Russia appears to have suffered a "catastrophic failure" in a test of its Sarmat missile, a key weapon in the modernisation of its nuclear arsenal, according to arms experts who have analysed satellite images of the launch site.
The images captured by Maxar on 21 September show a crater about 60 metres wide at the launch silo at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. They reveal extensive damage that was not visible in pictures taken earlier in the month.
The RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, known in the West as Satan II, is designed to deliver nuclear warheads to strike targets thousands of miles away in the United States or Europe, but its development has been dogged by delays and testing setbacks.
Timothy Wright, research associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, said the destruction of the area immediately surrounding the missile silo was suggestive of a failure soon after ignition.
"One possible cause is that the first stage (booster) either failed to ignite properly or suffered from a catastrophic mechanical failure, causing the missile to fall back into or land closely adjacent to the silo and explode," he told Reuters.
Key Points
- 16 hurt in Russian glide bomb attack in Zaporizhzhia
- Zelensky to present ‘victory plan’ to Biden, Harris and Trump
- Russian strike on apartment block in Kharkiv injures 21
- 900 glide bombs dropped in a week on Ukraine
- Ukraine’s air defence units destroy 71 Russian drones overnight
- Russia planning strikes on Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, says Kyiv
Situation tense around Russia’s Kursk plant, says UN nuclear chief
03:52
Arpan Rai
The situation remains serious around Russia’s Kursk nuclear power plant, UN nuclear agency chief Rafael Grossi said, but his agency planned no permanent mission at the site.
Part of Kursk remains under the control of Ukrainian troops, who poured over from the border last month. They are still some 40km (25 miles) from the nuclear facility, however.
“(The situation) is serious in that a military incursion has taken place and that incursion has reached the stage that it is not that distant from a nuclear power station,” said Mr Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
He had visited the Kursk plant, made up of four reactors, last month and said it would be “extremely exposed” if it came under attack as the facility had no containment dome – a safety feature found in all modern nuclear facilities protecting the reactor.
In his comments to RIA, made in New York ahead of debates at the UN General Assembly, he said he hoped favourable circumstances would mean he would not have to visit the plant again.
“I hope there will be no need to return to the Kursk station as that would mean that the situation has stabilised,” he said.
Putin’s fall is inevitable, says freed prisoner Vladimir Kara Murza
03:00
Tom Watling
EU chief travels to Kyiv with promise of fresh energy funds to get Ukraine through winter
02:00
Tom Watling
Northrop Grumman plans ammunition plant partnership in Lithuania
01:00
Tom Watling
Lithuania has signed a memorandum of understanding with Northrop Grumman Corporation for the development of an ammunition plant in the Baltic country that could also benefit Ukraine, the government and U.S. arms maker said in a joint statement on Monday.
The collaboration would boost Lithuania’s domestic defence industry and minimise the reliance on long supply chains, the government said, without giving any details of locations, time scales or financing.
“We hope that the cooperation with our American allies will strengthen the country’s security and preparedness, while also benefiting the wider region, including Ukraine,” Lithuanian Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste said in a statement.
Steve O’Bryan, corporate vice president and global business development officer of Northrop Grumman said the collaboration was in keeping with the company’s commitment to “supporting U.S. and allied countries through industry partnerships across the globe”.
The project, to be developed with state-owned ammunition manufacturer Giraite Armaments Plant, is expected to produce middle-caliber ammunition, according to the statement.
