Belbek airfield strikes destroyed 3 Russian planes, satellite images suggest
Satellite images obtained by RFE/RL and The New York Times suggested two MiG-31s and one Su-27 were damaged if not totally destroyed.
Crimea
Russia claims over 100 downed drones amid reports of massive attack on port, oil facilities
If confirmed, it would be the largest drone attack by Ukraine throughout the entire war. A previous attack in March saw the Kremlin claiming to have downed 65 drones.
Ukraine war latest: Zelensky says situation in Kharkiv 'difficult' but 'under control,' Russia suffering 'significant losses'
Key updates on May 16: * Zelensky in Kharkiv: Situation 'difficult' but 'under control,' Russia suffers losses * Denmark announces more than $815 million in new military assistance for Ukraine * Minister: Russia captures, shoots civilians in northern Vovchansk * Source: Ukrainian drones attack Russian defense manufacturer's facilities in Tula * Partisans: Ammunition depot
Partisans: Ammunition depot hit at Belbek airfield in occupied Crimea
The partisans claim that the damaged depot stored "most of the missiles" for Russian Su-27 and Su-30 fighter jets as well as MiG-31 aircraft, a carrier of Kinzhal ballistic missiles that Russia uses to attack Ukraine.
Explosions rock Sevastopol, Belbek military airfield under attack
A fire broke out at the Belbek airfield in northwest Sevastopol in the evening of May 15, several Telegram monitoring channels reported. Explosions were also heard in Sevastopol, Simferopol, Dzhankoi and Hvardiiske.
Military intelligence: Ukraine constantly inventing new ways to sink Russian ships
Andriy Yusov said Russia has been taking steps to counter the attacks including trying to hide ships and build protective barriers, but said HUR was "finding new ways to show that HUR and Magura work extremely efficiently."
Media: Russia no longer using Crimean Bridge to supply front lines
The bridge, also called the Kerch Bridge, connects the Russian mainland with the Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula, and has long been a crucial supply route for the Russian military in Ukraine.
Ukraine war latest: Russian Mangust-class vessel destroyed in Crimea, military intelligence says
Key developments on May 6: * Ukraine destroys Russian fast attack craft in occupied Crimea * Syrskyi: Russia trying to break through defenses to reach Kurakhove, Pokrovsk * Russia threatens UK military installations, equipment "in Ukraine and abroad" after Cameron's remarks * Netherlands to begin F-16 aircraft deliveries to Ukraine in autumn * Minister: Ukraine
Updated: Ukraine destroys Russian fast attack craft in occupied Crimea
The combat operation was conducted by the "Group 13" unit of Ukraine's military intelligence in the Vuzka Bay in the Black Sea.
Russia claims to have downed ATACMS over Crimea
In a post on Telegram, the Kremlin's Defense Ministry said four ATACMS missiles provided to Ukraine by the U.S. were intercepted overnight by "air defense systems on duty." It did not say if falling debris had caused any damage.
Russia claims drone attack on occupied Crimea
Russian forces shot down a Ukrainian drone over occupied Crimea on May 2, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed.
Russian proxy claims Ukrainian missile strike on occupied Crimea
The news was corroborated by the Crimean Wind and Astra Telegram channels, which also added that the Crimean Bridge was temporarily closed as a result.
Ombudsman: Red Cross 'playing along with Russian aggression'
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is "playing along with Russian aggression," Ukraine's Chief Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on April 27.
Ukraine's Mariia Sulialina wins 2024 Civil Rights Defender award
Ukraine's human rights activist Mariia Sulialina has won the 2024 Civil Rights Defender of the Year Award, the organization announced on April 25. Sulialina, who heads the Ukrainian human rights organization Almenda, has been documenting Russia's war crimes against children.
State department confirms US began secretly providing Ukraine long-range ATACMS missiles in March
The U.S. began this spring secretly providing Ukraine with long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) at President Joe Biden's direction, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel confirmed at a press briefing on April 24. The statement was in response to a journalist's question about a Reuters report on
Update: Ukraine's Navy confirms Russian ship Kommuna hit in Sevastopol
A missile was launched at the Russian Black Sea Fleet stationed in occupied Sevastopol on April 21, the city’s Russian-installed governor has said. A source in Ukraine’s military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent that information on the strike was still being clarified.
