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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Putin's revenge for 'Russia's black day': Tyrant poised to axe spymasters after strike on nuclear bombers was launched from warehouse beside intelligence HQ - with Kyiv now braced for Vladimir's devastating response
Vladimir Putin is poised to axe his spymasters after Kyiv delivered a devastating blow to the Russian fleet on Sunday, hitting dozens of strategic nuclear bombers thousands of kilometres behind the frontline in a brazen show of force. The Russian tyrant has stayed out of sight since the attacks on multiple air bases in Ukraine's audacious Operation Spiderweb - a top-secret mission some 18 months in the making, showing off Ukraine's capability to stagger the Russian invasion. 'He will hit back at Ukraine, but also avenge his underlings who allowed this humiliation to happen,' said an insider. The sleeping FSB security service - headed by close ally Alexander Bortnikov, 73 - faces blame over Ukraine using a warehouse next door to an intelligence HQ in Chelyabinsk to prepare the drone strikes on his airbases. Pro-Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomb, believed to be run by Capt. Ilya Tumanov of the Russian Army, acknowledged that Sunday would 'later be called a black day for Russian long-range aviation,' adding: 'And the day is not over yet.' In the wake of the heavy losses, Putin's Doomsday Radio burst into activity spewing out codewords. The UVB-76 channel - which springs into life at moments of perceived danger - is a hangover from the Soviet period. But as peace talks got underway in Istanbul on Monday, Ukraine followed up its Operation Spiderweb success with a series of new overnight assaults on Russian military targets. One of the overnight strikes targeted Borisoglebsk Air Base in Voronezh, which houses Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircraft. Ukraine will now be bracing for Russia's response. Russia claimed it had intercepted 162 Ukrainian drones overnight, and struck back with a Shahed drone seen on video diving then exploding in a fireball in Izyum, Kharkiv region as it hit a target. Putin stayed out of sight since the attacks on multiple air bases in Ukraine's audacious Operation Spiderweb The attack was carried out exactly 29 years to the day after Ukraine handed over dozens of the same strategic bombers to Russia, along with up to 2,000 strategic nuclear warheads and 176 ICBMs in exchange for a promise not to be attacked, under the Budapest Memorandum. In their most daring attack of the war to date, Ukrainian special forces first smuggled 117 first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drones – which allow pilots to control them remotely through a live feed – into Russia. Then came mobile wooden cabins, whose roofs had hidden compartments into which the small flying weapons were stashed. They were loaded on to civilian trucks heading into enemy territory, their hired local drivers seemingly unaware of what they were carrying. Finally, yesterday afternoon, with all the lorries within range of five airfields stretching from northern Russia down to Siberia – a safe 2,500 miles from Ukraine – they struck. The roofs of the wooden cabins were opened remotely and the FPV drones took to the skies. Head of the Ukraine's Security Service Vasyl Maliuk looks at a map of an airfield, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an unknown location in Ukraine With the help of front-positioned cameras, the missile-loaded drones headed straight for Russia's highly expensive bomber planes. Footage showed decimated enemy planes in flames on the runway and last night Ukrainian security sources claimed to have taken out 41 aircraft worth some £1.5billion. These, they say, include the nuclear capable Tu-95 and Tu-22M as well as the surveillance A-50 'Mainstay' plane, worth an estimated £250,000,000 that is used as a radar and command centre, of which Russia is only believed to have around ten in operation. 'Mainstays' are critical to coordinating Russian fighter jets and air defences, meaning that this will have severely hampered Putin's war effort. Moscow has long stopped producing any of these aircraft meaning, if confirmed, these assets could not be replaced. There are only around 120 Tu-95s and Tu-22Ms in operation and they are vital for Putin 's nightly bombing raids on Ukraine. They had been moved to bases thousands of miles away from Ukraine, out of reach of Western-donated Storm Shadows and ATACMS which have a range of up to 185 miles. The FPVs, which can reach just 12 miles, would have been the last thing on Russian minds. Mr Zelensky last night claimed that the operation took out a third of Russia's strategic bombers and had been conducted under the noses of its secret service. He said: 'What's most interesting, is that the 'office' of our operation on Russian territory was located directly next to FSB headquarters in one of their regions. 