A charred transformer on a Kyiv square makes for an unusual Ukraine war exhibit
Tuesday 24 September 2024 00:00
Tom Watling
Ukraine accuses Russia of seeking to illegally control strategic sea as arbitration hearings open
Monday 23 September 2024 23:00
Tom Watling
The Ukrainian fighting to keep Russia out of world chess
Monday 23 September 2024 22:00
Tom Watling
Vladimir Kara-Murza: How I survived 11 months in Putin’s gulag
Monday 23 September 2024 21:00
Tom Watling
Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
Monday 23 September 2024 20:00
Tom Watling
Ukraine bans Telegram messenger app on state-issued devices because of Russian security threat
Monday 23 September 2024 19:00
Tom Watling
Watch: Russian arms depot ablaze after massive Ukrainian drone attack
Monday 23 September 2024 18:00
Tom Watling
Takeaways from AP's report on warning signs about suspect in apparent Trump assassination attempt
Monday 23 September 2024 17:00
Tom Watling
At the UN, world leaders try to lay out a vision for the future — and actually make it happen
Monday 23 September 2024 16:00
Tom Watling
Putin’s forces are desperate for a prize eastern city and Ukraine will fight street-to-street to keep them out
Monday 23 September 2024 15:11
Tom Watling
Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
Monday 23 September 2024 14:41
Tom Watling
Photos from the frontline
Monday 23 September 2024 14:08
Tom Watling
Over 20 people wounded after Russia strikes apartment blocks in Ukraine’s Kharkiv
Monday 23 September 2024 13:29
Tom Watling
Ukraine accuses Russia of seeking to illegally control strategic sea as arbitration hearings open
Monday 23 September 2024 13:03
Tom Watling
Ukraine accuses Russia of flouting maritime law beside Crimea
Monday 23 September 2024 12:32
Tom Watling
Ukraine accused Russia at an international court on Monday of flouting sea law by trying to keep the Kerch Strait between mainland Russia and annexed Crimea under its sole control.
Kyiv began proceedings at the Hague-based intergovernmental Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 after Moscow began building the 19 km (12 mile) Crimea Bridge link to the peninsula it seized from Ukraine two years previously.
The bridge is crucial for the supply of fuel, food and other products to Crimea, where the port of Sevastopol is the historic home base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, and became a major supply route for troops after Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Kyiv, which wants the bridge demolished and has targeted it with attacks, says Russia built it low to keep international ships out while allowing smaller Russian ones through the strait connecting the Sea of Azov and Black Sea.
“Russia wants to take the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait for itself,” Ukraine‘s representative Anton Korynevych told arbitrators at the opening of hearings.
Russia dismissed Ukraine‘s case as groundless and hopeless.
Ukraine says it does not target civilians during offensive in Kursk region
Monday 23 September 2024 12:04
Tom Watling
Ukraine abides by international humanitarian law and does not target civilians during its current incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region, Ukraine‘s foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday.
Earlier on Monday, Russia said at least 56 civilians had been killed and 266 wounded during Ukraine‘s incursion.
“Given Russia’s long history of false numbers and propaganda, there is simply no way of verifying their claims. If Russia wants to show the real situation on the ground it can grant such access to the UN and ICRC,” Heorhiy Tykhyi, the spokesman, told Reuters, using the acronyms for the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Kremlin says world chess body's ban on Russian players is result of Western pressure
Monday 23 September 2024 11:31
Tom Watling
The Kremlin said on Monday that a decision by the general assembly of FIDE, the governing body of chess, to uphold a ban on Russian and Belarusian players was the result of Western and Ukrainian pressure.
FIDE’s general assembly on Sunday upheld the ban which was imposed after Russia sent its army into Ukraine in February 2022. Belarus allowed Russian forces to use its territory to enter Ukraine.
When asked about the ban being rolled over, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “The West and Ukraine are putting open and undisguised pressure on countries within FIDE. This is no secret, everyone knows about it.
“Unfortunately, FIDE is also not free from the politicization of sport and the world of chess in particular,” said Peskov.
The Ukrainian government, the U.S. State Department, and players including former world champion Magnus Carlsen, and members of the Ukraine Olympic team had urged chess federations to reject an initial motion by Russian ally Kyrgyzstan to fully reinstate the two nations.
