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The Journal
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Explosions over Tel Aviv as Iran launches ballistic missiles towards Israel
LAST UPDATE | 13 mins ago Footage of an Iranian ballistic missile hitting downtown Tel Aviv, Israel, moments ago. — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 13, 2025 IRAN HAS LAUNCHED a barrage of approximately 100 missiles towards Israel. Explosions were spotted over the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, as the public was warned by Israel's Home Front Command to seek out the nearest bomb shelter to them. Israel's national ambulance service, Magen David Adom, said that five people have been injured in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, and are being taken to hospital. One is in a 'moderate condition' and the other four have been 'lightly injured' by shrapnel, it said in a statement. Israel's firefighting service said its teams were responding to several 'major' incidents resulting from an Iranian missile attack, including efforts to rescue people trapped in a high-rise building. Smoke rises after a missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'Firefighters are working in a high-rise building to rescue trapped individuals and extinguish a fire, as well as responding to two additional destruction sites,' a statement said. Footage on Israeli television networks showed what appeared to be a building hit by a missile. Huge plumes of smoke can be seen rising around skyscrapers in Tel Aviv. Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles over Tel Aviv. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Footage also shows the Israeli 'Iron Dome' missile defence system intercepting several missiles above the city. Bright lights were also spotted over Jerusalem, where the missiles appear to have been intercepted. Traces are seen over Jerusalem during a missile attack alert. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The Iranian missile strikes are in response to several Israeli attacks on Iranian sites this morning , which Iranian sources claim killed 78 people. Advertisement Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed this evening that they had launched an attack on a number of targets in Israel. 'The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps… has executed its decisive and precise response against tens of targets, military centres and airbases of the usurping Zionist regime in the occupied territories,' the Guards said in a statement carried by state media. The announcement of the missile attacks on state TV came shortly after a televised speech by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in which he promised that 'the Islamic Republic will prevail over the Zionist regime'. In a statement this evening, Iran's military, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said the missile attacks were 'in response to the aggression and criminal assault carried out this morning by the savage, terrorist, and child-killing Zionist regime'. They added that Israel's earlier attacks on Iran had killed 'several senior military commanders, prominent scientists, and innocent civilians, especially defenseless children'. 'The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as the defensive and offensive arm of the Iranian nation, has launched a forceful and precise retaliation,' a statement said. Statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC): In response to the aggression and criminal assault carried out this morning by the savage, terrorist, and child-killing Zionist regime on areas within the Islamic Republic of Iran—resulting in the martyrdom of several… — Iran Military (@IRIran_Military) June 13, 2025 'With reliance on divine power, the wise leadership of the Commander-in-Chief (may his shadow be extended), and the united demand and support of the noble Iranian people, the IRGC has executed Operation 'True Promise 3″ against dozens of targets, including military centers and air bases of the usurping Zionist regime in the occupied territories. 'The operation was launched with the sacred call 'O Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS)' on the blessed night of Eid al-Ghadir,' the statement added. Earlier this evening, Iranian state media said the country's forces downed two Israeli fighter jets during an air raid. 'At least two Israeli fighter jets were shot down in Iranian skies,' the official IRNA news agency reported. In a video shared to social media shortly after the attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Iranians to unite against what he described as an 'evil and oppressive regime'. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: To the proud people of Iran, We are in the midst of one of the greatest military operations in history, Operation Rising Lion. The Islamic regime, which has oppressed you for almost 50 years threatens to destroy our country, the State of Israel. — Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 13, 2025 He said that Israel was engaged in 'one of the greatest military operations in history'. 'Iran doesn't know what hit them, they don't know what will hit them. It has never been weaker,' Netanyahu said. Additional reporting from AFP Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... 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Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Yahoo
