ReportWire

Tag: Drones

  • Hungary Says It Will Block a Key EU Loan to Ukraine Until Russian Oil Shipments Resume

    [ad_1]

    BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary will block a planned 90-billion-euro ($106-billion) European Union loan to Ukraine until the flow of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline resumes, Hungary’s foreign minister said.

    Russian oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia have been interrupted since Jan. 27, after Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone attack damaged the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude across Ukrainian territory and into Central Europe.

    Hungary and Slovakia, which have both received a temporary exemption from an EU policy prohibiting imports of Russian oil, have accused Ukraine — without providing evidence — of deliberately holding up supplies.

    In a video posted on social media Friday evening, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused Ukraine of “blackmailing” Hungary by failing to restart oil shipments. He said his government would block a massive interest-free loan the EU approved in December to help Kyiv to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years.

    “We will not give in to this blackmail. We do not support Ukraine’s war, we will not pay for it,” Szijjártó said. “As long as Ukraine blocks the resumption of oil supplies to Hungary, Hungary will block European Union decisions that are important and favorable for Ukraine.”

    Hungary’s decision to block the key funding for Ukraine came two days after it suspended shipments of diesel to its embattled neighbor until oil flows through the Druzhba were resumed, and only days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

    Nearly every country in Europe has significantly reduced or entirely ceased Russian energy imports since Moscow launched its war in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Yet Hungary — an EU and NATO member — has maintained and even increased its supply of Russian oil and gas.

    Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long argued Russian fossil fuels are indispensable for its economy and that switching to energy sourced from elsewhere would cause an immediate economic collapse — an argument some experts dispute.

    Widely seen as the Kremlin’s biggest advocate in the EU, Orbán has vigorously opposed the bloc’s efforts to sanction Moscow over its invasion, and blasted attempts to hit Russia’s energy revenues that help finance the war. His government has frequently threatened to veto EU efforts to assist Ukraine.

    Not all of the EU’s 27 countries agreed to take part in the 90-billion-euro loan package for Ukraine. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic opposed the plan, but a deal was reached in which they did not block the loan and were promised protection from any financial fallout.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Feb. 2026

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Russia Downs 151 Ukrainian Drones Overnight, TASS Says, Citing Defence Ministry

    [ad_1]

    MOSCOW, ⁠Feb ⁠17 (Reuters) – ⁠Air defence ​systems ‌shot ‌down ⁠151 ⁠Ukrainian ​drones overnight, ​the ⁠TASS ⁠news ⁠agency said ​on ​Tuesday, citing ⁠the ⁠Russian defence ⁠ministry.

    (Reporting by ⁠Reuters; Editing by ​Clarence ​Fernandez)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – Feb. 2026

    [ad_2]

    Reuters

    Source link

  • What to Know About the Counter Drone Technology That Triggered the Closure of the El Paso Airspace

    [ad_1]

    The government’s ability to deal with drones that pose a threat on American soil has been questioned this week after the use of a laser designed to shoot down drones near the border in Texas led to the abrupt closure of the airspace over El Paso, sources familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

    The details of exactly what happened before the Federal Aviation Administration shut down the busy airport in the Mexican border city on Wednesday aren’t entirely clear, but a source familiar with the situation told AP that the laser was deployed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection without coordinating with the FAA.

    Two months ago, Congress agreed to give more law enforcement agencies the authority to take down rogue drones as long as they are properly trained. That could make situations like the one in El Paso more likely. Previously, only a select few federal agencies had that power.

    Here’s a look at what happened and the issues that raised:


    Communication issues acknowledged

    The government would say only that the airspace was shut down when an incursion by Mexican drug cartel drones was neutralized.

    But the two people who discussed sensitive details on condition of anonymity said the FAA grounded every aircraft in the El Paso area over concerns about the safety of the laser system being used near commercial planes. The restrictions were initially expected to last 10 days, but then they were lifted a few hours later.

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Friday that the government agencies involved in El Paso are working to address the concerns that led to the cancellation of more than a dozen flights and sent travelers scrambling.

    “This was a joint agency task force mission that was undertaken and we’re continuing to work on the communication through that,” Noem said in Arizona.

    But drone warfare expert Brett Velicovich said the dysfunction in Texas raises questions about whether the U.S. will be prepared to deal with a significant drone threat.

    “We need to simplify the authorities for who is really in charge and get these egos out of the way from these different agencies before an American gets hurt,” said Velicovich, who founded drone maker Power.us and consults on ways to mitigate their threats.

    Velicovich, who used to use Predator drones in the military to bomb targets, said it wouldn’t be hard for someone with malicious intent to buy a drone for a few hundred bucks and do great harm at a major public event like a World Cup match or the celebrations of America’s 250th birthday that are planned this summer.

    Cartels routinely use drones to deliver drugs across the Mexican border and surveil Border Patrol officers. Officials told Congress last summer that more than 27,000 drones were detected within 1,600 feet (500 meters) of the southern border in the last six months of 2024.

    The government recently handed out $250 million in grants to the 11 states that are set to host World Cup matches this summer to help them prepare for the threat of drones. Another $250 million in grants will be awarded later this year to strengthen the nation’s drone defenses.


    More near misses involving drones

    The threat to planes from drones continues to increase along with the number of near misses around airports. Homeland Security estimates there are more than 1.7 million registered drones flying in the United States, and that number has been growing.

    Larger drones are required to carry a radio transponder that identifies the drone’s owner and broadcasts its position to help avert collisions. Cities can also invest in additional sensors around stadiums to help quickly detect drones.

    Airspace Link, a Detroit company, created a low altitude air traffic control system to track drones and can alert authorities who might soon be able to take action. Cities can buy additional sensors to upgrade that system around stadiums or other high-profile locations.

    “We don’t want something to happen,” said CEO Michael Healander. “But we also want to be prepared to have the tools in place to take action, because these are such big global events.”


    Acting against rogue drones

    Common anti-drone systems use radio signals to jam or force drones to land. But the government has also developed high-powered microwaves or laser beams like the one sources say was used in Texas this week that are capable of disabling the machines.

    Some other systems station small drones to take flight quickly and ram into drones that are considered a threat. And there are systems that use bullets to shoot down drones.

    Michael Robbins, president and CEO of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International trade group, said these counter drone systems are more common in warzones than across the United States. But the government is working to get them into the hands of more officers nationwide.

    “It’s our belief that this is important technology that when responsibly used with proper oversight and intensive training will help to mitigate unsafe or malicious drones in the very rare instances where that needs to occur,” Robbins said.


