Latest news with #NortheastUkraine
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Six people likely trapped under rubble in Kharkiv after Russian attack
Six people are most likely trapped under the rubble of an industrial facility in Kharkiv that was hit by a Russian attack earlier in the day, the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office reported. The rescue operation was ongoing as of 1:45 p.m. on June 7, reads the report. Contact with those trapped has been lost, the prosecutors added. Russian forces attacked Kharkiv with drones, missiles, and KAB guided bombs overnight on June 7, killing at least three people and injuring 22, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov. Syniehubov said that drones had struck civilian targets across the city, including a 9-story residential building, a local enterprise, a home, and other facilities. Two children were injured in the attack, including a 1-month-old baby, Syniehubov said. At least 40 explosions were recorded across the city amid the attack, local media reported. Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that the Osnovyanskyi and Kyiv districts of the city suffered strikes. According to Terekhov, 48 Shahed drones, two missiles, and four guided aerial bombs were launched toward the city. Located along the front line, Kharkiv Oblast in Ukraine's northeast is a regular target of Russian missile, drone, and glide bomb attacks from across the border. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb; Ukraine targets Russian air bases in 'preemptive strike' We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Sky News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Kharkiv: Why Russian troops are massing near Ukraine's 'fortress city'
Russian forces are reportedly gathering across the border from Ukraine's "fortress city" - but why? After pushing Ukrainian troops out of Kursk, the Russian region they had occupied parts of for many months, what's left of the 50,000-strong Russian force is positioned just across the border from Kharkiv. A major push along all or part of the frontline by Moscow's troops has been expected for some time but has not yet fully materialised, analysts say. It's believed Russia has a "four-month window" to break through Ukrainian forces before the weather begins to turn and dwindling stocks of Soviet tanks possibly start to run low. Where are the massing Russian troops - and are elite soldiers among them? Kremlin troops have been gathering on the other side of the border near Kharkiv in northeast Ukraine, according to a senior Ukrainian military figure. "The enemy is trying to pull its personnel closer to the line of combat contact and conduct at least some assault actions," Andriy Pomahaibus, chief of staff of the 13th Operational Brigade, said this week. "In general, they are not succeeding." Nonetheless, he said there is "clear preparation for active assault actions by the enemy". 39:55 Sky News military analyst Michael Clarke says the accumulation of troops comes off the back of the Russian operation to push Ukraine out of the pocket of the Kursk region they had occupied, which is not far from Kharkiv. "Now they have Kursk back the argument is: will they keep going?" Some of Russia's most experienced soldiers - including from the elite VDV airborne unit - were moved to reinforce the Kursk campaign, and could still be among the gathered troops. Prof Clarke adds: "If they have left those units there, that would suggest they want them to spearhead something else. "If those units turn up back around Pokrovsk (in Donetsk) that would then mean they are not about to build up a major strategic attack near Kharkiv." Is Russia preparing to attack Kharkiv? Prof Clarke says it's possible Russia is preparing for a big push near the border cities of Kharkiv and Sumy. This could either be a direct attack on one of the cities - a tough task given how well defended they are - or an attempt to capture much of the surrounding area Ukraine liberated in Autumn 2022. Located just 20 miles from the border with Russia, Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-largest city with a pre-2022 population of more than a million. It is regarded as a "fortress" and was awarded the distinction Hero City of Ukraine for its resistance during the opening months of the 2022 invasion. However, Prof Clarke doesn't think Russia has the resources for a big push at Kharkiv or Sumy this summer, after the Kremlin instead opted to try to attack along wide stretches of the frontline. "I think the Russians basically used up the forces they might have otherwise used up for a strategic offensive," he says. This, he says, caused Ukraine to use up its reserves to counter the Russian attacks. "Both sides have sacrificed the possibility of a strategic offensive for this ongoing battle of attrition." 'Four-month window' for Russia to make a breakthrough Dr Jack Watling, a military expert from the RUSI thinktank, argues Russia will likely "soft launch" its offensive rather than going for a rapid manoeuvre by large mechanised units. "The Russians lack the force quality to operate in this way," he says. Instead, the summer offensive will likely see a "steady increase in the number and scale of assaults across a broadening area", he added. "Indeed, there are indications this process has already started." 3:44 Prof Clarke says Russia has a "four-month window" to make a breakthrough in Ukraine this year. "I think they must know this is their last year of build-up before they reach a plateau," he adds, referring to Russia's issues with tank production. Thus far Russia has been using its vast stocks of vehicles left over from the Soviet era, with only about 25% of its armour coming from new production. Dr Watling agrees: "Russian stockpiles of legacy Soviet equipment, from tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, to artillery pieces, will be running out between now and mid-autumn, such that Russia's ability to replace losses will be entirely dependent on what it can produce from scratch." This, he added, makes the prospect of fresh sanctions from Europe and possibly America particularly timely.
ABC News
17-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Ukraine accuses Russia of deadly attack on bus hours after peace talks
Ukrainian officials say a Russian drone strike has hit a bus, killing at least nine people and injuring four more, in the country's north-eastern Sumy region, in an attack that took place hours after Moscow and Kyiv held their first direct peace talks in years. "Unfortunately, as a result of a cynical attack by Russians on a bus with civilians, there are dead," the administration said in a Telegram post on Saturday. "Unfortunately, the death toll has risen to nine." The bus, which was attacked near the city of Bilopillya while travelling towards Sumy, was "targeted by the Russians", the military administration said. Ukraine's police also posted photos of a nearly destroyed dark blue passenger van, with the roof torn off and the windows blown out. "This is not just another shelling — it is a cynical war crime," Ukraine's National Police said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Ihor Tkachenko, head of Sumy's military administration, said on Telegram that a rescue operation was underway. Reuters was unable to independently verify the Ukrainian report, but Russia's TASS state news agency reported, citing a statement from the defence ministry, that Russian forces struck a Ukrainian military equipment staging area in the Sumy region with drones. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their attacks, but thousands have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainians. The meeting of Russian and Ukrainian officials in Türkiye on Friday failed to broker a temporary ceasefire. It was the first direct dialogue between the two sides since the early months of the war that Russia launched in February 2022. During the exchange, Russia and Ukraine decided on an exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war each and agreed in principle to meet again for further negotiations aimed at brokering a ceasefire deal. Ukraine says the next step should be a face-to-face meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr Zelenskyy has called for tougher sanctions on Russia should it reject a US-backed proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. Meanwhile, Russia said it was satisfied with the talks and was ready to keep talking. Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia's delegation, said the prisoner exchange was one of the largest such swaps since the beginning of the conflict. Both Moscow and the United States government have also talked up the need for a meeting on the conflict between Mr Putin and President Donald Trump. Mr Trump, who is growing increasingly frustrated with both Russia and Ukraine as he tries to push them towards a peace settlement, said he was "always considering" secondary sanctions against Moscow if he thought it was blocking the process. US officials have spoken about possible financial sanctions as well as potential secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian oil. Reuters/AFP
