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Business Standard
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
'Can you hit Moscow, St Petersburg?' Trump asked Zelenskky in July 4 call
US President Donald Trump privately urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to escalate deep strikes inside Russian territory, including raising the possibility of targeting Moscow, according to a report by the Financial Times citing individuals briefed on the conversation. The remarks were made during a July 4 phone call between the two leaders, following a separate call Trump held with Russian President Vladimir Putin a day earlier, which he reportedly described as 'bad'. The US-Ukraine call went something like this: However, it is unclear whether the US plans to provide these weapons to Ukraine. Trump to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine The call was followed by a meeting in Rome last week, where US officials shared a list of potential long-range weapon systems with Zelenskyy. The transfer would reportedly be facilitated through third-party sales to European allies, circumventing a current freeze on direct US military aid. On Sunday, Trump also announced that the US would be sending Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine, but did not confirm any other weapons shipments. According to a report by the Financial Times, Ukraine has requested the Tomahawk cruise missile, which has a range of around 1,600 km. The Trump administration, however, reportedly expressed reservations about Ukraine's operational restraint. One of the systems discussed was the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which has already been used by Ukraine to strike Russian-occupied areas and limited targets inside Russia. Its range, however, falls short of reaching cities like Moscow or St Petersburg. Operation Spiderweb: Ukraine uses domestic missiles against Russia Washington has previously cautioned Kyiv against using Western weapons to strike deep into Russia, leading to Ukraine increasingly relying on domestically produced long-range drones for high-profile attacks inside Russia. In early June, Operation Spiderweb involved Ukrainian intelligence that used drones smuggled in prefabricated homes to target a fleet of Russian strategic bombers. At least 12 aircraft were reported damaged or destroyed in that attack. Frustration with Putin at centre of Trump's Ukraine war stance Trump has increasingly shared his frustration with Russian President Vladimir. Early in 2025, as Trump began his second term, the US president leaned on his rapport with Putin, expecting rapid peace progress, claiming he could end the war in '24 hours'; however, ceasefire talks stalled, and he began to directly and openly criticise Putin. In mid-March, Trump managed to broker a deal for a 30-day energy-infrastructure ceasefire, with Putin's agreement. However, Putin later baulked at extending the pause, calling the deal conditional and causing Trump frustration. Earlier this month, Trump admitted, ' I'm not happy with President Putin at all,' following failed ceasefire progress. Most recently, he warned that unless Russia commits to peace within 50 days, Trump would impose 100 per cent tariffs or secondary sanctions targeting countries that buy Russian oil. While all signs indicate that Trump's stance is hardening, the president has so far stopped short of confirming a wholesale shift in US policy toward Russia. The Republican leader has also developed a reputation for not always following through on his threats, especially those involving tariffs. More often than not, Trump's actions are unpredictable and sometimes contradict his own statements. For example, he claimed he needed two weeks to make a decision on Iran; however, the US military launched strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities within just a few days.
UPI
13-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Ukraine, Russia trade blows in escalating spy war
Vasyl Malyuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine, led a mission to track and capture two Russian special services agents Kyiv. The suspects, a man and a woman, resisted arrest and died during a firefight. File Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA July 13 (UPI) -- Ukraine and Russia have escalated their shadow war of espionage, sabotage and assassinations, with both countries claiming a growing list of captured agents, intercepted plots and cross-border attacks involving civilians, drones and improvised explosives. On Sunday, Ukraine's Security Service, or SBU, announced that its officers had killed two Russian special services agents in Kyiv. The pair, a man and a woman, had allegedly assassinated an SBU colonel under orders from Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB. The operation was personally led by SBU chief Lt. Gen. Vasyl Malyuk, who said the suspects were tracked and eliminated after resisting arrest. "As a result of covert search and active counterintelligence measures, the enemy's lair was discovered," Malyuk said. "During the arrest, they began to resist, there was a firefight, so the villains were eliminated." According to the agency, the Russian operatives had entered Ukraine in advance of the attack, studied the victim's daily routine, retrieved a silenced pistol from a drop site and fatally shot the officer in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district. Operation Spiderweb The killing is the latest flashpoint in a