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Russian strikes kill three across Ukraine
Russian strikes kill three across Ukraine

France 24

time2 days ago

  • Business
  • France 24

Russian strikes kill three across Ukraine

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.

Ukraine to boost domestic arms production to counter Russia's invasion, says Zelenskyy
Ukraine to boost domestic arms production to counter Russia's invasion, says Zelenskyy

CTV News

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • CTV News

Ukraine to boost domestic arms production to counter Russia's invasion, says Zelenskyy

KYIV, Ukraine -- A new Ukrainian government approved Thursday will race to expand domestic arms production to meet half the country's weapons needs within six months as it tries to push back Russia's invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Meanwhile, Switzerland said Thursday that the U.S. Defense Department had informed it that Washington is diverting a Swiss order for Patriot air defense systems to help Ukraine, which badly needs to improve its response to increasingly heavy Russian aerial attacks. Patriot air defence systems for Ukraine The Swiss Defence Ministry, which in 2022 ordered five Patriot systems, said Thursday it has been informed by the U.S. Defense Department that it will 'reprioritize the delivery of Patriot systems to support Ukraine.' It was not immediately clear whether the Swiss-ordered Patriots would go directly to Ukraine or would replace units in other European countries that may be donated to Kyiv. Delivery to Switzerland of the systems, worth billions of dollars, was scheduled to begin in 2027 and be completed in 2028. But the Swiss government said Washington informed it of the delay on Wednesday, adding that it was unclear how many systems would be affected. The need to adequately arm Ukraine's military is pressing as Russia looks to drive forward its summer offensive after three years of war and pounds Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones and ballistic and cruise missiles. It remains unclear when the promised U.S.-made weapons, especially the Patriot systems, might reach Ukraine. Trump has agreed to send the weaponry, but it will be paid for by European countries. No timeframe for foreign weapons in Ukraine The U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said he couldn't give a timeframe for when Ukraine might get extra foreign weapons. 'We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done. Things are actually moving very quickly, but I can't verify a date that this will all be completed. I think it's going to be an ongoing movement,' he told reporters in Brussels. 'The plan is that there will be American-made defence equipment, capabilities, that will be sold to our European allies, that they will provide to Ukraine,' he said. British Defence Secretary John Healey said Thursday he and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius will chair a meeting of Ukraine's allies on Monday to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's weapons plans. Healey said U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO leader Mark Rutte will attend the meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, told The Associated Press Thursday that 'preparations are underway' for weapons transfers to Ukraine and that NATO is working 'very closely' with Germany to transfer Patriot systems. Grynkewich said at a military event in Wiesbaden, Germany, that he had been ordered to 'move (the weapons) out as quickly as possible.' He said the number of weapons being transferred is classified. German Defense Ministry spokesperson Mitko Muller said Wednesday he couldn't confirm that anything is currently on its way to Ukraine. Rutte, the NATO chief, said in Washington on Monday that the alliance is co-ordinating the military support with funding from allies in Europe and Canada. He said there were commitments from Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada, 'with more expected to follow.' Ukraine now makes 40% of its own weapons Ukraine's domestic defense manufacturing already accounts for almost 40 per cent of weapons used by the Ukrainian military, according to Zelenskyy. As uncertainty grows about how many more weapons shipments Western countries can provide -- and how quickly -- Ukraine is keen to increase its output and widen its strikes on Russian soil. 'What we need is greater capacity to push the war back onto Russia's territory -- back to where the war was brought from,' Zelenskyy said late Wednesday in his nightly video address. 'We must reach the level of 50 per cent Ukrainian-made weapons within the first six months of the new government's work by expanding our domestic production.' Ukraine has also developed its own long-range drones, which it uses to strike deep inside Russia. Russian air defences shot down 122 Ukrainian drones overnight, the country's defence ministry said Thursday. The wave of drones caused flights to be grounded at airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg, although most of the drones were reportedly destroyed over the border regions of Bryansk and Kursk. Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukraine with 64 Shahed and decoy drones overnight, killing at least one person, the Ukrainian air force reported. The assault centered on the industrial Dnipropetrovsk region, officials said. In other developments: Russia on Thursday sent to Ukraine 1,000 bodies, including some of the country's fallen soldiers, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said. At the same time, Russia received the bodies of 19 soldiers, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said. The exchange was part of a deal reached at direct peace talks last May and June that produced few other agreements between the sides. ------ By Volodymyr Yurchuk And Emma Burrows Burrows reported from Wiesbaden, Germany. Geir Moulson in Berlin and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.