Claims Swirl Around Russian Su-35S Flanker Shootdown
Unconfirmed reports claim that a Ukrainian F-16 was responsible for shooting down a Russian Su-35S Flanker fighter over the weekend. If the latest claim proves to be true, this would be the first time an F-16 has shot down a Russian aircraft, a mission it was originally designed to do some 50 years ago. While we don't know for sure what was responsible for bringing down the Russian jet, there's no doubt that the F-16 is becoming an increasingly important part of the Ukrainian Air Force's arsenal, for both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. Who did this? — Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) June 7, 2025 An official claim of the destruction of the Su-35S — one of Russia's most modern combat aircraft — was posted by the Ukrainian Air Force on June 7. On the social media platform X, the claim was accompanied by a silhouette of a Su-34 Fullback strike aircraft — a different but related jet. Meanwhile, a brief statement on the Ukrainian Air Force's Telegram channel said the Su-35S was downed 'as a result of a successful operation in the Kursk direction.' That the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) lost a Su-35S in a morning operation on the 7th seems beyond doubt. Imagery shared online shows a crash site, indicating the loss of a Su-35S, although the cause remains unclear. One video is taken from one of the helicopters involved in the search-and-rescue effort for the pilot. Based on open-source imagery, this would be the eighth example of the Su-35S lost in combat since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Footage of a Russian Air Force Su-35 fighter burning on the ground after a successful shootdown over Kursk by the Ukrainian Air Force. — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 7, 2025 Flattened Russian Su-35 fighter sitting in a Kursk field after being shot down by the Ukrainian Air Force yesterday. — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 8, 2025 It's notable that the Ukrainian Air Force, while claiming the destruction of the jet, didn't state the weapon that brought it down. While it may have been a crewed fighter, the Ukrainian Air Force is also responsible for long-range surface-to-air missiles that have previously taken a toll on Russian aircraft operating in their own airspace. According to unverified claims, which appear to have first been published in the German newspaper Bild, the Su-35S was shot down by an F-16. Furthermore, the same source claims that targeting data was provided by a Saab 340 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, at a distance of around 200-300 kilometers (124-186 miles) from the Russian fighter. At this stage, there's no confirmation that the Saab 340 AEW&C, two of which have been pledged to Kyiv by Sweden, have actually arrived in Ukraine. Provided the claims are true, and once again, they are entirely unverified at this point, the F-16 would have worked alongside the AEW&C platform in a way that TWZ outlined when it was first confirmed that the radar planes were being supplied to Ukraine: '[The] Saab 340 AEW&C will be able to work as a fighter control asset, detecting targets, prioritizing them, and then assigning them to the fighters for interception. The same data can, of course, also be passed on to other air defense assets. However, the F-16 and Western-supplied ground-based air defense systems are most relevant in this regard, since the radar plane is fitted with the NATO-standard Link 16 datalink communications system.' 'Link 16 will allow the operators onboard the twin-turboprop Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft to provide a real-time air defense 'picture' and targeting data to compatible systems in the air and on the ground, essentially filling a critical node in a modern integrated air defense system (IADS).' The characteristic 'balance beam' radar fairing on the upper fuselage of the aircraft carries the Saab (previously Ericsson) Erieye active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. This can detect a variety of air and sea targets at ranges of up to around 280 miles, with the aircraft typically operating at an altitude of 20,000 an F-16 downed a Su-35S without AEW&C support, that would arguably be even more impressive. This would also mark the first air-to-air kill by an F-16 in Ukrainian service (other than drones and cruise missiles). Meanwhile, Ukraine has so far lost three F-16s, although it's not clear how many of these were due to enemy engagements. The most recent loss was last month, in an 'emergency situation' that the Ukrainian Air Force said happened after the pilot 'destroyed three air targets and was working on the fourth, using an aircraft cannon.' The pilot is said to have taken the fighter away from a settlement before successfully ejecting. 'Thanks to the prompt work of the search and rescue team, the pilot was quickly found and evacuated,' the Ukrainian Air Force added. 