Latest news with #SerhiiKuzan
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine's audacious drone attack sends critical message to Russia
It's hard to exaggerate the sheer audacity - or ingenuity - that went into Ukraine's countrywide assault on Russia's air force. We cannot possibly verify Ukrainian claims that the attacks resulted in $7bn (£5.2bn) of damage, but it's clear that "Operation Spider's Web" was, at the very least, a spectacular propaganda coup. Ukrainians are already comparing it with other notable military successes since Russia's full-scale invasion, including the sinking of the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, and the bombing of the Kerch Bridge, both in 2022, as well as a missile attack on Sevastopol harbour the following year. Judging by details leaked to the media by Ukraine's military intelligence, the SBU, the latest operation is the most elaborate achievement so far. In an operation said to have taken 18 months to prepare, scores of small drones were smuggled into Russia, stored in special compartments aboard freight trucks, driven to at least four separate locations, thousands of miles apart, and launched remotely towards nearby airbases. "No intelligence operation in the world has done anything like this before," defence analyst Serhii Kuzan told Ukrainian TV. "These strategic bombers are capable of launching long-range strikes against us," he said. "There are only 120 of them and we struck 40. That's an incredible figure." It is hard to assess the damage, but Ukrainian military blogger Oleksandr Kovalenko says that even if the bombers, and command and control aircraft were not destroyed, the impact is enormous. "The extent of the damage is such that the Russian military-industrial complex, in its current state, is unlikely to be able to restore them in the near future," he wrote on his Telegram channel. The strategic missile-carrying bombers in question, the Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160 are, he said, no longer in production. Repairing them will be difficult, replacing them impossible. The loss of the supersonic Tu-160, he said, would be especially keenly felt. "Today, the Russian Aerospace Forces lost not just two of their rarest aircraft, but truly two unicorns in the herd," he wrote. Beyond the physical damage, which may or may not be as great as analysts here are assessing, Operation Spider's Web sends another critical message, not just to Russia but also to Ukraine's western allies. My colleague Svyatoslav Khomenko, writing for the BBC Ukrainian Service website, recalls a recent encounter with a government official in Kyiv. The official was frustrated. "The biggest problem," the official told Svyatoslav, "is that the Americans have convinced themselves we've already lost the war. And from that assumption everything else follows." Ukrainian defence journalist Illia Ponomarenko, posting on X, puts it another way, with a pointed reference to President Volodymyr Zelensky's infamous Oval office encounter with Donald Trump. "This is what happens when a proud nation under attack doesn't listen to all those: 'Ukraine has only six months left'. 'You have no cards'. 'Just surrender for peace, Russia cannot lose'." Even more pithy was a tweet from the quarterly Business Ukraine journal, which proudly proclaimed "It turns out Ukraine does have some cards after all. Today Zelensky played the King of Drones." This, then, is the message Ukrainian delegates carry as they arrive in Istanbul for a fresh round of ceasefire negotiations with representatives from the Kremlin: Ukraine is still in the fight. The Americans "begin acting as if their role is to negotiate for us the softest possible terms of surrender," the government official told Svyatoslav Khomenko. "And then they're offended when we don't thank them. But of course we don't – because we don't believe we've been defeated." Despite Russia's slow, inexorable advance through the battlefields of the Donbas, Ukraine is telling Russia, and the Trump administration, not to dismiss Kyiv's prospects so easily. Ukraine says more than 40 Russian warplanes hit in massive drone strikes At least seven dead after two Russian bridges collapse Silent acts of resistance and fear under Russian occupation in Ukraine
BBC News
01-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Ukraine's audacious drone attack sends critical message to Russia
