Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russian helicopter shot down in historic sea drone strike as Kyiv attacks oil depot
The Ukrainian strike on a Russian chopper is the first time an unmanned sea drone has shot down an aerial target, Kyiv said
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Your support makes all the difference.A Russian helicopter was shot down by an uncrewed Ukrainian naval drone, in what Kyiv’s spy agency says was the first such strike in history.
In a battle near Cape Tarkhankut, on Crimea’s western coast, a missile-armed Magura V5 maritime drone struck a Russian Mi-8 helicopter. Dramatic video footage appears to show the moment the chopper was downed into the sea.
It is the first time an aerial target was destroyed by an uncrewed vessel, Ukraine’s GUR spy agency said in a post on Telegram.
Another Russian helicopter was damaged but managed to reach an airfield, the agency said. The reports have not yet been independently verified.
It comes as the Ukrainian military said it attacked an oil depot in Russia’s western Smolensk region, which it says was used for military purposes. Powerful explosions and tanks with oil products caught fire.
Local governor Vasily Anokhin said earlier that wreckage from one of the 10 Ukrainian drones shot down by Russian air defences fell on the oil facility. The situation is now “under control”, he said, offering no further detail.
Meanwhile, Kyiv brought home 189 former captives in a prisoner exchange with Moscow on Monday, in which 150 Russian soldiers were also freed.
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Explosions heard in Kyiv amid ballistic missile alerts
Explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv overnight amid a Russian missile attack.
A ballistic missile threat was reported by Ukraine’s air force at 3am, and at least two explosions were heard in Kyiv just minutes later.
Another alert was issued at 8am, before another explosion in the capital. Missile debris fell in the Darnytskyi district but there have been no reports of casualties or damage, the local administration said.
Russian helicopter downed by Ukrainian naval drone, Kyiv says
One Russian helicopter has been destroyed and another damaged by Ukrainian naval drones, Kyiv’s military intelligence said on Tuesday.
In a battle on Crimea’s west coast, a Magura V5 maritime drone armed with missiles hit a Russian Mi-8 helicopter, Ukraine’s GUR spy agency said on Telegram.
It is the first time a Ukrainian naval drone has downed an air target, the spy agency said.
There has been no comment from Russia and the report has not been independently verified - but it was also reported by prominent Russian military blogger Voenny Osvedomitel.
Editorial: If the West gives an inch when it comes to Ukraine, Putin will take a mile
It is 25 years since Vladimir Putin was handed power on 31 December 1999 when Boris Yeltsin resigned, and it is something he has kept an increasingly iron grip on ever since.
While the Russian leader has repeatedly clashed with the West, Putin’s near three-year invasion of Ukraine – and the staunch support allies like Britain and the US have given Kyiv – has only intensified his threats and bellicose rhetoric.
As we move into 2025, the West has to be prepared to keep drawing Putin’s ire. Donald Trump, the US president-elect, has suggested he wants a swift resolution to the war in Ukraine once he takes office in January, and both Kyiv and Moscow have opened the door to peace talks. The UK and nations across Europe are aware that if Putin is given an inch, he will try to take a mile – so continued support for Ukraine on the battlefield is crucial.
Read The Independent’s editorial:
If the West gives an inch when it comes to Ukraine, Putin will take a mile
Editorial: If the last 25 years have taught us anything, it is exactly who the Russian president is – and what he is capable of
Watch: Families in tears as Ukrainian soldiers return home after Russia prisoner of war swap
Ukrainian families sobbed as they reunited with loved ones in a prisoner of war (POW) swap with Russia on Monday, 30 December.
Among them were soldiers captured by Russia from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Snake island and other parts of the front line, as well as two civilians.
Volodymyr Zelensky said the two countries exchanged 189 prisoners of war each in an exchange mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
China and Russia always moving forward ‘hand in hand’, Xi tells Putin
China’s president Xi Jinping said China and Russia have always moved forward “hand in hand” along the right path of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua said on Tuesday.
In an exchange of New Year greetings with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Mr Xi also said that mutual trust and strategic coordination between both countries continues to reach higher levels under their leadership.
--Reuters
Editorial: If the West gives an inch when it comes to Ukraine, Putin will take a mile
If the last 25 years have taught us anything, it is exactly who the Russian president is – and what he is capable of:
If the West gives an inch when it comes to Ukraine, Putin will take a mile
Editorial: If the last 25 years have taught us anything, it is exactly who the Russian president is – and what he is capable of
Hundreds of soldiers freed in the latest prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war in the latest such swap that saw the release of hundreds of captives and was brokered with the help of the United Arab Emirates, officials said Monday.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 189 Ukrainian prisoners, including military personnel, border guards and national guards — along with two civilians — were freed. He thanked the UAE for helping negotiate the exchange.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that 150 Russian soldiers were freed from captivity as part of the exchange in which each side released 150 people.
Read more here:
Hundreds of soldiers freed in the latest prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war in the latest such swap that released hundreds of captives and was brokered with the help of the United Arab Emirates
-- AP
Explosions heard in Kyiv
Explosions were heard in Kyiv, Ukraine, during an air raid alert on Tuesday, according to a Reuters witness.
Putin has ruled Russia for 25 years – but what can he show for it?
What 25 years of Putin has done to the world, in a presidency bookended by war
Crisis has aided the Russian strongman’s regime stability far more than any index of economic success, writes Mark Almond
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