    Pilots worry about drones

    Allied Pilots Association union spokesman Capt. Dennis Tajer said he’s not sure how big of a threat the counter drone technology is to the American Airlines jets he flies because so few details have been released about what happened in Texas. And officials with Homeland Security and the FAA didn’t respond to questions about it again on Friday.

    Tajer said he’s more concerned about the possibility of a passenger jet running into a drone because that could bring the plane down. A year ago, 67 people were killed when an American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C.

    “You don’t have to be a pilot, an engineer or a defense expert to understand that two pieces of metal in the sky that one doesn’t know the other is there and is uncontrolled is dangerous,” Tajer said. “We’ve got to keep those two pieces of metal away from each other.”

    Associated Press writer Josh Kelety contributed from Scottsdale, Arizona.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Feb. 2026

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Flying car now on sale for $190,000

    [ad_1]

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    A future with flying cars no longer lives just in concept videos. It now lives in Palo Alto, and if you have about $200,000 plus patience, you can reserve one today. The company behind that future vehicle is Pivotal, a California company that has quietly spent more than a decade turning a radical idea into a real aircraft. Its latest creation, called Helix, is now open for reservations, and delivery could be less than a year away. Yes, this is an actual flying car you can buy.

    Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide — free when you join my CYBERGUY.COM newsletter

    How Pivotal turned a secret flying car into a real product

    THE WORLD’S FIRST FLYING CAR IS READY FOR TAKEOFF

    The Helix flying car cruises at about 62 mph and operates in unregulated airspace under FAA Part 103 rules. (Pivotal)

    Pivotal’s story started in 2009, when founder Marcus Leng began developing an electric aircraft that could take off vertically without gasoline. In 2011, Leng became the first person to fly the real thing. He called it BlackFly and worked on it quietly for years. By 2014, the company relocated to the Bay Area. In 2018, it finally stepped out of stealth and revealed BlackFly to the public. That second-generation design became the foundation for Helix, the aircraft Pivotal now offers for sale. Leadership shifted in 2022 when Ken Karklin took over as CEO. Under his watch, the company moved from experimental flights to customer reservations and structured training.

    What the Pivotal Helix flying car actually is

    Helix is a single-seat, electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, often called an eVTOL. Unlike helicopters, it has fixed wings, while traditional airplanes need a runway to get airborne. Instead, Helix takes off and lands vertically and runs entirely on electricity. As a result, it falls under the FAA’s Part 103 ultralight category, the same regulatory class as a hang glider. That distinction matters because it means you do not need a pilot’s license to fly it.

    At about 355 pounds empty, Helix is designed to fly below 200 feet in unregulated airspace. It cruises at roughly 62 mph and offers around 30 minutes of flight time per charge. Meanwhile, charging takes about 75 minutes using a 240-volt outlet.

    How much the Helix flying car costs to own

    Helix starts at $190,000. Buyers can also add a transport trailer for $21,000 and a charger for $1,100. To reserve one, customers place a $50,000 deposit. According to Karklin, buyers who reserve today could receive their aircraft in nine to 12 months. Pivotal says it has already received more than a year’s worth of reservations.

    Pivotal says it does not publicly share exact sales figures, but the company says interest remains strong. “While Pivotal doesn’t share specific order numbers, we have a healthy backlog of orders, and customers who place a deposit today can expect delivery within 9-12 months.”

    How long it takes to learn to fly the Helix

    Training takes place at Pivotal’s Palo Alto headquarters and at the Monterey Bay Academy Airport. The process includes passing the FAA knowledge test, completing ground school and learning how to control, maintain, transport and assemble the aircraft. Most customers complete training in under two weeks. More than 50 people have already been trained to fly Pivotal aircraft. Some are customers. Others are employees.

    Why Pivotal says the Helix flying car is built for safety

    Helix was designed with simplicity in mind. It has only 18 moving parts and relies heavily on redundancy to prevent system failures. The aircraft has been independently evaluated by the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association. Pivotal’s quality management system is also certified by SAE International, which sets global aviation safety standards. Noise is another concern people often raise. During takeoff and landing, Helix sounds roughly like a couple of leaf blowers. Once airborne, people on the ground may not hear it at all.

    Pivotal says years of real-world flight data across its fleet continue to shape how the aircraft performs. “Across our fleet, and including privately owned BlackFly aircraft, Pivotal eVTOLs have completed over 9000 flights to date — of those 2500+ have had a pilot onboard.” That history, the company says, comes without safety incidents. “We have a flawless flight record and a flawless safety record.” The company also points to what it has learned from connected aircraft systems. “We learn so much from these cloud-connected aircraft.” According to Pivotal, that data has had a direct impact on the Helix design. “Most importantly, we have been able to enhance the experience, make flying simpler, safer and more enjoyable as we move into production.”

    Who is already flying Pivotal’s flying cars today

    A small group of early-access customers already owns and flies BlackFly aircraft, the predecessor to Helix. One of them is Tim Lum, a Washington state resident who bought his aircraft in 2023. Since then, Lum has completed about 1,200 flights in more than 100 locations across the U.S.

    Despite not being an FAA-certified pilot, he regularly takes off and lands on private land with permission and uses small private airports. In addition, Lum tows the aircraft coast to coast and shares it with trained family members and friends. For him, flying is deeply personal. According to Lum, being in the air helps clear his mind and opens doors in ways money cannot.

    To understand what it feels like to fly Helix for the first time, we asked Pivotal what new pilots say after their initial flights. 

    “First-time pilots – especially those without any aviation background – often talk about the unforgettable joy of their initial flight,” a Pivotal spokesperson told CyberGuy. “The huge smiles on every face say it all.” They say that excitement comes from more than simply being airborne. “They describe the thrill of being up in the air, feeling truly one with the aircraft, and seeing the world from an entirely new perspective.” The company says many first-time pilots are also surprised by how the aircraft feels in flight. “Many are surprised by how freeing it feels to fly, particularly because sitting at the center of gravity creates a sensation unlike traditional airplanes – more balanced, more immersive and incredibly intuitive.”

    Not everyone is sold on flying cars

    As with any new aircraft technology, concerns remain. Aviation groups have raised questions about crowded airspace and how communities will respond as more vehicles take to the sky. Pivotal says it approaches this differently than air taxi companies. While others focus on urban shuttles, Helix is built for single-person recreation, short-hop travel and specialized missions.

    NEW PERSONAL EVTOL PROMISES PERSONAL FLIGHT UNDER $40K

    Noise and airspace concerns often come up when people hear about personal eVTOL aircraft. Pivotal says those concerns are central to how it designs and operates its vehicles. “At Pivotal, we design light eVTOL aircraft for the real world – where people live, work and play- and that includes addressing community and regulatory concerns around airspace use and noise.” The company says trust matters as much as technology. “Earning public trust is essential to making electric aviation part of everyday life, and noise is a key factor.”