It's hard to exaggerate the sheer audacity - or ingenuity - that went into Ukraine's countrywide assault on Russia's air cannot possibly verify Ukrainian claims that the attacks resulted in $7bn (£5.2bn) of damage, but it's clear that "Operation Spider's Web" was, at the very least, a spectacular propaganda are already comparing it with other notable military successes since Russia's full-scale invasion, including the sinking of the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, and the bombing of the Kerch Bridge, both in 2022, as well as a missile attack on Sevastopol harbour the following by details leaked to the media by Ukraine's military intelligence, the SBU, the latest operation is the most elaborate achievement so an operation said to have taken 18 months to prepare, scores of small drones were smuggled into Russia, stored in special compartments aboard freight trucks, driven to at least four separate locations, thousands of miles apart, and launched remotely towards nearby airbases. "No intelligence operation in the world has done anything like this before," defence analyst Serhii Kuzan told Ukrainian TV."These strategic bombers are capable of launching long-range strikes against us," he said. "There are only 120 of them and we struck 40. That's an incredible figure."It is hard to assess the damage, but Ukrainian military blogger Oleksandr Kovalenko says that even if the bombers, and command and control aircraft were not destroyed, the impact is enormous."The extent of the damage is such that the Russian military-industrial complex, in its current state, is unlikely to be able to restore them in the near future," he wrote on his Telegram strategic missile-carrying bombers in question, the Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160 are, he said, no longer in production. Repairing them will be difficult, replacing them loss of the supersonic Tu-160, he said, would be especially keenly felt."Today, the Russian Aerospace Forces lost not just two of their rarest aircraft, but truly two unicorns in the herd," he the physical damage, which may or may not be as great as analysts here are assessing, Operation Spider's Web sends another critical message, not just to Russia but also to Ukraine's western colleague Svyatoslav Khomenko, writing for the BBC Ukrainian Service website, recalls a recent encounter with a government official in official was frustrated."The biggest problem," the official told Svyatoslav, "is that the Americans have convinced themselves we've already lost the war. And from that assumption everything else follows."Ukrainian defence journalist Illia Ponomarenko, posting on X, puts it another way, with a pointed reference to President Volodymyr Zelensky's infamous Oval office encounter with Donald Trump."This is what happens when a proud nation under attack doesn't listen to all those: 'Ukraine has only six months left'. 'You have no cards'. 'Just surrender for peace, Russia cannot lose'."Even more pithy was a tweet from the quarterly Business Ukraine journal, which proudly proclaimed "It turns out Ukraine does have some cards after all. Today Zelensky played the King of Drones."This, then, is the message Ukrainian delegates carry as they arrive in Istanbul for a fresh round of ceasefire negotiations with representatives from the Kremlin: Ukraine is still in the Americans "begin acting as if their role is to negotiate for us the softest possible terms of surrender," the government official told Svyatoslav Khomenko."And then they're offended when we don't thank them. But of course we don't – because we don't believe we've been defeated."Despite Russia's slow, inexorable advance through the battlefields of the Donbas, Ukraine is telling Russia, and the Trump administration, not to dismiss Kyiv's prospects so easily.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
eRussia's ‘triple chokehold' tactic driving Ukraine back
Russia is deploying a military strategy known as the 'triple chokehold' to grind down Ukrainian troops, according to experts. Kyiv's forces are facing severe pressure on multiple fronts while Russia works to edge them towards exhaustion by integrating three combat elements into a cohesive strategy greater than the sum of its parts. Vladimir Putin's forces are launching ground assaults to pin troops down, followed by drone strikes to restrict movement, and then launching glide bombs to target offensive positions. There were early signs that Russia was deploying the tactic on the battlefield last year, The Telegraph was told – but Moscow's armies have significantly increased its use over the last two months along the front line. 'The whole Russian army is using the triangle strategy,' said Serhii Kuzan, the chairman of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre. 'We call it the strategy and war of exhaustion.' Since the beginning of this year, Russia has been plagued by a depletion of resources and numerous failed offensives. The country's military is said to be losing over 1,000 soldiers per day, while Ukrainian armed forces have hit 1,159 Russian tanks, and more than 2,500 armoured vehicles since the start of 2025. Heavy losses mean Russia is increasingly trying to press its key advantages over Ukraine – a steady supply of soldiers and an ability to quickly produce drones and glide bombs. These efforts are proving effective, with Russia's forces capturing close to 1,500 square miles of territory last year – its most significant gains since Putin launched his invasion in 2022. 'It's a very attritional mode of warfare,' explained Nick Reynolds, research fellow for land warfare at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). 