Latest news with #RussianMinistryOfDefence
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Zelensky hails 'brilliant success' in attacking Russian airfields
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has celebrated the surprise attack by his intelligence service, the SBU, on several Russian military airfields as an "absolutely brilliant success." He said this was Ukraine's most far-reaching operation in the course of the war so far. "One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective implementation," Zelensky wrote on the platform X on Sunday evening. He instructed the intelligence service to inform the public about part of the operation. The SBU attacked several Russian military airfields in a coordinated action, claiming to have destroyed over 40 combat and reconnaissance aircraft. According to the SBU, about 34% of the Russian bombers capable of launching cruise missiles were destroyed. The SBU estimated the value of the damaged or destroyed bombers at $7 billion. The information has not been independently verified. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed the drone attack early Sunday evening, describing them as "terrorist attacks" on military airfields in the regions of Ivanovo, Ryazan, Amur, Murmansk and Irkutsk. The attacks in the regions of Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur were repelled, Moscow said. In the regions of Murmansk and Irkutsk, "some" aircraft caught fire due to drone attacks, but the Russian Ministry of Defence downplayed the impact of the attacks. The fires were extinguished, it said, adding that there were no injuries among military personnel or civilians. The agents involved in the operation have already returned to Ukraine, according to the SBU and Zelensky. If Russia reports arrests, this claim "only serves the domestic audience," the SBU said. Early Sunday evening, Russian security forces were cited by the state news agency TASS as saying that some participants had been arrested.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia claims 110 Ukrainian drones downed across multiple regions
Russia claims its air defences intercepted and destroyed 110 Ukrainian drones overnight on 24-25 May. Source: Russian Ministry of Defence on Telegram Details: According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, 16 drones were downed over Tula Oblast, 14 over Bryansk and Kaluga oblasts, 13 over Moscow and Tver oblasts, 10 over Belgorod and Kursk oblasts, eight over Oryol Oblast, two over Smolensk Oblast and one each over Lipetsk, Nizhny Novgorod and Novgorod oblasts. Seven drones were reportedly intercepted over annexed Crimea. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia and Ukraine exchange another 307 prisoners in major swap deal
Russia and Ukraine have continued their largest prisoner exchange to date, releasing a further 307 people each, the Russian Ministry of Defence said on Saturday. A total exchange between Moscow and Kiev of 1,000 prisoners each had been agreed upon in the largest such deal to date. "The large-scale exchange initiated by the Russian side is continuing," the Russian Ministry of Defence announced. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Russia had also released 307 prisoners. The previous day, 390 prisoners were freed on each side. Zelensky said that further releases were expected on Sunday. The Russian soldiers are currently on the territory of Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance, the ministry in Moscow stated. "All Russian military personnel will be brought to the Russian Federation for treatment and rehabilitation," it added. Exchange in several stages Russia and Ukraine had announced several stages of this largest prisoner exchange to date. "There is no greater joy," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha wrote on the platform X after the first round on Friday. "Such humanitarian confidence-building measures are crucial for our ongoing work to restore peace." According to the responsible coordination staff in Kiev, three women and 387 men were freed from Russian captivity on Friday. The released soldiers had reportedly defended Ukraine in the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, Kharkiv and Kherson. All are being medically examined and receiving physical and psychological assistance. According to the Ministry of Defence in Moscow, 270 prisoners of war and 120 civilians were released from Ukrainian captivity on Friday. Among the civilians were also citizens from areas temporarily controlled by Kiev's troops in the Russian region of Kursk. The exchange was agreed upon last week during talks in Istanbul. It remained the only concrete result of the first direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations since 2022, which had been particularly urged by US President Donald Trump. Injuries after Russian drone attack on Kiev At least 15 people were injured in a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kiev and surrounding areas, officials said on Saturday. The injuries were caused by falling debris from drones that were intercepted and shot down by air defences, according to local authorities. Eight people were initially reported injured. "There were many fires and explosions in the city at night," Zelensky posted on social media. It was a difficult night for Ukraine as a whole, with 250 drone attacks and airstrikes with 14 ballistic missiles, Zelensky added. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko had warned of continued danger as the first wave of drones approached the city. "Stay in shelters!" he urged residents on Telegram. Teymur Tkachenko, head of the city's military administration, reported that debris had caused fires in residential buildings in two districts. Emergency crews were dispatched to the affected sites, he said. Kiev calls for greater international pressure on Moscow Foreign Minister Sybiha posted critical comments on X that Russia had still not delivered the promised "peace memorandum" after the first direct negotiations between Kiev and Moscow since 2022 in Istanbul just over a week ago. "Instead, Russia is sending deadly drones and missiles at the civilian population," said the minister. "This is Russia's response to international peace efforts and clear proof that increased sanctions pressure on Moscow is necessary to accelerate the peace process." Zelensky later urged the United States, European Union and others to step up punitive measures against Russia. In addition to Kiev, the regions of Odessa, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv were among those affected by the Russian attacks. Moscow threatened retaliation after Kiev's drone attacks The Russian Foreign Ministry had previously announced retaliatory strikes in response to what it described as "massive terrorist attacks" by Kiev. Ukraine had launched drones at Moscow and other Russian regions in recent days as part of its defence against the ongoing Russian invasion of its territory. The Russian ministry accused Kiev of attacking civilian infrastructure and civilians with the aim of wrecking the resumed peace negotiation process.