'The pilot's well-being is satisfactory, he is in a safe place, his life and health are not in danger. A commission has been appointed to objectively clarify all the circumstances, and it has already begun work.' In April, Ukrainian F-16 pilot Pavlo Ivanov, 26, 'was killed in battle defending his native land from the invaders,' the Ukrainian Air Force stated at the time. In August 2024, F-16 pilot Oleksiy Mes died during what was, at that time, Russia's largest aerial barrage of the war. Before his F-16 went down, Mes, who went by the callsign 'Moonfish,' shot down three Russian cruise missiles and a one-way attack drone, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed at the time. Oleksii Mes', a pilot of the Ukrainian Air Force, heroically fought his last battle in the skies. On August 26, during a massive russian missile and air strike, Oleksii shot down three cruise missiles and one strike UAV. He saved countless Ukrainians from deadly russian… — Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) August 29, 2024 In all, around 85 operational F-16s have been promised to Ukraine. That total includes 24 from the Netherlands, 19 from Denmark, and 12 from Norway (with the same country providing 10 more that will be used for spare parts), while Belgium says it will supply 30. Of this grand total, it should be noted that at least some of the jets are not being sent to Ukraine but are instead being used for training Ukrainian pilots, primarily at the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) in Romania. The U.S. is now donating airframes it says are not airworthy, which you can read more about here. Generally, few details have been released about how Ukraine is using its F-16s, although official and unofficial imagery reveals specific details of load-outs used in operational air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The type has also been flying combined air operations and has been noted on various occasions lobbing Small Diameter Bombs (SDB). Provided that an F-16 downed the Su-35S, it would have almost certainly used an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). This is the aircraft's primary air-to-air weapon, carried alongside the AIM-9X Sidewinder and the earlier AIM-9L/M Sidewinder infrared-guided air-to-air missiles. The same missiles are also used by Ukrainian F-16s flying regular counter-drone and counter-cruise-missile sorties. As regards AMRAAM, even before F-16s were delivered to Ukraine, TWZ noted some of the advantages this missile would bring for the Ukrainian Air Force: 'Considering Ukraine's air force is being haunted by the long-range R-37 air-to-air missile, which Russian aircraft are firing at Ukrainian aircraft at great distances to limit their own risk, giving Ukraine a longer stick — any longer stick — would certainly be prized. It is what Ukrainian fighter pilots seem to believe would make the biggest difference, too.' Ukrainian Air Force F-16AM Fighting Falcon returning from a combat air patrol, having expended one of its AIM-120C-series AMRAAM missiles. Appears to be the first confirmation that Ukrainian Falcons are sporting the more advanced and longer-ranged C-series AMRAAMS. — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 11, 2025 There is also the very real possibility that it was a ground-based air defense system used by the Ukrainian Air Force to bring down the Russian jet. In the past, the Patriot air defense system, in particular, has been used to down fixed-wing tactical aircraft and helicopters flying within Russian airspace, and it has reportedly successfully targeted aircraft at a range of around 100 miles. Starting in May 2023, Ukraine began pushing forward Patriot batteries to reach deep into Russian-controlled airspace. Most dramatically, a string of Russian aircraft was downed over Russian territory that borders northeastern Ukraine. In December 2023, Ukrainian Patriot operators used similar tactics against tactical jets flying over the northwestern Black Sea. Regardless, after many months of waiting for the F-16 and repeated refusals from Washington, Ukraine has rapidly introduced the type to operational service. A Ukrainian F-16 pilot has given an interview for the first the interview, the F-16 pilot, whose name is withheld for security reasons, revealed that he regularly conducts aerial reconnaissance flights over Russian targets and troops. Nearly every day, he carries out… — WarTranslated (@wartranslated) March 26, 2025 It was less than a year ago that the F-16 was first confirmed as being in the country, and since then, the type's mission scope has expanded. Ukraine is clearly grappling with the challenge of introducing an altogether new, Western combat aircraft, differing in many respects from its Soviet-era equipment. Regardless of whether or not an F-16 was involved in the demise of the Su-35S at the weekend, the type's significance in the air war is only set to grow, as experience builds and additional examples are delivered. Contact the author: thomas@
NDTV
25-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Video: 9 Dead In Ukraine As Russia Launches One Of Biggest Airstrikes On Kyiv