'These three elements create conflicting imperatives for Ukrainian defenders.' The methodical approach begins with ground assaults fighting to pin down Ukrainian troops, forcing them into defensive positions and stalling their ability to manoeuvre. The continued assaults put heavy pressure on Ukrainian defences. 'By using huge numbers of people and sending them in assaults on Ukrainian positions, they are trying to exhaust our soldiers and our resources,' said Mr Kuzan. 'The intensity of the fighting in places like Pokrovsk is very high, with assaults every two hours. This is of course exhausting for our soldiers.' Next, drones are deployed to restrict Ukrainian mobility, conduct surveillance, target vulnerable points and disrupt troop movements. These drones include first person view (FPV) drones, which allow Russian forces to track Ukrainian positions in real time and quickly respond to any troop movements. 'Because of these drones, Ukraine is forced to man the front line with static defensive positions supported by extensive deception measures, for example, large-scale digging, to obscure where troops are actually concentrated,' said Mr Reynolds The third prong sees Russia deploy glide bombs to target key offensive positions from long distances, weakening Ukraine's ability to sustain operations. These long-range, precision-guided munitions target key Ukrainian positions, particularly artillery and defensive installations. 'This is where the real dilemma comes, or the really difficult one, to which there isn't really an answer,' said Mr Reynolds. 'Digging in and all those protective measures are excellent for reducing attrition by artillery or FPVs, yet glide bombs will destroy those fortifications and bury people.' The combination forces Ukrainian soldiers to choose between holding their positions – risking heavy casualties and resource exhaustion – or staying mobile, which increases their exposure to drone strikes and isolated attacks. Credit: Russian Ministry of Defence 'What pins Ukrainian forces in place is the combined threat of Russian ground operations, artillery, and drones, especially FPV and tactical unmanned aerial vehicles,' added Mr Reynolds. Glide bombs have become the most critical element for this strategy, buoyed by Russia's ability to churn them out quickly. 'Rates of Russian production and employment of glide bombs and FPV drones has greatly increased as the war has gone on,' John Hardie, the deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, told The Telegraph. Russia plans to produce 75,000 glide bombs in 2025, averaging about 205 per day, according to RUSI, greatly increasing its ability to deploy the tactic. Ukraine has adapted to the triple chokehold by shifting to a dynamic defence strategy – constant repositioning and unpredictability, rather than holding fixed positions. It is using a combination of mines, various strike zones and traditional fire against Russian forces before they manage to search its undermanned infantry positions, according to Mr Hardie. Ukraine has also expanded strike-drone units that serve as a key force multiplier, and dramatically increased production of FPV drones and other unmanned systems. 'The Ukrainians have become very adept and innovative about countering all types of Russian attack,' said Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former British Army colonel and chemical weapons expert. The strategy has pushed Ukraine even further into a war of endurance. But as of yet, any gains are incremental for Russia, and the tactic has failed to result in any large-scale operational breakthroughs. 'Russia is fixing the Ukrainian forces but cannot manoeuvre to deliver a decisive blow,' said Mr de Bretton-Gordon. The issues for Russia of under-trained soldiers and a lack of armoured vehicles remain unsolved. Witnesses have reported the use of motorbikes and even e-scooters by Russian troops to push towards Ukrainian defensive lines. The glide bombs also have a significantly high failure rate. 'They have found it very difficult to concentrate force because this type of manoeuvre takes a lot of training and co-ordination,' said Mr de Bretton-Gordon. 'Most of the soldiers on the front line now are barely trained conscripts who can just attack in a straight line,' he added. 'Many cannot even clean their rifles properly.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Newsweek
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Ukrainians Declare Victory in Battle of Pokrovsk
