Latest news with #Malyuk
CNN
a day ago
- General
- CNN
Ukraine strikes bridge connecting Russia to Crimea with underwater explosives
Ukraine said on Tuesday that it had hit the bridge connecting Russia and the occupied Crimean Peninsula with explosives planted underwater, in its third attack on the vital supply line for Moscow's forces since the full-scale war began in 2022. Ukraine's security service, the SBU, said on Telegram that its agents had mined the piers of the road and rail Crimean Bridge, also called the Kerch Bridge, and detonated the first explosive at 4.44 a.m. Tuesday. The whole operation took several months, it added. The agency said it had used 1,100 kilograms of explosives which 'severely damaged' the underwater pillars supporting the bridge. Traffic on the bridge was suspended early Tuesday morning, then again mid-afternoon, before resuming shortly before 6 p.m. local time. Although the scale of the damage was not immediately clear, Tuesday's attack is the latest example of the SBU's attempts to blindside Moscow and demonstrate that there are costs to continuing its war. On Sunday, the SBU launched an audacious drone attack on Moscow's fleet of nuclear-capable bombers, stationed at various Russian airfields thousands of miles away from Ukraine. Vasul Malyuk, the head of the SBU, said that attack caused an estimated $7 billion in damage and had struck 34% of Russia's strategic cruise missile carriers, which have been used to pummel Ukrainian cities throughout the war. The SBU said Malyuk had also overseen Tuesday's attack. 'God loves the Trinity, and the SBU always sees things through to the end and never does the same thing twice. We previously struck the Crimean Bridge twice, in 2022 and 2023. So today we continued this tradition, this time underwater,' Malyuk said. He stressed that the bridge is a 'completely legitimate target,' since Russia uses it 'as a logistical artery to supply its troops' fighting in mainland Ukraine. As well as serving as a vital supply line for Moscow's troops, the Crimean Bridge also has huge symbolic value for President Vladimir Putin, embodying his objective to bind the Ukrainian peninsula to Russia. Built after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, Putin opened the bridge in 2018. The project cost around $3.7 billion. Tuesday's attack marks the third time that Ukraine has targeted the bridge since Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022. In October of that year, a fuel truck exploded on the bridge, engulfing a part of it in flames. In July 2023, the SBU said it had blown up a part of the bridge using an experimental sea drone. Both times, Russia moved quickly to repair the damaged sections. As well as suspending traffic on the bridge, Russian authorities temporarily halted maritime traffic in the waters off Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea, according to state media RIA Novosti.
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- General
- Sky News AU
Ukraine strike decimates only bridge connecting Russia and Crimea, cutting crucial supply line
Ukraine has carried out a devastating strike on the only bridge connecting Russia and the occupied province of Crimea, severing the vital supply line for President Vladimir Putin's forces, Ukraine's security service announced. Dramatic video shows the piers of the Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, exploding on Tuesday morning after Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) agents mined it following a monthslong operation. Ukrainian special forces used more than 2,400 pounds of explosives, which 'severely damaged' the underwater pillars supporting the road and rail crossing, the SBU wrote on Telegram alongside the video. This is the third attack on the Kerch Bridge by Ukrainian forces since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022. Russian officials did not immediately respond to Ukraine's claims about the attack, but all traffic on the bridge was suspended on Tuesday morning, the Russian operator for the crossing announced on its official Telegram account. Traffic was later suspended again mid-afternoon before resuming shortly before 6 p.m. local time, according to the operator. The reported strike comes just two days after the SBU blindsided Russia with a devastating series of drone strikes on its airbases, reportedly wiping out 34% of the country's strategic nuclear bombers and causing an estimated $7 billion of damage. Vasyl Malyuk, the head of the SBU, who was responsible for Sunday's attacks, also oversaw Tuesday's attack on the Kerch Bridge, the Ukrainian Security Services said. 'We previously struck the Crimean Bridge twice, in 2022 and 2023. So today we continued this tradition, this time underwater,' Malyuk said in a statement shared on Telegram. The bridge, which serves both a practical and a symbolic role for Russia, is a 'completely legitimate target,' since it is used by Russia 'as a logistical artery to supply its troops' fighting in mainland Ukraine, Malyuk added. Built after Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, the bridge was officially opened by Putin in 2018 at a cost of around $3.7 billion. Connecting Crimea with mainland Russia, the bridge embodies Putin's insistence that the peninsula is part of his country. Originally published as Ukraine strike decimates only bridge connecting Russia and Crimea, cutting crucial supply line
