Ukrainian soldier of the 80th brigade firing artillery in the direction of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast on April 24, 2023. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Ukrainian forces hit a Russian S-400 air defense system on May 22, Ukraine's General Staff reported on May 23.
Ukraine's Air Force and rocket and artillery forces also hit two Russian artillery pieces, two drone control stations, two command posts, an electronic warfare station, and a Su-25 aircraft, according to the report.
The General Staff did not elaborate on the extent of damage done to the air defense system or its location.
Russia's modern S-400 Triumph air defense system has an estimated price tag of around $1.2 billion.
Four S-400 launchers were destroyed in mid-April along with other equipment in an attack on a Russian military airfield in occupied Crimea, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
"I cannot confirm that anything is currently on the way. That is not known to me," a spokesperson for the German Defense Ministry said, according to Swiss public broadcaster SRF.
Russian media and officials reported approaching Ukrainian drones across multiple regions overnight on July 17, as Ukraine's military launched a wider drone attack on the western regions of Russia, including Moscow.
EU anti-crime agencies Europol and Eurojust announced on July 16 they had led the dismantling of a pro-Russian cybercrime network responsible for cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in Europe.
Russian first-person-view (FPV) drones initially struck a cargo truck, causing a fire and injuring two civilians. Soon after, as emergency workers were working on site, another Russian drone targeted the scene, injuring three emergency workers, the State Emergency Service said.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed weapons deal for Ukraine caught NATO allies off guard, with European diplomats saying they weren’t consulted ahead of the announcement, Reuters reported on July 16.
Russian forces dropped a 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) aerial bomb on a shopping center in Donetsk Oblast, killing at least two people and injuring 27 others, regional officials reported July 16.
Moscow needs to urgently raise more money as shrinking oil and gas revenues and a worsening economic outlook continue to strain the federal budget, a senior Russian lawmaker warned on July 16.
"Today, I have already signed documents to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine regarding Denys Shmyhal as the new defense minister," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
German-Ukrainian defense technology company Quantum Systems has acquired a 10% stake in Frontline, a Ukrainian defense robotics firm, Quantum Systems announced in a press release on July 16.
In a statement, the local affiliate — known as White Phoenix — praised its "comrades" for the July 10 killing of the colonel. Sources in the counter-terrorism field consider the group's claim credible, the Guardian reported.
Ukraine's parliament approved a Hr 412.4 billion ($9.8 billion) increase in defense spending in the first reading, Ukraine’s Finance Ministry announced in a press release on July 16.
Igor Kossov