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Russia's battle for the eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk is a "failure," according to the head of a Ukrainian think tank, after many months of bitter fighting and slow Russian gains around the settlement. Why It Matters Russia has long hoped to take the Ukrainian stronghold of Pokrovsk, but rather than attacking the settlement directly, Moscow has skirted to the south of the Donetsk town and advanced toward the border of Ukraine's neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region. Pokrovsk, a major logistics hub, has borne the brunt of the fiercest frontline clashes for much of the last year. The town has been referred to as a "fortress" settlement, key to Ukrainian defenses in the east and connected to other critical defensive cities. What To Know "We are seeing a coordinated Russian information campaign tied to their failure — the fact that they have lost the battle for Pokrovsk," Serhii Kuzan, from the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, a Ukrainian think tank, said in an interview with Ukrainian broadcaster, Radio NV. While Moscow has advanced around Pokrovsk, progress has been incremental for Russian troops and the town remains in Ukraine's hands. Ukraine has said Russia's casualty count is "many times higher" than Ukraine's around Pokrovsk. This could not be independently verified, but Russia is known for its "meat grinder" assault tactics, or overwhelming Ukrainian defenses with high numbers of troops while racking up eyewatering casualties. A Ukrainian soldier walks past damaged buildings in central Pokrovsk, the site of the heaviest battles with the Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. A Ukrainian soldier walks past damaged buildings in central Pokrovsk, the site of the heaviest battles with the Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. AP Photo/Michael Shtekel Kuzan said Ukraine had "properly executed" its defensive strategy for Pokrovsk, disrupting Moscow's timelines for seizing the town and "foiling their much larger offensive plans for this summer." "We disrupted their plans, and now they are falling behind their own schedules — schedules that are critical for their summer offensive campaign," Kuzan said. "They can't push us out of Donetsk Oblast because we stopped them under Pokrovsk," he added. Kyiv has warned Russia is pulling together reserve forces for a major push, while senior Ukrainian officials say Moscow launched a concerted effort in two areas of northeastern Ukraine earlier this month. Ukraine had said that it launched an incursion into Russia's Kursk region in August last year, partly to pull Russian resources away from Donetsk settlements like Pokrovsk. Russia has recently advanced along a railroad line west of the village of Shevchenko, which sits south of Pokrovsk, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank, which tracks daily changes to the frontline, said on Tuesday. Ukraine's military said early on Wednesday it had "stopped" 75 Russian attacks around Pokrovsk over the previous 24 hours, including around Shevchenko. In a later statement on Wednesday, Ukraine's top soldier, General Oleksandr Syrsky, said Russia had "significantly increased" attacks close to Pokrovsk in a bid to reach the Dnipropetrovsk region, despite announcing a unilateral ceasefire due to come into force in May. "The Russian command daily throws new units into battle, drives its soldiers to their deaths, reports on illusory successes and victories," Syrsky said. The Kremlin declared a ceasefire on Monday to observe the 80th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War. This is the term used by Russia to describe its participation in World War II after it joined the Allies in 1941, and the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. Moscow has consistently claimed its invasion of Ukraine aimed to "de-Nazify" the country, a pretext widely rejected. Russia will not conduct any military operations between midnight on May 8 and midnight on May 11, the Kremlin said, adding that "Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example." The announcement was greeted with skepticism by Ukraine. Russia's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday its forces had seized a village in the the north of the Donetsk region. Newsweek could not independently verify this. What People Are Saying The Russian government said on Wednesday: "As a result of active offensive actions, units of the West military group liberated the settlement of Novoye in the Donetsk People's Republic." Syrsky said on Wednesday: "Despite loud statements about readiness for a ceasefire for the May holidays, the occupiers have significantly increased the intensity of hostilities, focusing their main efforts on the Pokrovsk direction." What Happens Next It is not clear yet if and how the failure to capture Pokrovsk will affect Russia's alleged plans for a new summer offensive, where Moscow allegedly hopes to deploy troops on motorcycles to counter Ukraine's drones.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The North Korean missile that exposed defenceless Ukraine
