Latest news with #RussianMinistryOfDefence
Al Jazeera
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia, Ukraine conduct another round of POWs exchange
Ukraine and Russia have swapped prisoners of war (POWs), the warring sides said, after Moscow also handed over the bodies of 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv. 'We continue to take our people out of Russian captivity. This is the fourth exchange in a week,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media on Saturday. The Russian Ministry of Defence posted on Telegram that another group of Russian servicemen was returned 'from the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime' in accordance with the agreements reached by the two sides in Istanbul earlier this month. Photos published by Zelenskyy on Telegram showed men of various ages, mostly with shaved heads, wearing camouflage and draped in Ukrainian flags. Some were injured, others disembarked from buses and hugged those welcoming them, or were seen calling someone by phone, sometimes covering their faces or smiling. Moscow's Defence Ministry released its own video showing men in uniforms holding Russian flags, clapping and chanting 'Russia, Russia', 'Glory to Russia' and 'Hooray', some raising their fists in the air. The Russian soldiers are in Belarus, where they are receiving medical treatment before being transferred back to Russia, the Defence Ministry said. The ministry did not say how many POWs were involved in the latest swap. However, Russian state media reported, citing sources, that Moscow had not received any of its war dead back from Kyiv, echoing a statement Russia made on Friday when it said it had returned the bodies of 1,200 slain Ukrainian soldiers and received none of its own. Ukraine earlier on Saturday confirmed it had received the bodies of its soldiers killed in action. The latest POW exchange between Russia and Ukraine came after Moscow alleged that Kyiv had indefinitely postponed the swap of wounded and seriously ill POWs and those under the age of 25, as well as the return of the bodies of thousands of soldiers on each side. The swap came as Russia intensified its offensive along the front line, especially in the northeastern Sumy region, where it seeks to establish a 'buffer zone'. Zelenskyy claimed Russia's advance on Sumy was stopped, adding that Kyiv's forces have managed to retake one village. Meanwhile, the two sides are no closer to any temporary ceasefire agreement as a concrete step towards ending the war despite some initial momentum from the United States President Donald Trump who now appears to be losing patience in his campaign for a truce, even suggesting the two be left to fight longer, like 'children in a park', before they are pulled apart.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian defence plant on fire after attack
A drone attack has caused a fire at the VNDIR-Progres plant, which manufactures Kometa receivers for the Russians that protect Russian drones from Ukrainian electronic warfare systems, in the city of Cheboksary, the Chuvash Republic of the Russian Federation. The plant has suspended operations. Source: Oleg Nikolayev, head of the Chuvash Republic; Russian Ministry of Defence on Telegram; Russian Telegram channel Astra Quote from Nikolayev: "Two UAVs fell on the territory of VNDIR, which led to the decision to temporarily suspend production to ensure the safety of employees. Another two drones fell in the fields of the Cheboksary and Krasnoarmeyskoye municipal districts – there is no threat to people." Details: Nikolayev did not mention the consequences of the attack on the plant, only noting that there were no casualties or injuries and that "all services are working in enhanced mode". However, the Telegram channel Astra has published many photos and videos of the fire at the plant. For reference: VNDIR-Progres is part of the ABS Elektro production association. According to the company's website, it develops and manufactures "scientific and technical products, software and hardware systems, automation and control systems, electrical products, electronic components, electronic modules and radio-electronic products". Astra reports that this plant manufactures Kometa/Kometa M satellite signal receivers for the Russians, which help them bypass Ukrainian electronic warfare systems. This plant is located over 1,000 km from Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that air defence forces had intercepted and destroyed 49 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles overnight. In particular, 13 UAVs were supposedly shot down over Russia's Kursk and Nizhny Novgorod oblasts each, nine over Voronezh and Oryol oblasts each, two over Bryansk Oblast, two over the Chuvash Republic and one over Belgorod Oblast. Background: Russian authorities imposed temporary restrictions at four Russian airports on the night of 8-9 June and explosions rocked the city of Cheboksary in the Chuvash Republic. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia claims entry into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukrainian General Staff denies it
Russia's Ministry of Defence reported that its forces entered Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on the morning of 8 June, but the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has refuted the claim. Source: Major Andrii Kovalov, spokesperson for Ukraine's General Staff, in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda; Defence Forces of Ukraine's South; Russian Ministry of Defence Details: In the morning, Russian forces claimed that they had "reached the western border of the 'DPR' [Russian-backed "Donetsk People's Republic" terrorist organisation – ed.] and were continuing to advance in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast". Quote from Kovalov: "This information does not reflect reality. Fighting continues in Donetsk Oblast. The enemy has not entered Dnipropetrovsk Oblast." Details: Meanwhile, Defence Forces of Ukraine's South issued a statement that Russian troops do not abandon intentions to enter Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, but Ukrainian forces "courageously and professionally hold their sector of the front, breaking the plans of the occupiers". OSINT analysts, particularly DeepState, have confirmed battles taking place just hundreds of metres from the border of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia claims to have intercepted over 60 Ukrainian drones in overnight attack
Russia has claimed that its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 61 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles targeting Russian territory and occupied Crimea between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, 7–8 June 2025. Source: Russian Ministry of Defence Quote: "From 23:00 Moscow time on 7 June to 07:30 Moscow time on 8 June, air defence systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 61 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles." The ministry reported that the drones were allegedly downed over Bryansk, Belgorod, Kaluga, Tula, Oryol, Kursk and Moscow oblasts, as well as occupied Crimea. No casualties or damage were reported, and these claims remain unverified by independent sources, with Ukraine not officially confirming its involvement. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Zelensky hails 'brilliant success' in attacking Russian airfields
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has celebrated the surprise attack by his intelligence service, the SBU, on several Russian military airfields as an "absolutely brilliant success." He said this was Ukraine's most far-reaching operation in the course of the war so far. "One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective implementation," Zelensky wrote on the platform X on Sunday evening. He instructed the intelligence service to inform the public about part of the operation. The SBU attacked several Russian military airfields in a coordinated action, claiming to have destroyed over 40 combat and reconnaissance aircraft. According to the SBU, about 34% of the Russian bombers capable of launching cruise missiles were destroyed. The SBU estimated the value of the damaged or destroyed bombers at $7 billion. The information has not been independently verified. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed the drone attack early Sunday evening, describing them as "terrorist attacks" on military airfields in the regions of Ivanovo, Ryazan, Amur, Murmansk and Irkutsk. The attacks in the regions of Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur were repelled, Moscow said. In the regions of Murmansk and Irkutsk, "some" aircraft caught fire due to drone attacks, but the Russian Ministry of Defence downplayed the impact of the attacks. The fires were extinguished, it said, adding that there were no injuries among military personnel or civilians. The agents involved in the operation have already returned to Ukraine, according to the SBU and Zelensky. If Russia reports arrests, this claim "only serves the domestic audience," the SBU said. Early Sunday evening, Russian security forces were cited by the state news agency TASS as saying that some participants had been arrested.