Zelensky visits ammunition plant in Biden hometown
Monday 23 September 2024 10:58
Tom Watling
During my visit to the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, where components for artillery and mortar shells are produced, including 155 mm shells for Ukraine, I emphasized the dedication of the workers, which is truly inspiring—they are helping Ukraine stand strong in our fight for… pic.twitter.com/rs0vLZRlVU
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 23, 2024
Russia claims 31 civilians killed during Ukrainian offensive in Kursk region
Monday 23 September 2024 10:29
Tom Watling
Ukraine‘s offensive in Russia’s Kursk region has so far killed at least 31 civilians and wounded 256, the Russian foreign ministry has claimed.
In August, Ukraine launched the biggest foreign attack on Russia since World War Two, bursting through the border into the western Kursk region supported by swarms of drones and heavy weaponry, including Western-made arms.
Russia said 131,000 civilians had left the most dangerous areas of the Kursk region.
Pictured: Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia
Monday 23 September 2024 09:58
Jabed Ahmed
David Lammy says allies need ‘guts’ to allow Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles
Monday 23 September 2024 09:30
Maroosha Muzaffar
UK foreign secretary David Lammy has announced ongoing negotiations with the White House regarding Ukraine’s request to use Storm Shadow missiles against Russian targets.
He also urged allies to show “nerve and guts” as he said that the challenges of the war are now escalating into 2025.
“So this is a critical time for nerve and guts and patience and for fortitude on behalf of allies who stand with Ukraine,” he said.
“I am not going to as foreign secretary, of course, comment on operational details, because that can only aid Putin,” Mr Lammy said “but there is a very real-time discussion across allies about how we can support Ukraine as we head into winter,” according to The Guardian.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the US to permit Ukraine to conduct long-range strikes within Russia.
Read more here:
Glide bombs, missiles and drones: The aerial bombardment raining down on Ukraine’s troops around Kharkiv
Monday 23 September 2024 09:00
Alex Croft
Pictured: Severe damage after Russia strikes Kharkiv
Monday 23 September 2024 08:30
Alex Croft
ICYMI: NATO jets intercept six Russian aircraft flying over Baltic Sea
Monday 23 September 2024 08:15
Alex Croft
Russian aircraft were flying over the Baltic Sea without transponders or a flight plan, the Latvian Air Force reported on Saturday night.
Transponders are a device which helps air traffic in international airspace remain safe - and it is not uncommon for Russian jets to enter Baltic airspace with them turned off.
The jets were escorted by NATO Eurofighter jets as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, the Latvian Air Force said according to the Kyiv Independent.
In August, German pilots reported that Russian planes detected heading towards Latvian airspace were behaving “uncooperatively but not aggressively” when the Baltic Air Policing mission intercepted them.
In August, the German Air Force reported that Russian pilots who were detected heading toward Latvian airspace “behaved uncooperatively but not aggressively” when intercepted by NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission.
Report: Over 20 people wounded after Russia strikes apartment blocks in Ukraine’s Kharkiv
Monday 23 September 2024 08:00
Alex Croft
Russian strikes hit high-rise apartment blocks in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, leaving dozens wounded in a second consecutive nighttime attack this week.
The bombs fell Saturday night on the district of Shevchenkivsky, in Ukraine’s northeast, local Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. Residential 16 and 9-storied buildings were destroyed, and seven more buildings were damaged, he added.
Twenty-one people were wounded, including an eight-year-old, two 17-year-olds and several older adults, according to Syniehubov and Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov.
Samya Kullab reports:
Russians will officially recognise Putin as a criminal, says former Gazprom official
Monday 23 September 2024 07:30
Maroosha Muzaffar
Ihor Volobuyev, a former chief spokesperson for Russian energy giant Gazprom has warned that Russians will repent for siding with Vladimir Putin.
The 53-year-old, who defected to Ukraine and is now fighting against Russia in the ongoing war, told Sky News: “The time will come, I really hope, when Russia will officially recognise him [Putin] as a criminal. And the Russians will repent for being with him, choosing him, listening to him, and for the time they spent in this war under his leadership. I hope they will be ashamed.”