Ukraine installs anti-drone nets over roads to protect frontline supply routes
Ukraine installs anti-drone nets over roads to protect frontline supply routes

South China Morning Post

time5 days ago

  • Politics
  • South China Morning Post

Ukraine installs anti-drone nets over roads to protect frontline supply routes

A ravaged car with its engine destroyed and doors riddled with shrapnel lay on the side of the road near Dobropillia, a sleepy town not far from the front line in eastern Ukraine. Hit by a small, remote-controlled drone, the mangled chassis was a stark reminder of why Ukraine is hurrying to mount netting over supply routes behind the sprawling front line to thwart Russian aerial attacks. As Russia's invasion grinds through its fourth year, Moscow and Kyiv are both menacing each other's armies with swarms of cheap drones, easily found on the market and rigged with deadly explosives. Agence France-Presse reporters saw Ukrainian soldiers installing green nets on four-metre (13-foot) poles spanning kilometres of road in the eastern Donetsk region, where some of the war's most intense fighting has taken place. A shop hit by a Russian FPV explosive drone in the town of Dobropillia, in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine. Photo: AFP 'When a drone hits the net, it short-circuits and it cannot target vehicles,' said 27-year-old engineering brigade commander Denis, working under the blazing sun.

Ukraine covers frontline roads with anti-drone nets
Ukraine covers frontline roads with anti-drone nets

News.com.au

time6 days ago

  • Politics
  • News.com.au

Ukraine covers frontline roads with anti-drone nets

A ravaged car with its engine destroyed and doors riddled with shrapnel lay on the side of the road near Dobropillia, a sleepy town not far from the front line in eastern Ukraine. Hit by a small, remote-controlled drone, the mangled chassis was a stark reminder of why Ukraine is hurrying to mount netting over supply routes behind the sprawling front line to thwart Russian aerial attacks. As Russia's invasion grinds through its fourth year, Moscow and Kyiv are both menacing each other's armies with swarms of cheap drones, easily found on the market and rigged with deadly explosives. AFP reporters saw Ukrainian soldiers installing green nets on four-metre (13-foot) poles spanning kilometres (miles) of road in the eastern Donetsk region, where some of the war's most intense fighting has taken place. "When a drone hits the net, it short-circuits and it cannot target vehicles," said 27-year-old engineering brigade commander Denis, working under the blazing sun. - Threat from above - "We are shifting into a so-called drone war," Denis told AFP. FPV (first-person view) drones have already seriously wounded a few of his men. Some are armed with shotguns to shoot them down. The Russian army has also been deploying nets. "We weave nets like spiders! For extremely dangerous birds without feathers," the Russian defence ministry quoted a soldier with the call sign "Ares" as saying in April. An earlier article by pro-Kremlin media outlet Izvestia also showed soldiers mounting netting close to the front. - Everyone is in danger - Drones are also a worry for towns and cities. Since early July, the town of Dobropillia, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the front line, has become a target for Russian FPV drone attacks. During a recent visit to the civilian hub -- where some 28,000 people lived before the war -- AFP journalists saw residents on the streets rush for cover in shops when a drone began buzzing overhead. When the high-pitched whirring had died down and the threat disappeared, one woman exiting a shelter picked up her shopping bags and glanced upwards, returning to her routine. Every day, victims come to the small town's hospital. According to the hospital's director, Vadym Babkov, the enemy FPVs "spare neither medical workers nor civilians". As the roads "are not yet 100-percent covered" by nets, his ambulances have to take long detours, reducing the patients' chances of survival, the 60-year-old said. "We are all under threat," Babkov added. In Russia's Belgorod border region, which frequently comes under Ukrainian fire, authorities have retrofitted ambulances with metal anti-drone cages -- a technology once reserved for tanks and personnel carrier vehicles. - New habits - "Civilians have got used to it," Denis told AFP. Olga, a waitress in a small cafe and mini-market in Dobropillia, has devised her own way to cope with the constant drone threat. "When I drive and feel that a drone is going to attack me, I open all the windows to avoid glass shards hitting me," the 45-year-old told AFP. The atmosphere in the town had become "frightening", Olga said. The shop next to Olga's was recently hit by an FPV drone, leaving its owner in a coma. "Now we jump at every gust of wind," Olga said. "The day has passed -- thank God. The night has passed and we wake up with all our arms and legs intact -- thank God." Despite the roads constantly coming under attack, Olga still receives products to sell in her small cafe, since suppliers take detours along routes away from the front. But she doesn't know for how long. fv-asy/cad/gil