    Pivotal flying car being put in a unit near the beach by a woman.

    Helix breaks down for transport and fits into a trailer, allowing owners to tow it and fly in different locations across the country. (Pivotal)

    Pivotal says direct engagement helps address those concerns. “We engage directly with communities through events and demonstrations across the country, giving stakeholders the opportunity to experience the aircraft firsthand.” The company also points to independent testing. “Our aircraft are quiet by design. Independent NASA testing shows the Pivotal BlackFly produces approximately 70 dBA of flyover noise at 100 feet, a level aligned with how sound is perceived by the human ear.”

    Federal rules also limit where ultralight aircraft can operate. “Under FAA Part 103 regulations, ultralight aircraft are allowed to operate in uncontrolled airspace, including public and private land – close to 90% of the country.” Still, Pivotal notes that there are clear boundaries. “However, ultralight aircraft are not permitted to fly over congested areas, further reducing any concerns around noise.”

    How Pivotal plans to use Helix beyond personal flying

    Pivotal plans to operate across three business segments: personal ownership, public safety and defense. In 2023, the company leased eight aircraft to an innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force and defense technology firm MTSI. That testing helped inform the latest version of Helix. Karklin believes recreational flying and short-distance travel should not be dismissed. He argues that those use cases may drive adoption faster than large urban systems.

    Take my quiz: How safe is your online security?

    Think your devices and data are truly protected? Take this quick quiz to see where your digital habits stand. From passwords to Wi-Fi settings, you’ll get a personalized breakdown of what you’re doing right and what needs improvement. Take my Quiz here: Cyberguy.com     

    Kurt’s key takeaways

    Flying cars still sound wild when you say it out loud, yet Helix shows this idea has moved well past hype and headlines. This is a real aircraft, flown by real people, with real rules and real limitations. For most people, Helix will remain something to watch rather than buy. The price alone puts it out of reach. Even so, its existence matters. It shows that personal flight no longer belongs only to licensed pilots, airfields and aviation clubs. Pivotal took a slow and deliberate path to get here. That patience may be why Helix feels less like a stunt and more like a glimpse of what comes next. Just as electric cars reshaped expectations before becoming mainstream, personal eVTOL aircraft are starting at the top and working their way down. The question now is not whether flying cars are possible. It is how comfortable we become sharing the sky when they are no longer rare.

    Helix flying above water.

    Designed for recreation and short-hop travel, Helix offers a new way to experience flight without a pilot’s license. (Pivotal)

    Would you trust yourself in a single-seat flying car, or does the sky still feel like a line we should not cross? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide — free when you join my CYBERGUY.COM newsletter 

    Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com.  All rights reserved.

    Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Ukrainian drone pilot training program turned into video game so anyone can

    [ad_1]

    London — Gamers around the world can now buy and play at home a pared-down version of a first-person drone training program developed and used by the Ukrainian armed forces. The game’s evolution — from battlefield training tool to home entertainment — is a notable first, and it is tied directly to Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to repel Russia’s four-year, full-scale invasion.

    “Ukrainian Fight Drone Simulator” (UFDS) is available to buy online for about $30. It features the same ultra-realistic physics and piloting controls that have helped teach Ukrainian drone pilots to seek out and destroy Russian tanks, missile launchers and troops. The Full Simulator is available, for free, to all members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use.   

    Vlad Plaksin, CEO of the Drone Fight Club Academy, a facility that trains Ukrainian military drone pilots, was one of the lead developers and driving forces behind UFDS. The academy has trained more than 5,000 Ukrainian military drone pilots since it was established early in the war, and it collaborated last year with the U.S. Air Force for a training session at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

    Plaksin told CBS News one objective in turning the military program into a video game is to train young Ukrainians to fly drones, to “give them a possibility not to go to the trench with rifles.”

    A screenshot from the “Ukrainian Fight Drone Simulator” video game shows the first-person view perspective of a player moments before the simulated drone impacts a Russian truck.

    Ukrainian Fight Drone Simulator


    Interest in anything drone-related among young Ukrainians has soared during the war, thanks largely to the country’s military drone pilots, whom Plaksin said had achieved heroic status.

    “Most young people want to fly, want to hit [Russian targets], want to grow up in this new world of robotics,” he told CBS News.

    The game’s creators call it a “public adaptation of a leading ultra-realistic FPV [first person view] drone trainer, built on lessons from the Ukrainian front line,” offering players an opportunity to “learn to fly like a front-line pilot, take on real-world mission scenarios, and feel the rush of modern FPV warfare.”

    In hyperrealistic detail, it includes different types of drones to pilot on combat missions against Russian targets, with weather conditions and other variables that aim to provide an experience realistic enough for anyone to learn and practice the basics of drone warfare. 

    There are many games that offer similar FPV warfare experiences, including driving tanks, piloting fighter jets, and commanding submarines. But UFDS is the first to be developed directly from military software.

    Ethical concerns?

    While many games have likely been used by armed forces around the world as teaching tools, they have been developed as games first. UFDS flips that model around, bringing a real-world military training tool to screens in people’s homes. 

    Plaksin acknowledged ethical concerns around creating a game that allows young people to pretend they’re piloting deadly drones in such a realistic way, calling it “a very sensitive question,” but noting that the game is not unique in this regard.

    “There are many other simulators which do the same, and we are not opening something new,” he said.

    ukrainian-drone-game.png

    The view from a simulated drone just after it releases a bomb over a Russian trench, as seen in a screenshot from the Ukrainian Fight Drone Simulator video game.

    Ukrainian Fight Drone Simulator


    UFDS is not the first video game to be used as a pseudo recruitment tool by a military, either. 

    The “America’s Army” series, launched in 2002 and developed by the U.S. Army, is widely seen as the first overt use of video games to drive recruitment by a national military. While the series was nowhere near as realistic as UFDS, it served a similar purpose.

    Could Russia take advantage?

    Plaksin says the Ukrainian game, at its core, is a tool for people to gain “a basic knowledge for the drones, but also at the same time, we try to do it maximum safety, for not sharing the sensitive information.”

    To avoid revealing details that Russia’s military could potentially use to train its own pilots, there are significant differences between the publicly available version of UFDS and the version used at the Drone Fight Club Academy to train Ukrainian military operators.

    ukraine-drone-r18-octocopter.jpg

    Ukrainian soldiers with a drone unit from the 24th Mechanized Brigade prepare a Ukrainian-designed R18 octocopter UAV during a training exercise in eastern Ukraine, in early October 2023.