When Russia first launched a North Korean ballistic missile at a target in Ukraine, it was accurate to an area hundreds of metres wide. Since that day on December 29 2023, Russian engineers have been attempting to modify and modernise the roughly 148 KN-23 and KN-24 projectiles Moscow received from Pyongyang. Over a year later, on April 24 2025, the missile was responsible for its deadliest attack when a Russian-launched KN-23 slammed into a residential area in Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi district, killing 12 civilians and injuring over 90 others. In the wake of Thursday's attack, which exposed Kyiv's strained air defences, Ukrainian intelligence now believes the missiles have been fine-tuned to make them accurate to an area of tens of metres, as opposed to hundreds. The KN-23 is based on the Russian Iskander-M missile, a weapon with a range of about 500 kilometres and a warhead of about 700 kilograms. However, the North Korean versions are armed with more powerful warheads – up to one tonne, according to the Ukrainian intelligence agency. Ballistic missiles can fly at hypersonic speeds above Mach-5, making them much harder to intercept by fighter jets or ground-based systems. Seven such missiles, identified as either KN-23 or Iskander, were used in the deadly attack on Kyiv earlier this week. Despite the lethality of the weapons, they would have usually provided Ukraine's armed forces with a series of routine interceptions using the US-supplied Patriot systems that guard the capital. But stocks of the PAC interceptor missiles used by the surface-to-air batteries are dwindling dangerously low. Serhii Kuzan, of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre and a former adviser to the ministry of defence, said: 'If Ukraine had more Patriot air defence systems, and most importantly, interceptor missiles, the consequences of Russian terrorist attacks would be much smaller. 'Currently, Ukrainian calculations have to choose targets for destruction, prioritising them.' The interception radius of a ballistic missile, because of their speed, is between 20 and 25 kilometres, Yurii Ihnat, a spokesman for Ukraine's air force, said. Ukraine currently operates around six full Patriot batteries, which is not enough to cover the entire country. The US-made system is Kyiv's best response to the Russian threat of ballistic missiles. Joe Biden, the former president, donated three of them, as has Germany. The Netherlands has donated at least three launchers to help bolster the complete systems already in place. Despite the donations, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, has estimated that they need at least 25 systems to cover all Ukrainian territory. 'We don't have as many Patriots as we need. The president speaks about this constantly,' Mr Ihnat said. 'We urgently need more Patriots, as well as other systems like Iris-T and Nasams that have proven themselves.' But even those Patriots deployed in Ukraine are only as useful as the number of PAC interceptor rockets that remain in the country's stockpiles. That quantity of missiles is incredibly low, according to Mr Ihnat, who did not comment on the exact number remaining for security reasons. The estimated cost of each missile is between $2 million and $3 million, and volumes are thought to be low across the world, not just in Ukraine. Only the US carries a significant arsenal and is capable of supplying Kyiv's needs. But Donald Trump has not yet moved to transfer any of his forces' PAC missiles to Ukraine, as his predecessor, Mr Biden, did on numerous occasions. It is unclear whether the final remaining packages of aid still flowing between Washington and Kyiv, as agreed and arranged by the previous administration, contain the interceptors. Data collected by The Telegraph show that since Mr Trump took office, Ukraine's interception rate of Russian missile launches has shrunk dramatically. In the summer of 2024, Ukraine intercepted about 60 per cent of all missiles. Last month, it only intercepted 42 per cent. While this is not definitive evidence, it does go a long way to suggest Mr Trump's refusal to restart significant military aid to Kyiv, as he tries to broker a peace deal with Moscow, is having real-world impacts. At one point in time, Mr Zelensky would ask his American counterpart for free donations of Patriot systems and the required interceptor rockets. Now, the Ukrainian president has changed his approach, instead offering to buy at least 10 of those systems from the US, using money collected from other Western allies. To satisfy the thirst for interceptors, Ukraine would also purchase the rights and production machinery to manufacture them itself. 'President Trump agreed to work with him to find what was available, particularly in Europe,' the White House said after a call with Mr Zelensky last month. But ultimately, the American leader snubbed the opportunity to sell systems to Ukraine because it could upset his attempts to convince Vladimir Putin to negotiate a ceasefire and peace deal. Just over a month later, Moscow's forces launched one of their largest aerial salvos of the war so far – 70 missiles and 150 drones on the night of April 24. All Mr Trump could say was: 'Vladimir, STOP!' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