Ukraine covers frontline roads with anti-drone nets
Ukraine covers frontline roads with anti-drone nets

France 24

time6 days ago

  • Politics
  • France 24

Ukraine covers frontline roads with anti-drone nets

Hit by a small, remote-controlled drone, the mangled chassis was a stark reminder of why Ukraine is hurrying to mount netting over supply routes behind the sprawling front line to thwart Russian aerial attacks. As Russia's invasion grinds through its fourth year, Moscow and Kyiv are both menacing each other's armies with swarms of cheap drones, easily found on the market and rigged with deadly explosives. AFP reporters saw Ukrainian soldiers installing green nets on four-metre (13-foot) poles spanning kilometres (miles) of road in the eastern Donetsk region, where some of the war's most intense fighting has taken place. "When a drone hits the net, it short-circuits and it cannot target vehicles," said 27-year-old engineering brigade commander Denis, working under the blazing sun. Threat from above "We are shifting into a so-called drone war," Denis told AFP. FPV (first-person view) drones have already seriously wounded a few of his men. Some are armed with shotguns to shoot them down. The Russian army has also been deploying nets. "We weave nets like spiders! For extremely dangerous birds without feathers," the Russian defence ministry quoted a soldier with the call sign "Ares" as saying in April. An earlier article by pro-Kremlin media outlet Izvestia also showed soldiers mounting netting close to the front. Everyone is in danger Drones are also a worry for towns and cities. Since early July, the town of Dobropillia, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the front line, has become a target for Russian FPV drone attacks. During a recent visit to the civilian hub -- where some 28,000 people lived before the war -- AFP journalists saw residents on the streets rush for cover in shops when a drone began buzzing overhead. When the high-pitched whirring had died down and the threat disappeared, one woman exiting a shelter picked up her shopping bags and glanced upwards, returning to her routine. Every day, victims come to the small town's hospital. According to the hospital's director, Vadym Babkov, the enemy FPVs "spare neither medical workers nor civilians". "We are all under threat," Babkov added. In Russia's Belgorod border region, which frequently comes under Ukrainian fire, authorities have retrofitted ambulances with metal anti-drone cages -- a technology once reserved for tanks and personnel carrier vehicles. New habits "Civilians have got used to it," Denis told AFP. Olga, a waitress in a small cafe and mini-market in Dobropillia, has devised her own way to cope with the constant drone threat. "When I drive and feel that a drone is going to attack me, I open all the windows to avoid glass shards hitting me," the 45-year-old told AFP. The atmosphere in the town had become "frightening", Olga said. The shop next to Olga's was recently hit by an FPV drone, leaving its owner in a coma. "Now we jump at every gust of wind," Olga said. "The day has passed -- thank God. The night has passed and we wake up with all our arms and legs intact -- thank God." But she doesn't know for how long. "Everything hangs in the air now," she said. We're living day by day." © 2025 AFP

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