Latest news with #Uragan
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ukraine war latest: Germany threatens 'significant tightening' of Russia sanctions ahead of Ukraine peace talks
Key developments on May 13: Germany's Merz threatens 'significant tightening' of Russia sanctions ahead of Ukraine peace talks Rubio to attend Ukraine, Russia peace talks in Istanbul, Trump says Zelensky to meet Erdogan in Turkey where both will wait for Putin ahead of peace talks Ukraine reports destroying Russian Buk air defense system, Uragan rocket launcher Former nuclear power plant employee arrested for allegedly helping Russia's GRU target drone strikes The European Union is prepared to significantly tighten sanctions against Russia if no progress is made in ending the war in Ukraine this week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 13, Reuters reported. The statement comes ahead of a potential meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul on May 15. Merz said EU leaders support Zelensky's diplomatic push for a ceasefire but warn of sweeping new sanctions if Putin refuses to engage seriously. "We are waiting for Putin's agreement, and we agree that if there is no real progress this week, we want to work together at the European level for a significant tightening of sanctions," Merz said during a news conference. An EU official told the Kyiv Independent that the bloc will unveil its next package of sanctions on May 14. The 17th round of EU measures could target additional sectors of Russia's economy, with new penalties reportedly focused on energy and financial markets. The EU has imposed 16 sanctions packages since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, targeting military suppliers, Russian state entities, and individuals involved in the war. Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets. "I believe more compromise and more concessions are no longer reasonable," he said. "We support President Zelensky's efforts, but there must be a real effort from Russia in return — starting with a ceasefire." Read also: 'Not what Putin was expecting' — What we know (and don't know) about Ukraine, Russia peace talks in Istanbul U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on May 13 that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials will attend planned peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey on May 15 The announcement comes as international attention centers on Istanbul, after Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed hosting direct talks there between Kyiv and Moscow. Zelensky has said he will attend but the Kremlin has so far stayed quiet about the possibility of Putin attending. "Our people are going to be going there. Marco is going to be going there. Others are going to be going, and we'll see if we can get it done," Trump said during the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum. Earlier, Reuters reported that Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, would travel to Istanbul to observe the negotiations. Rubio's participation marks the first public confirmation of Cabinet-level U.S. involvement. Read also: As Ukraine, Russia peace talks loom, all eyes are on Putin's next move Zelensky said on May 13 that he expects a ceasefire to result from a potential in-person meeting with Putin, which may take place in Istanbul on May 15. Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Putin chooses to attend the talks there. "We will be waiting to meet with Putin in Turkey. So that Russia does not manipulate cities and say that Putin is not ready to fly to Ankara, but is ready to fly only to Istanbul," Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv during a press conference. "I have conveyed the signal to President Erdogan, and the Turkish side is ready." The meeting, if it occurs, would mark the first direct negotiations between the two leaders since 2019 and could signal a breakthrough in stalled diplomatic efforts to end Russia's full-scale invasion. The Kremlin has not confirmed Putin's participation, while Kyiv continues to demand an unconditional ceasefire. Read also: Russia killed Ukrainian author Victoria Amelina — but not her words or quest for justice Ukrainian Special Operations Forces' attack drones destroyed a Russian Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile system and a Uragan-1 multiple launch rocket system (MLSR), the military branch reported on May 13. During reconnaissance in an unspecified front-line sector, Special Operations Forces' operators detected the Buk-M3 and the Uragan-1 on combat duty, the unit said. Ukrainian forces then launched attack drones and hit the targets, destroying the Buk-M3 system with an estimated value of $45 million, as well as its ammunition. The statement did not specify the time of the attack. 