Latest news with #Shaheds
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Zelenskiy says Ukraine developing interceptor drones to counter Russian attacks
FILE PHOTO: View shows an apartment building damaged on Tuesday during Russian drone and missile strikes, where locals brought flowers to mourn, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File Photo 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. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia killed at least 3, injured 37 across Ukraine over past day
At least three civilians were killed and 37 injured across Ukraine in Russian attacks over the past day, regional authorities reported on June 12. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces launched 63 drones, including Shaheds and other unmanned aerial systems, from multiple directions, including Kursk, Orel, Millerovo, and occupied Crimea. The Ukrainian air defense reportedly shot down 28 drones, while 21 were intercepted by electronic warfare or disappeared from radars. In Kharkiv Oblast, 16 people, including four children, were injured in attacks on the city of Kharkiv and surrounding communities, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. The region was hit by various types of drones, missiles, and glide bombs, damaging residential buildings, schools, and other civilian infrastructure sites. In Donetsk Oblast, two civilians were killed and six others injured in Russian strikes on Raiske and Toretsk, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin. In Sumy Oblast, one person was injured when a Russian first-person-view (FPV) drone struck his car in the Sumy district, the regional administration said. More than 100 attacks were recorded across 37 settlements, damaging houses and prompting the evacuation of 80 residents from border communities. In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, two people were injured in Malokaterynivka during a wave of nearly 500 attacks on 16 towns and villages, Governor Ivan Fedorov said. Russian forces reportedly used drones, air strikes, artillery, and multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) to target civilian areas. In Kherson Oblast, 12 people, including one child, were injured, and one person in the village of Sadove was killed in an artillery strike, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. Russian forces attacked dozens of towns and villages, damaging residential buildings, infrastructure, and a national park. Read also: Zelensky urges US to act on Ukraine's request to buy air defenses after deadly Kharkiv bombing We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Putin's Geran Drones OBLITERATE Ukraine Army's Antenna Tower; UNESCO Cathedral Also Hit
/ Jun 12, 2025, 06:17AM IST Russia launched a devastating drone attack near Novgorod-Seversky, striking a Ukrainian antenna tower with a Geran-2 drone and triggering a massive fireball. The assault is part of a broader wave of Russian airstrikes, including a deadly barrage in Kharkiv that killed three people and an overnight precision strike on Kyiv. The blast damaged the historic Saint Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strike as 'catastrophic,' accusing Russia of deploying 'Shaheds.' Watch
Gulf Today
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Russian attacks kill 2, wound 13 in Ukraine; Zelensky says its biggest air attacks
Russia sent waves of drones and missiles in an attack on two Ukrainian cities early on Tuesday that killed two people and wounded at least thirteen others, Ukraine officials said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Russia launched one of its biggest air attacks on Kyiv overnight, using 315 drones and seven missiles in strikes that also hit other parts of the country. "Russian missile and Shahed strikes drown out the efforts of the United States and others around the world to force Russia into peace," Zelensky wrote on X. A maternity hospital and residential buildings in the center of the southern port city of Odesa were damaged in the attack, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said. Two people were killed and nine injured in the city, according to a statement from the regional prosecutor's office. A local resident looks at a burned building following drones strike on Ukraine's capital Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday. AFP Four people were injured in the attack on the capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Associated Press journalists heard explosions and the buzzing of drones around the city for hours. The fresh attacks came hours after Moscow launched almost 500 drones at Ukraine in the biggest overnight drone bombardment in the three-year war. Ukrainian and Western officials have been anticipating a Russian response to Ukraine's audacious June 1 drone attack on distant Russian air bases. Plumes of smoke were visible in Kyiv as air defense forces worked to shoot down drones and missiles Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, Ukrainian residents took shelter and slept in metro stations during the hourslong attack. Nina Nosivets, 32, and her 8-month-old son Levko were among them. A view shows a burning apartment building after it was hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine, on Tuesday. Reuters "I just try not to think about all this, silently curled up like a mouse, wait until it all passes, the attacks. Distract the child somehow because its probably the hardest thing for him to bear," she said. Krystyna Semak, a 37-year-old Kyiv resident, said the explosions frightened her and she ran to the metro at 2 a.m. with her rug. Russia has been launching a record-breaking number of drones and missiles targeting Ukraine while the two countries continue to swap prisoners of war, the only tangible outcome of recent direct peace talks held in Istanbul. A ceasefire, long sought by Kyiv, remains elusive. Rescuers and members of funeral service carry the body of a resident killed in apartment building during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine, on Tuesday. Reuters In Kyiv, fires broke out in at least four districts after debris from shot down drones fell on the roofs of residential buildings and warehouses, according to the Kyiv City Military Administration. Vasyl Pesenko, 25, stood in his kitchen, damaged in the attack. "I was lying in bed, as always hoping that these Shaheds (drones) would fly past me, and I heard that Shahed (that hit the house),' he said. "I thought that it would fly away, but it flew closer and closer and everything blew away.' Agencies
11-06-2025
- Politics
Russia launches another large-scale drone and missile attack on Ukraine, killing 3 and wounding 13
