Ukraine destroyed one in every of Russia’s most refined air defence programs in a posh missile and drone strike in occupied Crimea on Thursday, leaving Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet “virtually utterly defenceless”.
Intelligence sources stated the assault, by Kyiv’s SBU safety service and navy, struck an S-400 system – value £1 billion – and an S-300 system in Yevpatoriya, within the west of the Kremlin-held peninsula.
Footage circulated on social media confirmed an enormous fireball illuminating the daybreak skies over town, which is a whole lot of miles behind enemy strains.
The Russian defence ministry claimed it had shot down 11 drones and thwarted a separate assault on a naval patrol vessel within the Black Sea.
However Rybar, a pro-Kremlin army channel, described a carefully-curated assault by Ukrainian forces, utilizing drones to reveal the air-defence system and exhaust its ammunition shares earlier than delivering a number of devastating blows with modified cruise missiles.
“First, 11 aircraft-type drones had been launched from the outskirts of Odesa,” the channel reported. “The drones had been shot down by crews of the thirty first Air Pressure and Air Defence Division at round 5.30am over Yevpatoriya. At roughly 5.50am, the Ukrainian armed forces struck… with an R-360 Neptune anti-ship missile.”
The strike was later confirmed by Ukrainian intelligence sources, as pictures appeared on-line that purportedly confirmed the charred stays of one of many Russian air defence system’s launcher autos.
The whereabouts of the system on the salt lakes of Yevpatoriya was revealed final yr by an unsuspecting vacationer sporting swimwear who posed for an image in entrance of its launcher car.
One supply stated the drones had been used to disable close by radar programs, permitting the 2 Neptune missiles to slide in undetected.
The Neptune, a ground-launched anti-ship missile, was just lately developed domestically in Ukraine. It got here to prominence in April final yr when it was used to sink the Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. It was later engineered to assault floor targets at a spread of round 200 miles.
The S-400 system was the second to be destroyed in fast succession after Ukrainian forces publicised a strike on a system stationed at Cape Tarkhankut on Aug 23.
Western officers consider Russia is struggling to replenish its most superior air defence programs, probably leaving its forces uncovered to future aerial assaults.
Navy Informant, a pro-Russian blogger, advised Kyiv was laying the groundwork to strike targets, together with warships docked at Sevastopol, with impunity.
It stated: “Apparently, the Ukrainian armed forces try to purposefully skinny out the air defence of Crimea for unhindered assaults on strategic targets… in addition to ships of the Black Sea Fleet, that are virtually utterly defenceless with out ground-based air defence cowl.”
Ukraine has ramped up assaults round occupied Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014, in an try to starve Russia’s conflict machine by degrading its fight capabilities.
Crimea is a vital logistics hub for Russian forces defending Ukraine’s counter-offensive.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian forces used British-donated Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles to break a Russian warship and submarine at a shipyard in Crimea.
03:54 PM BST
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03:30 PM BST
Russia ‘producing seven instances extra ammunition than the West’
Russia is pulling forward within the international arms race and is now manufacturing seven instances extra ammunition than the West, a senior defence official has warned.
Specialists consider Russia has doubled its army manufacturing because the invasion of Ukraine, and is on monitor to fabricate 200 tanks and two million artillery shells per yr. It’s now creating extra ammunition than the US and Europe.
Kusti Salm, an official in Estonia’s defence ministry, advised the New York Instances that Russia’s ammunition manufacturing is seven instances that of Western powers.
He added that its prices had been considerably decrease as a result of it had sacrificed security and high quality in its effort to construct weapons extra cheaply.
02:55 PM BST
Ukraine recaptures japanese village upfront on Bakhmut
Ukraine says it has recaptured a village to the south of Bakhmut because it makes an attempt to push in the direction of the japanese metropolis.
Hanna Maliar, a deputy Ukrainian defence minister stated: “We’re shifting ahead within the Bakhmut course… and we now have excellent news there. Andriivka is ours.”
Battles are nonetheless ongoing within the surrounding settlements of Klishchiivka and Kurdyukivka.