    CBS News


    Those differences are “mostly about tactics,” Plaksin told CBS News. “It gives you everything that you need, but it will not give you the tactics. I think it’s the main difference between the versions.”

    He said some of that just involves paring down what, for gamers, might be the more tedious parts of drone warfare. Gamers may not want to spend 30 minutes flying their virtual drone to reach an objective, for instance. So the gameplay is deliberately made more arcade-style, while maintaining highly realistic controls and user experience.

    This means that there is “less understanding of missions, less understanding of how to fly for a huge distance” which is a vital part of training drone pilots. 

    “When you fly on the [real] drones, you see the area and you need to read the map and compare it with what you see,” Plaksin said. “In missions, it’s very important. In arcade games, it’s not important, and we don’t put it inside because it will not be interesting for the players.”

    UFDS is still a very niche game, with only around 50 people playing online daily. Such detailed military simulation games often garner small but loyal followings, and rarely break into the wider gaming community. 

    But Plaksin is trying to change that, and broaden appeal. He’s helping to organize a championship he hopes will “maximise the level of people playing the game” and encourage competition between players. 

    In:

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • The Assault on Ukraine’s Power Grid

    [ad_1]

    The bombardment has been relentless. From the beginning of October through the middle of January, Ukraine’s intelligence service documented two hundred and fifty-six drone and missile strikes on energy facilities: eleven on hydroelectric power plants, ninety-four on thermal power plants, and a hundred and fifty-one on substations. “There is not a single power plant in Ukraine that the enemy has not attacked,” the country’s energy minister, Denys Shmyhal, told lawmakers in Kyiv on January 16th. “Thousands of megawatts of generation have been knocked out.” In a sign of how dire the situation has become, Shmyhal called on businesses to turn off their outdoor advertising. “If you have excess electricity, give it to people,” he said.

    At the power plant I visited, repair crews were working twenty-four hours a day to get whatever they could back up and running. There was only so much they could do. With stocks of spare parts running low domestically, Orest said that former Eastern Bloc countries, such as the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, were the most obvious places to turn for help. “Many of their power plants are almost identical to ours,” he said. Still, other equipment that was damaged in the latest attack will need to be built to exact specifications, a process that can take months, even in normal times. Meanwhile, Orest just hoped that the plant wouldn’t sustain any more damage. “But we must always be prepared,” he said. “I don’t see any signs that the attacks will stop.”

    Russia began targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the first year of the war. Back then, the attacks were sporadic and spread out. This winter, they’ve been concentrated on major cities, such as Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Dnipro—and punishing in scale and frequency. A single barrage can include dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones, overwhelming Ukraine’s already beleaguered air defenses. At a recent press conference, Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, disclosed that several air-defense systems had just been replenished after running out of missiles—for how long, he didn’t say.

    The attacks have plunged large swaths of the country into prolonged blackouts. (DTEK alone has lost more than two-thirds of its generation capacity.) Many of the blackouts are announced ahead of time, though not all. Lviv, a city of more than seven hundred thousand people, situated some forty-five miles east of the border with Poland, has been spared the worst of it. The longest stretch of time that my apartment has been without electricity is eight hours. Inconvenient, yes, but far from unbearable. I’ve given up on storing anything in my freezer, and I make sure to check the outage schedule, which is posted online every morning, before I throw in a load of laundry. When the power is out in the evening, I cook dinner and read by the light of a headlamp. I’ll often go to bed early, falling asleep to the low hum of an eighteen-kilowatt diesel generator that powers a convenience store across the street.

    In parts of Kyiv, by contrast, outages have lasted weeks. Hot showers are a luxury in much of the city, elevators are best avoided, and frozen pipes have become a widespread flooding hazard. Schools extended winter vacation to the end of January out of concern that the heating and electricity shortages made the buildings unsafe for students. It’s often not much better at home; to ward off the cold, people have taken to warming bricks on their gas stoves and huddling in tents pitched in their living rooms. “The Russians are weaponizing winter,” Daria Badior, a Ukrainian journalist and cultural critic who splits her time between Lviv and Kyiv, told me. “They want Kyiv to suffer.” On January 24th, a huge strike knocked out heating to nearly half of the city’s twelve thousand apartment buildings. In Troieshchyna, a densely-populated neighborhood on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, about six hundred apartment buildings also lost electricity and water. Emergency-response teams quickly erected two tent camps in the neighborhood, giving local residents a place to warm up and charge their phones. On Tuesday, Russia launched another sweeping barrage, hitting power plants in at least six regions of Ukraine and thumbing its nose at President Donald Trump, who had just called for a pause in such attacks. In some areas of Kyiv, where more than eleven hundred apartment buildings were left without heat, temperatures fell to minus thirteen degrees Fahrenheit.

    [ad_2]

    Michael Holtz

    Source link

  • Goldsboro’s drone tech speeds up snow response, boosts safety during severe weather

    [ad_1]

    The City of Goldsboro is using a drone to respond to severe weather more quickly by assessing where to send crews after snow falls.  

    Goldsboro Fire Chief Ron Stempien said the city invested in drone technology last year, and it’s already proving useful during winter weather.

    “What that typically takes is somebody getting on the road, driving, calling back, and registering where the roads are bad. I can launch this from here, and I can get about a quarter mile that I can go up and down the streets,” he said. 

    The drone allows the fire department to quickly survey road conditions and determine where plows are needed most. According to Stempien, that helps reduce response time while also saving manpower and resources.

    And snow removal isn’t the drone’s only job. The fire department also uses it to help locate missing people, assess structural damage after fires and assist in other emergency situations.

    “It allows us to get a head start, so to speak, and get out in front of something and try to get it working before, without having that delay,” he said. 

    While Goldsboro stands out for using drones in this way during winter weather, it’s not alone. Other cities in the region also rely on drones during severe conditions.

    In Raleigh, drones are used to capture footage before and after storms. The city also uses them for park inspections, photography, and within the fire department.

    Local law enforcement agencies, including Wendell police, have also used drones to to help locate missing or endangered people, locate criminal suspects, investigate traffic crashes and crime scene reconstruction, and oversee special operations.

    Still, Goldsboro’s approach is helping pave the way, using technology to get people moving again as quickly as possible after severe weather.

    Right now, the department has one drone, but Stempien said he hopes to expand the program in the future. 

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Russian spacecraft intercept key European satellites – Tech Digest

    [ad_1]

    Share


    Russia has launched a high-stakes campaign to intercept and shadow critical European satellites.

    Security officials have confirmed that Russian spacecraft are targeting the communications of at least a dozen key satellites over Europe. These interceptions risk compromising sensitive intelligence and could allow Moscow to manipulate or even crash orbital assets.

