Russia and Ukraine exchange POWs, Russian news agencies report
MOSCOW, June 19 (Reuters) - Russia and Ukraine have carried out another exchange of prisoners of war, Russian news agencies reported on Thursday, citing a statement from Russia's Defence Ministry.
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Vladimir Putin rages ‘all of Ukraine is ours' as he threatens to seize key city while Kyiv slams tyrant as ‘deranged'
TYRANT Vladimir Putin cemented his territorial ambitions by proclaiming "all of Ukraine" belonged to Russia and threatening to invade more land. Ukraine slammed Putin's comments as "deranged" and called for Kyiv's allies to slap "devastating sanctions" on Russia. 10 10 10 10 Speaking at Russia's flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg, Putin reaffirmed his long-held claim that Russians and Ukrainians are "one people". He declared: "In that sense, all of Ukraine is ours. "There is a saying: wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that is ours," he added. The narrative is central to Putin's rhetoric, which he has used to justify his invasion of Ukraine. However, he said Russia is ready to recognise Ukraine's sovereignty. But he reiterated his demand that Kyiv accept the realities of Moscow's territorial gains and abandon plans to join Nato. Putin said: "We aren't seeking Ukraine's surrender, we want them to recognise the realities on the ground," adding that Moscow has repeatedly warned Kyiv to make a deal. Asked about Moscow's goals in Ukraine, Putin threatened to take Sumy - a key Ukrainian city - as part of the creation of a "buffer zone". He repeated that Moscow was "advancing on all fronts" and that his troops had penetrated up to seven miles into the Sumy region. Putin said: "We have to create a security zone along the border. Putin has lost a MILLION men - Ukraine has killed so many it is running out of ammo "We have no objective to take Sumy, but in principle I do not rule it out... They pose a constant threat to us, constantly shelling the border areas." Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga described Putin's comments as "deranged" and called for Kyiv's allies to slap "devastating sanctions" on Russia. "The only way to force Russia into peace is to deprive it of its sense of impunity," he wrote in a post on X. Putin's widening territorial ambitions are likely to roil Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has accused Moscow of not wanting to end the fighting. The two sides held rounds of direct talks in Istanbul in May and in June, but Kyiv accused Moscow of sending "dummy" negotiators with no real power to enact a peace deal. Putin has declined to take part in the peace talks in person and on Thursday said he would only meet Zelensky during a "final phase" of negotiations on ending the three-year conflict. He has also insisted that Ukraine give up territory it already controls for peace. Kyiv says it cannot and will not accept Russian occupation of any part of its land. 10 10 10 It comes as Putin's battlefield casualties have soared past the bloody one million milestone after 40 months of meatgrinder war. Ukraine's fierce resistance forced Russia to pay a mighty toll for every inch of land it has taken, and its advances remain painfully slow. The staggering milestone includes troops who have been killed or wounded so severely that they cannot fight on. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, one million Russian military troops have been put out of action since February 24, 2022, with 628,000 of those casualties occurring in the last six months. Burning through a million troops has won Putin just 20 per cent of Ukraine's total territory - mainly in southern and eastern areas - which is a humiliating conversion rate. Despite the devastating losses which have already ripped a scar in Russian society, experts fear that Putin is likely unaffected by the numbers. Zelensky confirmed that Moscow has been attempting to gain ground in the border regions of Sumy in the northeast. Even with the death toll climbing higher by the day Putin appears to be doubling down. The bloody milestone comes as Putin calls for a major upgrade to Russia's ground forces, Ukrainian outlet Pravda reports. 10 The Kremlin tyrant declared them the 'dominant force' in modern warfare and demanded faster development of 'advanced weapons systems' with 'the highest tactical and technical specifications.' In a meeting on the state armaments programme, Putin also directed resources toward strengthening Russia's navy, further signalling his long-term military ambitions. It all comes as Russia is reportedly building up a 50,000-strong force alongside the border of Kharkiv amid fears of a fresh summer offensive to attack the city. With the US backing out of direct negotiations to broker a peace deal and Putin stalling ceasefire talks, experts fear a major Russian offensive could mobilise in the coming weeks. The Ukrainian military in April reported that the Kremlin was amassing troops to prepare for a fresh assault on Kharkiv - Ukraine's second largest city. Military analysts believe he is trying to press home his advantage and capture more Ukrainian land. They warn that Putin only has a "four-month window" to get a breakthrough in Ukraine this year. And this could be the beginning of Russia's summer offensive targeting the border city of Kharkiv - the "fortress" city of Ukraine which put up the maximum resistance at the start of the invasion. 10 10