02:30 PM BST
Pictured: Putin chairs safety council assembly from state residence
02:04 PM BST
Russia expels two US diplomats over spy row
Two US diplomats are being expelled from Russian after allegedly contacting a former US consulate employee accused of spying.
Moscow claimed Jeff Sillin and David Bernstein had “performed unlawful actions by liaising with a Russian citizen [Robert] Shonov”.
01:35 PM BST
Zelensky thanks Bulgaria for permitting grain exports
Volodymyr Zelensky has stated he’s grateful to Bulgaria for not extending restrictions on Ukrainian grain exports from tomorrow.
He wrote on Twitter: “I thank [Prime Minister] Nikolai Denkov and his crew, in addition to Bulgarian parliamentarians who supported this transfer. Bulgaria units an instance of true solidarity.”
Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia have banned home gross sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds.
01:15 PM BST
Hearken to Ukraine: The Newest podcast dwell
You’ll be able to take heed to The Telegraph’s Ukraine: The Newest podcast dwell on Twitter areas here.
01:12 PM BST
Russia destroys one other Ukrainian drone within the Black Sea
Russia’s defence ministry says its has “detected and neutralised” a Ukrainian naval drone within the Black Sea.
It comes after Kyiv allegedly attacked Sergey Kotov patrol ship utilizing 5 drones within the early hours of this morning. Russia nonetheless has not commented on whether or not the vessel was broken within the course of.
12:44 PM BST
Pictured: Former Ukrainian well being minister arrested
A former Ukrainian well being minister has been arrested on corruption grounds, in keeping with state broadcaster Suspilne.
Maksym Stepanov has been accused of embezzling greater than 450 million hyrvia (£9.8m) whereas on the helm of the state-owned “Ukraine Printing Plant”.
12:20 PM BST
Zelensky adviser: Russia wants conflict to ‘pause’ to rebuild military
12:05 PM BST
The Telegraph’s Ukraine: The Newest crew sit down with Mitt Romney
11:51 AM BST
‘Black Sea Fleet may very well be left utterly defenceless’
Kyiv is getting ready the bottom for “unhindered assaults” on annexed Crimea after destroying a “Triumf” air defence system, a pro-Russian blogger has claimed.
The Navy Informant Telegram channel stated: “The assault is analogous in execution to the assault on the air defence positional space within the Olenevka space on August 23.
“Apparently, the Ukrainian armed pressured try to purposefully skinny out the air defence of Crimea for unhindered assaults on strategic targets… in addition to ships of the Black Sea Fleet, that are virtually utterly defenceless with out ground-based air defence cowl.”
11:40 AM BST
South Sudan chief to go to Putin this month
The president of South Sudan is anticipated journey to Russia to fulfill Vladimir Putin on September 27, marking the Russian president’s newest worldwide customer.
Putin yesterday hosted a summit with North Korean chief Kim Jong-un, and can maintain talks with Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko tomorrow.
11:21 AM BST
Lukashenko to fulfill Putin for talks in Russia
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will reportedly journey to Russia for talks with Vladimir Putin on Friday.
The 2 males will focus on “worldwide agenda and regional points”, in keeping with the Belarusian information company Belta. It’s unclear the place the assembly will happen.
It comes after Putin met with Kim Jong-un in Russia’s Far East yesterday. The North Korean chief is now touring the area with a go to to Vladivostok and defence factories.
11:03 AM BST
Pictured: Ukrainian soldier fires on Russian positions in Donetsk
10:37 AM BST
Explosion at Russian armaments manufacturing facility
Two males have been injured in an explosion at a Russian armaments manufacturing facility within the Kurgan area, in keeping with the Baza Telegram channel.
A fireplace, which was later extinguished, broke out on the JSC Kurganmashzavod constructing whereas employees had been assembling gasoline tanks. It was apparently attributable to a “violation of security guidelines”.
The corporate, which is owned by the state’s defence conglomerate Rostec, is thought for producing BMP-2 and BMP-3 infantry preventing autos.
