Latest news with #airdefense
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump warns Putin he is ‘playing with fire' with unprecedented drone bombardment
Russia says its air defences destroyed or intercepted well over 100 Ukrainian drones far into the night over widely separated areas of Russia, including a swarm of drones repelled while headed for Moscow, officials said early today. The raid forced the closure of two airports serving the Russian capital – Vnukovo and Zhukovsky. Ukraine 's attack came after Russia launched the heaviest drone bombardment of the war so far, launching more than 900 over a three-day period that ended early Monday morning. That attack saw US president Donald Trump brand Vladimir Putin"absolutely crazy", and the Kremlin responded by saying the US president was being "emotional". Earlier, Russia said it had agreed a prisoner exchange with the US involving nine detainees from each side. Putin's foreign minister said the deal was discussed on the phone call between Trump and Putin last week, and he praised the US president as a man "who wants results". Donald Trump grows angrier as Vladimir Putin exposes his impotence As Washington settled in for a typically sleepy Memorial Day following the passage of Donald Trump 's 'big, beautiful bill' in the House, the president fired off one of his trademark furious rants on Truth Social, but the target was a surprise. This time, the target wasn't any of his domestic political foes — like the Democrats who voted in lockstep against the budget package he endorsed, or the handful of Republicans who refused to fall into line. It wasn't even aimed at the various law enforcement figures who have attempted to hold him to account over the years. Sunday evening's rant was aimed squarely at Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite what he called a 'very good relationship' with Putin, Trump in his latest statement on the Ukraine -Russia war blasted the Russian leader as 'absolutely crazy.' Donald Trump grows angrier as Vladimir Putin exposes his impotence Analysis: Russia's latest deadly offensive also did clear damage to Donald Trump's ego, writes John Bowden Arpan Rai28 May 2025 06:58 US snaps at Russia for stoking World War fears: 'Reckless comment' US president Donald Trump's envoy Keith Kellogg has scolded a top Russian official for stoking fears of a Third World War. Mr Trump took to Truth Social and said Vladimir Putin was "playing with fire" and cautioned that "REALLY BAD" things would have happened already to Russia if it was not for Mr Trump himself. "What Vladimir Putin doesn't realise is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened in Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He's playing with fire," Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post yesterday. Responding to Mr Trump, top Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev said: "Regarding Trump's words about Putin 'playing with fire' and 'really bad things' happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing – WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!" Mr Medvedev wrote in a post on X. US envoy Keith Kellogg quoted Mr Medvedev's post and called it reckless. "Stoking fears of WW III is an unfortunate, reckless comment... and unfitting of a world power," Mr Kellogg said on X. "President Trump @POTUS is working to stop this war and end the killing. We await receipt of RU Memorandum (Term Sheet) that you promised a week ago. Cease fire now,' he said. Arpan Rai28 May 2025 06:53 Germany hosts Zelensky today for bilateral talks Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to arrive in Berlin today for talks with German chancellor Friedrich Merz. According to a statement, Mr Merz will receive Mr Zelensky with military honours at the Federal Chancellery at noon (10am GMT). The newly-inducted German chancellor has ramped up the country's efforts to help Ukraine fight back against Russian aggression, aligning his efforts with those of the British and the French governments. On Monday, Mr Merz said his country and other major allies are no longer imposing any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion. It was unclear whether this represented a change in policy. Germany has been the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States since the full-scale war began in February 2022. Arpan Rai28 May 2025 06:29 US says Russia should focus on ending war, not Trump's social media Russia should focus less on president Donald Trump's social media posts and more on ending its war against Ukraine, US state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said last night. "If the Russians cared about the nature of how [peace efforts are] proceeding, they would be thinking less about [the president's statements] and more about what they could do – which is in their hands – to stop the carnage and the slaughter that's happening right now," Ms Bruce said in a press briefing. The remarks from the US state department come shortly after the Kremlin blamed Mr Trump's recent remarks on Vladimir Putin on 'emotional overload'. Mr Trump said the Russian president had gone 'absolutely crazy' after the weekend bombardment of Ukraine that killed at least 12 people. Arpan Rai28 May 2025 05:58 'Ample evidence' Russia preparing fresh offensive despite talk of ceasefire, claims Zelensky After days of unprecedented Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine, involving more than 900 missiles and drones, Mr Zelensky claimed Kyiv had obtained intelligence suggesting Moscow was on the brink of a new push. 