    The manoeuvres involve two specific Russian vessels, Luch-1 and Luch-2. These “stalker” satellites have been observed performing suspicious approaches to some of Europe’s most vital infrastructure. Luch-2 alone is known to have shadowed at least 17 different satellites.

    Maj. Gen. Michael Traut, head of the German military’s space command, described the activity as “signals intelligence business.” By hovering near Western communications hardware, Russia can harvest data from older systems that lack modern encryption.

    The threat extends beyond simple spying. Officials warn that by intercepting command data, Moscow could mimic ground operators. This would allow them to send false instructions to European thrusters, potentially knocking satellites out of their intended orbits.

    German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has labelled the escalation a “fundamental threat to us all.” He noted that Russian surveillance satellites have specifically trailed Germany’s Intelsat network, which is used by both the armed forces and various government agencies.

    This orbital aggression marks a significant shift in the Kremlin’s tactics. Analysts argue that space has become the latest frontier in Russia’s “hybrid warfare” campaign – a strategy that already includes drone incursions and the severing of undersea cables.

    While Russia, China, and the U.S. have long competed for dominance, the proximity of these latest intercepts has alarmed NATO allies. Pistorius warned that Russia now possesses the capability to blind, manipulate, or kinetically destroy Western equipment in orbit.

    The danger is not merely theoretical. Reports recently emerged that a Russian Luch satellite was destroyed in a “graveyard orbit” following a collision with space debris. Whether this was an accident or a deliberate act of destruction remains unknown.

    As the war in Ukraine continues to strain global security, the focus has shifted upward. European leaders are now calling for the development of offensive space capabilities to protect the digital infrastructure that modern society depends on.

    Via Telegraph 

    Silent Shield: How Finland’s Sensofusion is neutralising the drone threat


    For latest tech stories go to TechDigest.tv

    Discover more from Tech Digest

    Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

    [ad_2]

    Chris Price

    Source link

  • Even small EU nations go big on arms production

    [ad_1]

    NICOSIA, Cyprus — There’s a chance the dreaded buzz of propellers heard on Ukrainian battlefields is coming from drones built in a country with a population of just over a million on Europe’s southeastern fringe: Cyprus.

    Manufacturer Swarmly says there are more than 200 of its H-10 Poseidon drones helping Ukrainian artillery batteries pinpoint enemy targets on the ground in all kinds of weather, racking up more than 100,000 hours in the air over the last three years.

    Its 5,000-square-meter (54,000-square-foot) factory, where the whir of grinders shaping composite plastics reverberates off the walls, has become a major source of uncrewed vehicles shipped to countries such as Indonesia, Benin, Nigeria, India and Saudi Arabia, according to company officials. Most of the factory floor is reserved for uncrewed aerial vehicle manufacture. But tucked in a secure storage area is a selection of Swarmly’s super-fast marine drones replete with high-definition cameras and .50-caliber machine guns.

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has driven even the smallest European Union member countries to develop their home-grown, high-tech defense industries, just as necessity has made Kyiv a world leader in cutting-edge UAV technology. Many EU countries have partnered with Kyiv to develop that technology, and Ukraine’s front lines are usually their testing grounds.

    Like Cyprus, the Baltic countries and Denmark have revved up their domestic drone and counter-drone technology. In Greece, drones are part of a 25-billion euro ($29-billion) overhaul of its armed forces.

    “The example of Swarmy, as well as other important companies based in small EU countries, is a testament to the serious effort made by the private sector in Europe to innovate and build mass production capacity of defense items, including uncrewed systems,” said Federico Borsari, an expert with the Washington-based Center for European Policy Analysis.

    UAVs are reshaping warfare by offering less militarily capable countries some leverage over superior adversaries. Drones aren’t going to completely replace big-ticket weaponry like tanks, artillery and warplanes, said Borsari. But they offer flexibility and bang for the buck, making them a formidable force multiplier.

    Take Swarmly’s explosives-packed, satellite-guided Hydra marine drone. Each one costs 80,000 euros ($94,500), which means deploying a group of them to neutralize a billion-euro warship can be a bargain, said company director Gary Rafalovsky.

    This sort of naval weapon taking out a much larger warship is already evidenced by Houthi attacks from Yemen, according to Fabian Hinz, a research fellow for missile technologies and UAVs at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Europe.

    Barriers to entry for undercapitalized companies are low, he added, because UAVs are often designed and assembled from components cheaply and readily available on the global market.

    “And that, of course, means that basically you don’t have to have a great industrial investment at first that you need with other military capabilities. You don’t need decades of experience in certain material sciences or these kinds of things,” Hinz said.

    In Denmark, a pair of companies focusing on anti-drone devices have reported a surge in new clients, and some of the devices were to be shipped to Ukraine to assist in jamming Russian technology on the battlefield. Ukraine in September said it was partnering with Danish companies to build missile and drone components at a factory in Denmark.

    In the Baltic country of Lithuania, scientists and business partners have joined forces under the name VILNIUS TECH to develop UAVs, automated mine detection and other military technologies. The state-run ammunition factory Giraite says it has increased production capacity by 50% since 2022.

    Greece for the first time showcased its homemade drones and counter-drone technology during a full tactical exercise in November as NATO urged Europe’s defense sector to pick up the pace.

    “We need capabilities, equipment, real firepower and the most advanced technology,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned during a visit to Romania earlier that month. “Bring your ideas, test your ingenuity and use NATO as your test bed.”

    Even as drone development accelerates, Borsari cautioned that the advantages of UAVs are often tempered by numerous variables like the harsh conditions in which they sometimes fly, operators’ training and skill levels, as well as the depth of logistical support to keep them functional.

    Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Trump administration’s mixed messages that have strained relations with NATO allies have forced European leaders to reckon with the need to become more self-reliant on defense. So the EU has made billions of euros available to encourage investment and bolster its collective deterrent capability.

    That’s been a boost to nations like Cyprus, which assumed the six-month EU presidency on Jan. 1. Last week, the EU’s executive arm approved financial assistance for eight members including Spain, Croatia, Portugal, Bulgaria, Belgium, Romania and Cyprus.

    Cyprus is set to receive final approval from EU leaders for some 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in low-cost, long-term loans under the EU’s 150-billion-euro joint ($177-billion) procurement program called Security Action for Europe (SAFE).

    Its nascent defense industry is already made up of around 30 companies and research centers that produce technology for both civilian and military sectors, including robotics, communications networks, anti-drone systems and even satellite communications and surveillance, said Panayiotis Hadjipavlis, chief of the armaments and defense capabilities development directorate within Cyprus’ Defense Ministry.