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ukraine targets bridge linking Russia to Crimea with massive underwater blast, video shows
A massive underwater blast targeting a bridge linking Russia to Crimea left it in a "state of emergency" Tuesday, according to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU). The surprise detonation comes just days after Ukraine carried out "Operation Spider's Web," a series of coordinated drone strikes penetrating deep into Russian territory that is believed to have taken out dozens of Russia's most powerful bomber jets and surveillance planes as they sat idle on five military airfields. "Illegal objects of the Russian Federation have no place on the territory of our state. The Crimean Bridge is therefore an absolutely legitimate target, especially given that the enemy used it as a logistical artery to secure their troops," SBU Lt. Gen. Vasily Malyuk said in a statement. "Crimea is Ukraine, and any manifestations of the occupation will receive our harsh response." The SBU said it detonated around 2,500 pounds of underwater explosives along the Kerch Bridge. Footage showed a blast centered around one of the bridge pillars, followed by people surveying damage on top of the bridge. Ukraine-russia Peace Talks Yield No Ceasefire, Zelenskyy Warns Putin Should Not Be 'Rewarded' Malyuk supervised the operation, which took months of planning, according to the SBU. Read On The Fox News App "The bridge is in a state of emergency," it declared. Ukraine's Surprise Attack Shows It May Take A 'Major Drone Strike' To Change Us Defense Policy, Experts Say Traffic across the Kerch Bridge was delayed for three hours this morning, according to The Associated Press. The bridge reportedly reopened before it closed a second time. The SBU said no civilians were hurt in the blast. "Previously, we struck the Crimean Bridge twice in 2022 and 2023. So today we continued this tradition already underwater," Malyuk said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said Tuesday that Russia launched a "savage strike" on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, "directly targeting the city and its ordinary streets with rocket artillery. "A rescue operation is currently underway. Many people have been wounded. As of now, three people have been confirmed dead," Zelenskyy said. "My condolences go out to their families and loved ones. All emergency services are engaged to assist everyone affected." Zelenskyy added that one shell was a dud, but it "pierced the wall of an ordinary apartment room on the 9th floor" and "That alone says everything one needs to know about Russia's so-called 'desire' to end this war." Fox News' Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report. Original article source: Ukraine targets bridge linking Russia to Crimea with massive underwater blast, video shows
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Satellite Photos Show Russia's Extremely Rare A-50 Radar Plane Hit
Ukraine damaged one of Russia's few A-50 surveillance planes during coordinated, long-range attacks on multiple bases over the weekend, satellite imagery appears to show. The rare A-50 aircraft is an expensive and scarce asset for Russia, previously-and successfully-targeted by Ukraine. Moscow has seven operational A-50 aircraft, said British think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), earlier this year. Also known by their NATO moniker, Mainstay, A-50 early warning and control aircraft help Russia seek out Ukrainian air defenses and coordinate attacks with fighter jets and bombers. Ukraine on Sunday launched simultaneous drone strikes on several major Russian air bases, including thousands of miles away in Siberia, in a meticulously-planned attack that left analysts stunned and Kyiv triumphant. The head of Ukraine's SBU security service, Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, said on Monday that Kyiv hit 41 aircraft, including Tu-95 and Tu-22 strategic bombers Russia has used extensively to fire long-range missiles at Ukraine. Ukraine also struck an A-50 spy plane, Malyuk said. Andriy Kovalenko, an official with Ukraine's national security and defense council, said on Monday "at least 13 Russian aircraft were destroyed." At least seven Tu-95s and four Tu-22 aircraft were damaged or destroyed, one unnamed senior Western official told Bloomberg. Satellite imagery widely circulating online on Tuesday purports to show a damaged, blackened A-50 on the tarmac at the Ivanovo air base northeast of the Russian capital, Moscow. Newsweek could not independently verify the imagery, which appears to be sourced from a Chinese satellite imagery firm, and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email. Ukraine publicly confirmed it had targeted four airfields "simultaneously," attacking the Ivanovo base, along with the Olenya facility in the northwestern Murmansk region, the Dyagilevo airfield in the Ryazan region and Belaya, another base for Russia's long-range bombers in Siberia, more than 2,500 miles from Ukrainian territory. Russia's Defense Ministry said Ukraine had