10:21 AM BST
Pictured: Earlier than and after the Ukrainian missile strike on Sevastopol
10:18 AM BST
Ukrainian drone ‘inflicted harm on Russian warship’
A Russian patrol ship attacked by Ukrainian drones was broken when one in every of them collided with its aspect, in keeping with a pro-Russian blogger.
Rybar, a Telegram channel with greater than one million followers, stated the drone slammed into the Vasily Bykov, which is a part of the Black Sea Fleet.
It’s unclear whether or not the blogger was in reality referring to the assault on the Sergey Kotov, which the Kremlin stated had been focused by Kyiv this morning.
10:03 AM BST
Russia ‘struggling important losses’ round Bakhmut
Kyiv says it has had “partial success” in various settlements to the south of the besieged metropolis of Bakhmut.
A spokesman for the final employees stated: “[Troops] had partial success within the districts of Klishchiivka, Andriivka, Kurdyumivka of the Donetsk area, inflicting important losses on the enemy when it comes to manpower and tools.”
WarGonzo, a outstanding pro-Russian blogger, stated Ukraine had gained a foothold in Klishchiivka however added that troops had been underneath heavy fireplace from Russian forces.
09:37 AM BST
Ukraine ‘destroyed Russian defences with drones and missiles’
Kyiv launched waves of drones and cruise missiles to destroy Russian air defences in annexed Crimea final night time, Ukrainian media experiences.
A supply advised Ukrainska Pravda that the safety providers focused the radar and antennas of the “Triumf” system, earlier than navy models adopted up with two Neptune cruise missiles.
09:31 AM BST
Six-year-old killed as Russia assaults with drones and artillery
A six-year-old boy has been killed by shelling within the south of Ukraine, in keeping with a press release from the Prosecutor Common.
4 different individuals, together with the boy’s 13-year-old brother, had been wounded within the assault on the village of Novodmytrivka in Kherson.
Individually, Ukraine’s air pressure stated it had shot down 17 of the 22 Russian drones that focused a number of areas final night time.
09:24 AM BST
Photos: Ukraine’s ‘Spartan Brigade’ prepares for assault in Zaporizhzhia
09:19 AM BST
One useless after Kursk city shelled, says Russian governor
Ukrainian shelling killed a person and broken energy provide strains in Russia’s Kursk area, its governor has claimed in a Telegram put up.
Roman Starovoit claimed the person died in an assault on the border city of Tetkino, and that 10 shells had struck the village of Gordeevka.
The small print haven’t been verified by The Telegraph.
08:53 AM BST
Experiences: Ukraine destroyed Russian ‘Triumf’ defences in in a single day raid
Ukraine destroyed a Russian air defences in Crimea in a joint operation between its safety service and navy final night time, it has been claimed.
The information, from Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne, comes after experiences of explosions in Yevpatoria in western Crimea, the place the “Triumf” system was primarily based.
08:40 AM BST
Russian pilot ‘tried to shoot down RAF airplane’
A rogue Russian pilot tried to shoot down an RAF surveillance airplane over the Black Sea after believing he had permission to fireplace, experiences point out.
The pilot, who was flying a Russian Su-27 fighter jet, apparently misunderstood a command from floor management and fired two missiles on the British plane final September, the BBC experiences.
Russia had claimed the incident was attributable to a “technical malfunction” with the Su-27 fighter jet. The Ministry of Defence publicly accepted the Russian rationalization.
08:27 AM BST
Photos: Putin and Kim maintain talks as they feast on crab dumplings and shrub sorbet
A lavish menu of duck and fig salad, crab dumplings, sturgeon and beef was offered to Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin as they mentioned a possible arms and weapons know-how deal in Russia, Nicola Smith writes.
Their wealthy meal began with speciality dumplings made with Kamchatka crab, White Amur fish soup and a sorbet from sea buckthorn, a deciduous shrub – all washed down with crimson and white wines from the Divnomorskoe manor in Southern Russia, in keeping with a Kremlin reporter.
The primary course provided a selection of sturgeon with mushrooms and potatoes or an entrecote of marbled beef with grilled greens, adopted by a calorific dessert of crimson bilberries from the taiga with pine nuts and condensed milk.