    “We have niche capabilities on very high-tech products and this has to be taken seriously into account,” Hadjipavlis told The Associated Press in his office, where the helmet from his fighter pilot days hung on a nearby coat rack.

    Major defense industry players, he added, are among those who should take note.

    ____

    Associated Press writer Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania contributed.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Drone Incidents at UK Military Bases Doubled Last Year

    [ad_1]

    LONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) – Britain’s military bases ‌experienced ​a doubling of ‌drone incidents last year, highlighting the changing nature ​of warfare and prompting the government to hand more powers ‍to its forces to protect ​sites from aerial threats.

    In 2025, there were 266 ​reported ⁠uncrewed aerial vehicle incidents near defence sites in Britain, up from 126 reported in 2024, part of a wider trend of European airspace being targeted by drones.

    “The doubling of rogue drones ‌near military sites in the UK in the last ​year underlines ‌the increasing and changing ‍nature ⁠of the threats we face,” Defence minister John Healey said in a statement on Monday.

    Drone incursions forced airports in Belgium and Denmark to close for hours at a time in the last few months of 2025, with experts saying the incidents had ​the hallmarks of Russian interference, a charge denied by Moscow.

    In order to counter the threat from drones to British bases, Healey said military officers would be given new powers to destroy drones operating near them, an action that previously required the involvement of the police.

    The new powers will also mean the military can destroy land drones and unmanned vehicles operating under water.

    Healey said ​security at military sites had been stepped up. Last June, pro-Palestinian activists broke into a Royal Air Force base, damaging and spraying red paint over two ​planes used for refuelling and transport.

    (Reporting by Sarah Young, editing by Paul Sandle)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

    [ad_2]

    Reuters

    Source link

  • Drone Debris Spark Fire at Two Enterprises in Russia’s Krasnodar Region, Authorities Say

    [ad_1]

    MOSCOW, Jan ‌26 (Reuters) – ​Two enterprises ‌caught fire and ​one person was injured ‍in the city ​of ​Slavyansk-on-Kuban ⁠in Russia’s Krasnodar region after drone fragments fell on them, the regional ‌emergencies centre said on ​Monday.  

    The centre ‌did not ‍specify what ⁠enterprises were affected. The city hosts a private refinery with a capacity of ​around 100,000 barrels per day, supplying fuel for both domestic use and export.

    Russia’s defence ministry said air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed 40 ​Ukrainian drones overnight, including 34 in the Krasnodar region.  

    (Reporting by ​Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge )

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

    [ad_2]

    Reuters

    Source link

  • Ukrainian Capital Under Russian Attack, Air Defences in Operation

    [ad_1]

    Jan 24 (Reuters) – Russian drones ‌struck ​several districts early ‌on Saturday in a massive ​attack on the Ukrainian capital with air defence ‍units in operation, officials ​said.

    Mayor Vitali Klitschko said there ​had ⁠been strikes in two districts on either side of the Dnipro River bisecting the capital.

    “Kyiv is under a massive enemy attack,” Klitschko ‌wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

    Tymur Tkachenko, ​head of ‌the capital’s military ‍administration, ⁠also reported strikes in at least three districts, sparking fires in at least two locations.

    He said drones were attacking the city and there was a threat Russian missiles could ​be deployed.

    In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian drones had attacked several districts, injuring 11 people. Drones had struck at least three residential buildings, he said on Telegram.

    The attacks occurred after negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States completed the first ​of two days of talks in the United Arab Emirates devoted to working towards a resolution of the nearly ​four-year-old war.

    (Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Chris Reese)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

    [ad_2]

    Reuters

    Source link

  • South Korea’s Lee Calls for Improved Drone Detection to Avoid Provoking North Korea

    [ad_1]

    SEOUL, Jan 20 (Reuters) – South Korean President ‌Lee ​Jae Myung said on ‌Tuesday that there appeared to be a loophole ​in his country’s monitoring system to detect drones operated by civilians flying ‍into North Korea, warning ​that such incidents risked inflaming tensions.

    North Korea said earlier this ​month ⁠that a drone from South Korea was flown into its airspace recently, showing photographs of debris and aerial pictures of buildings that it alleged the drone had taken.

    A South Korean task force investigating ‌the incident has called in a civilian suspect for questioning, police ​said.

    “It ‌should not happen for ‍a ⁠civilian to send a drone to North Korea for an illegal purpose,” Lee told a televised cabinet meeting. “How did we fail to check that a drone had been flown to the North?”

    Lee said such action was “akin to starting a war” and created unnecessary tension with North Korea ​that could have a negative impact on the South Korean economy. He called for a thorough investigation and to ensure it never happened again.

    Lee said that while a probe was ongoing if a South Korean citizen was found to have flown the drone they could be criminally charged for provoking Pyongyang.

    Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, last week urged Seoul to investigate ​the incident, warning that any provocations could result in terrible situations.

    Lee’s administration has been seeking to improve ties with Pyongyang since he took office last year, but so far ​its overtures have been rebuffed by the North.

    (Reporting by Heejin KimEditing by Ed Davies)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    [ad_2]

    Reuters

    Source link

  • Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Announces New Air Defence System

    [ad_1]

    Jan 19 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s armed forces are introducing ‌a ​new facet of air ‌defence to transform their system, made up of small groups ​deploying interceptor drones, as the country braces for new mass Russian attacks, President Volodymyr ‍Zelenskiy said on Monday.

    Ukraine is ​still reeling from a wave of Russian strikes earlier this month ​that knocked ⁠out power and heating to thousands of apartment blocks, particularly in the capital Kyiv.

    Zelenskiy has repeatedly called for air defences to be strengthened, including increased assistance from Ukraine’s Western allies.

    “There will be a new approach to the use of ‌air defences by the Air Force, concerning mobile fire groups, interceptor drones ​and ‌other ‘short-range’ air defence assets,” ‍Zelenskiy said ⁠in his nightly video address.

    “The system will be transformed.”

    The president announced the appointment of a new deputy Air Force Commander, Pavlo Yelizarov, to oversee and develop the innovation.

    Ukraine has rapidly developed its drone manufacturing system since Russia launched its invasion of its smaller neighbour in February 2022, and has emphasised interceptor drones as an effective ​and economical way to parry Russian strikes.

    In his remarks, Zelenskiy warned Ukrainians to be “extremely vigilant” ahead of anticipated new Russian attacks.

    “Russia has prepared for a strike, a massive strike, and is waiting for the moment to carry it out,” he said, urging every region in the country to “be prepared to respond as quickly as possible and help people”.

