Latest news with #KerchBridge
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on Ukraine's spectacular attack: 21st-century tactics still require support from allies
Since Donald Trump scolded Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the words 'You don't have the cards right now,' Ukraine has been keener than ever to demonstrate that it has a few up its sleeve. On Sunday it showed its hand with an extraordinary, audacious drone attack on multiple bases deep inside Russia, which it says damaged 41 aircraft. Operation Spiderweb, which saw the smuggled drones released from their hiding places in wooden sheds and remotely piloted to their targets, was swiftly followed by another attack on Crimea's Kerch bridge using underwater explosives. Kyiv – often coy in such cases – was unusually swift to claim both incidents, but has not taken responsibility for two railway bridge attacks which Russia says led to the deaths of seven passengers at the weekend. There is obvious satisfaction in hitting Russian bombers and surveillance planes used against Ukrainian civilians, and Spiderweb's unexpected method will surely force Russia to think harder about defence. But the greater significance lies in its potential impact on domestic morale and international support. Ukraine has repeatedly surprised both its enemy and its allies throughout this war. Unexpected successes such as the Kursk incursion have changed the narrative at critical moments. Meticulously planned, and reportedly 18 months in the making, the latest operation must make Russia wonder what else may be on the way. It was also spectacular enough to make Mr Trump pay attention. The US president reportedly judged the attack to be 'badass'. But his cosy phone chats with Vladimir Putin appear to be locking in his tilt towards Moscow. On Wednesday he said that, in a 'good' conversation, Mr Putin had said he would have to respond. It did not appear to have occurred to the US president that discouraging retaliation might be desirable. He should be challenging Kremlin talking points instead of amplifying them. If Ukraine hoped to dispel the nuclear spectre which Russia has repeatedly summoned up, Mr Trump seems to be still in its thrall – with some of those around him talking up the threat again. The Center for Strategic and International Studies argued in a report this week that Russia's military performance has been notably poor in this war, with gains coming at a strikingly high cost in terms of both equipment and personnel – hitting an estimated million casualties this summer. But Russia still has many more cards. It continues to grind out its advance, and in late May it launched its largest drone and missile assault on Ukraine to date. Its war of attrition may look old-fashioned compared with Kyiv's innovations, but it still hurts. Meanwhile, talks in Istanbul have produced agreement on a prisoner exchange but no movement towards peace. There appears to be growing support in the US Senate for further sanctions on Russia, but Lindsey Graham is unlikely to move without Mr Trump's acquiescence, and there is little sign of progress in the House. Pete Hegseth did not attend the session on Ukraine at Thursday's gathering of defence ministers ahead of this month's Nato summit – a telling absence, though the Pentagon blamed scheduling issues. Kyiv needs and deserves increased support from Washington, but damage limitation looks like a more realistic aspiration. Ukraine continues to surprise, and to shift its approach as circumstances demand. Unfortunately, there is little sign of the US president, capricious as he is, changing course on this conflict.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Trump says Putin told him Russia will respond to Ukrainian airfield attack
US president Donald Trump has said Russian president Vladimir Putin told him 'very strongly' in a phone call on Wednesday that he will respond to Ukraine 's weekend drone attack on Russian airfields. The US president said in a social media post that 'it was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace.' The call that lasted for an hour and 15 minutes was Mr Trump's first known with Mr Putin since May 19th. Mr Trump said he and Mr Putin also discussed Iran's nuclear programme. READ MORE Ukraine's security service gave more details on Wednesday about its weekend drone strike on Russian airbases, which it claimed destroyed or damaged 41 Russian aircraft, including strategic bombers. The agency claimed the planes struck included A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22, Tu-160, An-12, and Il-78 aircraft, adding that artificial intelligence helped guide the drones thousands of kilometres from Ukraine. It also said it set off an explosion on Tuesday on the seabed beneath the Kerch Bridge, a vital transport link between Russia and illegally annexed Crimea, claiming it caused damage to the structure. But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that there was no damage. Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that its troops have taken control of another village in Ukraine's northern Sumy region, on the border with Russia. Mr Putin announced on May 22nd that Russian troops aim to create a buffer zone that might help prevent Ukrainian cross-border attacks. Since then, Russia's ministry of defence has claimed its forces have taken control of nine Sumy villages. Mr Trump says part of his call with Mr Putin was focused on Iran and 'the fact that time is running out on Iran's decision pertaining to nuclear weapons, which must be made quickly!' Mr Trump said in a post on his social media site that he told Russia's president 'that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and, on this, I believe that we were in agreement'. He said Mr Putin suggested 'that he will participate in the discussions with Iran' and could perhaps 'be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion'. Mr Trump previously boasted that a major announcement on Iran was coming – but none has materialised. He suggested in his latest post that Iran has been slow-walking their decision 'and we will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time!'. – AP
The Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Crimean bridge attack and Operation Spiderweb show Zelensky has a fist full of wild cards against Russia
