Latest news with #exilenova
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ukraine launches massive drone attack on Russia
Credit: Telegram Ukraine launched a major drone attack on Russia overnight, hitting a key microelectronics plant and forcing multiple Moscow airports to close. Kyiv struck the Mikron factory in Zelenograd, which produces microelectronics and semiconductors used to develop missile, air defence and radar systems. Russia said thirteen regions were targeted, including Moscow, Bryansk, Belgorod, Vladimir, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver and Tula. The Kremlin's defence ministry said it shot down 296 drones, including 40 heading for the capital, affecting air travel for hours. It said: 'During the last night... anti-aircraft defence systems destroyed and intercepted 296 Ukrainian aerial drones.' There were no immediate reports of any casualties. Russia's federal air transport agency said flights were temporarily suspended at Moscow's Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Zhukovsky and Sheremetyevo airports. Credit: Telegram/exilenova_plus Ukraine is yet to comment. If Russia's numbers are accurate, the strikes would represent one of the largest drone attacks of the war so far by Kyiv, which has stepped up aerial assaults on Russia in recent weeks. In an interview published on Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, warned that Vladimir Putin was preparing to launch 1,000 drones at Ukraine in a single attack. Mr Zelensky claimed that Russia had the capacity to launch around 350 Iranian-made Shahed drones every day, and that it wanted to boost this figure to 500. He told reporters: 'I don't take the figure of 1,000 drones a day as constant, but I understand they could stockpile and launch a massive attack.' The Ukrainian president said Kyiv was working on new technology to counter the increasing drone threat from Russia, which launched 900 drones in the three days up to Monday. 'We're already using them. The question now is how fast we can scale,' Mr Zelensky added, emphasising the importance of international financial support, especially from Germany. Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky continued to warn that Russia was amassing 'more than 50,000 troops' on the front line around the north-eastern Sumy border region. Russian forces captured four villages in Sumy after Putin ordered his troops to carve out a buffer zone along the border. 'Their largest, strongest forces are currently on the Kursk front,' Mr Zelensky told reporters, adding: 'To push our troops out of the Kursk region and to prepare offensive actions against the Sumy region.' Credit: Telegram/exilenova_plus The Ukrainian president later called for a three-way summit with Donald Trump and Putin after the Russian leader failed to show up at peace talks in Istanbul earlier this month. 'If Putin is not comfortable with a bilateral meeting, or if everyone wants it to be a trilateral meeting, I don't mind. I am ready for any format,' Mr Zelensky said in comments published this morning. The Ukrainian president also said he would 'very much like' Mr Trump to hit Russia's banking and energy sectors with sanctions in response to a wave of aerial attacks and Moscow's refusal to agree to a ceasefire. Mr Trump continued to criticise Putin on Tuesday, warning that he was playing with fire and cautioned that 'really bad' things would have happened already to Russia if it were not for Mr Trump himself. Dmitry Medvedev, a senior security official and Russia's former president, dismissed Mr Trump's criticism and threatened a third world war. He wrote in English on X: '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!' Keith Kellogg, Mr Trump's envoy, quoted Medvedev's post and said it was reckless. Gen Kellogg said on X: 'Stoking fears of WW III is an unfortunate, reckless comment... and unfitting of a world power. '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.' Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said Moscow would announce the next round of direct talks with Ukraine soon.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why Russia's Engels air base became Ukraine's No 1 target
Credit: Telegram/@exilenova_plus First they felt the shock wave as it tore through their homes, then they saw the mushroom cloud. Stunned residents of Saratov ran from their roofless houses after what local authorities called the 'largest-ever' aerial attack on the region, which scattered debris for miles. Ukraine's target was obvious; the style of its strike was seen before. A swarm of low-flying, slow-moving drones overwhelmed local air defences and struck Russia's sprawling Engels bomber base, in southern Russia. It was the third such attack in just 10 weeks but the timing was significant this time. Hours before, Volodymyr Zelensky said he was willing to commit to a US-proposed ceasefire on energy targets, but warned that 'everything will fly' until actual parameters were agreed upon and documents signed. The Ukrainian leader had just accused Vladimir Putin of yet again breaking his agreement with Donald Trump that he would halt attacks on Ukraine's grid and civilian infrastructure. As a clear military target, Engels was not protected under any such truce. But the strike could be interpreted as a warning from Kyiv to Moscow – that even with energy raids off the table, they can still hit Russia's war machine where it hurts. In the attack, Ukraine's drones hit a huge stockpile of munitions, aviation fuel and – according to analysts – recently delivered cruise missiles, igniting a series of violent secondary explosions that turned the sky a menacing red. The Ukrainian Centre for Strategic Communication (Stratcom) mocked afterwards, saying Engels 'is now facing serious difficulties'. Russian sources reported the damage was 'massive' and satellite images later showed multiple huge warehouses on the site were entirely wiped out. It was the clearest sign yet that the Soviet-era base, home to Putin's prized nuclear-capable heavy strategic