    Both Zelenskiy and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warned at the weekend that Ukrainian intelligence had noted Russia was conducting reconnaissance of specific targets, ​particularly substations that supply nuclear power plants.

    The president also said he had instructed Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to make decisions this week regarding difficulties from the recent attacks, including bonuses for tens of thousands of emergency ​crew members restoring heating and electricity.

    (Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

    [ad_2]

    Reuters

    Source link

  • Oregon Parks And Rec Taking Drone Rule Comments – KXL

    [ad_1]

    Tillamook Head Lighthouse is shown from Ecola State Park, near Cannon Beach, Ore. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

    SALEM, OR – The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is inviting the public to weigh in on proposed rules that would govern where and how unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, may take off and land in Oregon’s state parks and along the ocean shore.

    The proposed rules aim to balance recreational drone use with the protection of natural, cultural, scenic and recreational resources, as well as minimize conflicts with other park visitors.

    Public comments on the proposed rule changes will be accepted beginning January 1, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. Comments may be submitted in the following ways:

    OPRD will also host a public hearing to allow members of the public to provide testimony:

    The draft rules focus specifically on regulating takeoff and landing locations, which fall under OPRD’s authority, while recognizing that drone flight itself is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Under the proposal, drone use would generally be limited to designated areas within state park property, with additional requirements for commercial or research-related operations.

    The rulemaking effort stems from Senate Bill 109 (2021), which directed OPRD to develop a regulatory framework that allows recreational drone access while safeguarding sensitive park resources and reducing visitor conflicts.

    To develop the proposal, OPRD convened a Rule Advisory Committee made up of recreation user groups, conservation organizations, natural resource specialists, commercial operators and other stakeholders. The committee reviewed draft language and provided recommendations that helped shape the rules now open for public comment.

    After the comment period closes, OPRD staff will review all feedback, revise the draft rules as needed, and present a final proposal to the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission for consideration later in 2026.

    If adopted, the rules would be implemented in phases, allowing OPRD to adjust management strategies over time based on resource conditions, visitor use and operational experience.

    More about:

    [ad_2]

    Tim Lantz

    Source link

  • Trump says that Ukraine didn’t target Putin residence in a drone strike as Kremlin claims

    [ad_1]

    ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Donald Trump on Sunday told reporters that U.S. officials have determined that Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week, disputing Kremlin claims that Trump had initially greeted with deep concern.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week said Ukraine launched a wave of drones at Putin’s state residence in the northwestern Novgorod region that the Russian defense systems were able to defeat. Lavrov also criticized Kyiv for launching the attack at a moment of intensive negotiations to end the war.

    The allegation came just a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had traveled to Florida for talks with Trump on the U.S. administration’s still-evolving 20-point plan aimed at ending the war. Zelenskyy quickly denied the Kremlin allegation.

    Trump said that “something happened nearby” Putin’s residence but that Americans officials didn’t find the Russian president’s residence was targeted.

    “I don’t believe that strike happened,” Trump told reporters as he traveled back to Washington on Sunday after spending two weeks at his home in Florida. “We don’t believe that happened, now that we’ve been able to check.”

    Trump addressed the U.S. determination after European officials argued that the Russian claim was nothing more than an effort by Moscow to undermine the peace effort.

    But Trump, at least initially, had appeared to take the Russian allegations at face value. He told reporters last Monday that Putin had also raised the matter during a phone he had with the Russian leader earlier that day. And Trump said he was “very angry” about the accusation.

    By Wednesday, Trump appeared to be downplaying the Russian claim. He posted a link to a New York Post editorial on his social media platform that raised doubt about the Russian allegation. The editorial lambasted Putin for choosing “lies, hatred, and death” at a moment that Trump has claimed is “closer than ever before” to moving the two sides to a deal to end the war.

    The U.S. president has struggled to fulfill a pledge to quickly end the war in Ukraine and has shown irritation with both Zelenskyy and Putin as he tried to mediate an end to a conflict he boasted on the campaign trail that he could end in one day.

    Both Trump and Zelenskyy said last week they made progress in their talks at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

    But Putin has shown little interest in ending the war until all of Russia’s objectives are met, including winning control of all Ukrainian territory in the key industrial Donbas region and imposing severe restrictions on the size of Ukraine’s post-war military and the type of weaponry it can possess.

    ___

    Madhani reported from Washington.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • ‘2026 difference maker’: How a drone is helping Fairfax Co. police respond to emergencies faster – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    As part of the “Drone as First Responder” pilot program, the Fairfax County Police Department is launching drones from the Fair Oaks and Franconia districts.

    This page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker.
    In order to view the video you must disable your ad blocker.

    Fairfax County’s newest first responders are drones

    A Fairfax County police drone operator demonstrates the capabilities of the department’s drones.(WTOP/Scott Gelman)

    Fairfax County police responded quickly when a recent 911 caller said they saw a man armed with a bow and arrow standing along a median near the Fair Oaks Mall.

    While a number of officers were dispatched to the scene, Police Chief Kevin Davis said the department’s drone arrived first. It got to the site in 57 seconds.

    Then, it started feeding back live video of a man who didn’t appear to have a bow and arrow, ”but a man in a mental health crisis armed with a stick. And he was pointing a stick, not a bow and arrow, at passing motorists.”

    Once officers realized that was the case, Davis said they were able to downgrade the priority response.

    “They can dial down the emotions and the adrenaline that pump through their veins any time a call like that goes out,” Davis said. “It mitigates a potential use-of-force scenario of a person in a mental health crisis, because the call is described as something different than it actually is. It’s that visibility and awareness that’s huge.”

    As part of the “Drone as First Responder” pilot program, the Northern Virginia department is launching drones from the Fair Oaks and Franconia districts. It started using this version of the technology in the fall.

    Within the first 100 missions, the drones recorded an average response time of 83 seconds. It was the first to arrive on a scene 71 times.

    “The drone is beating the cops and beating the firefighters and beating the medics to these outdoor calls for service,” Davis said.

    The drones respond to crimes in outdoor settings, but they also are used in medical emergencies, car crashes and cases of missing people.

    Davis said they received Federal Aviation Administration waivers that allow them to fly a drone beyond a “line of sight restriction.”

    Once the drone arrives at a location, a drone operator in the Real Time Crime Center takes over. It uses artificial intelligence to avoid buildings, trees or anything else that may be in its path, Davis said.

    It hovers over the scene and sends back live video for as long as needed.

    “Our police officers have greater awareness about what they’re about to arrive at and get into before they even get onto the scene,” Davis said. “That’s going to be the 2026 difference maker.”

    The drone is equipped with a parachute in the event that something goes wrong, Davis said, and it’s “no bigger or smaller than the average drone that your mind’s eye can picture.”