Kyiv: Russia has launched one of the biggest aerial attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv since the start of the war, using missiles and drones, hours after the two sides began exchanging hundreds of prisoners of war in a deal seen as the first step towards a ceasefire. Russian strikes killed at least nine people in Ukraine overnight on Sunday, with four deaths in the Kyiv region, Ukrainian officials said. Russian troops, who are advancing slowly on the eastern front in Ukraine, have captured two settlements in Donetsk region as well as one in Ukraine's northern region of Sumy, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday. Since their failed advance on Kyiv in the first weeks of the war, Russian forces have been focusing on capturing the Donbas in the east, made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Ukrainian forces likely struck Russia's Migalovo Airbase tonight, with multiple explosions spotted in the area. The base is home to a number of Russian heavy transport aircraft. — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 25, 2025 On Saturday, Russia launched 14 ballistic missiles and 250 drones at Ukraine, although Ukrainian forces shot down six missiles and stopped most of the drones before they reached Kyiv. 🇺🇦🇷🇺 DEATH FROM ABOVE: RUSSIA STRIKES UKRAINE AGAIN For the second night in a row, skies over Ukraine lit up—not with fireworks, but with drones and missiles. Kyiv woke up to flames and broken glass after a Russian drone slammed into a five-story apartment building, injuring… — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 25, 2025 Four people were reported dead in the western Khmelnytskyi region, four in the Kyiv region -- which came under attack for the second night running -- and one in Mykolaiv in the south. Another night of Russian terror across Ukraine. Missiles and drones struck Kyiv, the Kyiv region, Mykolaiv, Khmelnytskyi, Chernihiv, and more. Civilians killed. Homes destroyed. Families pulled from the rubble. This is not war. It's terrorism. And it must end. Russia… — Anna K 🇺🇦 (@AnnaKozyarska) May 25, 2025 Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city's military administration, said that some of the drones over Kyiv and the surrounding area have already been dealt with. But the new ones are still entering the capital, Kyiv. Overnight attacks were also reported in the Kherson region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was a "difficult night for all of Ukraine" and called for more sanctions on Moscow to achieve a ceasefire. But he also said he expected officials to press on with a prisoner swap agreed during talks last week in Istanbul. The latest offensive comes as the two sides pursue their biggest prisoner swap since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. On Saturday, 307 Russian prisoners of war were exchanged for the same number of Ukrainian soldiers, according to announcements in Kyiv and Moscow. Both sides received 390 people in the first stage on Friday and are expected to exchange 1,000 each in total. Russia has signalled it will send Ukraine its terms for a peace settlement after the exchange, without saying what those terms would be. Meanwhile, Russia has also accused Ukraine of targeting it with 788 drones and missiles since Tuesday. In Moscow, restrictions were imposed on at least four airports, including the main hub Sheremetyevo, the Russian civilian aviation authority said. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 12 drones flying towards the Russian capital had been intercepted.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Our Best Look At Ukraine's Reactivated S-200 Long-Range Surface-To-Air Missiles In Action
Ukraine has, apparently for the first time, released a video showing its use of the Soviet-era S-200 (SA-5 Gammon) long-range surface-to-air missile, a weapon that was reinstated to service only after the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. Since then, the S-200 has not been seen in official imagery but has been credited by Kviv with the high-profile destruction of an A-50 radar plane and a Tu-22M3 bomber. Ukraine's GUR just revealed the first footage of its S-200 Gammon SAM unit, restoring and using the massive Cold War-era missiles to hit Russian targets. Ukrainian S-200s have reportedly been used to down multiple high-value Russian aircraft, and hit Russian ground targets. — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 13, 2025 Source- footage: — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 13, 2025 The footage in question was published by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense's Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR). Filmed at an undisclosed location, the video shows the missiles being raised into position before blasting off from their fixed launchers somewhere on the Black Sea coast. It's not clear when the footage dates from, but the foliage suggests it was taken at some point in the fall, winter, or early spring. Very much a product of the Cold War, the S-200 was first introduced to service by the Soviet Union in the late 1960s. At that time, its main mission was to bring down high-flying U.S. bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Typically, each S-200 system was deployed in static batteries that typically comprised six single-rail launchers, supported by a long-range surveillance radar, a target search and acquisition radar, a missile guidance radar, and multiple other support elements. In the GUR video, only the missiles and their launchers are visible. As for those missiles, they are from the 5V28 series and each measures around 35 feet in length, with a diameter of almost 34 inches. The missiles are first powered off their launcher using a cluster of four jettisonable solid-propellant boosters around the body, before a single-stage liquid-fuel motor kicks in. These missiles were refined during their initial service, with later models able to engage targets at a maximum