bombers, had been pushed to the top of Ukraine's target list. The long-range raid, like the ones before it, was audacious, precise and smartly timed. Ukraine has always chosen its high-value targets carefully – knowing Russia's missile arsenal dwarfs its own – and hitting high-value targets at opportune moments. Last week was proof, when Ukraine targeted the Russian capital with its largest-ever drone bombardment of the war just hours before high-level delegations from Washington and Kyiv were due to meet in Saudi Arabia. It served as a reminder that despite three years of grinding war and huge losses, Ukraine can still hit back. Dmytro Zhmailo, the executive director of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center, said the destruction of military facilities in Engels has always been a 'priority goal' for Ukraine. He said the long-range missiles the strike targeted would be used to bomb Ukraine, while the secondary detonation of the ammunition 'could have destroyed or damaged Tu-95 and Tu-160 aircraft along with their flight and technical crew'. In other words, it underscores Ukraine's ability to aim 'left of the boom' – US army slang for getting ahead of a problem by striking the source – prevent (or get 'left' of) an attack before it happens. Ukraine has increasingly been targeting weapons factories, ammunition warehouses and aviation fuel depots far inside Russia, grinding down Russia's ability to wage war and blunting its crippling aerial bombardment. Over 400 miles east of Ukraine's frontline and 450 miles south of Moscow, Engels houses three types of Russian strategic bombers, Tu-95, Tu-22 and Tu-160, which are all regularly used to launch strikes on Ukrainian cities. Built in 1952, it is also the only permanent base for the Tu-160, Russia's largest and fastest supersonic bomber also known as 'White Swan' to the Russian air force and 'Blackjack' to Nato. Before the war, Engels was the main base for all Russian missile carriers and aircraft cruise missiles. According to Maxim Starchak, an expert on Russian defence and strategic weapons, it had housed 16 Tu-160s and 18 Tu-95s. But in December 2022, Ukraine hit the base three separate times, when its military was first showing its ability to successfully penetrate Russia's air defences and strike long-range targets, damaging a Tu-22 and a Tu-95 After that, 'at least two-thirds of the aircraft were relocated to other military airfields in the country,' Mr Starchak told The Telegraph. Engels, however, remains a critical launch base for long-range strikes on Ukraine. And the airbase has had a rough time of it lately. On Jan 8, Ukrainian drones targeted a fuel depot there, triggering a huge blaze that raged for six days as it burnt through thousands of litres of precious jet fuel. Just hours after the fire was finally contained on Jan 14, drones struck the same target a second time. 'There will be no rest for the wicked,' Ukraine's Stratcom warned. On the morning of the March 20 strike, Ukrainian accounts say there were three Tu-95 and two Tu-160 strategic bombers at Engels. But the aircraft was not the target. Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, said that the strike caused a significant loss of missiles, including the Kh-101, estimated to cost $13 million (£ 10 million) a piece. Mr Kovalenko said: 'The exact number will be determined later. This airbase stores the largest stockpile of missiles used by Russia's strategic aviation for strikes against Ukraine.' The footage of the strike also supports his report. The size of the explosion, the mushroom cloud it produced, and the subsequent fires it triggered, are in line with the theory that a weapons storage area was hit — and well. Open-source analysts reported that an Il-76 Candid airlifter had recently arrived, supposedly carrying additional missiles for the bombers. A bomber – although incredibly costly – can be replaced, but destroying a warehouse full of long-range cruise missiles has the potential to reduce the capabilities of Russia's strategic bombing fleet 'for months', said Mr Starchak. He added: 'The Kh-101 and Kh-55 are expensive missiles that still have Western components in their composition, access to which is limited, which means these missiles are produced in small batches. 'If Russia has lost a significant supply of them, the effect will be very large.' The strike also underscores the ability of relatively slow and low-flying Ukrainian drones, which are often hard to detect, to travel deep into Russian territory and strike strategic military targets. It also points to critical issues in Russian air defence capabilities.'There are not enough air defence systems [in Russia], and they are not being used effectively in all areas,' said Mr Starchak. For now, it is unlikely Ukraine will strike Engels again soon as Russia will be busy transferring additional air defences there, dragging them away from another target. Instead, its military will likely be looking to strike next where Russia is not prepared. Mr Zhmailo said: 'Engels is certainly an important target, but it is not the only one in the priority of the Ukrainian military.' Ukraine plans to produce 30,000 long-range drones in 2025. Kyiv knows where Russia's airfields are and they are large, stationary and visible targets. Ukraine is also reported to have tested a drone with a 3,000km range, potentially putting even more Russian targets within each. If Ukraine's targets are limited as part of Mr Trump's plans to push towards peace, Mr Zhmailo said to expect near-daily strikes deep inside Russian territory. And on the political front, as Mr Zelenksy prepares for the next round of peace negotiations in Saudi Arabia, his country has proven it has far more cards to play. 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.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How Trump's nuclear bounty could secure peace in Ukraine