Ukraine 's intelligence services released a video of their attack on Russia 's most important link to Crimea, the Kerch Bridge, which was recorded using Russia's own surveillance systems. The eruption of 1.1 tons of explosive on the logistical artery dealt a physical blow, but it's the psychological effect that will be longer lasting. Kyiv's SBU spooks are telling Russia, and Vladimir Putin 's fan-in-chief Donald Trump, 'see what we can do'. Alongside Operation Spiderweb, a few days earlier, which Ukraine claims destroyed 34 per cent of Moscow's strategic bomber force over thousands of miles inside the Russian Federation, the assassination of Russian military leaders, and the relentless targeting of Putin's energy infrastructure, Ukraine is signalling that it has not only survived, but could win, this war. Donald Trump loves a winner. His contempt for America's own war dead, revealed when he reportedly described a Paris WW2 American cemetery as 'filled with losers', is well known. So too is his very public smear of Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, whom he told in the Oval Office that he didn't hold any good cards. Kyiv has shown that far from holding a weak hand, Zelensky has a fist full of wild cards that reveal Ukraine's capabilities are no joke. Ukrainian officials have said they kept the Kerch operation and Spiderweb secret from even their closest allies. It's conceivable, however, that at least one Nato member may have known of the bridge attack because of the close relationship between Ukrainian and Nato special forces. But Operation Spiderweb came as much of a surprise to American intelligence services as it did to the Kremlin. That is deliberate. Ukraine has concluded, along with members of the intelligence sharing network of Anglo-Saxon nations known as Five Eyes, that the US cannot be trusted with the most sensitive intelligence. Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK all know that US spy agencies will protect their own assets. But none of them now believe that the White House is a safe repository for their most secret secrets because the US commander in chief is notoriously sloppy with confidential information – and so are his top members of staff. The Kerch operation was likely to have been many months in preparation. Russia has moved quickly to try to reopen the link between Crimea, which it captured from Ukraine in 2014 and Russian territory. But driving heavy vehicles or trains across it is now a game of roulette. And it marks a change in the nature of the Russian campaign against Ukraine. And when a truck stopped close to the Belaya airfield, deep inside Siberia, the wooden sheds onboard opened their roofs to release a swarm of quadcopters over the weekend warfare changed forever. The success of Ukraine Operation Spiderweb, which destroyed more than 40 Russian bombers, will have caused delight and terror in the hearts of Kyiv's allies. Ukraine claims its SBU intelligence services destroyed 41 Russian aircraft doing $7 billion worth of damage to long range bombers that carried the cruise missiles Putin has been using against Ukraine. The successful mission came as Russia has drastically increased its air campaign against Ukraine using primitive Iranian-designed long range Shahed drones as well as ballistic and cruise missiles. In conventional military doctrine the destruction of so many strategic aircraft would form part of a multi-million dollar operation using long range missiles, probably involving an aircraft carrier and risk the lives of pilots, as the US and UK have been doing in recent attacks against the Houthis in Yemen. But Ukraine has achieved dramatic strategic effects with guile and cheaply produced quadcopters similar to what can be bought on any high street in Britain.
Sky News
3 days ago
- General
- Sky News
Got a Ukraine war question? Send it to Michael Clarke here
06:05:48 Send in your Ukraine war questions It's Wednesday, which means our security and defence analyst Professor Michael Clarke is back to answer your questions on the Ukraine war in his weekly Q&A. Hundreds of you have already sent in your questions after a very significant few days on the battlefield in the three-year conflict. Ukraine has pulled off three daring attacks - on two bridges and Russia's bomber fleet over the weekend and on the key Kerch Bridge linking Russia to Crimea yesterday - and the world is waiting to see how Vladimir Putin responds. Watch: Ukraine strikes Russian bombers Watch: Kerch Bridge explosion And there are reports Moscow is launching a summer offensive as peace talks make little sign of progress. Teams from Kyiv and Moscow met for a second round of direct talks in Istanbul on Monday, agreeing only to another prisoner swap and exchanging terms for a full ceasefire, which still appears a long way off. And all the while, the usually vocal Donald Trump has remained quiet. So what does it all mean? Michael is here at midday to help make sense of it. Submit your questions to join in - and you'll be able to watch the Q&A live on this page.
Sky News
4 days ago
- General
- Sky News
Ukraine war: Underwater explosives strike bridge linking Russia to Crimea, Kyiv says
Ukraine says it struck the road and rail bridge linking Russia and Crimea with underwater explosives. A video of the explosion on Kerch Bridge was posted on Ukraine's security service (SBU) X account. The planned attack took "several months" of work and involved detonating 1,100kg of explosives overnight, which "severely damaged" the foundations of the bridge, according to the SBU. Russia is yet to respond but authorities say bridge crossings have restarted after it was closed for most of the day on Tuesday. Vladimir Putin opened the 12-mile bridge in 2018. It holds symbolic and strategic significance for Russia, which uses it to transport supplies and weapons to its forces in occupied Crimea. It is the third time Ukraine has hit the structure after attacks in 2022 and 2023. The latest incident comes days after Ukraine launched an audacious drone attack on air bases inside Russia over the weekend. Mr Zelenskyy said the attack on 40 bomber aircraft at multiple bases across Russia would "undoubtedly be in history books". 0:46 Drones were smuggled into the country and launched remotely off the back of trucks, security sources said. On Sunday, two railway bridges collapsed in Russia's Bryansk and Kursk regions. Russia blamed Ukraine, which has not commented.
