Russia Ukraine war live: Moscow launches fresh drone attack as Kyiv sink or disable third of Black Sea ships

Ukraine has sunk or disabled a 3rd of Russian warships within the Black Sea, a navy spokesman has mentioned.

Dmytro Pletenchuk made the feedback after Kyiv “destroyed” the Russian touchdown ship Kostiantyn Olshansky that was resting in port in Sevastopol. The ship had beforehand been a part of the Ukrainian fleet till it was captured in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea.

Two different touchdown ships, the Yamal and the Azov, had been additionally broken within the assault, in addition to the Ivan Khurs intelligence ship.

“Our final objective is full absence of army ships of the so-called Russian Federation within the Azov and Black Sea areas,” Mr Pletenchuk mentioned.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and the chief of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, agreed in a phone name to additional deepen political, financial and humanitarian ties, the Kremlin mentioned on Wednesday.

Russia is in search of to strengthen relations with African international locations, pitching Moscow as a pleasant nation and not using a colonial background in Africa.

It follows his name with Mali’s army chief Assimi Goita, with the 2 males agreeing to forge nearer ties when it got here to counter-terrorism, agriculture, the vitality sector and mining.

Mali has lately develop into considered one of Russia’s closest African allies, with the Wagner Group mercenary drive deploying there to combat anti-government rebels within the Sahel nation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian authorities to take a look at organise the manufacturing of home-grown gaming consoles, state information company TASS reported on Wednesday.

Putin is making an attempt to make Russia much less depending on shopper items and electronics produced by what Moscow regards as hostile states because of sweeping Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its actions in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s nationwide soccer has offered a glimmer of hope after qualifying for the Euro 2024 event.

In a playoff ultimate in Poland final evening, the workforce defeated Iceland 2-1 and have now progressed to the group levels, with video games set to happen in June and July.

Their opening sport is ready to be in opposition to Romania on 17 June and adopted by matches in opposition to Belgium and Slovakia in Group E.

Posting on X, Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned: “Thanks, workforce. For the essential victory and making it to EURO.

“For proving as soon as once more, every time Ukrainians face difficulties they don’t surrender and proceed to combat, Ukrainians actually win.”

Kyrgyzstan’s overseas ministry has urged residents of the Central Asian nation to place off pointless journey to Russia after a lethal taking pictures that was blamed on migrants from the area.

The developments have elevated present anti-immigrant sentiment in Russia, particularly in direction of migrant labourers from the predominantly Muslim international locations of Central Asia.

A Kyrgyzstan-born man was remanded in pre-trial custody by a Russian courtroom on Tuesday, accused of offering lodging to the 4 suspected perpetrators, who’re of Tajik origin. These 4 and three others of Tajik origin suspected of complicity are additionally in pre-trial detention.

Islamic State has mentioned it was answerable for the assault and has launched video footage of the bloodbath, which killed 139 folks and wounded 182. The group has not recognized any of the attackers.

Tons of of hundreds of individuals from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan work in Russia, and a few have already mentioned it has develop into harder for them to take action. Some passengers, for instance, refuse to board taxis with Tajik drivers.

A Ukrainian spy boss has revealed a secretive assassination marketing campaign which is probably being carried out by Ukraine’s nationwide spy service to focus on pro-Kremlin collaborators.

In an hour-long televised interview, Lieutenant Common Vasyl Malyuk, an SBU senior officer, mentioned spiekd had focused “very many” folks answerable for Ukrainian struggle crimes.

This included clandestine operations to kill Ukrainian nationals collaborating with Moscow to arrest different Ukrainians, with the SBU sanctioned to hold out assassinations as soon as their intelligence had been confirmed.

Notable deaths included Vladlen Tatarsky, a Kremlin propagandist and media persona, who was focused for his requires the elimination of Ukrainians.

He was handed an explosive-rigged statuette in a St Petersburg cafe in April final yr, with Mr Malyuk saying he deserved it given his repeated abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of struggle.

Former parliament member Ilya Kyva, who was a fugitive from Kyiv authorities after being convicted of treason, was one other high-profile execution. He had been collaborating with Russia’s FSB when he was killed by an murderer who shot him at shut vary in a park in suburban Moscow.

In a single assassination try that failed, shut Vladimir Putin ally Aleksander Dugin had switched automobiles on the final minute together with his daughter, who was killed when the automobile, which had been rigged with a bomb, exploded in Moscow.

France will quickly be capable to ship 78 Caesar howitzers to Ukraine and can enhance its provide of shells to satisfy Kyiv‘s pressing wants for ammunition to combat Russia‘s full-scale invasion, the protection minister mentioned Tuesday.

Protection Minister Sébastien Lecornu mentioned at a information convention that an settlement was reached amongst France, Ukraine and Denmark to finance the Caesar self-propelled 155 mm howitzers, which can allow France to “rapidly ship” them.

France has additionally set a objective to ship 80,000 shells for 155 mm weapons to Ukraine this yr — up from 30,000 delivered because the starting of the struggle on Feb. 24, 2022, he mentioned.

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Ukraine’s air drive chief mentioned on Wednesday that Russia launched 13 Shahed drones at Ukraine in a single day, 10 of which had been downed in Kharkiv, Sumy and Kyiv areas.

“Anti-aircraft missile models, cell fireplace teams, digital warfare gear … had been concerned in repelling the air assault,” Mykola Oleshchuk mentioned.

Ukraine wants any edge it might probably get to repel Russia from its territory. One rising vibrant spot is its small however fast-growing protection business, which the federal government is flooding with cash in hopes {that a} surge of do-it-yourself weapons and ammunition might help flip the tide.

The trouble ramped up sharply over the previous yr because the U.S. and Europe strained to ship weapons and different support to Ukraine, which is up in opposition to a a lot greater Russian army backed by a thriving home protection business.

The Ukrainian authorities budgeted practically $1.4 billion in 2024 to purchase and develop weapons at residence — 20 instances greater than earlier than Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The suspects, recognized by Russian authorities as being from Tajikistan, a Central Asian nation bordering Afghanistan, had been allegedly picked up within the Bryansk area about 210 miles southwest of Moscow hours after the assault.

Each Ukraine and its western allies, together with the US, have denied any involvement within the assault.