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CBS News
19 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Russian aircraft spotted and tracked flying near Alaska again, NORAD says
Russian military planes were detected flying near the coast of Alaska on Tuesday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said, marking the latest in a string of sightings in recent months. The planes were not considered a threat, as Russian activity in that airspace happens regularly, according to the military command. U.S. officials have not specified the type of aircraft spotted this week or how many of them were there. CBS News has reached out to NORAD for more information. The aircraft flew through a section of international airspace called the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which is a designated area just outside of U.S. and Canadian sovereign space that both countries surveil closely for national security reasons. Aircraft are also expected to identify themselves when entering this region. NORAD said it tracked the Russian planes after detecting them and confirmed that they remained in the international zone. "NORAD employs a layered defense network of satellites, ground-based and airborne radars and fighter aircraft to detect and track aircraft and inform appropriate actions," the command said in a news release, adding that it "remains ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America." Military officials in the U.S. have reported the presence of Russian planes in the ADIZ a handful of times already since the beginning of the year. In April, NORAD said the command had detected Russian warplanes flying off the coast of Alaska, within the bounds of the defense identification zone. Less than three months earlier, the U.S. and Canada scrambled fighter jets to follow Russian warplanes seen over the Arctic, in an incident that drew some scrutiny as the region became a source of increasing geopolitical tension. The U.S. military said it later dispatched two F-16 fighter jets from Alaska to Greenland, to "forward posture NORAD presence in the Arctic." In September 2024, NORAD posted dramatic video of a Russian fighter jet flying "within just a few feet" of NORAD aircraft off the coast of Alaska. At the time, a U.S. general said "the conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all." Two months before that incident, the U.S. military said it intercepted four Russian and Chinese bombers in international airspace off the Alaskan coast.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Inside Russia's suicide drone factories manned by teenagers
Credit: Zvezda/Russian state owned tv/X Teenagers are helping Russia build Shahed suicide drones as Vladimir Putin ramps up production at a major factory in Tatarstan. The Yelabuga production facility, the largest of its kind in the world, is spearheading efforts to stockpile the weapons to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences with mass aerial bombardments. The footage, recorded by Zvezda, the Russian defence ministry's TV channel, is the first detailed look inside the plant. Students and staff are shown on the production line constructing row after row of matt black 'Geran-2' drones, the Russian-built version of the Iranian-designed Shahed 136. Teenagers are reportedly invited to the plant after finishing 9th grade at 15 years old, and most come from the nearby technical college. 'Everywhere you look, there's young people working here,' the voice-over says as the camera pans across what appear to be dozens of teenagers making drone components and working at computers on the bright factory floor. Shahed drones have become instrumental in Putin's plans to relentlessly pound Ukrainian cities and drain morale among the armed forces and terrorised civilians. It came as the Kremlin said on Sunday that achieving its war goals remains Russia's priority ahead of signing a peace deal with Ukraine, despite Donald Trump giving Moscow 50 days to agree to a ceasefire or face severe sanctions. European defence officials believe Russia plans to fire thousands of the relatively cheap Shahed drones every night as production increases. The new dark paintwork on the Russian models is believed to reflect an increasing focus on night-time attacks. Other footage released in Russia on Sunday showed the drones being launched from the back of what appear to be new model American-made Dodge Ram 1500 pickup trucks, seemingly in violation of sanctions. Credit: Zvezda/Russian state owned tv/X The video of the factories emphasised the plant's in-house production lines, showing metal foundries and a blacksmith's workshop, as well as assembly stations and testing facilities. It said Putin had noted the set-up at Yelabuga, suggesting it should be replicated across the country to reduce Russia's dependence on imports for manufacturing. Russia is now believed to be producing more than 5,000 long-range drones a month, with up to 18,000 units built at the Yelabuga plant in the first half of 2025 alone. A Kremlin-linked think tank claimed last month that drone production had jumped by 16.9 per cent in May. More than 500 drones and missiles are regularly fired at Ukraine in night time attacks, and analysts believe the Kremlin is close to being able to pound the country with more than 1,000 in a single day. On July 9, Russia carried out its largest attack yet, with 741 missiles and drones launched at Ukrainian towns and cities. Putin hopes that with repeated onslaughts, he can wear down morale among Ukraine's population, deplete Kyiv's defences and undermine the West's appetite to maintain its support. Geran-2 drones are relatively cheap to produce, costing between £26,000 and £37,200 per unit. Ukraine's western-supplied air defence systems are much more expensive, with a single Patriot missile interceptor costing over £4 million. Christian Freuding, a senior German army officer, warned this week that Ukraine and its allies would need to develop countermeasures costing £1,500 to £3,000 per unit in order for its air defence to be economically viable, given Russia's growing attacks. Mr Freuding also said he believed Russia is aiming to be able to launch 2,000 drones a night at Ukraine, which would pose a serious challenge to air defences. The Yelabuga site was opened in 2023 and is in the Alabuga special economic zone near Kazan, a high-tech manufacturing hub. If needed, drone technology can be shipped directly from Iran via the Caspian Sea as it sits on the Kama River, which flows into the Volga. Though more than 1,000 miles from the Ukrainian border, the facility appears to have been targeted by Kyiv. In June, Russian media reported that one person was killed when intercepted drone debris fell on a checkpoint in the area. The Geran-2 has a total length of 3.5 metres and a wingspan of 2.5 metres. It weighs around 200 kilograms, carries a 50kg warhead and can descend onto targets up to 1,800 kilometres away at speeds of up to 300kmph. Ukraine reported this week that it had shot down its 30,000th Shahed drone, using analysis of a serial number obtained from a fragment of one of the downed munitions.