range of around 186 miles. In Soviet service, the 5V28 could be armed with a command-detonated nuclear warhead, although those that remained in Ukrainian stocks were all fitted with a conventional 480-pound warhead, armed with a proximity fuze. Prior to the current conflict with Russia, the S-200 was best known in Ukrainian service for the infamous incident in October 2001, when an errant missile from one of the batteries shot down a Russian airliner over the Black Sea, during a live-fire exercise. By this point, the system was already showing its age, and by 2010, it was reported that Ukraine only had four S-200 batteries still active, with another 12 sites inactive. Further reports suggest the S-200 was removed from service entirely in 2013. Nonetheless, it appears that the demands of Russia's full-scale invasion led to at least some of these sites being reactivated or possibly reinstated at different locations. It's likely that much of the required infrastructure was still in place, or could be quickly returned to operational status, with the launchers fed by stocks of the missile that had been held in reserve. Somewhat surprisingly, the first evidence of Ukraine using the S-200s after February 2022 came from Russian accounts of the missiles being deployed in a surface-to-surface role. Russian reports from the summer of 2023 suggested the missiles were being used to attack land targets in Russian rear areas within Ukraine and in Russia itself. One video from this period appears to show a missile that looks very similar to one fired by an S-200 system diving almost vertically onto a target, supposedly in the Bryansk region of western Russia, which borders Ukraine. Another video, from local surveillance cameras, in the same period, shows what looks to be a 5V28 series missile from an S-200 diving vertically onto a target — reportedly a sawmill — in the settlement of Bytosh, also in the Bryansk region. A video of what appears to be a missile of the Soviet-made S-200 air defense system impacting a sawmill in the settlement of Bytosh in Bryansk Oblast of Russia earlier on the Ukrainians started to covert these missiles for the use against ground targets. — Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (BlueSky too) (@Archer83Able) July 9, 2023 Debate unfolding regarding the type of the missile that was used on #Russian territory. Other possibilities include S-200 anti-aircraft missile, redesigned for strikes against ground targets, on a sawmill in the Bryansk #StormShadow has a very different shape — Arthur Morgan (@ArthurM40330824) July 9, 2023 There were also Russian reports in 2023 of the Ukrainian S-200 being used to attack Morozovsk Air Base in the Rostov region. Some accounts suggest the S-200 was also tasked with attacks on the vital Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia to Russian-occupied Crimea. Also in the summer of 2023, Ukrainian media reported an attempted strike on the bridge using the system, while Russian sources claimed that their air defense operators shot down at least one missile just north of the Taman Peninsula, which borders the Azov Sea to the north, the Kerch Strait to the west, and the Black Sea to the south. Wreckage of the intercepted missile is said to have come down in the Azov Sea. Some sources pointed out that today's attack on the Kerch bridge ,Ukraine used modernized missile from the S-200 ADS complex, which was redesigned for strikes along a ballistic trajectory. This range is about 400 km. Some are suggesting this was ATACMS. The range for a Storm… — Koba (@Roberto05246129) July 9, 2023 Despite claims from the Russian Ministry of Defense that a total of three missiles from the S-200 were successfully intercepted, the incident reportedly led to the temporary closure of the Kerch Bridge by Russian authorities. Claims of the S-200 being used to strike such pinpoint targets should be treated with caution, since it would require extreme accuracy, unless the missile was retrofitted with a GPS guidance system, for example. Still, as we noted at the time, the S-200 gives Ukraine a useful, if extemporized, quasi-short-range ballistic missile-like capability. There is also the possibility that the missiles were more extensively modified for the land-attack role, which could provide them with improved accuracy, although there's no evidence of this so far. Either way, there is no doubt that Ukraine desperately needed a ballistic missile at this time — and still does. In its original form, the 5V28 series missile uses an inertial guidance system with updates provided by radio link before switching to semi-active radar homing for the terminal phase. For ground targets, the missile would have to be modified to hit within a certain circular error probable (CEP), or otherwise use GPS to hit a target more precisely. So regarding S-200's apparent land attack capability. S-200 employs semi-active radar guidance so there is at least an onboard guidance computer that an IMU could theoretically be integrated with. — John Ridge (@John_A_Ridge) July 10, 2023 While it's never been clear how many S-200 systems are available to Ukraine, it has reportedly also been used in its original air defense role, with some impressive results, according to Ukrainian authorities. In April of 2024, Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the GUR, exclusively disclosed to TWZ that an S-200 had been used to bring down a Russian Tu-22M3 Backfire-C bomber that crashed in the Stavropol territory of southern Russia. The U.K. Ministry of Defense subsequently said it was 'almost certain' that an S-200 was used to bring down the Tu-22M3. One down, the rest to first downed Russian strategic bomber Tu-22m3.