'We can see from the information obtained by intelligence and from open-source data that Vladimir Putin and his entourage do not plan to end the war,' the Ukrainian president said in his nightly address on Monday. 'There is currently no indication that they are seriously considering peace or diplomacy. On the contrary, there is ample evidence that they are preparing new offensive operations.' Russian troops have increased their attacks in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region in recent weeks, targeting an area 30 miles long between the two cities of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, analysts tracking the front line have told The Independent. Russia preparing fresh offensive despite talk of ceasefire, claims Zelensky Russia's foreign ministry says it is working on a peace proposal to be sent to Ukraine, but Kyiv suggests Moscow is simultaneously planning a major new offensive Arpan Rai28 May 2025 05:50 Russian bots turn on 'clown' Trump after his comments against Putin Russian bots are piling on president Donald Trump, and calling him a 'clown,' after he publicly criticised Russian president Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine. Nearly 1,000 posts ridiculing Trump have popped up on the Russian social media platform VKontakte since Sunday, after Trump vented that the Russian leader had gone 'absolutely CRAZY' and was 'needlessly killing a lot of people' in Ukraine. The pro-government accounts have accused Trump of having dementia, Newsweek reported, citing investigative Russian news outlet Agentstvo. Russian bots turn on 'clown' Donald Trump after he rips Putin over war in Ukraine Nearly 1,000 posts ridiculing Trump have popped up on Russian social media since the U.S. President shared critical comments on Putin's war. Arpan Rai28 May 2025 05:46 Putin's reluctance will prolong Ukraine war, warns Germany's Merz The war in Ukraine is expected to persist due to Russia's reluctance to enter negotiations, Germany's chancellor Friedrich Merz said. "Wars typically end because of economic or military exhaustion on one side or on both sides and in this war we are obviously still far from reaching that (situation)", Mr Merz said at a joint press conference with Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo in Turku. "So we may have to prepare for a longer duration," Mr Merz added. Arpan Rai28 May 2025 05:41 Trump says Putin avoided 'really bad things' — thanks to him Donald Trump has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that he is 'playing with fire' following a barrage of Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine. The U.S. president also suggested Russia has avoided 'really bad things' — thanks to him. 'What Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday. 'He's playing with fire!' Trump's latest post draws criticism that he has been 'shielding' Putin, even as he ramps up public criticism of Ukraine war Arpan Rai28 May 2025 05:29 Russia accuses Finland of provocation over Baltic Sea drills Russia's foreign ministry has accused Finland of escalating tensions by carrying out pre-organised naval drills, a week after two of Moscow's fighter jets reportedly violated Finnish airspace. Maria Zakharova, Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson, claimed Finland's current naval operations were 'becoming a tool of Nato escalation near Russia's border'. It is not unusual for Moscow to make baseless claims like this. She was referring to Finland's Exercise Narrow Waters 25, the country's annual spring exercise. It was formerly a national exercise but has been developed into an international exercise to include Sweden, Germany and Estonia, following Finland's accession to Nato and the renewed threat posed by Russia. Russia is concurrently conducting naval exercises near the exclave of Kaliningrad further south. Last week, Finland summoned the Russian ambassador after Kremlin warplanes were reported to have crossed into Finnish airspace. It has also been reported that Russia is building a military presence on Finland's border. Arpan Rai28 May 2025 05:12 Russian aerial attacks across Ukraine at record levels Russia has increased its attacks on Ukraine in the past week to weaken Kyiv and "undermine" Western support for the war-hit nation, a think-tank has said. 'Russian forces conducted one of their largest drone and missile strikes of the war against Ukraine on the night of 25 to 26 May after three nights of record strikes,' the Institute for the Study of War said. 'The 25-26 May strike is now the second largest combined strike of the war after Russian forces conducted the largest combined strike on the night of 24-25 May,' it added. Russia is 'may be increasing strikes against Ukraine as part of a cognitive warfare effort to weaken Ukrainian resolve and undermine Western support for Ukraine,' the ISW said. Arpan Rai
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russians launch 60 UAVs overnight: 43 fail to reach target but 9 hit
Russian forces have been attacking Ukraine with 60 Shahed-type attack UAVs and various types of decoy drones since 23:50 on 26 May. Ukrainian air defence has downed 43 drones, but there were also some strikes. Source: Ukrainian Air Force on Telegram Quote: "As of 09:00, air defence has downed 43 enemy Shahed-type UAVs (and other types of drones) in the east, north and south of the country. Thirty-five were shot down by air defences, and eight disappeared from radar or were suppressed by electronic warfare." Details: Nine drone strikes were recorded, and debris from the downed drones fell in three locations. The Russians launched drones from the Russian cities of Millerovo, Oryol, Kursk and Primorsko-Akhtarsk, as well as from Hvardiiske in temporarily occupied Crimea. "The air attack was repelled by aircraft, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units and unmanned systems, as well as mobile fire groups from the Ukrainian defence forces," the Air Force concluded. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Ukraine says new drone attack on Kyiv, warns of missile threat
An emergency worker guides a colleague at the site of a residential building damaged in a Russian attack in Kyiv. (AP pic) KYIV : Kyiv came under attack from more than a dozen Russian drones early Sunday, authorities in the Ukrainian capital said as they warned of a missile threat. AFP journalists heard explosions and locals were urged to seek shelter, as the city came under fire from the sky for the second night running. On Saturday, Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 14 ballistic missiles and 250 attack drones overnight, adding that it downed six missiles and 245 drones. The head of Kyiv city's military administration Tymur Tkachenko said 'more than a dozen enemy drones' were in airspace around the capital early Sunday. 'New ones are also approaching. Some of the drones over Kyiv and the surrounding area have already been dealt with. But the new ones are still entering the capital,' he wrote on Telegram. 'The night will not be easy. There is a threat of the enemy using a large number of drones and missiles from strategic aircraft.' Debris fell on one five-storey residential building, he added. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said the city was 'under attack' but 'air defences are operating', telling citizens: 'Stay in shelters!' The successive overnight attacks come even as Russia and Ukraine pursue the biggest prisoner swap since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday evening the attacks indicated Moscow was 'prolonging the war' and repeated his call for ramped-up sanctions. On Saturday, 307 Russian prisoners of war were exchanged for the same number of Ukrainian soldiers, according to announcements in Kyiv and Moscow. The first part of the large-scale swap involved 270 soldiers and civilians from each side on Friday.
Russia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Russia shoots down over 150 Ukrainian kamikaze drones in a day
Russian air defense forces have shot down over 150 long-range Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said Monday. In a summary of recent anti-drone operations released in the morning, the ministry reported that 96 drones had been intercepted since 8pm Sunday (17:00 GMT). It added that a total of 148 drones were downed in the 22-hour span between 10am Sunday and 8am Monday. The ministry later stated that approximately five more drones were shot down around 8am local time on Monday. Kiev has escalated efforts to inflict damage deep inside Russia, shifting from nighttime raids to constant waves of kamikaze drones. One drone reportedly struck the dome of a cathedral in Russia's Tula Region on Sunday, causing a fire, according to footage and local authorities. Recent interceptions were filmed by witnesses in multiple parts of Russia. A video from Tatarstan purports to show the air defenses in action near the city of Yelabuga, a significant industrial center. Another reportedly shows people in Tula reacting to an engagement of Ukrainian drones. There was similar action over Ramenskoye, a city southeast of Moscow with more than 110,000 residents. The Defense Ministry said it stopped six drones approaching the Russian capital overnight. Russia last week launched a series of long-range strikes on Ukraine, including one on a plant in Kiev that the Russian Defense Ministry stated was used to produce fixed-wing drones. US President Donald Trump, who seeks to broker a peace deal in the conflict, criticized both sides in a social media post on Sunday. He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of 'shooting rockets into Kiev' without justification and said rhetoric from Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky was counterproductive, claiming 'everything out of his mouth causes problems.' Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has suggested that Kiev's change in tactics was aimed at undermining direct peace talks with Moscow, which Ukraine agreed to resume earlier this month under pressure from Washington. Lavrov said the sabotage effort was encouraged by 'the UK, France, Germany, and the EU leadership.' Following a recent phone call with Putin, Trump reportedly told NATO allies and Zelensky that he would not support additional sanctions on Russia. That decision, according to The Guardian, left European leaders 'ranging from despondent to apoplectic.'
Reuters
3 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Russia says it downs 96 Ukrainian drones, some Moscow airports halt flights
MOSCOW, May 26 (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry said on Monday that air defence systems had downed 96 Ukrainian drones, including six over Moscow region. Moscow's Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports temporarily halted flights, Russia's aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said.