Learn the complete story right here.
08:24 AM BST
Sunak should cease ‘dragging his ft’ on Ukraine, says Boris
Boris Johnson has urged Rishi Sunak to ship missiles and drones to Ukraine, claiming it’s the finest transfer to “assure the long-term safety of the West”.
The previous prime minister wrote in The Spectator: “There is just one factor they need from us, and that’s the weaponry to complete the job – and so I merely don’t perceive why we maintain dragging our ft.
“Why are we all the time so gradual? How can we glance these males within the eye, and clarify the delay?
“From the UK, they’re hoping for extra assist with howitzers, with Stormshadow, with air defences, they usually need as a lot assist as we may give on drone know-how.”
08:15 AM BST
MoD: Russia management of Ukraine’s power is ‘severely diminished’
08:12 AM BST
Extra drones shot down over Russia in ‘thwarted assault’
Seven Ukrainian drones had been introduced down over Russian border areas final night time, in keeping with the Kremlin.
Six had been apparently shot down in 4 areas over the Bryansk area, which is roughly equidistant between Kyiv and Moscow, whereas one other was destroyed additional south within the Belgorod area.
It comes after experiences of Ukrainian drone strikes on the Sergey Kotov, a corvette in Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, and a army facility in occupied Crimea.
08:03 AM BST
Disgraced Austrian minister who danced with Putin strikes to St Petersburg
A disgraced former Austrian international minister who danced with Vladimir Putin at her marriage ceremony has moved to St Petersburg alongside along with her two ponies, James Crisp writes.
Karin Kneissl had been residing in Lebanon since fleeing Austria in 2020. She claimed she couldn’t get work in her residence nation and was the sufferer of dying threats.
She was pressured out of presidency after a scandal consumed the hard-Proper pro-Russian Freedom Social gathering (FPO), which appointed her as Vienna’s chief diplomat.
Learn the complete story right here.
08:02 AM BST
Photos: Ukraine ‘concentrating on Russian army facilites in Crimea’
Ukrainian bloggers have claimed that Kyiv focused a Russian army facility in occupied Crimea in a drone strike final night time.
One advised {that a} Russian air defence system close to Yevpatoria “was most likely destroyed”, however this has not been confirmed.
07:56 AM BST
Putin ‘accepts Kim’s invitation to go to North Korea’
Vladimir Putin will reportedly pay a go to to North Korea after internet hosting Kimg Jong-un at a summit in Russia’s Far East area.
In response to state information company KCNA: “On the finish of the reception, Kim Jong Un courteously invited Putin to go to the DPRK [North Korea] at a handy time.
“Putin accepted the invitation with pleasure and reaffirmed his will to invariably carry ahead the historical past and custom of the Russia-DPRK friendship.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov yesterday stated there have been no plans for Putin to make the journey to Pyongyang.
07:51 AM BST
Experiences of explosions in Crimea after alleged drone strike
Russian air defences destroyed 11 drones despatched from Ukraine over the annexed Crimean peninsula this morning, in keeping with the Kremlin.
Ukrainian media reported explosions had been heard in Yevpatoria and Uiutne, with ambulances and rescue employees noticed within the streets.
The Kerch bridge, which hyperlinks the area to mainland Russia and is an everyday goal of Kyiv’s assaults, was additionally closed this morning. It’s unclear if this was related to the alleged drone strikes.
07:47 AM BST
Russian submarine hit by British Storm Shadow missile strike
British-made Storm Shadow missiles had been utilized in a Ukrainian strike that broken a Russian submarine and ship at a serious naval port in Crimea, Joe Barnes and James Kilner write.
Russian sources claimed a volley of 10 missiles and three unmanned naval drones had been launched, in what gave the impression to be Kyiv’s most formidable monitor on the port metropolis of Sevastopol because the begin of the conflict.
Its defence ministry claimed seven of the missiles had been shot down and the unmanned drones had been destroyed.
Learn the complete story right here.
07:44 AM BST
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