rapidly intensifying spy war that began to escalate in early June after Ukraine launched "Operation Spiderweb," a drone- and sabotage-based campaign striking military targets deep inside Russia. In the days that followed, Russia's FSB announced a string of arrests, including an SBU agent in Crimea accused of planning to use an improvised explosive device to carry out sabotage and "terrorism." Ukraine responded with its own crackdown, detaining a National Guard member in Kharkiv accused of directing Russian airstrikes against his unit, and arresting an alleged FSB agent embedded in a construction firm tasked with building military infrastructure. Both agencies began publicizing near-daily arrests, many involving civilians allegedly recruited online through Telegram or WhatsApp. On June 6, Ukraine said it captured two people working for the FSB to locate anti-aircraft systems in Dnipropetrovsk, and two more planning IED attacks on military targets in Dnipropetrovsk and Lviv. One was identified as a Ukrainian deserter. A day later, Ukraine said it detained two Russian agents who had detonated an IED in Dnipro that injured a law enforcement officer and destroyed a vehicle. On June 10, the FSB claimed to have stopped a Russian citizen allegedly preparing to attack a civilian gathering in Krasnodar on behalf of the SBU. It said Ukraine had intensified efforts to recruit Russians online, particularly via messaging apps. The same day, Ukraine said it arrested a Kharkiv woman accused of both sharing troop positions and calling for "buffer zones" in Ukraine on social media during ongoing ceasefire talks. Bomb and murder plots Ukraine detained a 57-year-old man in Lviv accused of scouting air bases for Russia, and a woman who allegedly manufactured IEDs for the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU. That woman's devices were allegedly used by a 21-year-old in a car bombing outside a Ukrainian military administrative building in the Odesa region. Also under investigation is a sitting member of Ukraine's parliament who has been in custody since November 2024 for alleged high treason. The SBU said the politician participated in spreading Russian disinformation. On June 14, Ukraine said it arrested a man in Odesa who had just planted an explosive device intended to kill a military officer. That same day, it detained a man in Zaporizhzhia who initially drew scrutiny for pro-Russian posts on Telegram and was later accused of marking Ukrainian military sites on Google Maps for Russian airstrikes. Russia, too, expanded its intelligence efforts in occupied Ukrainian territory. On June 16, the FSB claimed it thwarted a car bombing plot in Kherson against a Russian official and the next day detained a citizen in Crimea for filming air defense systems. Ukraine answered with more arrests, including alleged informants aiding Russian airstrikes in Donetsk and an "elite GRU unit" operating near Kyiv. On June 20, the SBU said it had detained a Ukrainian deserter-turned-FSB-agent accused of plotting an assassination in Kyiv for money and arrested six people it described as "pro-Russian internet agitators." The pace continued through late June. Russia said it arrested two residents in occupied Zaporizhzhia, accused of leaking military positions to Ukraine, while Ukraine said it captured suspects hired for $400,000 to assassinate Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Gordon. It also said it had foiled two recent attempts to kill President Volodymyr Zelensky. Increasing surveillance The following day, the FSB detained two Russians for planning to bomb a gas facility in Berdyansk, while Ukraine arrested a teenager for reporting troop movements. That same day, Ukraine said it had gathered evidence to charge three Russian military officials with war crimes committed during the 2022 occupation of Bucha. On June 25, the FSB claimed to have foiled an SBU plot in Moscow. In the days that followed, it detained four Russian citizens for alleged treason and warned the public against interacting with strangers on encrypted messaging apps. That day, Ukraine said it had captured a 19-year-old Kharkiv woman who allegedly lured Ukrainian soldiers to a rigged scooter giveaway and attempted to flee after the IED exploded. Ukraine also claimed to have thwarted a similar Russian plot involving a fake date arranged through a dating app. As July began, the SBU announced it had disrupted several new Russian efforts, including reconnaissance of energy infrastructure in Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, plotting attacks in Cherkasy, and an explosives plot targeting government buildings in Kharkiv. Russia responded on July 7 with the arrest of four citizens accused of filming energy facilities in several Russian regions. On July 8, Ukraine said it thwarted a planned bombing at a hotel in Rivne by a woman who left an IED in a guest room and attempted to detonate it remotely. Two days later, the FSB said it detained Ukrainian intelligence officers in Melitopol accused of passing along Russian troop positions. The most recent development from Russia came Friday, when it said it arrested two residents in Bryansk accused of conducting surveillance on law enforcement and military personnel for Ukrainian drone and bombing strikes. Ukraine's counterintelligence campaign has not been limited to Russia. On July 9, the SBU announced it had detained alleged Chinese spies accused of trying to collect classified information about Ukraine's Neptune missile program.
