant to mimic the behavior of Shaheds and overwhelm air defense systems. Russia also launched 69 cruise missiles: 64 of the Kh-101 variety, 4 Kh-59/69 missiles, and one Kh-22 missile. The remaining 23 weapons were Iskander-M ballistic missiles or similar North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles. Some experts have tried to come up with price tags for different weapons systems using open-source information, including examining the components of downed weaponry, comparing missiles to similar weapons in the West, and analyzing hacked procurement contract data. While these methods can give a better sense of how much Russia is paying to carry out its aerial attacks, they result in a range rather than a hard figure. Take the Shahed, for example. One commonly cited figure is $50,000 per Shahed drone produced in Russia. Others have said the scaling of production in the past year within Russia has lowered the cost, potentially as low as $20,000. Hacked documents between Russia and Iran, meanwhile, show that Russia negotiated prices for Iranian-made Shaheds earlier in the war in the range of $193,000 to $290,000 per unit, depending on the number ordered. To save money on drones, Russia is increasingly producing them at home. Satellite imagery has detected the expansion of the facilities where Shahed drones are manufactured in Russia. The cost of a Shahed used by Russia therefore heavily depends on when it was acquired and whether you're calculating its replacement cost or its original purchase or production price. Nor do these estimates account for modifications made to the drones by Russians in the field or at the unit level. Another consideration is whether to include the cost of paying the soldiers who deploy the weapon. "Recent reporting estimates Russia can produce roughly 100 Shaheds per day." The uncertainty is multiplied hundreds of times over for each drone in a major attack. But the use of decoy drones provides another complication in calculating the cost of the recent Russian attack: How many of the 903 drones were Shaheds, and how many were the much cheaper decoy drones? Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Service believes the most expensive part of the decoy drones is their engine, which can be bought online for around $350–$500. A complete decoy is likely to cost in the low thousands range. Yurii Ihnat, a Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson, has stated that almost half of the deployed drones may be decoys. And these are only considerations for pricing a drone. Missiles have a heftier price tag — from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars per missile — and can also come with a wider price range. Most ballpark estimates would put a dollar price tag in the high six figures for the recent three-day aerial attack, but the usefulness of such a metric is limited by how much variability there is. A more helpful metric, said Evans of ISW, would be looking at how many weapons are being launched compared to how many weapons Russia can produce. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to continue scaling up production of weapons, and drones in particular, calling them a major factor in combat successes. "We have seen recent reporting that Russia has been increasing its ability to produce Shahed drones and decoy variants for many months, and recent reporting estimates Russia can produce roughly 100 Shaheds per day," Evans said. This suggests that the drones used in the past weekend's attack could be replenished in just over a week. "Russian missile production capabilities are much more limited, particularly of Iskander ballistic missiles, and the Russians may be trying to stockpile cruise missiles so they can conduct rarer but more intense strike series like we saw over the weekend," Evans added. Hi, this is Andrea. Thanks for reading my article. At the Kyiv Independent, we work hard to inform the world about what's happening in Ukraine. To fund our reporting, we rely on our community of over 19,000 members from around the world, most of whom give just $5 a month. We're aiming to reach 20,000 soon — join our community and help us reach this goal. Read also: How Russia's Shahed drones are getting more deadly — and what Ukraine is doing about it We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 1, injure 46 over past day
Russian attacks across Ukrainian regions killed at least one civilian and injured 46, including children, over the past day, regional authorities reported on May 28. Russia launched five Iskander-M or KN-23 ballistic missiles against Ukraine overnight, as well as 88 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy drones, the Air Force said. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 34 drones, while 37 were neutralized by electronic warfare systems or disappeared from radars. Eight hits were recorded across Ukraine, according to the Air Force. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, two women aged 51 and 64 were injured during Russian artillery and drone attacks against the Nikopol district, Governor Serhii Lysak reported. Russian attacks against Donetsk Oblast injured eight civilians – four in Pokrovsk, two in Novovodiane, and one each in Sloviansk and Zarichne, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin. In Kharkiv Oblast, Russian strikes killed an 85-year-old man and injured nine others, including a 4-year-old girl, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported. Over 70 houses were damaged, as well as 12 apartment buildings, a school, shops, warehouses, and more. Thirteen people were injured in Russian attacks against Kherson Oblast, said the regional governor, Oleksandr Prokudin. In Kirovohrad Oblast, at least three people were injured in a Russian aerial strike, Governor Andrii Raikovych reported. Seventy-six houses and a multi-story residential building were damaged. A fire broke out after an attack against an industrial enterprise in Svitlovodsk, the governor said. In Mykolaiv Oblast, a 7-year-old girl was injured during a Russian drone attack, Governor Vitalii Kim said. Houses and a recreational facility were damaged in missile and drone attacks elsewhere in the region. Nine people were injured in Russian attacks against Sumy Oblast, including a child, the regional military administration reported. In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, a 17-year-old boy was injured during a Russian attack on the Polohy district, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov. Read also: Sanctions on Russia are working, Ukraine just needs more We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Lithuania delivers protest note to Russia over war crimes in Ukraine
Lithuania's Foreign Ministry has summoned a representative of the Russian Embassy to deliver a note of protest regarding the war crimes being committed by Russia against Ukraine. Source: Lithuanian Foreign Ministry in a statement, as reported by European Pravda Details: On 27 May, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry summoned the representative of the Russian Embassy and handed over a note of protest concerning the ongoing war crimes being committed by the Russian Armed Forces. "Lithuania strongly condemns the killing of unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war and the intensified attacks on Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones," the statement said. The Foreign Ministry emphasised that civilians, particularly children, are killed and seriously injured as a result of these attacks, and civilian infrastructure is destroyed. "Lithuania reiterates that such actions are war crimes, they have no statute of limitations, and those responsible will eventually face justice," the ministry stated. Lithuania also noted that Russia's refusal to declare even a 30-day ceasefire demonstrates its aggressive intent to continue the war it has unleashed and is effectively a rejection of international efforts to stop the killing of Ukrainian civilians. "Lithuania will continue to support Ukraine's efforts to defend itself from the aggressor," the Foreign Ministry affirmed. Background: Ukraine's Air Force reported that on the night of 23-24 May, Russian forces launched 14 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and 250 attack drones on Ukraine. The following night, on 24-25 May, Russia attempted to strike Ukraine with 367 aerial assets, including ballistic, cruise and air-to-surface missiles and drones. And on the night of 25-26 May, Russia deployed 364 aerial weapons, including cruise missiles and attack drones. Regarding the killing of unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war, Ukraine's Defence Intelligence reported on 24 May that the number of executions of Ukrainian soldiers by Russian forces on the battlefield is increasing, with over 150 such cases recorded to date. Background: On 25 May, US President Donald Trump condemned Russia's latest attack on Ukraine and said he is considering imposing additional sanctions against Russia. On 27 May, he stated that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is "playing with fire". Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russia says it is still working on "ceasefire memorandum"
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has stated that Russia is continuing to work on a draft memorandum concerning a ceasefire. Her remarks came against the backdrop of Russia's recent large-scale combined attacks on Ukraine. Source: Russian news agency Interfax, citing Zakharova's briefing on Tuesday 27 May Quote: "Russia continues to develop a draft memorandum on a future peace agreement, which outlines several points such as principles for a settlement, potential timelines for concluding a peace deal, and a possible temporary ceasefire – if, I stress, appropriate agreements are reached." Details: Zakharova added that once the memorandum is ready, it will be sent to Kyiv. Quote: "We expect that the Ukrainian side is doing the same work and will send us its proposals at the same time it receives the Russian document." Background: On the night of 23-24 May, Russian forces launched 14 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and 250 attack drones at Ukraine. Ukrainian air defence shot down six ballistic missiles and 128 drones; 117 more drones disappeared from radar or were suppressed by electronic warfare. On the night of 24-25 May, Russia launched a combined strike using nine Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, 55 Kh-101 cruise missiles, one Kh-22 cruise missile, four Kh-59/69 guided air missiles and 298 attack UAVs. The attack killed 12 people and injured 60. On the night of 25-26 May, the Russians again attacked Ukraine with missiles and drones, using a total of 364 aerial weapons. Ukrainian air defence shot down nine cruise missiles and destroyed or jammed 288 Russian UAVs. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