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Russia SMASHES Over 70 Ukrainian Drones As Kyiv Attacks Moscow Again
Russia claimed a significant victory in Donetsk by capturing Bila Hora after a successful offensive by its Yug Group of Forces. The Russian Defence Ministry said it neutralized 74 Ukrainian drones over seven regions, including Moscow, thwarting a major drone attack. In response, Russia launched 426 drones and 24 missiles at Ukraine overnight, causing fires, killing one person, and injuring dozens. The ministry also claimed to have eliminated over 1,250 Ukrainian troops in the last 24 hours as part of its ongoing military operation.#RussiaUkraineWar #DonetskOffensive #DroneAttack #BilaHoraCaptured #RussianMilitary #UkraineConflict #MilitaryUpdate #WarNews #SpecialOperation #RussiaStrikes Read More
CTV News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Russia pounds Ukraine with over 300 drones, killing 1 in Odesa
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, a residential building burns following a Russian air attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP) Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine overnight into Saturday with hundreds of drones, killing at least one person, part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than 3-year-old war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X that Russia fired over 300 drones, along with more than 30 cruise missiles. One person died in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, which was hit with more than 20 drones and a missile, Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov wrote on Telegram, while five people were rescued when a fire broke out in a residential high-rise building. According to Zelenskyy, six other people were wounded in the attack on Odesa, including a child, and critical infrastructure was damaged in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region. The Ukrainian president also thanked international leaders 'who understand how important it is to promptly implement our agreements' aimed at boosting Ukraine's defense capabilities, including joint weapons production, drone manufacturing and the supply of air defense systems. Russia has been intensifying its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities. It now often batters Ukraine with more drones in a single night than it did during some entire months in 2024, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate. On July 8, Russia unleashed more than 700 drones — a record. Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down 71 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that 13 drones were shot down as they approached the Russian capital. In other developments, Ukraine's foreign minister accused Russia on Saturday of deporting Ukrainian citizens into Georgia and leaving them stranded without proper identification. Andrii Sybiha said Moscow has escalated the practice of expelling Ukrainians — many of whom are former prisoners — across its southern border with Georgia, instead of returning them directly to Ukraine. 'Dozens of people, many of whom lack proper documentation, have been stuck in the transit zone,' he wrote on X. There was no immediate response from Moscow.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian strikes kill three across Ukraine
Russian strikes killed three people across Ukraine on Saturday, authorities said, while Moscow had to briefly suspend trains in its southern Rostov region after an overnight drone attack by Kyiv. Russia has escalated long-range aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities as well as frontline assaults and shelling over recent months, defying US President Donald Trump's warning that Moscow could face massive new sanctions if no peace deal is struck. Two people died after a Russian missile hit Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub, which Russia's forces have recently advanced into. According to the regional governor Sergiy Lysak, the strike destroyed "an outpatient clinic, a school and a cultural institution" in the Vasylkivska township, with some private houses and cars damaged as well. Russia, meanwhile, had to suspend trains for about four hours overnight in the southern Rostov region when it came under a Ukrainian drone attack which injured one railway worker. Many passengers remained stranded, and the suspension caused mass delays of trains in the region, which borders Ukraine and over which air traffic has been halted since the beginning of the war three years ago. Separately, the Russian military said it had intercepted six aerial bombs and 349 drones on Saturday. An earlier Russian salvo of 20 drones on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa killed at least one person overnight, its mayor said. "Civilian infrastructure was damaged as a result of the attack. A residential high-rise building is on fire" and rescuers were pulling people out, mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov wrote on Telegram. The Black Sea port, a UNESCO World Heritage listed city known for picturesque streets and 19th-century buildings, has been regularly targeted by Russian strikes. The European Union on Friday agreed an 18th package of sanctions on Moscow that targets Russian banks and lowers a price cap on oil exports, in a bid to curb its ability to fund the war. bur-sco-asy/rmb Solve the daily Crossword
