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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian missiles target western Ukraine in latest mass attack
Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated. Russia launched another large-scale attack against Ukraine overnight on June 9, assailing cities across the country with drones and missiles. Multiple rounds of explosions have been reported in Rivne, a city far from the front lines in northwestern Ukraine, amid an ongoing drone and missile attack. The mass strike comes shortly after Russia on June 6 launched 452 drones and 45 missiles at Ukraine in a single night — one of the largest aerial attacks in the full-scale war. The Kremlin claimed the bombardment was retaliation for Kyiv's Operation Spiderweb drone strike on Russian strategic aircraft. Ukraine's Air Force issued aerial alerts throughout the night on June 8-9, warning multiple regions of the threat of ballistic missiles and Shahed-type attack drones. Explosions have been reported in Kyiv and Rivne. The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said it scrambled fighter jets in response to the Russian aerial attacks in western Ukraine. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, reported that an office building in the capital's Darnytsia district had been damaged in the attack. Read also: Trump administration redirects 20,000 anti-drone missiles meant for Ukraine, Zelensky confirms Reuters reported on June 8 that the U.S. expects Russia to launch more large-scale, multi-pronged strikes at Ukraine in the coming days as part of Moscow's "asymmetrical" response to Operation Spiderweb. The Kremlin's retaliation could target high-value government sites, such as administrative buildings or intelligence facilities, a Western diplomatic source said. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on June 1 carried out an audacious mass drone attack on four key Russian air bases, reportedly damaging 41 military planes, including the heavy bombers Moscow uses to carry out attacks on Ukrainian cities. The operation took 18 months to plan and execute, and allegedly caused $7 billion of damage to Russia's aerial fleet. Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly warned U.S. President Donald Trump during a June 5 phone call that Moscow was preparing a response to the operation. That night, Russia's mass strikes injured 80 people and killed four civilians, including emergency workers. Trump said the next day that Operation Spiderweb "gave Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night." Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb exclusively targeted military facilities — specifically, the aircraft used to bomb civilian targets in Ukraine. The strike followed three years of aerial attacks and three months of Russian refusal to accept a ceasefire. In the days leading up to the June 1 operation, Russia launched three heavy aerial attacks against Ukraine over three consecutive nights. President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the idea that Russia's attacks are a response to Operation Spiderweb. Following a night and day of relentless bombings in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Zelensky on June 7 said Russia's strikes were "not 'retaliation' but acts of destruction." Read also: Ukraine war latest: US expects Russia's retaliation for Operation Spiderweb to continue soon; Ukraine denies Russian troop presence in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, describes situation as 'tense' We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Globe and Mail
02-06-2025
- General
- Globe and Mail
Ukraine, Russia meet in Turkey for second round of peace talks after string of major attacks
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine gathered in Turkey on Monday for their second round of direct peace talks in just over two weeks, although expectations were low for any significant progress on ending the three-year war after a string of major attacks over the weekend. Ukraine said Sunday it launched a spectacular surprise attack on five Russian airbases thousands of kilometres apart, ranging from air bases close to Moscow to targets in Russia's Arctic, Siberia, and Far East. The targets were more than 7,000 km from Ukraine. More than 40 Russian warplanes were destroyed, Ukraine claimed, in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called a 'brilliant operation' that involved more than a year of planning. Meanwhile, Russia on Sunday launched the biggest number of drones – 472 – on Ukraine since the full-scale invasion in February, 2022, Ukraine's air force said, in an apparent effort to overwhelm air defences. U.S.-led efforts to push the two sides into accepting a ceasefire have failed. Ukraine accepted that step, but the Kremlin effectively rejected it. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, assessed late Sunday that 'Russia is attempting to delay negotiations and prolong the war in order to make additional battlefield gains.' Satellite data shed light on Russia's modern-day gulags for Ukrainian children International concerns about the war's consequences, as well as trade tensions, drove Asian share prices lower Monday while oil prices surged. Recent comments by senior officials in both countries indicate they remain far apart on the key conditions for stopping the war. The first round of talks, held on May 16, also in Istanbul, ended after less than two hours. While both sides agreed on a large prisoner swap, there was no breakthrough. The Ukrainian delegation led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov was in Istanbul for Monday's meeting, Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, said in a message posted on the Ukrainian Embassy WhatsApp group. The Russian delegation headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, arrived Sunday evening, Russian state media reported. Turkish officials said the meeting would start at 1 p.m. local time, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan presiding over the talks and officials from the Turkish intelligence agency also present. However, Ukrainian spokesperson Tykhyi said the start would be at midday local time. It was not immediately possible to clarify the discrepancy. Macron warns abandoning Ukraine would erode U.S. credibility in deterring potential conflict with China Fierce fighting has continued along the roughly 1,000-km front line, and both sides have hit each other's territory with deep strikes. Russian air defences downed 162 Ukrainian drones over eight Russian regions overnight, as well as over the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, Russia's Defence Ministry said Monday. Ukrainian air defences damaged 52 out of 80 drones launched by Russia overnight, the Ukrainian air force said. Two ballistic missiles struck a residential neighbourhood in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Monday morning, including one that hit near a school, the city's mayor said. One missile landed near an apartment building, while the second struck a road near the school, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in a statement and published a photo of a wide crater. 'Standing next to the crater, you realize how different it all could have been,' Terekhov wrote. 'A few more meters – and it would have hit the building. A few more minutes – and cars, buses would have been on the road.' No casualties were reported.
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Tuesday, May 27. Russia's War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine
KRAMATORSK, UKRAINE - MAY 27: On the night of May 26, at approximately 11:15 p.m., Russian forces ... More carried out three airstrikes targeting the city with FAB-250 aerial bombs. Photo by Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,189. Russia's Attacks on Ukraine Russia launched an unprecedented wave of aerial attacks on Ukraine between May 24 and 26, deploying 903 drones and 92 missiles over three consecutive nights, marking the most intense bombardment since the start of the war. On May 26 alone, Ukraine's Air Force intercepted nine cruise missiles and neutralized 288 of the 355 incoming drones, a record number deployed in single attack to date. Despite the staggering number of drones and missiles launched, Ukraine reported no civilian casualties in the assault; the previous day's barrage, however, killed at least 13 civilians, including three children, and wounded more than 60 people across the country. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed dismay with Russian President Vladimir Putin following Moscow's massive attacks. Speaking to reporters in Morristown, New Jersey, on May 25 Trump said, 'I don't know what's wrong with him. What the hell happened to him? Right? He's killing a lot of people. I'm not happy about that.' The Trump administration has not yet announced new sanctions or measures to deter Russia's escalating aggression. Russia followed up its massive overnight bombardments on May 25 and 26 with sporadic daytime assaults. Cluster munitions designed to maximize casualties hit a house in northern Sumy oblast, or region, killing one woman and injuring another, on May 26. The previous day, Russian artillery shelling killed a man in a nearby village. Also on May 25, a coordinated glide bomb and drone attack on six settlements in Ukraine's eastern region of Kharkiv killed two women in the city of Kupyansk. Odesa region. Russia struck the Black Sea port city of Odesa with two ballistic missiles on May 23, killing three men and injuring five other people. Kherson region. Russian drone attacks in southern Ukraine killed one resident and injured four others on May 25 while causing widespread damage to civilian infrastructure. Donetsk region. On May 23, a Russian glide bomb struck a residential area in the eastern city of Kostyantynivka, killing one woman and injuring three other people. Germany has joined its major NATO allies in lifting range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine, allowing Kyiv to strike targets inside Russia without limits, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on May 26. This policy shift paves the way for Berlin to deliver its Taurus cruise missiles, capable of hitting targets more than 300 miles away, which Ukraine has long requested. Previously, the German government hesitated to send long-range missiles for fears of escalating tensions with Russia, a nuclear power. The recent move aligns Germany with France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, who have already eased similar restrictions on long-range weapons sent to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will reportedly visit Berlin on Wednesday, May 28, for a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. According to German officials, Merz will brief Zelenskyy on a forthcoming European Union sanctions package against Moscow and discuss potential German support for scaling Ukraine's defense