He told the outlet: “I believe that until we kick Putin’s backside, we can’t think about anything else” adding that “I will serve in the armed forces of Ukraine for as long as I have the strength, opportunity and health - and I’m fine with that”.
Despite spending much of his life in Moscow, Mr Volobuyev, who was born in Ukraine, opposed Russia’s actions since the 2014 Crimea invasion and defected after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
He has now relinquished his Russian citizenship and gained Ukrainian citizenship. “I haven’t shared Russia’s policy since 2014... I had been looking for the inner strength to leave Russia.”
Moscow has issued a warrant for his arrest, but he said he remained committed to Ukraine.
Zelensky visits ammunition plant in Pennsylvania
Monday 23 September 2024 07:15
Maroosha Muzaffar
On 22 September, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Pennsylvania to thank workers for producing 155 mm artillery shells, vital for Ukraine’s defence against Russia.
Mr Zelensky expressed gratitude, emphasising the need for continued support from the US. “It is in places like this where you can truly feel that the democratic world can prevail,” he wrote on X.
“Thanks to people like these — in Ukraine, in America, and in all partner countries — who work tirelessly to ensure that life is protected.”
The factory recently increased production from 24,000 to 36,000 shells per month, and the US has supplied Ukraine with over three million of these munitions, according to the Kyiv Independent.
Zelensky to present ‘victory plan’ to Biden, Harris and Trump
Monday 23 September 2024 06:59
Maroosha Muzaffar
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting the US to present his “victory plan” to US president Joe Biden, aiming to secure further military support and diplomatic efforts against Russia.
Mr Zelensky will also address Congress and meet with vice president Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.
“This fall will determine the future of this war,” Mr Zelensky said in a post on X.
Following his Washington meetings, he will attend the UN General Assembly in New York as well aimed at rallying support for Kyiv.
Healey sets out plan to fast-track cyber experts to combat Putin’s online threat
Monday 23 September 2024 06:32
Maroosha Muzaffar
Gamers and cyber experts will be fast-tracked into the country’s online defence forces to help thwart the threat posed by Vladimir Putin, Defence Secretary John Healey said.
The new “cyber track” will have different selection and basic training requirements to other branches of the armed services.
The Sun on Sunday revealed that suspected Russian actors have been caught trying to hack into Britain’s core defence structure 90,000 times over the past two years.
“We will remove unnecessary barriers and fast-track bright candidates into cyber defence to help face down Putin’s online aggression,” Mr Healey said.
Read more here:
16 hurt in Russian glide bomb attack in Zaporizhzhia
Monday 23 September 2024 06:05
Maroosha Muzaffar
At least 16 civilians, including a 15-year-old boy, were injured in Russian airstrikes on Zaporizhzhia late Sunday, according to the Ukrainian interior ministry.
The strikes reportedly involved KAB guided aerial bombs, causing damage to several apartment buildings, Reuters reported.
Zaporizhzhia governor Ivan Fedorov wrote on Telegram that Russia conducted a total of 363 air and ground strikes across 12 settlements in the region within a day.
Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians, though the war has resulted in thousands of civilian casualties, predominantly among Ukrainians.
Russian dissident warns Putin’s regime will fall without warning
Monday 23 September 2024 06:00
Maroosha Muzaffar
Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian opposition leader, who was reunited with his family in London following his release from a Siberian prison as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, said that Putin’s regime will collapse without warning.
Mr Kara-Murza, a vocal critic of the Kremlin, had been jailed on political charges and was allegedly poisoned twice. He told The Guardian: “That’s how things happen in Russia. Both the Romanov empire in the early 20th century, and the Soviet regime at the end of the 20th century collapsed in three days. That’s not a metaphor, it was literally three days in both cases.”
He believes that Western leaders, besides the Russians, need to take collective responsibility who “for all these years were buying gas from Putin, inviting him to international summits, rolling out red carpets”.