used first person-view (FPV) drones to target military airfields in five regions-Amur, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Murmansk and Ryazan. Open-source analysis has suggested one A-50 spy plane was damaged or destroyed at Ivanovo air base, as well as four Tu-95 aircraft and three Tu-22M3 bombers at the Belaya air base, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said on Monday. A picture, published by satellite imagery giant Maxar, showed A-50 aircraft at the Ivanovo base on May 3, with tires and debris placed on the wings. Russia is known to have placed tires on the wings of its aircraft throughout the war, trying to fend off Ukrainian drone attacks. "Aircraft standing on their runway have always been vulnerable," said Frederik Mertens, a strategic analyst with Dutch research organization, TNO. High-value targets, like costly aircraft and the airfields used as home bases, will have to upgrade all types of defenses to shield against the threat drones can now pose, Mertens told Newsweek. Satellite imagery from Belaya, taken by Maxar on May 20, showed outlines of aircraft painted onto the tarmac alongside Tu-160 bombers and a decoy version of a Tu-22 at the base. Ukraine said in early 2024 it had taken out two Russian A-50s in quick succession, including one aircraft over the Sea of Azov. In February 2024, Ukraine's military reported Moscow was "trying to replace" its A-50s with reconnaissance drones-although experts suggested to Newsweek that this stopgap measure would have limited success. Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, said in a statement on Sunday: "Planning, organization, every detail was perfectly executed. It can be said with confidence that this was an absolutely unique operation." It's not clear whether Ukraine will attempt another, similar operation of the same scale, and how Russia will respond to the strikes after peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow on Monday failed to yield an agreement. Related Articles Crimea Bridge Hit by ExplosionAre the Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks Going Anywhere? | OpinionRussia Hits Sumy Civilians With New MLRS Strike: 'Absolutely Deliberate'What 'Russia's Pearl Harbor' Says About Trump's Golden Dome 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- General
- Saudi Gazette
Ukraine strikes bridge connecting Russia to Crimea with underwater explosives
KYIV — Ukraine said on Tuesday that it had hit the bridge connecting Russia and the occupied Crimean Peninsula with explosives planted underwater, in its third attack on the vital supply line for Moscow's forces since the full-scale war began in 2022. Ukraine's security service, the SBU, said on Telegram that its agents had mined the piers of the road and rail Crimean Bridge, also called the Kerch Bridge, and detonated the first explosive at 4.44 a.m. Tuesday. The whole operation took several months, it added. The agency said it had used 1,100 kilograms of explosives which 'severely damaged' the underwater pillars supporting the bridge. Russian officials did not immediately respond to Ukraine's claims. Traffic on the bridge has been temporarily suspended, the bridge operator announced on its official Telegram account. Although the scale of the damage was not immediately clear, Tuesday's attack is the latest example of the SBU's attempts to blindside Moscow and demonstrate that there are costs to continuing its war. On Sunday, the SBU launched an audacious drone attack on Moscow's fleet of nuclear-capable bombers, stationed at various Russian airfields thousands of miles away from Ukraine. Vasul Malyuk, the head of the SBU, said that attack caused an estimated $7 billion in damage and had struck 34% of Russia's strategic cruise missile carriers, which have been used to pummel Ukrainian cities throughout the war. The SBU said Malyuk had also overseen Tuesday's attack. 'God loves the Trinity, and the SBU always sees things through to the end and never does the same thing twice. We previously struck the Crimean Bridge twice, in 2022 and 2023. So today we continued this tradition, this time underwater,' Malyuk said. He stressed that the bridge is a 'completely legitimate target,' since Russia uses it 'as a logistical artery to supply its troops' fighting in mainland Ukraine. As well as serving as a vital supply line for Moscow's troops, the Crimean Bridge also has huge symbolic value for President Vladimir Putin, embodying his objective to bind the Ukrainian peninsula to Russia. Built after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, Putin opened the bridge in 2018. The project cost around $3.7 billion. Tuesday's attack marks the third time that Ukraine has targeted the bridge since Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022. In October of that year, a fuel truck exploded on the bridge, engulfing a part of it in flames. In July 2023, the SBU said it had blown up a part of the bridge using an experimental sea drone. Both times, Russia moved quickly to repair the damaged sections. As well as suspending traffic on the bridge, Russian authorities temporarily halted maritime traffic in the waters off Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea, according to state media RIA Novosti. — CNN
