Latest news with #Kramatorsk
The Sun
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Putin plotting ‘final killer offensive' to attack Ukraine on 3 fronts to win war – even as his losses near ONE MILLION
VLADIMIR Putin is plotting a final killer offensive along three fronts to win the war, a new report claims. It comes as the Russian army nears one million casualties in its bungled three-year-old invasion and peace talks stall. 9 9 9 The tyrant is still looking for a knockout blow despite initially saying he would win the war in a matter of days. Putin is hoping to change that this summer, with a widely expected fresh offensive to begin. Some 125,000 Russian soldiers are reportedly massing along the Sumy and Kharkiv frontiers, according to Ukraine's military intelligence. Over the past fortnight border villages have fallen to Russia as it is believed to be preparing the ground for the invasion. But some senior commanders in Ukraine believe that could be a feint and Russia is actually preparing to attack further south to push further into the Donbas, Ukraine Pravda reports. Russia is likely to attack through three areas near each other in the Donbas - Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, and Pokrovsk. Vlad already controls more than 95 per cent of Luhansk, but capturing Donetsk would cement his control over the Donbas region and achieve a war aim, albeit a scaled-down one. The Donbas is an important industrial and mining area - and some 200,000 to 300,000 people still live in four cities controlled by Ukraine. Moscow's military planners will be weighing up whether they want to fight through the cities like they did in Bakhmut or encircle them by going around through farmland. Kramatorsk is the closest city to the front line and is under constant attack by Russia. Clearest vid yet of daring Op Spiderweb shows 35 Ukrainian bomb drones blowing up plane after multimillion dollar plane A recent drone strike managed to get inside an armoured vehicle carrying Ukrainian soldiers. Russia has an opportunity to conduct a pincer movement around Kostiantynivka with its soldiers controlling land to the east and west of the city. Instead of attacking the city directly, the could bypass it and attack Druzhkivka behind it - thereby cutting Kostiantynivka and any Ukrainian soldiers still there off. In nearby Pokrovsk, Russia already has a salient, a bulge, out from the front line after a previous advance. 9 9 9 Ukraine reports also daily contact with Russian troops in the area. The Pokrovsk front line is also very near Dnipropetrovsk Oblast - a region of Ukraine the Kremlin hasn't yet officially claimed. A successful breakthrough there might mean Putin can actually expand his war goals. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is prepared for a summer offensive and has publicly said Russia is set to escalate the war. His officials believe peace talks are a ruse - with Putin only wanting to talk to demand the terms of surrender. The Ukrainians will not give in and any advance by Russia is going to come at a high cost. Vlad's army has been making incremental gains along the front line, with troops overwhelming Ukraine in meat grinder assaults. But for that Russia has suffered 434,000 dead and wounded in the last year, 270 for every square mile they have seized. 9 9 9 Ukraine has used drones and Western-supplied arms to grind the Russians down into a WW1-style trench war. But observers worry a massive new Russian offensive could break the deadlock. Moscow has spent the winter recruiting more troops, improving tactics, and enhancing their drones. An offensive likely won't use tanks, Polish military analyst Konrad Muzyka told the Telegraph. He said, instead, Russian troops were advancing using lighter motors. Muzyka said: 'Any large-scale deployment of armour is going to be destroyed relatively quickly. "We have seen the Russians shift to focused, small-unit attacks, often of just three to five men. Company-size assaults of 50 to 100 men hardly ever happen anymore.' Donald Trump has said he expects Putin's retaliation following the stunning Opertion Spiderweb "is not going to be pretty". The US President spoke to Vlad on Wednesday - with the Russian saying, according to Trump, he would "have to respond". The call followed Operation Spiderweb — a daring , in a coordinated assault likened to WWII's most audacious missions. Inside Operation Spiderweb By James Halpin, foreign news reporter Ukraine's shock sleeper drone blitz on Russia's bomber fleet has delivered a hammer blow to Vladimir Putin's nuclear arsenal. The SAS-style strike against four airfields deep inside Russia is reminiscent of the most daring raids of the WW2 that turned the tide against the Nazis. Volodymyr Zelensky oversaw Operation Spiderweb - much like Winston Churchill did as Britain struck deep behind enemy lines. The Ukrainian said: "It's genuinely satisfying when something I authorized a year and six months ago comes to fruition and deprives Russians of over forty units of strategic aviation. "We will continue this work." Putin's doomsday bomber fleet is now crippled with 41, or a third, of his most prized aircraft lying in smouldering wrecks on tarmac. Ukraine said the sneak attack was worth $7bn (£5.2bn) in damage to Russia - caused by only 117 cheaply made drones. Like Israel's mass pager sabotage against Hezbollah, Kyiv has rewritten the rule book in how to strike the heart of their enemy. Ukraine's spies spent 18 months putting the plan into action and struck on the eve of fresh peace talks in Istanbul.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Ukraine war live: deadly Russian attacks continue after Turkey peace talks end with no significant breakthrough