“These guys keep meticulous records. When the end comes – and it will – the archives will open, we will find out about Trump and Marine Le Pen and your British guys too.”
Earlier, he told The Independent: “Even if Vladimir Putin kills all of us, the current leaders of the opposition, others will come in our place.”
He said: “Others from the younger generation. The people who turned out in the tens of thousands for the funeral procession of Alexei Navalny in Moscow earlier this year. People who have been leaving these flowers at makeshift memorials all over the country. They will come and take our place to find a democratic Russia, even when none of us are there.”
Poll reveals increasing support for Russian withdrawal
Monday 23 September 2024 05:30
Maroosha Muzaffar
A new poll has revealed that half of Russians now want their soldiers to return home from Ukraine.
Despite the Kremlin’s pro-war propaganda, recent setbacks, including Ukraine’s counter-offensive into Russia’s Kursk region, have shaken public morale, the survey revealed.
The poll, conducted by independent Russian pollster Chronicles, shows a 9 per cent increase since January in those supporting peace talks, with 49 per cent now favouring withdrawal, according to Newsweek.
Aleksei Miniailo, a Russian opposition politician and co-founder of Chronicles told the outlet: “The longer the war drags on, the less people have faith that it will end in a beneficial way for them and for Russia.
“The Ukrainian invasion into the Kursk region was a shocking thing for many and decreased the number of those who want to fight till the goals (of the war) are reached.”
This comes amid reports of significant Russian casualties, with around 70,000 soldiers killed and 600,000 wounded in the war.
900 glide bombs dropped in a week on Ukraine
Monday 23 September 2024 04:56
Maroosha Muzaffar
Russia intensified its aerial assault on Ukraine, dropping over 900 glide bombs, 400 Shahed drones, and nearly 30 missiles this week, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
A barrage on Friday left at least 15 people injured in Kharkiv, including children, while bombs struck apartment buildings on Saturday, wounding 21 people, among them an eight-year-old child.
According to The Telegraph, the bombs, particularly KAB-type aerial glide bombs, were used in both instances.
Ukraine has struggled to counter these bombs and continues to request long-range missiles from Western allies to strike Russian territory, though restrictions are still in place.
“There are no words to describe the aftermath of a glide bomb attack,” Vovchansk police chief Oleksii Kharkivsky said in May. “You arrive to see people who are lying there, torn apart.”
Russia’s bid to derail UN’s ‘pact for the future’ rejected
Monday 23 September 2024 04:17
Maroosha Muzaffar
At a high-profile UN summit in New York, Russia was isolated after attempting to derail a proposed “Pact for the Future” to revive the UN and address multilateralism.
Russia called for the deferral of the pact, arguing it favoured Western interests and interfered with national sovereignty.
However, the motion was rejected by a large majority — 143 votes to 7 — with only limited support from allies like Belarus, Venezuela, and Syria.
Russia’s objections targeted issues like sexual and reproductive health rights and gender empowerment.
Despite Russia’s opposition, the pact, seen as crucial by the global south and UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, seeks to reform multilateral cooperation, including the UN Security Council, financial institutions, and handling of modern crises like AI and climate change.
Mr Guterres told the summit that the pact’s aim was “to bring multilateralism back from the brink at a time when the world [is] heading off the rails”.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK gives surprise speech at Labour party conference
Monday 23 September 2024 03:43
Alex Croft
In a surprise speech on the main stage, Ukrainian ambassador Valerii Zaluzhnyi thanked the government for their support.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Defence Secretary for their commitment to the Ukrainian people,” he said.
“The Labour Party has a long history of opposing fascism and terrorism.”
“It was [Labour wartime minister Ernest] Bevin who understood the importance of strength... Bevin’s legacy includes the founding of NATO, the cornerstone of European security.
“He would have understood the urgent need for Ukraine’s fast-track membership of Nato as a necessity that should be recognised.”