Al Jazeera
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Ukraine calls for new sanctions as Russia hits Kyiv amid prisoner exchanges
Ukrainian officials have renewed their calls for more sanctions on Russia after Russian forces launched dozens of attack drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight ahead of a second exchange of soldiers and civilians. Ukraine's military on Saturday said overnight attacks launched from multiple Russian regions used 250 drones and 14 ballistic missiles to hit Kyiv, damaging several apartment buildings and a shopping mall, and injuring at least 15 people. Sites in the Ukrainian regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Zaporizhia were also hit, with Ukrainian forces saying six of the ballistic missiles were shot down by its air defences, along with 245 drones, many of which were said to be Iranian-designed. Oleh Syniehubov, head of Kharkiv's regional state administration, said on Saturday morning that four Ukrainians were killed and several others injured over the past 24 hours in the region as a result of multiple Russian attacks. Meanwhile, Russia's Ministry of Defence on Saturday said at least 100 Ukrainian drones attempted to strike Russian targets overnight. It said 64 unmanned aerial vehicles were downed overnight in the skies of the Belgorod region, along with 10 additional drones launched on Saturday morning. Dozens more projectiles were downed over Kursk, Lipetsk and Voronezh and another five were shot down over Tver northwest of Moscow, it said. The latest air attacks came hours after the two sides each released 270 servicemen and 120 civilians on the Ukrainian border with Belarus, as part of the biggest prisoner exchange since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Both sides have agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners, with further swaps expected soon. In a social media post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country had another 'difficult night' that he believes should convince the world that 'the reason for the war being dragged out is in Moscow'. 'It is obvious that we need to put much more pressure on Russia to get results and start real diplomacy. We are waiting for sanctions from the US, Europe and all our partners. Only additional sanctions against key sectors of the Russian economy will force Moscow to agree to a ceasefire.' The Group of Seven (G7) nations threatened on Friday to impose further sanctions on Russia if it fails to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said a week after talks in Turkiye's capital Istanbul led only to an agreement on the exchange of prisoners of war, that Moscow has yet to send any 'peace memorandum'. 'Instead, Russia sends deadly drones and missiles at civilians,' he wrote in a post on X, adding that 'increased sanctions pressure on Moscow is necessary to accelerate the peace process.' Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera's John Hendren said the Istanbul meeting was disappointing for Zelenskyy because he wanted a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'Instead, it was a much lower-level meeting. But they did manage to get this prisoner swap,' he said, adding that the exchanges could be over by Sunday but the details were not clear. 'Zelenskyy has been disappointed by the lack of additional US sanctions against Russia. Europe has agreed to new sanctions, but it's not clear that they will really have the desired effect to bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.'
CBC
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Ukraine, Russia begin what is expected to be largest prisoner swap since 2022 invasion
Social Sharing Russia and Ukraine each released 390 prisoners on Friday and said they would free more in the coming days, in what is expected to be the biggest prisoner swap of the war so far. The agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners each was the only concrete step toward peace to emerge last week from two hours of talks in Istanbul, the first direct talks between the warring sides in more than three years. The Russian Ministry of Defence said each side had released 270 soldiers and 120 civilians on Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the total of 390 each, and said more would be released on Saturday and Sunday. Earlier, Ukrainian authorities told reporters to assemble at a location in the northern Chernihiv region in anticipation that some freed prisoners could be brought there. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been wounded or killed in Europe's deadliest war since the Second World War, although neither side publishes accurate casualty figures. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have also died as Russian forces have besieged and bombarded Ukrainian cities. The Russian Defence Ministry said those released included civilians captured in Russia's Kursk region during a Ukrainian incursion there that began last year. The freed Russian servicemen and civilians were in Belarus, which neighbours Ukraine, and receiving psychological and medical assistance before being moved to Russia for further care, it said. Deadly attack in Odesa While U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is losing patience with both countries as the U.S. seeks an end to the war, in general he has shifted American policy from supporting Ukraine with significant military and humanitarian aid to accepting some of Russia's account of the war. Trump said he could tighten sanctions on Moscow if it blocked peace, but after speaking with Putin on Monday there was no immediate action, even as the European Union issued its 17th sanctions package against Russia. WATCH l Canadian comedy legend on Ukraine connection, inspiring Kyiv visit: Ukraine's quiet resistance surprises comedian Dave Thomas 5 days ago Duration 10:01 Iconic Canadian comedian Dave Thomas, best known as half of Bob and Doug McKenzie, recently spent time in Ukraine and was surprised by how normal life carried on — with a sense of quiet resistance. McKenzie spoke to The National's Ian Hanomansing about his experience there and why he's always valued his Canadian passport. Referring to the prisoner swap earlier on Friday, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big???" Moscow says it is ceasefire-ready for talks while the fighting goes on, and wants to discuss what it calls the war's "root causes," including its demands Ukraine cede more territory, and be disarmed and barred from military alliances with the West. Kyiv says that is tantamount to surrender and would leave it defenceless in the face of future Russian attacks. Meanwhile, fighting has continued. Russia, which occupies about one-fifth of Ukraine, claimed on Friday to have captured a settlement called Rakivka in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region. The governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, said Russia had struck port infrastructure there with two missiles on Friday afternoon, killing one person and wounding eight.