production. It is not yet clear whether Zelenskyy's visit is connected to Germany's recent decision to allow the use of its weapons against military targets on Russian territory. The Netherlands has dispatched the last of the 24 American-made F-16 fighter jets promised to Ukraine on May 26, according to Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans. Alongside the jets, the Netherlands is also training Ukrainian pilots and sharing military expertise to help modernize Ukraine's armed forces to NATO standards. The first F-16s from the Netherlands arrived in Ukraine in October 2024, with additional deliveries continuing through early 2025. Ukraine has lost three F-16s so far in the conflict. Ukraine's dollar bonds, once a top emerging-market play on Donald Trump's promised peace deal, have tumbled more than 10% in 2025, making them the worst performers globally, as hopes fade for a swift resolution to the war. The optimism that nearly doubled bond prices after Ukraine's 2023 restructuring has evaporated with Trump's stalled diplomatic overtures, including Putin's snub of proposed Istanbul talks. Meanwhile, East European markets like Warsaw and Budapest are soaring on the back of massive defense spending pledges. By Danylo Nosov, Karina L. Tahiliani
The Sun
11-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Trump ‘to accept luxury Palace in the Sky Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatari royals' in most expensive gift ever to US
THE Trump administration is reportedly set to accept the most expensive gift ever given to the United States by a foreign power. The Qatari royal family is offering a $400million Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet - described as a "palace in the sky" - to the U.S. Government. 3 3 Sources told ABC News the jet would be made available for Trump to use as Air Force One during his second term in office. The ultra-luxury aircraft is expected to be announced as a formal gift next week when Trump visits Qatar, the insiders claimed. Trump personally toured the jet back in February while it was parked at West Palm Beach International Airport. If accepted, the 13-year-old aircraft would first be transferred to the U.S. Air Force. It would be outfitted with top-tier communications and security tech before taking flight with the president on board. Ownership of the plane would then pass to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation by January 1, 2029, according to ABC's sources. That handover - along with all associated costs - will reportedly be handled by the U.S. Air Force. The main aircraft used in the current Air Force One fleet includes two Boeing 747-200 jumbo jets. They have been operational since 1990 and are said to be not up to scratch compared to modern jets. Harry Cole analyses Trump and Starmer's new US-UK trade deal But the Air Force contract with Boeing to replace those aircraft has been plagued by delays and budget overruns. The original contract was signed in 2018 - but last year Boeing predicted that the jet would not be ready until 2029. By then, The Don will have left office. The arrangement has raised eyebrows in Washington, with questions swirling over whether it violates the Constitution's emoluments clause, which bans officials from accepting gifts 'from any King, Prince or foreign State.' Most unusual gifts given to U.S. presidents by Harvey Geh In 1904, Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia gifted President Theodore Roosevelt a zebra and a lion, which were sent to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. In 1972, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai gifted President Richard Nixon two giant pandas, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, following Nixon's historic visit to China, marking the beginning of "panda diplomacy". In 2002, President Georgi Parvanov presented President George W. Bush with a Bulgarian Goran shepherd pup named "Balkan," which was later given to a family in Maryland due to restrictions. In 1990, Indonesian President Suharto gifted President George H.W. Bush a pair of Komodo dragons, which were subsequently donated to the Cincinnati Zoo. In 2008, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete presented President George W. Bush with stuffed leopard and lion trophies during a state visit. In 2003, Argentine President Néstor Kirchner gave President George W. Bush 300 pounds of raw lamb as a gesture of goodwill. In 2011, Barack Obama was given crocodile insurance, which would have paid out 50,000 Australian Dollars to his wife if he were attacked by a croc. In 2012, David Cameron presented Obama with a Dunlop table tennis table, and in return was given a "one-of-a-kind" Braten 1000 Series charcoal and wood burning grill, handmade by Engelbrecht Grills and Cookers of Paxton, from Illinois. But lawyers for the White House and Department of Justice insist it's legal. ABC reports Attorney General Pam Bondi and Trump's top White House lawyer David Warrington concluded the deal is 'legally permissible.' They argue the gift is not going directly to Trump but instead to the federal government - and eventually a public institution. Experts say the jumbo jet is valued at around $400million - not including the additional communications and high tech equipment which will need to be added. According to the Wall Street Journal, aviation firm L3Harris has already been commissioned to overhaul the aircraft. The Sun has contacted the White House for more information.