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Zelenskiy says Ukraine developing interceptor drones to counter Russian attacks
June 20 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Ukraine was working on the rapid development of interceptor drones to counter the swarms of Russian drones that have been descending on Ukrainian cities in increasing numbers in recent weeks. Ukrainian officials have noted the sharply increased numbers of Iranian-designed Shahed drones deployed by Russian drones in the course of a single night and say it is vital to develop technology capable of tackling the threat they pose. "We are also working separately on interceptor drones, which are intended to enhance protection against Shahed drones," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "Several of our domestic enterprises -- and, accordingly, different types of drones -- are delivering results. Production volumes of interceptors are already increasing." Russian forces have been deploying more than 400 drones on a single night, with more than 470 fired on more than one occasion. A total of 440 drones -- plus 32 missiles -- were deployed this week in a "combined" attack on Kyiv that flattened part of an apartment building and killed 28 people. "Drone air defence will help us use our means in a rational fashion. We cannot constantly use scarce air and anti-aircraft guided missiles and aviation itself to hunt enemy drones," Air Force spokesperson Yuri Ihnat told Ukrainian media this week. "The enemy is deploying more and more Shaheds and we are therefore looking for different methods to counter them." Zelenskiy and other officials have pointed to domestic drone production as a key element in national defence, and production has increased dramatically from being virtually non-existent before the Russian invasion of February 2022. The president told foreign arms manufacturers last November that Ukraine could produce 4 million drones annually and was quickly ramping up its production of other weapons. Ukraine has also been deploying drones against a variety of targets in Russia, mainly industrial and military. In a major operation earlier last month, Ukrainian drones attacked strategic bomber aircraft at different Russian airfields.
Sky News
3 hours ago
- Sky News
Putin says 'Ukraine is ours' and threatens nuclear strike - showing how he feels about Trump
He may have been speaking at an economic forum, but that didn't stop Vladimir Putin from issuing his most hawkish comments on Ukraine in a very long time. During a Q&A at Russia's flagship investment event in St Petersburg, the Kremlin leader was asked what his end game was in the conflict. He replied: "I have said many times that I consider the Russian and Ukrainian people to be one nation. In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours." The answer received rapturous applause from an auditorium full of fawning politicians and business figures. And there was more. "There is an old rule," he said. "'Where a Russian soldier sets foot, that is ours'." In short, he was saying that he wants the whole lot. The comments came as a surprise because they are in sharp contrast to the Kremlin's recent rhetoric. Ever since Donald Trump began his push for a peace deal, Moscow has adopted a softer tone, more conciliatory - in an apparent attempt to show Washington that it is interested in a settlement. But there was none of that kind of language here. Quite the opposite. The Russian president even, for the first time in months, threatened a nuclear strike on Ukraine. Asked how Moscow would respond if Kyiv used a dirty bomb against Russian forces, he promised "catastrophic" consequences for his enemy. "This would be a colossal mistake on the part of those whom we call neo-Nazis on the territory of today's Ukraine," he said. "It could be their last mistake. "We always respond and respond in kind. Therefore, our response will be very tough." The Kremlin's nuclear sabre-rattling was an almost weekly feature during the last days of the Biden administration, but the sabres stilled when Mr Trump came to power. But now, all of a sudden, he's returned to it. It felt like a very deliberate message from Vladimir Putin that, despite peace talks, Russia has no intention of backing down, neither on the battlefield nor at the negotiating table. I think it shows that Moscow is not too worried about upsetting Donald Trump. The American leader appears to have distanced himself from trying to mediate the conflict, but still seems to be pursuing warmer ties with Moscow.