Update: Date: 2025-06-03T07:50:26.000Z Title: Deadly Russian attacks continue after Turkey peace talks end with no significant breakthrough Content: Welcome back to our live coverage of Russia's war on Ukraine. Russian shelling killed at least five people on Monday in different frontline areas of eastern Ukraine, officials said. One death was in the city of Kramatorsk, where two others were injured; and two deaths were further south in the town of Illinivka where another three were injured. In the Kharkiv region, further to the north, prosecutors said two women were killed in a village south of Kupiansk, which has come under heavy Russian attack for months. The attacks came as a second round of peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv ended yesterday in Istanbul without a significant breakthrough – only a deal to swap more prisoners of war. An agreement had been made to return the remains of killed service personnel, but this would take careful preparation, said Ukrainian negotiators. Russia proposed a ceasefire of two or three days in some areas of the frontline to allow the Russian army to collect the many bodies it has left lying on the battlefield. Ukrainian officials said the Russians rejected Kyiv's call for an unconditional ceasefire of at least a month, instead handing over a proposal that would need to be studied by Kyiv. The Ukrainians suggested the talks should reconvene towards the end of June.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Deadly Russian shelling continues after Turkey peace talks
Russian shelling killed at least five people on Monday in different frontline areas of eastern Ukraine, officials said. One death was in the city of Kramatorsk, where two others were injured; and two deaths were further south in the town of Illinivka where another three were injured. In the Kharkiv region, further to the north, prosecutors said two women were killed in a village south of Kupiansk, which has come under heavy Russian attack for months. The whole part of the Zaporizhzhia region controlled by Russia lost power as a result of shelling by Ukrainian armed forces, Russia's news agencies reported. High-voltage equipment was damaged, RIA reported, citing Yevgeny Balitsky, the head of the Russian-installed administration of the Zaporizhzhia region. The power outage did not affect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Tass news agency reported, citing an official at the plant. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 'no one cares whether Russia is angry' after 117 Ukrainian drones hidden on board trucks hit dozens of warplanes at Russian airfields. 'Just a day earlier, Russia had launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine, over 480 drones and missiles. There were casualties, people killed and injured. This happens every single day. So no, no one cares whether Russia is angry. What matters is that Russia must move toward ending this war,' he said. Ukraine carried out an audacious attack on Sunday, smuggling the drones into Russia in trucks and then firing them at airbases, damaging about 40 strategic bombers worth $7bn. Zelenskyy said that 'we really expect Trump to take strong steps', urging the US president to toughen sanctions on Russia to 'push' it to agree to a full ceasefire. Negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul ended without agreement on a ceasefire on Monday. The two sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, with the possibility of swapping an additional 200. The deal includes swapping all severely wounded soldiers and those under the age of 25, according to the negotiators. An agreement had been made to return the remains of killed service personnel, but this would take careful preparation, said Ukrainian negotiators. Russia proposed a ceasefire of two or three days in some areas of the frontline to allow the Russian army to collect the many bodies it has left lying on the battlefield. Ukrainian officials said the Russians rejected Kyiv's call for an unconditional ceasefire of at least a month, instead handing over a proposal that would need to be studied by Kyiv. The Ukrainians suggested the talks should reconvene towards the end of June. Russian state news agency RIA said the Russian document proposed two options for a ceasefire, one of which would require Ukraine to begin a complete withdrawal of its troops from four of its regions invaded by Russia – a maximalist and unrealistic demand considering Russia only partly controls those areas. RIA described the second option only as a 'package' containing a number of unspecified conditions. The Ukrainians also gave the Russians a list of nearly 400 abducted Ukrainian children that Kyiv wants Moscow to return home. The Russian delegation agreed to work on returning only 10 of them. Donald Trump is 'open' to meeting his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts in Turkey, the White House said, after the two sides failed on Monday to make headway towards a ceasefire. Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has proposed that Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump meet this month in either Istanbul or Ankara. Putin has thus far refused such a meeting, while Zelenskyy has said he is willing. Trump, who wants a swift end to the three-year war, 'is open to it if it comes to that, but he wants both of these leaders and both sides to come to the table together', said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. The Republican leader in the US Senate said it could begin work this month on stiffer sanctions against Russia and secondary sanctions on countries that trade with it. John Thune said he was discussing with the White House sanctions legislation including 500% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports. Trump has threatened the sanctions but shown little sign of moving forward, claiming he fears jeopardising peace talks. There has been no indication from the Republican leaders in the House of Representatives that they would allow the corresponding vote on the sanctions legislation that it would need, along with Trump's signature, to go into effect. Zelenskyy said on Monday that he agreed to a deal with Norway for gas supplies worth €1bn. Ukraine is likely to face a gas shortage this year due to Russia's attacks on gas production facilities, the president said.