KYIV, Ukraine -- Russia attacked two Ukrainian cities with waves of drones and missiles early Tuesday, killing three people and wounding at least 13 in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called 'one of the biggest' strikes on Ukraine's capital in the 3-year-old war. The attack struck Kyiv and the southern port city of Odesa. In an online statement, Zelenskyy said Moscow's forces fired 315 drones, most of them Shaheds, and seven missiles overnight. 'Russian missile and Shahed strikes are louder than the efforts of the United States and others around the world to force Russia into peace,' Zelenskyy wrote, urging 'concrete action' from the U.S. and Europe in response. A maternity hospital and residential buildings in the southern port of Odesa were damaged in the attack, regional head Oleh Kiper said. Two people were killed and nine injured, according to the regional prosecutor's office. Another person was killed in Kyiv's Obolonskyi district, regional head Tymur Tkachenko wrote on Telegram. 'Russian strikes are once again hitting not military targets but the lives of ordinary people. This once again shows the true nature of what we are dealing with,' he said. Explosions and the buzzing of drones were heard around the city for hours. The fresh attacks came a day after Moscow launched almost 500 drones at Ukraine in the biggest overnight drone bombardment of the war. Ukrainian and Western officials have been anticipating Moscow's response to Kyiv's audacious June 1 drone attack on distant Russian air bases. Russia has been launching a record number of drones and missiles in recent days, despite both sides trading memoranda at direct peace talks in Istanbul on June 2 that set out conditions for a potential ceasefire. However, the inclusion of clauses that both sides see as nonstarters make any quick deal unlikely, and a ceasefire, long sought by Kyiv, remains elusive. The only tangible outcome of the talks has been the exchange of prisoners of war, with a swap that began Monday for soldiers aged between 18 and 25. A second group was exchanged Tuesday, focusing on seriously wounded and sick Ukrainian service members, Zelenskyy said on Telegram. 'Exchanges must continue. We are doing everything to find and return everyone who is in captivity,' he said. Among them were soldiers captured over three years ago in the battle for Mariupol, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Telegram. All of those freed had severe injuries and illnesses, including amputated limbs and vision problems, it said. Russia's Defense Ministry said it also received a second group of exchanged soldiers in the deal. Amina Ivanchenko was reunited Monday with her husband, a POW for 18 months, in the initial release. She said was grateful to Ukrainian officials for supporting her. 'My struggle was much easier thanks to them. Our country will definitely return everyone. Glory to Ukraine! Thank you!' Anastasia Nahorna waited in the Chernyhiv region to see if her husband, who has been missing for eight months, was among those being released in the latest swap. 'This pain is more unbearable every day,' she said. 'I really want to hear some news, because since the moment of his disappearance, unfortunately, there has been no information. Is he alive? or maybe in captivity? Has someone seen him?' she asked. Anna Rodionova, the wife of another Ukrainian POW, also was waiting. 'I just want him to come back soon and for this to all be over,' she said. 'We are tired of waiting, we come every exchange and he is not there.' A similar exchange was announced for the bodies of fallen soldiers held by both sides, although no schedule has been released. Asked to comment on the exchange of dead, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was unclear when it could take place and how many bodies Ukraine would hand over. He again accused Kyiv of dragging its feet on the exchange. 'There is one unarguable fact, we have had trucks with bodies standing ready for it on the border for several days,' he told reporters. Plumes of smoke rose in Kyiv as air defense forces worked to shoot down drones and missiles Tuesday. Viktoriia Melnyk, 30, vented her anger at the Russians after her building in the Obolonskyi district was struck by a drone. 'I want them to leave our territory, to leave us alone, to leave our families alone," she said. "Small children are dying. This is not normal. It's not normal that (the world) is turning away. This is not normal for the 21st century.' Mariia Pachapynska, the 26-year-old manager at a T-shirt company in the same district, decried that her workplace was struck. 'There were no military facilities here,' she said, noting that 'everything and half of me, half of my soul, burned down.' Seven out of 10 districts were damaged in the attack, said Maryna Kotsupii of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, adding that 16-story and 25-story residential buildings were hit. Residents took shelter and slept in metro stations during the long attack, including Nina Nosivets, 32, and her 8-month-old son, Levko. 'I just try not to think about all this, silently curled up like a mouse, wait until it all passes, the attacks. Distract the child somehow because it's probably the hardest thing for him to bear," she said. Krystyna Semak, 37, said she was scared by the explosions and ran to the metro at 2 a.m., carrying a rug. Fires broke out in at least four Kyiv districts after debris from downed drones fell onto residential buildings and warehouses, according to the Kyiv City Military Administration. 'I was lying in bed, as always hoping that these Shaheds would fly past me, and I heard that Shahed (that hit the house),' said Vasyl Pesenko, 25, standing in his damaged kitchen. 'I thought that it would fly away, but it flew closer and closer and everything blew away.' The attack sparked 19 fires across Ukraine, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko wrote on Telegram. 'Russia must answer for every crime it commits. Until there is justice, there will be no security. For Ukraine. And for the world,' he said. The Russian Defense Ministry insisted its attack targeted arms plants in Kyiv, as well as military headquarters, troop locations, air bases and arms depots. 'The goals of the strikes have been achieved, all the designated targets have been hit,' it said in a statement. The death toll rose Tuesday from previous Russian strikes. In Kharkiv, rescuers found a body in the rubble of a building that was hit Saturday, Mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on Telegram. The discovery brought the number of dead there to five, with five others potentially under the debris, Terekhov said. In the northern city of Sumy, a 17-year-old boy died of his injuries Tuesday after a June 3 attack, acting Mayor Artem Kobzar wrote on Telegram, bringing the number killed to six. The Russian Defense Ministry reported downing 102 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula Moscow illegally annexed from Kyiv in 2014. The drones were downed both over regions on the border and deeper inside Russia, including central Moscow and Leningrad regions, according to the Defense Ministry. Flights were temporarily restricted at multiple Russian airports, including all four in Moscow and the Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, the country's second-largest city.