Scottish Sun
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Putin hit squad ‘eliminated' after cold-blooded daylight assassination of Ukrainian special ops chief with silenced gun
KYIV'S REVENGE Putin hit squad 'eliminated' after cold-blooded daylight assassination of Ukrainian special ops chief with silenced gun Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) UKRAINE claims to have killed two Russian FSB agents suspected of assassinating the country's special operations chief. Colonel Ivan Voronich, head of an SBU intelligence Special Operations Centre, died instantly after an assassin with a pistol and silencer shot him in Kyiv. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Voronych had just left his block of flats with shopping bags Credit: Easttowest Five shots were fired at him after he emerged from a residential block, after which a man and a woman escaped from the scene. The wanted woman was earlier named by the SBU - Ukraine's secret service - as Narmin Guliyeva, 34. But the man was not immediately identified by Ukrainian authorities. The SBU said in a statement: "This morning, a special operation was conducted, during which members of the agent-combat group of the FSB of the Russian Federation began to resist, so they were eliminated. "The murder of the Ukrainian defender was committed by two people - a man and a woman. "Their supervisor ordered them to monitor the SBU officer, establish his daily schedule and routes. "Later, the [Russian] handed over the coordinates of the cache to the killers, where there was a pistol with a silencer." Voronich is understood to have planned sensitive missions created to cripple Vladimir Putin's war machine and embarrass the Russian tyrant. His killer pumped five shots into his body before sprinting away. Pro-Putin sources quickly boasted a Kremlin agent had assassinated the colonel for running secret operations behind Russian lines. Putin is believes to have ordered revenge hits after being humiliated by the stunning success of Operation Spiderweb in June in which destroyed £5.2 billion worth of Russian warplanes. Lieutenant General and Head of the Security Service of Ukraine said: "This morning, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out the detention of an agent-combat group of the Russian FSB, who had been routed to Ukraine in advance, and three days ago committed the murder of SBU officer Colonel Ivan Voronych, our brave comrade. 'As a result of covert investigative and active counterintelligence operations, the enemy hideout was located, and this morning, active measures were taken to detain them." Voronych, 50, was gunned down and pronounced dead at the scene in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district. Footage shows the moment he was killed as he carried bags from a residential building. He was ambushed by the waiting gunman - who was masked - as a woman fled the scene. The assassin is then seen running away on video. Colonel Voronich was a senior operative of the 1st Division of the 16th Directorate of the Special Operations Centre. Ukrainian ex-MP Ihor Mosiychuk said: 'As a result of the shooting, the victim sustained multiple penetrating gunshot wounds and died at the scene.' More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
NDTV
12-07-2025
- NDTV
Video: Top Ukrainian Spy Assassinated In Broad Daylight On Kyiv Street
A senior Ukrainian intelligence officer, Colonel Ivan Voronych, was assassinated in a daylight ambush in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district on July 10, 2025. Surveillance footage shows a masked assailant approaching Voronych and firing five shots at close range before fleeing the scene. Voronych, a veteran of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), had been instrumental in covert operations against Russian targets, including the notable Operation Spiderweb that destroyed significant Russian military assets. Colonel Voronych was shot at close range by an armed attacker in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district. Surveillance footage obtained by Ukrainian media and reports captured the brazen attack, in which the assailant fired multiple bullets before fleeing the scene. Ukrainian authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the killing, which is being treated as a targeted assassination. While no suspects have been identified, the incident underscores the ongoing clandestine conflict between Ukraine and Russia. "With five shots at close range while leaving the apartment today at 8 am, the enemy killer did his dirty work," Roman Chervinsky, a former Ukrainian intelligence officer, told the Telegraph. He emphasized that Voronych had been "fighting the enemy since 2014." "A criminal investigation has been opened into the murder of an SSU employee in Kyiv's Holosivskyi district," a spokesperson for the security service told Ukrainska Pravada. "The Security Service and the National Police are taking comprehensive measures to establish all the circumstances of the crime and bring those responsible to justice."
News18
11-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
On Cam: Gunman Kills Ukraine Intel Agent in Kyiv; Officials Probe ‘Targeted Assassination'
Last Updated: According to a spokesperson for the SBU, who spoke to CNN, the officer was fatally shot outside an apartment building in Kyiv. A high-ranking officer from Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) was shot dead in Kyiv on Thursday morning in what Ukrainian authorities described to CNN as an apparent targeted assassination. The killing, which took place in broad daylight in the capital city, has prompted an urgent investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies. According to a spokesperson for the SBU, who spoke to CNN, the officer was fatally shot outside an apartment building in Kyiv. The security agency confirmed that an investigation was underway but withheld the officer's identity pending further inquiries. CNN reported that Ukrainian police and intelligence units are now working jointly to identify and apprehend the perpetrator. Surveillance footage from a nearby CCTV camera—widely circulated on local Telegram channels and reviewed by CNN—appears to show the chilling moment of the attack. Although CNN has not independently verified the video, the surroundings in the clip match official photographs released by Kyiv Police. In the silent footage, a man exits a residential building carrying bags and walks toward a parked vehicle. Suddenly, a masked gunman approaches and appears to shoot him at close range. After the victim collapses, the attacker fires again before fleeing on foot. A passerby is seen running from the scene in panic. The SBU plays a central role in Ukraine's national security apparatus and has led several high-profile operations against Russian interests. CNN previously reported that SBU agents were responsible for 'Operation Spiderweb," a daring drone strike campaign that targeted Russian military airfields deep inside enemy territory. The operation resulted in the destruction and damage of multiple strategic aircraft, including bombers and surveillance planes—delivering a significant blow to Moscow's aerial capabilities. CNN has also reported that the SBU was allegedly behind the assassination of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, a top Russian military official accused of deploying chemical weapons. The killing of the SBU officer this week raises fresh concerns about the escalating covert warfare between Ukrainian and Russian intelligence operatives. Authorities in Kyiv have yet to publicly link Thursday's assassination to Russia or its intelligence agencies, but the incident marks another deadly episode in Ukraine's ongoing shadow war. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