Reuters
4 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Russian attacks kill at least five in Ukraine's east, officials say
June 2 (Reuters) - Russian shelling killed at least five people on Monday in different frontline areas of eastern Ukraine, officials said. Vadym Filashkin, governor of Donetsk region, the focal point of the Russian military's slow westward advance, said one person was killed and two injured in the city of Kramatorsk. The city would be a key Russian target if its forces make further progress through Donetsk region. Filashkin said two more people were killed and three injured further south in the town of Illinivka. In Kharkiv region, farther to the north, prosecutors said two women were killed in a village south of Kupiansk, which has come under heavy Russian attack for months. The mayor of Kupiansk last month said his city was 90% destroyed.
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Tuesday, May 27. Russia's War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine
KRAMATORSK, UKRAINE - MAY 27: On the night of May 26, at approximately 11:15 p.m., Russian forces ... More carried out three airstrikes targeting the city with FAB-250 aerial bombs. Photo by Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,189. Russia's Attacks on Ukraine Russia launched an unprecedented wave of aerial attacks on Ukraine between May 24 and 26, deploying 903 drones and 92 missiles over three consecutive nights, marking the most intense bombardment since the start of the war. On May 26 alone, Ukraine's Air Force intercepted nine cruise missiles and neutralized 288 of the 355 incoming drones, a record number deployed in single attack to date. Despite the staggering number of drones and missiles launched, Ukraine reported no civilian casualties in the assault; the previous day's barrage, however, killed at least 13 civilians, including three children, and wounded more than 60 people across the country. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed dismay with Russian President Vladimir Putin following Moscow's massive attacks. Speaking to reporters in Morristown, New Jersey, on May 25 Trump said, 'I don't know what's wrong with him. What the hell happened to him? Right? He's killing a lot of people. I'm not happy about that.' The Trump administration has not yet announced new sanctions or measures to deter Russia's escalating aggression. Russia followed up its massive overnight bombardments on May 25 and 26 with sporadic daytime assaults. Cluster munitions designed to maximize casualties hit a house in northern Sumy oblast, or region, killing one woman and injuring another, on May 26. The previous day, Russian artillery shelling killed a man in a nearby village. Also on May 25, a coordinated glide bomb and drone attack on six settlements in Ukraine's eastern region of Kharkiv killed two women in the city of Kupyansk. Odesa region. Russia struck the Black Sea port city of Odesa with two ballistic missiles on May 23, killing three men and injuring five other people. Kherson region. Russian drone attacks in southern Ukraine killed one resident and injured four others on May 25 while causing widespread damage to civilian infrastructure. Donetsk region. On May 23, a Russian glide bomb struck a residential area in the eastern city of Kostyantynivka, killing one woman and injuring three other people. Germany has joined its major NATO allies in lifting range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine, allowing Kyiv to strike targets inside Russia without limits, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on May 26. This policy shift paves the way for Berlin to deliver its Taurus cruise missiles, capable of hitting targets more than 300 miles away, which Ukraine has long requested. Previously, the German government hesitated to send long-range missiles for fears of escalating tensions with Russia, a nuclear power. The recent move aligns Germany with France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, who have already eased similar restrictions on long-range weapons sent to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will reportedly visit Berlin on Wednesday, May 28, for a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. According to German officials, Merz will brief Zelenskyy on a forthcoming European Union sanctions package against Moscow and discuss potential German support for scaling Ukraine's defense production. It is not yet clear whether Zelenskyy's visit is connected to Germany's recent decision to allow the use of its weapons against military targets on Russian territory. The Netherlands has dispatched the last of the 24 American-made F-16 fighter jets promised to Ukraine on May 26, according to Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans. Alongside the jets, the Netherlands is also training Ukrainian pilots and sharing military expertise to help modernize Ukraine's armed forces to NATO standards. The first F-16s from the Netherlands arrived in Ukraine in October 2024, with additional deliveries continuing through early 2025. Ukraine has lost three F-16s so far in the conflict. Ukraine's dollar bonds, once a top emerging-market play on Donald Trump's promised peace deal, have tumbled more than 10% in 2025, making them the worst performers globally, as hopes fade for a swift resolution to the war. The optimism that nearly doubled bond prices after Ukraine's 2023 restructuring has evaporated with Trump's stalled diplomatic overtures, including Putin's snub of proposed Istanbul talks. Meanwhile, East European markets like Warsaw and Budapest are soaring on the back of massive defense spending pledges. By Danylo Nosov, Karina L. Tahiliani