    “The more information we have before we get to any scene, fill in the blank, any scene, the likely for a better outcome between the police and the community members who we are poised to then interact with is going to be safer,” Davis said.

    Montgomery County police in Maryland are using a similar program.

    [ad_2]

    Scott Gelman

    Source link

  • Russia: Ukrainian drone strike kills 24 in occupied Ukraine

    [ad_1]

    KYIV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian drone strike killed 24 people and wounded at least 50 more as they celebrated New Year’s in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s Kherson region, Russian officials said Thursday, as tensions between the two nations continue to spike despite diplomats hailing productive peace talks.

    Three drones struck a cafe and hotel in the resort town of Khorly on the Black Sea coast, the region’s Moscow-installed leader Vladimir Saldo said in a statement on Telegram. He said one of the drones carried an incendiary mixture, sparking a blaze.

    This page requires Javascript.

    Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

    kAm&>65:2E6=J 4@>>6?E @? E96 4=2:> @7 2 DEC:<6] %96 2EE24< 4@F=5 ?@E 36 :?56A6?56?E=J G6C:7:65 3J %96 pDD@4:2E65 !C6DD]k^Am

    [ad_2]

    By ILLIA NOVIKOV – Associated Press

    Source link

  • Russia and Ukraine Trade Allegations of Civilian Attacks on New Year’s Day

    [ad_1]

    KYIV, Jan 1 (Reuters) – Russia and Ukraine accused each other of targeting civilians over the New ‌Year, ​with Moscow reporting a deadly strike on a hotel in ‌territory it occupies in southern Ukraine while Kyiv said there had been another broad attack on its power supplies.

    The reports ​coincide with intensive talks aimed at bringing an end to the nearly four-year-old war, overseen by U.S. President Donald Trump. Both countries have said the other is doing all it can to influence ‍his views and shape the outcome.

    “On New Year, ​Russia deliberately brings war. Over 200 attack drones were launched onto Ukraine in the night,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram, saying energy infrastructure in seven regions across Ukraine had ​been targeted.

    Russia accused Ukraine ⁠of killing at least 24 people, including a child, in a drone strike on a hotel and cafe where civilians were seeing in the New Year in a Russian-controlled part of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine.

    Ukraine’s military, which has accused Russia of killing many civilians in its own attacks on Ukrainian cities, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Zelenskiy said that Russia’s holiday season attacks showed Ukraine could not afford delays in air defence supplies.

    “(Our) allies have the names of equipment which we ‌are lacking. We expect that everything agreed with the United States at the end of December for our defence will arrive on time,” he said, without ​clarifying further.

    RUSSIANS ‌ALLEGE ‘WAR CRIME’

    Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor ‍of the region, said three Ukrainian drones ⁠had hit the celebrations in Khorly, a coastal village, in what he said was a “deliberate strike” against civilians. He said that many people had been burnt alive.

    Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that as well as the 24 dead, 50 people had been injured, including six minors who were being treated in hospital.

    “There is no doubt that the attack was planned in advance, with drones deliberately targeting areas where civilians had gathered to celebrate New Year’s Eve,” the ministry said in a statement, calling the attack a “war crime”.

    On Monday, Moscow accused Kyiv of trying to strike a residence of President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian and European officials have said the incident did not happen and U.S. security officials were also reported to have found that Ukraine did not target the residence. ​Russia said on Thursday it would send Washington proof.

    Reuters was not able to immediately verify the reported Kherson region attack or photographs of what Saldo’s press service said was the aftermath on Thursday.

    The images showed at least one dead body was visible beneath a white sheet. The building showed signs that a fire had raged and there were what looked like blood stains on the ground. Russia’s TASS news agency published video showing drone fragments, some with Ukrainian writing on them.

    Ukrainian officials regularly report civilian deaths from Russian air attacks, including in the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson, which lies near the front line.

    The Ukrainian governor of Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin, said that one man had been killed and an 87-year-old woman injured in attacks on the city on Thursday, posting a video showing the woman’s badly damaged apartment.

    Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said rail facilities had been attacked in three regions, including a locomotive depot and a station in the frontline region of Sumy.

    The Russian defence ministry said on Thursday its strikes had hit military targets, as well as energy infrastructure ​which it claimed was being used to support Ukraine’s military.

    In a separate report, Russia-appointed Saldo said later that a five-year-old child had been killed and three more people injured in a Ukrainian drone strike on a car near Tarasivka, another coastal village, close to Khorly. He did not provide evidence.

    Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, told TASS that those who carried out the hotel attack and their commanders should be targeted.

    Kherson is one of four regions ​in Ukraine which Russia claimed as its own in 2022, a move Kyiv and most Western countries denounced as an illegal land grab.

    (Reporting by Max Hunder and Reuters bureaux; writing by Philippa Fletcher; editing by Ros Russell)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

    [ad_2]

    Reuters

    Source link

  • Russia Says It Will Give U.S. Proof of Attempted Ukrainian Strike on Putin Residence

    [ad_1]

    MOSCOW, Jan 1 (Reuters) – Russia said on Thursday ‌it ​had extracted and decoded ‌a file from a Ukrainian drone downed earlier this ​week that it said shows it had been targeting a Russian presidential residence and ‍that it would hand ​over the relevant information to the United States.

    Moscow accused Kyiv on Monday ​of ⁠trying to strike a residence of President Vladimir Putin in Russia’s northern Novgorod region with 91 long-range attack drones. It said Russia would review its negotiating position in ongoing talks with the U.S. on ending the Ukraine war.

    Ukraine ‌and Western countries have disputed Russia’s account of the alleged attempted ​strike.

    In a ‌statement posted on Telegram ‍on ⁠Thursday, Russia’s Defence Ministry said: “Decryption of routing data revealed that the final target of the Ukrainian drone attack on December 29, 2025, was a facility at the Russian Presidential Residence in the Novgorod region.”

    “These materials will be transferred to the American side through the established channels,” it added.

    The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday ​that U.S. national security officials had found Ukraine did not target Putin or one of his residences in a drone strike. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

    U.S. President Donald Trump initially expressed sympathy for the Russian charge, telling reporters on Monday that Putin had informed him of the alleged incident and that he was “very angry” about it.

    By Wednesday, Trump appeared more sceptical, sharing on social media a New York Post editorial accusing Russia of blocking peace ​in Ukraine.

    Ukraine has denied carrying out such an attack and described the accusation as part of a Russian disinformation campaign meant to drive a wedge between Kyiv and Washington after a weekend meeting ​between Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

    (Reporting by Reuters, Writing by Felix LightEditing by Gareth Jones)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

    [ad_2]

    Reuters

    Source link