Ukraine war latest: Russian missile launchers, radar stations destroyed in Crimea, Ukraine ups production of Bohdana howitzers
Key developments on April 18: * Ukraine destroys missile launchers, radar stations at Russian military airfield in Crimea, says Military intelligence * Reuters: Ukraine says Russia's use of illegal tear gas on battlefield is increasing * Zelensky: Ukraine to produce 10 Bohdana howitzers this month * German delegation promises new IRIS-T delivery shortly * Russian
Military intelligence: Ukraine destroys missile launchers, radar stations at Russian military airfield in Crimea
Ukraine destroyed several units of military equipment in an attack on a Russian military airfield in Dzhankoi in occupied Crimea on April 17, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported.
Zelensky confirms Ukraine struck Russian military airfield in occupied Crimea
Ukrainian forces carried out an attack early on April 17 against a Russian military airfield in Dzhankoi in occupied Crimea, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Explosions, fire reported at military airfield in occupied Crimea
Explosions were reported in the town of Dzhankoi in occupied Crimea near a military airfield during the early hours of April 17, according to Russian-affiliated telegram channels. Following the explosions, a large-scale fire reportedly broke out at the airfield.
Source: Ukrainian forces hit command post in Russian-occupied Crimea
The local partisan group Atesh said that the sounds of Russian air defense operating had been heard. Atesh claimed that the military base of the 810th Marine Brigade in Sevastopol had been hit.
The Counteroffensive: A look at the Russian military's war dolphins
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on April 14, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. In a country at war, death is all around. But Pavel Goldin is
Trump reportedly thought Ukraine 'must be part of Russia' as president
As president of the U.S., Donald Trump “made it very clear” that he believed Ukraine “must be part of Russia,” his former advisor Fiona Hill said, The Guardian reported on April 12, citing an excerpt from a book by The New York Times reporter David Sanger.
Russian Defense Ministry says Mi-24 helicopter crashes off Crimea
A Russian Mi-24 helicopter crashed into the Black Sea off the coast of Crimea, Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti reported on April 10, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.
UPDATED: Russian military helicopter crashes in Black Sea after explosion, Ukrainian Navy says
A Russian Ka-27 helicopter was downed over Russian-occupied Crimea, Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said on April 10.
Military intelligence: Ukraine directly controls Black Sea oil rigs, undermining Russia's reconnaissance capabilities
Russia's reconnaissance capabilities in the sky, on the water, and on land suffered after Ukraine regained control of a set of oil drilling platforms located in the Black Sea last autumn, Ukraine's military intelligence said on April 8.
Trump's advisor denies alleged plans to push Ukraine to cede territory
An advisor to Donald Trump, the U.S. Republican Party's presumptive nominee for the 2024 presidential run, refuted claims in the media that the ex-president would push Ukraine to give up some of its territory if reelected, The New York Post reported on April 7.
Poll: Fewer than 50% of Ukrainians believe war will end with restoration of 1991 borders
The 45% of respondents who believed that Ukraine would regain all of its territory represented a decrease from a high point in February 2023, in which 74% of respondents believed it was possible.
Ukraine's military intelligence says it disabled power substation in occupied Sevastopol
Representatives of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) blew up a power substation in the port city of Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea overnight on April 2, a source in HUR confirmed to the Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian retreat looms without US support, ATACMS are ‘the answer,’ says Zelensky
Key developments on March 30-31: * Zelensky: Ukrainian retreat looms without US support, ATACMS are ‘the answer’ * 80% of DTEK's energy capacity damaged, destroyed after Russia's March attacks * Putin signs decree to conscript 150,000 Russians, Ukrainians under occupation for military service * Navy: Russia withdraws 'most valuable' ships from occupied Crimea
Budanov warns Russian railway in occupied Ukraine can pose 'a serious problem’
Moscow has been constructing a railroad between Russia's port city Rostov-on-Don and occupied Crimea, as an alternative to the Crimean Bridge, running via key occupied and strategic ares, such as Donetsk and Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast and Berdiansk in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Navy: Russia withdraws 'most valuable' ships from occupied Crimea
Russia has now withdrawn all its major vessels from occupied Crimea except for the rocket carrier Cyclone, which has never launched a missile, a Navy spokesperson said on March 30.
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