'In total, 117 drones were used in the operation, with a corresponding number of drone operators involved, and 34 per cent of the strategic cruise missile carriers stationed at air bases were hit. We will continue this work.' He assessed that the attack on Putin's irreplaceable bombers 'will undoubtedly be in [the] history books'. Military blogger Roman Alekhin said the incident will go down as 'Russia's Pearl Harbour' - a reference to the Japanese attack against the US in 1941 that prompted Washington to enter the Second World War. But experts also drew comparisons to the 1942 SAS raid on the Sidi Haneish airfield in Egypy, when elite British commandos put 40 Luftwaffe aircraft out of action using jeeps mounted with machine guns. While the attack wasn't a pivotal moment in the Desert War, it massively boosted British morale and disrupted Axis logistics in North Africa. It was also one of the pivotal events that helped forge the legendary status of the SAS. Former RAF pilot and military analyst Mikey Kay told the BBC: 'The Russians would never have expected something like this. I mean, it's genius, if you think about just the devastating effect that it's had on strategic assets of Putin.' Philip O'Brien, professor of strategic studies at St Andrews University, said the raid was 'the most remarkable and successful operation of the war.' He told The Times: 'This is a big blow to Russian strategic air power, which is hard to overestimate. We do not know what the Russian reaction will be, however we can assume it will be violent.' Mr Zelensky, who is said to have overseen the operation over the last year and a half, celebrated the strike on social media last night. The Ukrainian president wrote: 'A result achieved solely by Ukraine. One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective execution. Our most long-range operation.' He added: 'These are Ukrainian actions that will undoubtedly be in [the] history books.' A delegation from Kyiv is due to meet counterparts from Moscow for a second round of peace talks in Istanbul today but it was not clear last night if it would still go ahead. Ukraine has said that its proposals will include a full 30-day ceasefire followed by the return of all prisoners held by each side. Negotiators also want some 20,000 Ukrainian children who were kidnapped by Russia to be repatriated before Mr Zelensky and Putin meet. Russia has so far refused to agree to a 30-day pause in fighting and overnight on Saturday launched its largest strike of the war so far with 472 drones and seven missiles. Kyiv's Operation Spider's Web struck Belaya air base in the Irkutsk region of Siberia; Dyagilevo air base in Ryazan, western Russia; Olenya air base in Murmansk, northern Russia; and Ivanovo air base in Ivanovo, central Russia. The fifth air base was yet to be identified last night. The operation, led by Mr Zelensky and security service boss Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, marks the first time Ukraine has struck targets inside Siberia. Kyiv put the cost of the damage at more than £1.5billion because each A-50 aircraft is valued at around £260million. Last night Russia was arresting the truck drivers, but hours earlier Ukraine had reported that its agents were safely home. FPV drones usually need a pilot within six miles which suggests Ukrainians may have been close to the airfields during the strikes. Hours before the drone strikes a wave of bomb attacks targeted Russian bridges and railway lines in regions bordering Ukraine. Russia declared them 'acts of terrorism' with seven killed and dozens injured when a passenger train travelling to Moscow was derailed by a collapsed bridge in Bryansk on Saturday night. Hours later, in neighbouring Kursk where Ukraine launched its major cross-border incursion last August, a freight train was derailed by another fallen bridge. A Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian army training area killed at least 12 soldiers yesterday and wounded more than 60 others, the Ukrainian army said. Kyiv has carried out a series of daring attacks on Russia since the start of the war, with one of first being the counter-offensive which liberated the city of Kherson in November 2022. Ukrainian armed forces also took swathes of territory in Kursk last August in what was the first occupation of Russian land since the Second World War. Putin only succeeded in pushing Ukraine out of the territory in March.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Sweden will step up insurance checks on foreign ships as worries about Russia rise