@KpsZSU@DI_Ukraine — Ukraine Territorial Defense Forces (@TDF_UA) April 19, 2024 One of the Russian Tu-22 strategic bombers that took part in today's attack on Ukrainian cities won't be flying again. Ukraine says it shot down the plane, Russians say it was a malfunction. One of the four crew members is dead. — Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) April 19, 2024 Budanov told TWZ that the Tu-22M3 was engaged at a distance of 308 kilometers — or around 191 miles — from the S-200 battery. I want to believe. — Chung-Tzu (@ChungTzuW) April 19, 2024 At the same time as the Tu-22M3 claim, the GUR said that Ukraine had used the same means to shoot down a Russian A-50 Mainstay airborne early warning and control aircraft earlier in the same year. Ukrainian officials had previously claimed the destruction of two A-50s while airborne, but hadn't previously specified what weapons were used to do this. On other occasions, Ukraine has used the Patriot air defense system to down fixed-wing tactical aircraft and helicopters at long range, including when they are flying within Russian airspace. Using the Patriot, Ukraine has reportedly successfully targeted aircraft at a range of around 100 miles, very much at the limits of its engagement envelope. Despite its age, the S-200 can, in theory, engage targets at much greater ranges, although the claimed 191-mile shootdown of the Tu-22M3 would put it just outside the system's known performance parameters. However, a Ukrainian defense official confirmed to TWZ that Ukraine had received 'help from partners' to produce an updated guidance system for the S-200. 'The missile itself has a good maneuvering system, so if provided with proper guidance is quite a modern weapon,' the official added. This may help explain not only how the target acquisition and missile guidance were achieved, but also how it was able to bring down a target at such a great range. Since then, other air defense solutions involving Western sensors or effectors have become more prevalent in Ukrainian service. With that in mind, combining the S-200 into more advanced sensors for initial targeting, for example could be an option. With Ukraine's insatiable demand for air defense systems, it makes sense to reactivate some of its S-200 systems to bolster its legacy surface-to-air missile systems, as well as those provided by Western allies. Clearly, the S-200 is several generations behind modern ground-based air defense systems, but its very long reach ensures that it has utility in particular scenarios, a fact that its apparent combat successes would seem to attest to. Contact the author: thomas@
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Putin's key demand is designed to inflict maximum damage on Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelensky had just touched down in Kyiv after being told by Donald Trump that Ukraine 'doesn't have any cards' when the explosion happened. In the city of Ufa, 700 miles east of Moscow and more than 1,000 miles away from Kyiv, Mr Zelensky's drone unit struck further into Russian territory than ever before. The Ufimsky oil refinery – one of Russia's largest – burst into flames that burned so bright that they could be seen above the city's skyline for hours. Locals thought there had been an earthquake. Russia has been hit by dozens of similar attacks on its oil refineries and power plants. They are the reason why Vladimir Putin's first ceasefire demand is to make them stop. In recent months, Russian troops have gained momentum on the ground to such an extent that Putin said they were advancing along 'practically the entire front line'. But the rate at which Ukraine is attacking Russia on its home turf has also accelerated rapidly since the start of 2025. Credit: X/ @Osinttechnical/ Reuters The attacks are a way for Ukraine to slow down the Russian army's push by targeting the fuel depots which feed jets, tanks and planes. But they also reflect another aim of Ukraine: the desire to 'bring the war home' to Putin and the Russian people – who hear little of the battlefield difficulties hundreds or even thousands of miles away. That may explain, in part, why after a call with the US president on Tuesday, Putin was willing to agree to a partial ceasefire with Ukraine, covering strikes on energy infrastructure, while continuing to push along the front line. The Telegraph has collected data on every reported refinery attack since the start of the full-scale invasion – checked by experts – showing that 19 attacks have happened so far this year already, compared with 25 during the entirety of 2024. On Jan 11, a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at the Taneco refinery in the city of Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan. It was the second time in a year that the facility, located some 800 miles away from Ukraine, had been hit by Kyiv's forces. Livia Gallarati, a senior oil markets analyst at Energy Aspects, said there had been a tangible impact on the volume of crude oil being processed by Russian refineries as a result. 