0:00 / 1× The Soviet-era Buk surface-to-air missile systems are used both by Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine inherited Buk anti-aircraft systems from the Soviet Union, but the weapons typically use Russian-produced missiles. In 2023, Ukraine announced it had converted the systems to fire U.S. missiles. The Uragan-1 is a Russian multi-caliber rocket launcher with the ability to swap launch containers. It operates with calibers of 200 and 300 mm. Read also: After spying scandal erupts, Orban accuses Ukraine of meddling, cooperating with Hungarian opposition A former employee of the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has been arrested on suspicion of working with Russian military intelligence (GRU) to help target drone strikes on the facility's power lines, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on May 13. According to the SBU, the man was to assist strikes on high-voltage power lines that connect the Rivne NPP in Rivne Oblast with the Kyiv Oblast power facilities, supplying electricity to the capital and the surrounding area. The suspect quit his job at the Rivne NPP before the full-scale war began. In the spring of 2025, a GRU liaison contacted him and offered cooperation in exchange for money. The suspect tried to install a GPS tracker on one of the main power line's poles. To approach the facility unnoticed, he allegedly scouted the locations of Ukrainian troops guarding the NPP. The man was detained when trying to activate a tracking module, the SBU said. Read also: Romania heads to historic presidential runoff as populist and pro-EU candidate are neck-and-neck We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Economist
08-05-2025
- Business
- Economist
A glimpse inside Putin's secret arms empire
The Economist tracks mobile signals to plot the Kremlin's build-up General Chris Cavoli, NATO's top commander, recently told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia was replacing troops, tanks and munitions 'at an unprecedented pace'. Its factories would roll out 1,500 tanks this year, compared with America's 135. It would produce 3,000 armoured vehicles; America produces no new infantry fighting vehicles. Russia would produce 250,000 shells per month, putting it 'on track to build a stockpile three times greater than the United States and Europe combined'. To understand the scale of Russia's defence-industrial expansion, The Economist consulted a Western company which uses artificial intelligence to sift through data from a variety of mostly commercially available sources. This shows how the number of electronic devices, such as mobile phones, present at an industrial site has changed over time. The data capture only a fraction of total devices present—perhaps 2% to 10% of the number—but they serve as a proxy for the level of activity. The firm asked to remain anonymous owing to the sensitivity of the topic. OmskOmskRUSSIA Image: Airbus, Google Consider Omsktransmash, or the Omsk tank plant, one of the largest tank factories in Russia. The facility takes old T-80 tanks, which were produced decades ago, and upgrades them, working around the clock. The level of activity at Omsktransmash grew slightly prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, before dropping. But since the invasion, the number of people at the factory has climbed dramatically. The level of activity has remained particularly high since the middle of 2023, when the Kremlin realised that it would need to mobilise for a long war. The same story can be seen across Russia's defence-industrial facilities. Vehicles Uralvagonzavod tank facility Arzamas plant Kurganmashzavod plant Motovilikha plant Uralvagonzavod, Russia's largest tank facility, saw significantly higher activity in 2024 than in 2023. The Arzamas plant, which produces armoured personnel carriers, and the Kurganmashzavod and Motovilikha plants, which make infantry fighting vehicles, are also booming. Artillery Yekaterinburg Factory No.9 NPO Novator Volgograd Titan-Barrikady NPO Splav The Yekaterinburg Factory No.9 produces the barrels for howitzers and tanks. Artillery pieces and cannons can be seen parked in the open on satellite images. A few kilometres away lies NPO Novator, which develops Iskander ballistic missiles. There are also signs of strong growth at Volgograd Titan-Barrikady, where Iskander launch systems are built, and at NPO Splav in Tula, which makes Grad, Uragan and Smerch rockets. Explosives Sverdlov plant Selmash plant Kazan gunpowder plant Perm gunpowder plant Filling 3m shells per year requires prodigious amounts of explosives. The Sverdlov plant in Dzerzhinsk is Russia's largest explosives plant, producing chemicals for shells and glide bombs. The number of monthly devices there has shot up in recent months. Activity has also increased at the Selmash plant in Kirov, which makes casings for munitions, according to Julian Cooper of the University of Birmingham. Aircraft Alabuga factory Begishevo airport Kazan helicopter plant Zala Aero Kalashnikov (Lancet) The Iranian-designed Shahed-136 suicide drone is an increasingly familiar sight in Ukraine's skies. There were almost 140 daily attacks in February, far above levels seen in 2024. That is consistent with rising activity at the Alabuga factory in Tatarstan, where the drones are made, as well as at Begishevo airport nearby. The scale of recent construction work at Alabuga is apparent in photographs. Alabuga drone plant March 2024 Buildings under construction September 2024 Buildings added Building work started Satellite images ©2025 Maxar Technologies These are not the only signs of Russia's hyperactive defence industry. The Economist has also seen a range of other indicators. In Biysk, for instance, home to an important plant that produces oleum, which is used in explosives, and a centre of military research, average daily traffic between dormitory areas and districts with chemical plants rose 19% in 2023. 