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden said Saturday it will step up insurance checks on foreign ships in a move aimed at tightening controls on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet ' of aging ships. The government in Stockholm said that, starting July 1, the coast guard and the Swedish Maritime Administration will be tasked with collecting insurance information not just from ships that call at Swedish ports, but also those that pass through the country's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. 'This underlines Sweden's clear presence in the Baltic Sea, which in itself has a deterrent effect,' Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a statement. 'It also provides Sweden and our allies with important information about vessels that can be used as a basis for sanctions listings of more vessels in the shadow fleet.' Russia uses its shadow fleet to transport oil and gas, or to carry stolen Ukrainian grain. The European Union has now targeted almost 350 of the ships in total in sanctions packages, most recently on May 20. Kristersson said that 'we are seeing more and more problematic events in the Baltic Sea and this requires us not only to hope for the best, but also to plan for the worst.' The average age of the vessels is around 18 years, meaning they're near the end of their lifespan and are more vulnerable to accidents, especially if they're not well-maintained.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Sweden will step up insurance checks on foreign ships as worries about Russia rise
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden said Saturday it will step up insurance checks on foreign ships in a move aimed at tightening controls on Russia's so-called 'shadow fleet ' of aging ships. The government in Stockholm said that, starting July 1, the coast guard and the Swedish Maritime Administration will be tasked with collecting insurance information not just from ships that call at Swedish ports, but also those that pass through the country's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. 'This underlines Sweden's clear presence in the Baltic Sea, which in itself has a deterrent effect,' Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a statement. 'It also provides Sweden and our allies with important information about vessels that can be used as a basis for sanctions listings of more vessels in the shadow fleet.' Russia uses its shadow fleet to transport oil and gas, or to carry stolen Ukrainian grain. The European Union has now targeted almost 350 of the ships in total in sanctions packages, most recently on May 20. Kristersson said that 'we are seeing more and more problematic events in the Baltic Sea and this requires us not only to hope for the best, but also to plan for the worst.' The average age of the vessels is around 18 years, meaning they're near the end of their lifespan and are more vulnerable to accidents, especially if they're not well-maintained.
Telegraph
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Russia signals it's ready to go to war with West to protect vital shadow fleet
On the bridge of the Jaguar, the ship radio crackles into life. 'This is [an] Estonian warship,' says a voice speaking in English. 'Follow my instructions. Alter your course to 105 immediately.' So begins the most nerve-wracking confrontation with a Russian shadow fleet vessel since the start of the war. 'We are met by helicopters,' says a voice speaking in Russian on board the Jaguar, a 20-year-old tanker en route back to Russia from the Indian port of Sikka, where it had likely deposited a sanctions-busting cargo of oil. In the video taken from the bridge, Hindi-speaking crew members worriedly report that a 'military vessel' is also heading towards the stern of the ship. The cause of the Jaguar's troubles lay in its lack of an international flag, a prerequisite for maritime navigation and the surest legal ground for a boarding operation. Days earlier, it had taken down a Gabonese standard, shortly before the ship was sanctioned by the UK. The clip published online by Margarita Simonyan, the chief of state-owned RT, formerly Russia Today, has been edited to make the timeline of events unclear. But what is known is that the Jaguar refused the order of the Estonian navy – and ploughed on towards its destination, the Russian port Primorsk. An Estonian patrol vessel, EML Raju, aborted its plan to board the far-larger craft and carry out an inspection. Had it followed through, the situation might have spiralled because also visible in the clip is the arrival of a Russian Su-35 fighter jet – the first time Moscow has sent military forces to protect the rusty fleet it relies on to fund its war effort. Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, said: 'Russia has crossed the Rubicon now. It is showing that the shadow fleet is important enough that it's willing to publicly admit that it is linked to the government.' During the May 13 confrontation, the Russian jet entered Estonian airspace for around a minute. It was met swiftly by Portuguese F-16s from the Nato air policing mission. But the incident is rippling alarm across the West and inviting questions over just how far its relatively sparse naval forces can challenge the fleet of uninsured tankers that criss-cross its seas every day. Gintautas Paluckas, the Lithuanian prime minister, said that while Russia's military protection of Baltic Sea tankers revealed nothing we 'couldn't or shouldn't have known', it showed that 'the risk of serious escalation is increasing with every step'. At least half of the seaborne oil sold by Russia is carried on its shadow fleet, providing a huge chunk of the £740 billion that Moscow has earned from fossil fuel exports since February 2022. The flow, however, has lately been disrupted by western sanctions. Some 706 vessels have now been sanctioned across the EU, UK and US, according to research by shipping journal Lloyds List, which is around ten per cent of the total tanker fleet at sea. The share of Russian oil exported by the shadow fleet is falling, down to 53 per cent in April, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, a Helsinki-based think tank. On April 11, Estonia detained the Kiwala, another shadow fleet vessel flying without a flag. On Christmas day, Finnish commandos boarded the Eagle-S, suspected of severing under-sea cables. In response, the Kremlin is signalling that it is ready to fight for the smooth passage of its black gold. Dmitry Peskov, its chief spokesman, said the deployment of an Su-35 showed Russia was ready to respond 'harshly' and warned that 'all measures' could be taken to prevent what he called piracy. Nikolai Patrushev, a senior Putin aide, warned: 'Hotheads in London and Brussels need to understand this clearly.' In mid-April, Russia's Baltic Fleet carried out a series of drills explicitly showcasing its ability to prevent the boarding of civilian ships. Eleven warships and a kilo-class submarine took part, alongside fighter jets. The coastal states are 'winning' in their efforts to curtail the shadow fleet because they have 'clearly rattled Russia', according to Ms Braw. But Russia's military deployment is now 'causing concern, simply because they have no way of knowing how any incident will develop'. Estonia's navy is formed from just eight ships. It was outmatched on May 13, Juri Saska, the former commander, told news outlet ERR. The boarding operation was called off because it was deemed 'unreasonable or unfeasible', he said, adding: 'The navy doesn't have the kind of equipped, armed vessels needed to carry out a forced operation like this.' Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank, said Moscow lacks the naval strength to escort every one of its shadow fleet vessels. However, it is likely to intervene in situations where a new threshold is set. Estonia's interdictions of the two Russian shadow fleet vessels have come in the waters of its Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ), which stretches 200 miles off the coast and provides sovereign rights to exploration and maritime conversation. Any serious effort to interfere with passage through such waters would pose a serious problem for Moscow. Hanno Pevkur, Estonia's defence minister, has called for all sanctioned ships to be barred from entering EEZ waters, as they are blocked from European ports. But this is considered a non-starter because it would unravel the international principle of freedom of navigation. Kestutis Budrys, the Lithuanian foreign minister, believes that the West should at least tighten the system. He has also called for Nato to expand its Baltic Sentry programme from protecting undersea infrastructure to countering the shadow fleet. Margus Tsahkna, the Estonian foreign minister, told The Telegraph: 'Controlling the shadow fleet is not just about maritime security – it's about striking the core of the fuel of Russia's military operations.' If Russia wants to step up its military protection of the shadow fleet, it has several options, according to Mr Kaushal. Its vessels could turn on their firing radar, the last step before opening fire. They could seek to block boarding operations, or jam them electronically. Western ships might also be detained on entering Russian waters. One Greek vessel was briefly held when it did so on a pre-approved route shortly after the Jaguar incident, although the circumstances there remain unclear. Between flagless vessels, the entry of the Russian military and growing western resolve, the sea's cargo routes have rarely been so dangerous. And Tom Sharpe, a former Royal Navy officer, thinks the problem is not going away any time soon. He said: 'This is such a difficult problem, given the size of the ocean, the number of warships we don't have, the number of dark fleet ships they do have, and the fact that we insist on playing by the rules.'