'Some of the sites that we know have been attacked and we've been able to corroborate that they are very big, important refineries,' she told The Telegraph. 'And we have seen a meaningful decline in Russian refinery runs – before the attacks, they were refining around 5.6, 5.5 million barrels per day. Now we're down to around 5.1 million barrels per day. So there's definitely been an impact on runs.' Questions remain as to whether the proposed halt in energy attacks will happen. Both Ukraine and Russia claimed on Wednesday morning that their facilities had been targeted, even after the phone call between Mr Trump and Putin. Ukraine had certainly been planning for more. Mr Zelensky revealed on Monday that his forces had successfully tested a long-range drone capable of travelling 1,800 miles. Kyiv had set a target to produce one million drones in 2024. Mr Zelensky said they ended up making more than 2.2 million. This year, he has set a target of 4.5 million – all made inside Ukraine. Credit: X/@front_ukrainian And while the drones may be more capable and sophisticated, Kyiv has also shown a creative streak with its attacks against Russia. In the dark of night in late January, the 14th regiment of the Ukrainian army launched a major attack on Russia's Novozybkov oil pumping station, near the border with weapon of choice was an E-300 SkyRanger light aircraft modified into a drone equipped with a 100kg payload, precision bombing capabilities and, an onboard remote control system. Pictures of the attack showed a FAB-250 high-explosive bomb mounted on a similar light aircraft, alongside a 120mm mortar shell, showing the scale of the weapons. Militarnyi, a Ukrainian military analyst group, said the aircraft was equipped with one large bomb and two smaller munitions 'visually resembling artillery shells'. The remotely controlled light aircraft was designed to return to Ukraine after delivering its payload. It is unclear whether it managed to do so, but the impact of the attack did not go unnoticed. 'Local residents reported loud explosions in the sky and the destruction of several aerial targets,' reported Shot, a Russian Telegram channel. As well as impacting crude oil production at important refineries, such attacks bring attention to the war to Russians who are perhaps being fed disinformation by the government but cannot ignore large fires burning in their local area, according to Emily Ferris, a senior analyst at Rusi.'These attacks demonstrate Ukraine's geographical reach across Russia and psychologically, it brings the war home,' she told The Telegraph. So far, Moscow has struggled to defend its oil facilities because most of its resources are on the front line, according to analysts at Defence Express. The result is that flows to Europe have been affected. Just last week, Hungary saw its oil supplies from Russia temporarily suspended after the Ukrainian military said it targeted the Druzhba pipeline in western Russia's Oryol region. The Novozybkov oil pumping station, which has been repeatedly targeted, is connected to the Druzhba pipeline. It is highly valuable to Russia as it provides a critical route for exporting large volumes of crude oil across Europe, including to Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. 'It's not that Ukraine can't [have a major impact], it's just that Russia is part of the global hydrocarbon economy. It is still plugged in in a lot of ways and European countries are still receiving flows from Russia,' Ms Ferris told The Telegraph. 'If you massively disrupt that, then it has implications for oil prices across the world. And the Ukrainians are very cautious of not doing that. They have a threshold for what they can really do without having global implications.' The attacks are also intended to have an effect on the Russian military. The Taneco refinery, attacked by Ukraine multiple times, can refine 16 million tons of oil every year and plays a key role in supplying fuel to the Russian army. Ukraine also forced the suspension of operations at an oil refinery in Ryazan, 300 miles from the Ukrainian border, which produces fuel for jets, tanks, aircraft and ships. The increasing number of attacks on Russian soil came at a time when Mr Trump pledged to start peace negotiations, with Kyiv wanting to show it still held some leverage. But there's no doubt a 30-day moratorium on striking each other's energy infrastructure will also come as a relief in Kyiv. Russia's attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure mean Kyiv's capacity is now at around a third of what it was at the beginning of 2022. Millions of people face disruption to power, heating, and water supply due to these attacks, which intensify during the winter. On Tuesday night, hours after Putin concluded his call with Mr Trump, Russian forces conducted an air strike on energy infrastructure in Sloviansk, a city of 100,000 people in the Donetsk region, leaving part of the city without electricity. Ukraine reportedly responded with a drone attack at Russia's Krasnodar Krai oil station, damaging a pipeline connecting storage tanks and sparking a large blaze, according to regional authorities. With little hope of a reversal in fortunes on the ground, nullifying Ukraine's ability to strike Putin where it hurts the most will make the fight even harder. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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