'Dwell time'—how long people remain in one place—rose by 32% during periods associated with second and third working shifts. Strava, an app which logs exercise, showed new clusters of running and cycling in areas near those plants, a sign that new workers had arrived in the area—which might also explain why housing rental costs grew by 21% a year. Similar patterns can be seen at sites associated with Russia's planned expansion of military forces on NATO's borders. In Luga, for instance, where Russia began forming a new division last year, mobile-phone location data showed increases in population density around industrial zones, an increase in dwell time from 10pm to 6am, pointing to night shifts, and new commuter corridors between dormitories and military plants. There are still constraints on Russian industry. Last year the country relied on North Korea to provide a significant proportion of artillery ammunition used in Ukraine; those stocks are not limitless. Key inputs to the artillery supply chain—chromite for barrels and cotton cellulose for propellant—still have to be imported, according to research by the Open Source Centre and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London. But Russia is now able to produce some important components at home. 'In principle, there would seem to be no reason why this mobilised defence effort cannot be maintained for quite a long period of time,' writes Mr Cooper, in a recent study for the RUSI Journal which surveys many of the facilities discussed above. 'It is not without irony,' concludes Mr Cooper, 'that advanced Western economies may now find the need to look closely at Russia to understand how to adapt.' This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline 'Putin's secret arms empire' More from
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Yahoo
Russians launch large-scale attack on Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, using guided bombs: 3 people injured
Russian forces have struck the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast with several guided aerial bombs, injuring a man and two women. Source: Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast State Administration, on social media Details: Syniehubov reported that the Russians launched a total of seven guided aerial bombs on Kupiansk. The aftermath of the Russian attack Photo: Syniehubov on Telegram The strikes destroyed a house and damaged another. A 59-year-old man and two women, aged 74 and 53, sustained injuries. Emergency services are currently working at the scenes of the strikes. The aftermath of the Russian attack Photo: Syniehubov on Telegram Background: On 31 March, Russian forces attacked the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast using the Uragan multiple-launch rocket system. A 35-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man were injured in the attack. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Yahoo
Two injured in Russian MLRS attack on Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast
Russian forces attacked the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast using the Uragan multiple-launch rocket system on 31 March, injuring civilians – a 35-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man. Source: Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Details: Syniehubov reported that two people sustained injuries of varying severity as a result of the Russian attack – a 63-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman. Early reports indicate that the strike was carried out using the Uragan multiple-launch rocket system. Background: In January, reports indicated that Russian forces were positioned just two kilometres from the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, constantly attacking Ukrainian positions and trying to reach the main Svatove-Kupiansk road to continue their offensive. Russian troops launched a large-scale attack on the town of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast on 19 March, killing two civilians and injuring three others. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
South China Morning Post
08-02-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Ukraine war: Zelensky confirms new offensive in Russia's Kursk
Published: 11:30pm, 8 Feb 2025 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed a new Ukrainian offensive in Russia's Kursk region and said that North Korean troops were fighting alongside Russian forces there. 'In the areas of the Kursk operation, new assaults have taken place,' Zelensky said during his Friday address, adding, 'Russia has once again deployed North Korean soldiers alongside its troops.' According to Zelensky, a 'significant number' of enemy troops were destroyed. He gave no details but said the losses were in the hundreds. Russia's Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that it had repelled a Ukrainian counter-attack in the Kursk region. Russia said on Friday its forces had captured the mining town of Toretsk in their latest breakthrough in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, where Ukrainian defences are creaking. Ukrainian officials did not confirm the report. A Russian self-propelled multiple rocket launcher Uragan (Hurricane) is fired toward Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location in the Kursk region border area, on Thursday. Photo: AP South Korea's military said last month that it suspected North Korea was preparing to send additional troops to Russia after its soldiers suffered heavy casualties.