Exclusive report: The downfall of Putin is inevitable, says freed dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza
Monday 23 September 2024 02:45
Alex Croft
Two dead in mine after Russian strike causes fire
Monday 23 September 2024 01:35
Alex Croft
Two female mine workers were found dead after a Russian strike in the Donetsk region caused a fire.
One more person was taken to hospital following the strike, which forced 371 workers to evacuate.
The fire was above the mine and did not enter go underground, the ministry noted according to Ukrainian Pravda.
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry did not specify the location of the attack but the Governor of the Donetsk region, Vadym Filashkin, said early on Sunday that two people had been killed and one injured in Udachne, the Kyiv Independent reported.
The village of Udachne, 12 kilometres west of Pokrovsk - one of the main battlegrounds in recent weeks - is home to one of the largest coal mines in Ukraine.
Russia says firefighter killed by Ukrainian drone in Moscow-controlled Luhansk region
Monday 23 September 2024 00:23
Alex Croft
A firefighter was killed by a Ukrainian drone in Russia-controlled Luhansk region in the eastern Ukraine, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said on Sunday.
The drone’s explosives detonated when Vyacheslav Glazunov, 33, was extinguishing a fire in the Novoaidar district triggered by fallen drones, the ministry said on Telegram.
Watch: Arms depot ablaze deep inside Russia after massive Ukrainian drone attack
Sunday 22 September 2024 23:10
Alex Croft
An arms depot in Russia’s south-western region of Krasnodar appeared to have been hit in a massive Ukrainian drone attack overnight on Friday 20 September, as verified footage on social media showed explosions at the scene.
Other attacks were also reported in occupied Crimea and the Tver region, northwest of Moscow, and Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had shot down more than 100 drones.
I’ve witnessed first-hand the horrific cost of Putin’s war – as casualties hit 1 million
Sunday 22 September 2024 22:01
Alex Croft
Full report: West must show ‘guts and nerve’ in helping Ukraine, says Lammy
Sunday 22 September 2024 21:03
Nina Lloyd
Ukraine’s air defence units destroy 71 Russian drones overnight
Sunday 22 September 2024 20:04
Alex Croft
Ukraine’s air defence units destroyed 71 out of 80 attack drones that Russia launched overnight, Ukraine’s air force said this morning.
Additionally, six more of the Russian drones were lost after getting neutralised by Ukraine’s electronic warfare, the air force said.
Russia also launched two guided missiles from occupied parts of Ukraine’s Luhansk region, the air force said but did not mention if they were intercepted.
David Lammy calls for ‘guts and nerve’ in facing Putin
Sunday 22 September 2024 19:15
Alex Croft
Allies must show “nerve” in their support for Ukraine, foreign secretary David Lammy said Sunday at the Labour party conference.
Speaking at a fringe event alongside Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, he said: “This is a critical time for nerve and for guts and for patience and for fortitude on behalf of allies who stand with Ukraine.”
“I am not going to, as Foreign Secretary, of course, comment on operational detail, because that can only aid Putin.
“But there is a very real-time discussion across allies about how we can support Ukraine as we head into the winter.”
“I think we have to recognise Putin’s bullying bluster and rhetoric for what it is: a sort of deliberate psychological warfare that is usually indicative of his own fears about losing this ridiculous and horrendous bloody escapade of his.
“He tends to throw dust up in the eyes.”
Report: Over 20 people wounded after Russia strikes apartment blocks in Ukraine’s Kharkiv
Sunday 22 September 2024 18:37
Alex Croft
Russian strikes hit high-rise apartment blocks in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, leaving dozens wounded in a second consecutive nighttime attack this week.
The bombs fell Saturday night on the district of Shevchenkivsky, in Ukraine’s northeast, local Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. Residential 16 and 9-storied buildings were destroyed, and seven more buildings were damaged, he added.
Twenty-one people were wounded, including an eight-year-old, two 17-year-olds and several older adults, according to Syniehubov and Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov.
Samya Kullab reports: