Russia Strikes Ukrainian Airport Adapted For F-16 Jets, Blasts Energy Infrastructure

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Moscow started to conduct precision strikes on Ukrainian military targets and the power grid in response to a string of terror attacks on Russian land, including the blast on the Crimean Bridge in October 2022.

The Russian Armed Forces hit military and energy infrastructure in the city of Starokonstantinov, the representative of the underground resistance told Sputnik. He added that Moscow struck a military airfield that is currently being prepared for Western F-16 fighter jets.

“One of the strikes was targeted towards military training grounds in Starokonstantinov, where, according to resistance data, foreign military equipment is deployed and drafted Ukrainians are trained to use it. Foreign instructors conduct the training," he explained.

The source added that the Russian military targeted an electrical substation and hit the bull’s eye with a “very powerful explosion" being heard, and the city's power was cut off. Ukrainian media also published reports about the number of other blasts there.

Earlier in May, media outlets reported that the first batches of F-16 fighter jets would be delivered to Ukraine by June or July. In a conversation with military pilots that took place in March, Russian President Vladimir Putin explained that the supply of F-16s would not change the situation on the battlefield.

Nevertheless, Moscow stressed it would treat the jets as nuclear-capable assets due to their dual-purpose nature.

Prelude to WWIII: Italy Slams NATO Chief's Proposal to Allow Ukraine to Strike Deep Into Russia

NATO’s chief Jens Stoltenberg earlier urged Western nations to lift restrictions on allowing Ukraine to conduct attacks deep into Russia using Western weapons.

The Italian government has slammed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s plea to lift restrictions on the use of Western weapons supplied to Kiev regime.

"We will not send a single Italian soldier to Ukraine, and the military equipment that Italy sends should be used on the territory of Ukraine," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani was quoted as saying by the Adnkronos news agency on Saturday.

He added that Italy “must always work for peace and lower the tone.” While Italy is a part of NATO, “every decision must be made collectively,” he pointed out.

Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Lega party Matteo Salvini voiced the same position, stressing that no one seeks a “prelude to a Third World War”.

"Italy is not at war with anyone, and while it was right to assist Ukraine militarily, lifting the ban on Kiev to strike military targets in Russia is out of the question. Similarly, I reiterate that Lega opposes sending even a single soldier to fight in Ukraine. We seek peace, not a prelude to a Third World War," he underscored.

Earlier, NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged partners to formally allow Kiev to use Western-supplied long-range missile systems to strike deep into Russian territory.

Russian officials repeatedly warned against military supplies to the Kiev regime, stressing that this move only fuels the conflict with no chance of affecting the ultimate course of the special operation.

Moscow's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed that everyone who goes “to the so-called 'peaceful conference' in Switzerland” on Ukraine should be well aware of Stoltenberg’s recent words.

Russian parliamentary representative from the Crimea region in turn dubbed Stoltenberg's words an “obsession with war” and “desire to harm Russia at any cost with no regard to catastrophic consequences for the population of Western nations.”

Russian armed forces liberate Arkhangelskoye settlement in DPR — defense ministry

© Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

The Russian military forces liberated the settlement of Arkhangelskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic in the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Center units have liberated the settlement of Arkhangelskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic as a result of successful combat actions," the report said.

Battlegroup East units have secured more advantageous lines and repelled the Ukrainian army’s attack

"Battlegroup East units have secured more advantageous lines, as well as hit troops and equipment of the 116th mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian army, the 102nd and 128th territorial defense brigades in the areas of settlements of Antonovka, Vodyanoye, Storozhevoye of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Gulyaipole of the Zaporozhye Region. An attack by the assault group of the 72nd mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian army has been repelled near the settlement of Vladimirovka of the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

Watch Combat Action of Russian Artillery Near Avdeyevka

The Ukrainian army lost up to 120 troops, five cars, two 122mm self-propelled Gvozdika artillery systems, a US-produced 105mm M119 weapon and a Bukovel-AD electronic warfare station, the ministry added.

Battlegroup South units have improved forefront position and defeated troops and equipment of two Ukrainian army’s brigades

"Battlegroup South units have improved their forefront position and defeated troops and equipment of the 79th air assault brigade of the Ukrainian army and the 116th territorial defense brigade in the areas of settlements of Ostroye and Konstantinovka of the Donetsk People’s Republic," the report said.

Battlegroup North units continue advancing deep into the Ukrainian army’s defense

"Battlegroup North units keep advancing deep into the enemy’s defense. Troops and equipment of the 57th infantry and 82nd air assault brigades of the Ukrainian army have been hit near the settlements of Yurchenkovo and Baksheyevka of the Kharkov Region," the ministry said.

"Two counterattacks were repelled near the settlements of Volchansk and Glubokoye of the Kharkov Region," the report said.

The Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 220 troops in the area of the Russian Battlegroup North’s responsibility over the past 24 hours, with a Germany-produced SPG Panzerhaubitze 2000 eliminated, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

"The Ukrainian army’s losses in the past 24 hours totaled up to 220 troops and three cars. Moreover, a Germany-made 155mm Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled artillery system, two 152mm D-20 howitzers, a 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, two 122m D-30 howitzers, a 100mm Rapira anti-tank gun, as well as Czech-made Vampire and Grad multiple launch rocket systems, were defeated," the ministry said.

Dnepr Battlegroup have defeated troops in the area of the settlement of Tyaginka of the Kherson Region and the island of Borshchevoy

"Dnepr Battlegroup units inflicted damage on personnel and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 35th marine infantry brigade and the 123rd territorial defense brigade near the settlement of Tyaginka of the Kherson Region and the island of Borshchevoy. The Ukrainian army lost up to 50 troops, three cars, a US-produced 155mm M777 howitzer, as well as a 152mm D-20 howitzer," the ministry said.

Battlegroup Center units repelled three counterattacks by the Ukrainian army "Three counterattacks by assault groups of the 142nd, 144th infantry, 47th mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces were repelled near the settlements of Shumy, Netaylovo, Solovyovo of the Donetsk People’s Republic," the report said.

Moreover, the units of the 24th, 100th mechanized, 25th air assault brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces, the 241st territorial defense brigade were defeated near the settlements of Novosyolovka Pervaya, Yasnoborodovka, Zelyonoye Pole, Toretsk and Konstantinovka of the Donetsk People’s Republic.

Watch Russian Paratroopers Shoot Down Ukrainian Heavy Baba Yaga Drone

The Ukrainian army lost up to 410 troops in the area of the Russian Battlegroup Center’s responsibility, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

"The enemy’s losses reached up to 410 troops, three armored combat vehicles and two cars, as well as a 155mm M777 howitzer, a 152mm Giatsint-B artillery gun, a 152mm Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, a 152mm D-20 howitzer, a 152mm MSTA-B howitzer, three 122mm D-30 howitzers, as well as a US-made 105mm M102 howitzer," the report said.

The Ukrainian army’s daily losses in the area of Russian Battlegroup West’s responsibility have reached 210 troops "The Ukrainian army has lost up to 210 troops, two armored combat vehicles and three cars, as well as a 152mm D-20 howitzer, a 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and a 122mm D-30 howitzer," the report said.

"Battlegroup West units have secured more advantageous lines, as well as defeated units of the 241st territorial defense brigade near the settlement of Stepovaya Novosyolovka of the Kharkov Region," the report said.

Military forces have hit a temporary deployment site of foreign mercenaries "Operational-tactical aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces have defeated a temporary deployment site of foreign mercenaries, troops and military equipment of the enemy in 113 regions," the report said.

Air defense systems downed 25 drones, a Hammer aerial bomb, as well as three HARM anti-radar missiles

"Air defense systems have downed 25 drones, a France-produced Hammer guided aerial bomb, as well as three US-produced HARM anti-radar missiles," the ministry said.

Russia is Blinding Ukraine’s Long-Range NATO Glide Bombs

©Sputnik / Pavel Lisitsyn / Go to the mediabank

The NATO-Russia proxy war in Ukraine has become a testing ground for a new generation of military technology for high-intensity warfare, with the split-second ability to jam an enemy drone, disorient a precision artillery munition or pinpoint a hidden enemy position using radio-electronic means often becoming the difference between life and death.

Ukraine’s stocks of American-made Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) munitions are being jammed by Russian electronic warfare equipment, three informed sources familiar with the ‘problem’ told Reuters.

The Boeing/Saab Group-developed GLSDB is a ground-launched variant of Boeing’s GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb – a 129 kg glide munition with a 93 kg fragmentation warhead and a 150 km range designed for strikes against heavily entrenched targets. The GLSDB can be fired from M270 and M142 HIMARS precision multiple launch rocket installations - which the United States began delivering to Ukraine in mid-2022, and which Russian forces initially had difficulties locating due to the systems’ rapid shoot-and-scoot [the ability to come out of cover, quickly fire and go back into hiding] capabilities.

GLSDBs began to be sent to Ukraine in early 2024 in a bid by the Pentagon to extend Ukraine’s long-range strike potential, which Kiev has used to target both military and civilian targets in the Donbass and elsewhere.

Reuters’ sources said Russian jamming equipment has been targeting the GLSDB’s GPS-supported inertial navigation system, dramatically reducing its effectiveness. One of the sources said it would take Boeing “months” to fix the problem. The report did not provide details on what percentage of the long-range weapons had rendered useless by Russian efforts.

The GLSDB is just one of the systems Ukraine’s NATO-backed forces have faced problems with thanks to Russian electronic warfare measures. Daniel Patt, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told Congress in March that the effectiveness of US 155 mm GPS-guided Excalibur artillery shells had dropped from 70 percent to just six percent several weeks after being delivered to Kiev after Russian forces fine-tuned their electronic warfare equipment against them.

The bad news for the Pentagon regarding the GLSDB’s performance against a peer adversary comes on the heels of a New York Times report this week citing Ukrainian officials, electronic warfare specialists and frontline troops indicating that Russian electronic warfare had successfully jammed SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet terminals en masse in Kharkov region. This, the sources said, helped Russia achieve an element of surprise for its offensive in the area to establish a “sanitary zone” free of Ukrainian long-range strike systems, which Ukraine’s forces had been using this spring to target the city of Belgorod and border settlements.

“We’re losing the electronic warfare fight,” a deputy commander from the Ukrainian 92ndAssault Brigade’s drone battalion said. “One day before the attacks, it just shut down. It became super, super slow.”

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirmed in an X post Friday that his company has been forced to spend “significant resources combating Russian jamming efforts,” and characterized Russia’s electronic warfare capabilities as “a tough problem.”

Russia has been forced to dramatically strengthen its electronic warfare capabilities amid the Ukrainian crisis, owing to the use of precision-guided NATO munitions and drones on a previously unparalleled scale. This has included everything from the jamming of guided artillery shells and extended-range Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits, to confusing long-range drones and disorienting missiles. Russia’s military is also doing its best to stay ahead of the curve on the battlefield, with an informed source telling Sputnik last October that EW troops were tweaking their equipment to prepare to suppress Ukraine’s F-16s once they begin arriving later this year.

Russia’s commitment to powerful electronic warfare capabilities dates back to the second half of the 20th century, when, amid preparations for a possible large-scale conflagration with NATO in the heart of Germany, Soviet military doctrines began emphasizing the need for “total integration of electronic warfare and physical destruction resources” on the battlefield. These developments have been consistently expanded and improved upon over the decades – with Russia, unlike the US, never losing focus on the creation of electronic warfare means against peer competitors.

Zelensky No Longer Legitimate President of Ukraine - Putin

©AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Volodymyr Zelenesky's constitutionally-mandated term as Ukraine's president expired on May 21. The leader canceled elections last November, claiming it was "utterly irresponsible" to discuss such matters amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.

President Zelensky's legitimacy has expired, and Russia will proceed from this fact, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. "Of course, we are aware that the legitimacy of the current head of state [of Ukraine] has ended," Putin said at a press conference in Minsk on Friday after talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Putin recommended anyone looking for answers regarding Zelensky's status to look to the Ukrainian Constitution - which does not authorize the artificial extension of his presidential term under martial law.

Lukashenko echoed Putin's assessment, saying that "there is no legal integrity, and cannot be any legal integrity" on this question.

"All the same, I believe that neither current president nor the future one can resolve the big issues facing the state of Ukraine and the people of Ukraine. These issues will not be resolved by presidents. You know who will decide them. A lot has already been decided overseas, and what hasn't, will be done later," Lukashenko said, adding that there were plenty of people in Ukraine, both in the military and among civilians, who would like to lead the country, "and lead it in a new way, toward war or against war."

A defiant Zelensky has rejected questions on his legitimacy from his critics in Ukraine, and from Kiev's Western 'partners'. "My five-year term is not over yet. It is continuing due to martial law," Zelensky told Reuters on Tuesday. Ukrainian parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk warned Wednesday that Kiev would consider anyone who doubts Zelensky's legitimacy "enemies of Ukraine" and "political bottom-feeders."

Putin emphasized at Friday's press conference that Russia remains ready to continue negotiations with Ukraine, including based on the draft agreements reached during talks in Belarus and Turkiye in the spring of 2022, but accounting for the present realities on the ground.

If and when such negotiations resume, "we must be completely confident that we are dealing with legitimate authorities. This question must be answered in Ukraine itself. First of all, I believe, from the position of the parliament, the Constitutional Court, some other government bodies," Putin said.

As for the upcoming 'peace talks' in Switzerland next month, which Russia has no plans to attend, Putin suggested that it constitutes an effort by the Kiev regime's sponsors to confer legitimacy on Zelensky now that his legal term as president is up.

The Biden administration has yet to comment on the issue of Zelensky's status publicly. However, the European Commission and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock assured on Tuesday that he was legitimate.

"It's impossible to organize elections in such a situation," European Commission spokesman Peter Stano told reporters. "We (in the EU) also have no doubts that the president of Ukraine is Volodymyr Zelensky," the spokesman said.

Russia's involvement in the proxy war with NATO in Ukraine did not interfere with its ability to hold elections, with a presidential election held this past March, and regional elections taking place in September 2023.

Boris Johnson is a War Criminal

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined fighters from Ukraine's notorious Azov neo-Nazi unit for a photo while holding a banner bearing symbols associated with the SS Third Reich. Not only that, he also ordered the Ukranian people to attack Russia. So it can be categorized as Boris Johnson, a UK citizen, who was the mastermind behind the Ukrainian war crimes. He and the UK parliament have no respect for the 450,000 UK soldiers who were massacred by the Nazis in the second world war.

The controversy erupted on Wednesday when several members of the Azov brigade, widely known for its neo-Nazi ideology and outlawed in Russia, were greeted by British MPs as part of a roundtable discussion on the return of the unit’s prisoners of war in the UK Parliament.

Founded as a neo-Nazi militia in 2014, Azov was a key participant in the fighting in Donbass prior to the outbreak of full-blown hostilities in 2022. During this time it was accused by the UN and several human rights organizations of engaging in torture, rape, and looting. It was eventually integrated into Ukraine’s National Guard, and in 2023 was expanded to a brigade.

©Social networks

The event was chaired by MP Victoria Prentis, attorney general of England and Wales. Johnson also met with the Azov brigade fighters, touting them as “heroes” and urging the West to give Kiev more weapons and the authority to carry out strikes “outside their own borders,” including on Russian soil.

“We rely wholly on such heroes as the people who are here tonight with us, from the Azov brigade,” he added.

Johnson also posed for a photo with the Azov fighters while holding a yellow banner with the Wolfsangel (wolf’s hook) insignia. The symbol was used by several German divisions during World War II, including the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich, which was notorious for its war crimes, particularly against the Jewish and French populations.

While the photo-op was largely ignored by the British media, it caused a firestorm on social media, with some users accusing Johnson of insulting the memory of hundreds of thousands of Brits who died fighting the Nazi ideology.

The Russian Embassy in London denounced what it called a “grotesque spectacle” in the UK Parliament, pointing to Azov’s record of war crimes.

Moscow has also claimed that Johnson was responsible for derailing Russian-Ukrainian peace talks in Istanbul in the spring of 2022. Russian officials have insisted that the negotiations, which revolved around Ukraine’s neutrality, initially made progress but later collapsed after Johnson allegedly advised Kiev to continue fighting. Johnson has denied the accusation.

Russia reacts to UK MPs applauding Ukrainian neo-Nazis

The warm welcome in the UK Parliament given to members of Ukraine’s neo-Nazi Azov regiment was a “grotesque spectacle,” the Russian Embassy in London said on Thursday.

©Telegram / Embassy of the Russian Federation in London

The Russian diplomats were responding to an event in which three Azov regiment members visited London and spoke before a group of parliamentarians at a roundtable. The regiment, which is banned in Russia as an extremist organization, posted photos of the meeting on X (formerly Twitter), thanking the sponsors of their parliamentary visit.

The event, the group said, was chaired by MP Victoria Prentis, attorney general of England and Wales. The Azov regiment’s statement also thanked Sir John Whittingdale, former minister for data and digital infrastructure, and MP Bob Seely, chair of the UK-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group. All three MPs mentioned are members of the Conservative Party.

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was also photographed with the Azov members while holding an Azov banner featuring the Wolfsangel symbol, which was used by a Waffen-SS division and several Wehrmacht units during WWII. A video circulating on social media shows Johnson urging London to send more weapons and money to Kiev.

In its statement on Thursday, the Russian Embassy said the Azov regiment gained “worldwide notoriety both for its widespread use of fascist Wolfsangel insignia and despicable war crimes against civilians.”

The unit, which is currently called the 12th Special Forces Azov Brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard, was originally a militia set up by a notorious neo-Nazi, Andrey Biletsky, after the 2014 US-backed coup in Kiev. It was integrated in the Ukrainian National Guard later the same year

Biletsky was widely recognized as a white supremacist and neo-Nazi before the Azov regiment was whitewashed by Western media after the February 2022 escalation of hostilities with Russia. In 2021, TIME magazine described his ‘Patriot of Ukraine’ organization as a “neo-Nazi terrorist group,” whose “manifesto seemed to pluck its narrative straight from Nazi ideology.” This group would morph into the ‘Azov volunteer battalion’ in 2014.

The battalion’s founder told TIME in 2014 that Azov’s symbols were chosen because they were “used by Germans” in WWII. The man vanished from the public eye in 2019, but re-appeared in 2023 when he was seen meeting with the Ukrainian president, Vladimir Zelensky.

The unit has been accused by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the UN of multiple human rights abuses, including rape and torture of civilians. In 2018, the US Congress approved a ban on providing funding to the Azov unit.

In 2016, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe issued a lengthy report on war crimes committed by the Ukrainian military and security forces in Donbass. The document mentions the Azov battalion on multiple occasions in the context of what was described as the “beastly torture” of prisoners, including civilians.

US profits from climate change loans to poor countries – media

Demonstrators outside the IMF headquarters in Washington demand more aid to help poor countries fight climate change. ©Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker

A program that ostensibly helps developing nations deal with the effects of climate change has reportedly generated windfall profits for Japan, the US, and other wealthy countries, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The gains stem from a pledge to provide $100 billion a year to help poor nations cope with climate change and undertake projects to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, according to the report, which cites an analysis of UN and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) data. Benefactor countries have channeled money from the program back into their own economies, reaping billions of dollars in profits, it says.

Japan, the US, France, Germany, and other wealthy nations have made the initiative a money-making opportunity by extending loans at market rates – rather than giving grants or low-interest financing – or insisting that the recipients hire their companies to carry out the projects. Reuters said it identified nearly $22 billion in loans and grants that came with such strings attached.

“Offering climate loans at market rates or conditioning funding on hiring certain companies means that money meant for developing countries gets sent back to wealthy ones,” Reuters said. Liane Schalatek, associate director with Germany’s Heinrich-Boll Foundation policy think tank, called the tactics “deeply reprehensible.” She added, “Climate finance provision should not be a business opportunity.”

The funding pledges were first made in 2009, supposedly to help poor countries that were disproportionately harmed by climate change. Roughly $353 billion was paid from 2015 through 2020. Reuters said more than half of that money came in the form of loans, which indebted poorer nations used “to solve problems largely caused by the developed world.”

Andres Mogro, Ecuador’s former director of climate initiatives, said the program heaped a new wave of debt on the global south. “It’s like setting a building on fire and then selling the fire extinguishers outside.”

Ritu Bharadwaj, a researcher at the UK-based International Institute for Environment and Development, told Reuters that the benefits reaped by developed nations have overshadowed the program’s primary objective of supporting climate action in poorer countries. “This is a classic example where a bad loan, which has been given to a country in the garb of climate finance, will create further financial stress.”

UN data showed that more than half of the 54 most indebted developing nations also ranked among the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Reuters showed that ten debt-distressed nations – led by Egypt, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Tunisia – took on a combined $11.5 billion in climate loans.

“Heavily indebted countries face a vicious cycle: Debt payments limit their ability to invest in climate solutions, while extreme weather causes severe economic losses, often leading them to borrow more,” Reuters said.