Donald Trump came away from his call with Vladimir Putin this week bemoaning the loss of 'blood and treasure' on both sides of the Ukraine war. While even he knows he cannot bring the dead back to life, he believes 'treasure' can be salvaged from the destruction. Weeks ago, the US president was trying to cut a deal for Ukraine's critical minerals but he now appears to have found a new target: its nuclear power plants. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, held by Russia, is Europe's biggest and supplied more than 20 per cent of Ukraine's energy before the 2022 invasion. It is one of four nuclear power plants in the country and Mr Trump has made a pitch to bring all of them under Washington's control. Credit: Telegram/ exilenova_plus Suggesting the move could work as a security guarantee, he told Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, such a takeover would be the 'best protection' for Ukraine and its infrastructure. Experts have, however, cast doubt on the feasibility of the proposal, arguing it would be logistically impossible for the US to own power plants in Ukraine – and too expensive. Mr Zelensky appeared on Thursday to reject Mr Trump's plan, saying his country's power plants 'belonged to the people of Ukraine'. 'We will not discuss it. We have 15 nuclear power units in operation today. This all belongs to our state,' he said, adding that he was open to talking about US investment in Zaporizhzhia if the plant could be taken back from Russia. Mr Trump's thinking is essentially the same as it was with the minerals deal, according to Oleksii Pasiuk, a Ukrainian nuclear analyst from Ecoaction.'They're trying to figure out how the US can protect something in Ukraine without really being there,' he told the Telegraph from Trump administration has insisted that establishing economic interests in Ukraine would serve as a security guarantee, albeit one a far cry from the Nato membership and US boots on the ground that Kyiv has repeatedly asked for. The critical minerals deal, which nearly fell apart when Mr Trump and Zelensky engaged in a public shouting match earlier in March, is now back on and may be fuelling the president's desire to take control of Zaporizhzhia. The minerals deal can only go ahead if the materials can be extracted, which takes a lot of energy – something which the Zaporizhzhia plant could ownership of the plants would also deepen economic ties to Ukraine, potentially bringing lucrative contracts and long-term Westinghouse already supplies nuclear fuel to Ukraine, which was one of the primary reasons why it was able to reduce energy dependence on Moscow after Putin's invasion of Crimea. In 2024, the company announced it would build a new reactors for the Khmelnitsky power plant in northern Ukraine. Once completed, the plant's energy capacity would exceed that of to Mr Pasiuk, now would be a good time to invest in the Zaporizhzhia plant, should it fall back into Ukrainian hands, as its Soviet-era reactors need question remains as to who would pay for new reactors, which would cost tens of billions of dollars to replace.'It's a huge investment and it's not clear how it would be possible, or who pays for it. America will not pay for it, Ukraine won't, Europe won't,' Mr Pasiuk have also raised questions about the logistics of the US effectively claiming ownership of Ukrainian power plants, which are heavily reliant on domestic technology and staff. Even the nuclear fuel provided by Westinghouse is sourced Sokov, who worked on nuclear treaties in Russia's foreign ministry in the 1980s, said Ukrainian workers and experts would need to remain at the power plants to operate the technology. More likely is a joint venture in the form of an investment fund, which both parties could contribute to and benefit from, a concept which formed the basis of the minerals deal. Even as he rejected Mr Trump's ownership bid, Mr Zelensky said on Thursday he would be happy to discuss investment opportunities. But doubts remain as to whether joint investment in or even ownership of Ukrainian nuclear power plants would act as an effective security guarantee.'Putin conducts asymmetric operations, he's a master of manipulation. Holding certain mineral fields or a power plant does not protect civilians, it does not protect stability in the country,' Brett Bruen, the White House's former director of global engagement, told The Telegraph.'This is what Trump fails to grasp, it's about a lot more than a real estate deal.' But before any deals can be cut between Washington and Kyiv, Putin would need to remove his soldiers from the plant. According to recent reports, Putin wants Mr Trump to formally recognise Russia's claim over the region in which the plant lies, as well as the territories of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Trump's desire to take control of the plant therefore puts him at odds with the Russian president, but Mr Pasiuk believes raising the prospect of who owns the station could be a test of how willing Putin is to make concessions. 'I think it's some kind of test to see whether Russia is considering giving Zaporizhzhia back, assuming we have some kind of frozen conflict,' he said.'They want to pick specific topics to discuss, rather than the entire war, and it makes sense to choose sensitive topics, like nuclear safety.'There could also be one benefit of US control over the plant for Putin: stopping Kyiv from building a nuclear Sokov said such a development is unlikely anyway given how open Ukraine has been with the International Atomic Energy it is not out of the question. Earlier in 2025, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine should be allowed nuclear weapons if it is not admitted to Nato, which Mr Trump has effectively ruled out.'There is a very small chance anyway that Ukraine is going to build nuclear weapons, if outside actors gain control of power plants it would be even smaller,' Mr Sokov told the the US took over management of Ukraine's nuclear facilities, it could ensure strict control over the nuclear fuel cycle, preventing Ukraine from diverting nuclear materials for weaponisation. 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.
