either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Russia attacked an air base in central Ukraine and destroyed several Ukrainian fighter jets sharing footage it said showed its air force striking the facility Russia's Defense Ministry said in a post on the Telegram messaging app that it had targeted Ukraine's Myrhorod air base in the country's Poltava region southwest of Ukraine's border regions Sumy and Kharkiv Moscow destroyed five of Ukraine's operational Su-27 fighter jets damaging two others that were undergoing repairs at the site Moscow shared a brief clip it said was recorded by an airborne drone showing the targeting of the air base with at least one visible explosion Newsweek could not independently verify this footage A spokesperson for Ukraine's air force declined to comment NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System appears to show a fire over the past day at a location in Poltava visually matching the base shown in the video published by Russia's Defense Ministry Both Russia and Ukraine frequently zero in on each other's key air bases and vital Ukraine has used drones and missiles to target Russian air bases deep inside its internationally recognized territory—including facilities housing its heavy bombers—and its air bases dotted across the annexed Crimean Peninsula Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's air force Moscow hit infrastructure and damaged unspecified equipment at the air base in June 2023 Russia also attacked the air base early on in its full-scale invasion effort a former spokesperson for Ukraine's air force said in a post on social media that Russia had attacked the Myrhorod air base He said Ukraine's air force "is doing everything to counteract the enemy not without losses of equipment," Ignat added Several prominent Russian military bloggers often used as sources of information on Russia's war effort in Ukraine said two Ukrainian Su-27 jets had been destroyed Echoing the Ukrainian losses claimed by Russia's Defense Ministry influential Russian military channel Fighterbomber described the attack as "the most effective attack on an airfield from our side" since the invasion began Ukraine is expected to receive its first batch of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets this month, and a senior Ukrainian commander said in June that Kyiv would store a number of the donated aircraft at "secure air bases outside of Ukraine so that they are not targeted here." Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all The reported attack comes just days before Russia's Victory Day parade and three-day "truce." MPs will be able to ask questions and learn more about the details of the agreement in meetings with Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko May 6-7 MP Serhii Sobolev told the news outlet Suspilne The ratification vote is scheduled for May 8 Attacks against the border villages of Bilopillia and Vorozhba damaged civilian infrastructure and triggered emergency evacuations the regional military administration reported "I look forward to working with President Erdogan on getting the ridiculous war between Russia and Ukraine ended — now!" U.S Putin's Victory Day truce "doesn't sound like much if you know where we started from," Trump told reporters at the White House on May 5 Far-right Euroskeptic candidate George Simion head of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan placed second with 20.99% of the vote and the candidate from the ruling coalition "It requires the continuation of contacts between Moscow and Washington which have been launched and are now ongoing," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said set to operate within the Council of Europe will focus on Russia's political and military leaders up to 20 Russian soldiers were killed and their equipment destroyed The move represents an apparent violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions passed in the wake of North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests "We are ready to deepen our contribution to the training of the Ukrainian military," Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on May 5 by Abbey FenbertPhoto for illustrative purposes: Former Air Force Command Spokesperson Yurii Ihnat at a press briefing (Evgen Kotenko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)Russian forces attacked the Myrhorod military airfield in Poltava Oblast resulting in "some losses," former Air Force Spokesperson Yurii Ihnat confirmed on social media July 1 Russian media sources previously circulated video footage of the strike and claimed to have damaged multiple Su-27 aircraft "There was an attack. There are some losses, but not the ones the enemy claims," Ihnat said Ihnat did not provide details on the damage sustained at the airfield Earlier reports of the attack drew outrage on social media, with some criticizing the Air Force for failing to properly protect the airfield despite advance warnings of a Russian strike Ihnat defended the military's efforts and urged moderation from media commentators saying that Russian sources have exaggerated their achievements "since the beginning of the invasion." "The Air Force is doing everything to counteract the enemy including with the help of models and other means," he said He also stressed that Ukrainian airfields are under constant threat from Russian missile and drone attacks Ihnat was dismissed from his role as spokesperson on March 16 though he continues to work with the Air Force Russian forces previously carried out an intensive aerial attack against the Myrhorod military airfield in June 2023 Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent and playwright with an MFA from Boston University Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011 Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday its missile strike on an airfield in central Ukraine has destroyed and damaged seven Ukrainian fighter jets “As a result of the Russian army’s strike five active Su-27 multi-purpose fighters were destroyed and two under repair were damaged,” the military said on Telegram Undated aerial footage accompanying its short statement showed an explosion and smoke rising from an airfield.  Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had struck the Myrhorod airfield in Ukraine’s Poltava region Ukraine’s former Air Force speaker Yuriy Ihnat confirmed the strike on Myrhorod but accused the Russian military of exaggerating the extent of the damage but not at all like the enemy claims because they always do this since the beginning of the invasion,” Ihnat wrote on Facebook shortly after midnight Ihnat told Reuters that Russian reconnaissance drones helped conduct the strike on Myrhorod and present a “very serious threat.” “It flies and reports everything in real-time and then Iskander arrives in a couple of minutes It is obvious,” he was quoted as saying Russia announced its strike on a Ukrainian airfield as Kyiv readies to receive the initial batches of U.S.-made F-16 jets from Europe Moscow has threatened to destroy the Western warplanes Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help please support us monthly starting from just $2 and every contribution makes a significant impact independent journalism in the face of repression This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page This was reported by the Poltava Regional Military Administration in Telegram “The enemy attacked Poltava region there were no hits to civilian objects and no casualties There is damage to the energy infrastructure in the Myrhorod district,” the statement said It is noted that 164 household and 1 legal consumer were left without electricity Experts are already working to restore power supply Earlier it was reported that an air alert was declared throughout Ukraine due to the threat of drones and ballistics While citing and using any materials on the Internet links to the website ukrinform.net not lower than the first paragraph are mandatory citing the translated materials of foreign media outlets is possible only if there is a link to the website ukrinform.net and the website of a foreign media outlet Materials marked as "Advertisement" or with a disclaimer reading "The material has been posted in accordance with Part 3 of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" No 1996 and the Law of Ukraine "On the Media" No 2023 and on the basis of an agreement/invoice Online media entity; Media identifier - R40-01421 Russia claims to have destroyed five Ukrainian SU-27 jets; Ukraine acknowledges the attack but disputes the damage extent Russia announced on Tuesday that it had destroyed five Ukrainian SU-27 fighter jets and damaged two more using Iskander-M missiles at the Myrhorod airfield in Ukraine’s central Poltava region The Ukrainian side acknowledged the strike but accused Russia of exaggerating the extent of the damage The Russian defense ministry released footage purportedly showing the aftermath of the attack with smoke and flames rising from the airfield it did not specify when the strike occurred five active SU-27 multi-purpose fighters were destroyed and two were damaged,” the ministry claimed This strike comes at a critical time as Kyiv prepares to receive the first U.S.-designed F-16 fighter jets which Russia has vowed to target and destroy Ukrainian air force official Yuriy Ihnat confirmed the attack on Myrhorod but downplayed the extent of the losses They have always exaggerated since the beginning of the invasion,” Ihnat wrote in a statement on Facebook late Monday Reports from Ukrainian military bloggers indicated that a Russian reconnaissance drone had been able to fly over the airfield Ihnat emphasised the significant threat posed by such drones “There is not enough means to destroy (reconnaissance) drones,” Ihnat said “It flies and reports everything in real-time then Iskander arrives in a couple of minutes As both sides continue to exchange claims and counterclaims the situation highlights the ongoing intensity of the conflict and the strategic importance of air superiority in the war between Russia and Ukraine Easily access major global news with a strong focus on Africa we like to accentuate positive stories about Africa across all genres including Politics We broadcast 24 hours a day from our studios in London and New York and can be seen here in the UK and across Europe on the Sky platform (Sky channel 516) Freeview (Channel 136) as well as in the USA on the Centric channel and also on the Hot bird platform © 2023 Arise News - Part of the Arise Media Group Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The F-16 fighters had already been in Ukraine during joint training exercises involving the National Guard of the United States and the Polish Air Force the F-16C/D aircraft were utilized from a Ukrainian airbase for a span of two weeks engaging in regular flight operations alongside Ukrainian Su-27 and MiG-29 aircraft there were no major concerns from the American perspective regarding the utilization of F-16 jets from runways featuring Soviet-era tiling measures were taken by the airfield services to enhance the quality of the joints between the tiling to meet the required standards for accommodating Western aircraft the maintenance of the aircraft was conducted by the technical staff with relatively constrained resources which had been transported using a C-17 aircraft American pilots even practiced landings utilizing an arresting gear which is employed in F-16 aircraft to reduce the runway distance required They engaged in collaborative flights with Ukrainian aviators in a unified formation honing the synergy between various aircraft models they also simulated certain tactical maneuvers for potential F-16 versus Su-27 combat scenarios Ukrainian pilots participated in flights using dual-seat F-16 aircraft while American pilots had the opportunity to fly the Su-27UB fighters it should be noted that these flights were primarily aimed at providing a firsthand experience to demonstrate the capabilities of the respective aircraft 2024 9:55 PM5 min readIllustrative purposes only: An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the Polish Air Force takes part in a NATO air Shielding exercise at the Lask Air Base in Lask by Kateryna DenisovaAs Kyiv gets ready to receive the first batch of Western F-16 fighter jets Ukraine's airfields face an uptick in Russian strikes Over the past week, Moscow carried out at least three missile strikes targeting Ukrainian airfields — in Myrhorod, Poltava, and Kryvyi Rih — all located around 100 kilometers (68 miles) from the closest Russian troops Moscow was able to film the attacks and their outcome using reconnaissance drones that had a clear view of the military sites hundreds of kilometers from the front line One of the videos shared by the Russian Telegram channels purported to show a strike on a Ukrainian airfield where several jets were stationed in the open The Russian drone's path wasn't obstructed by Ukrainian defenses The Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have destroyed five Su-27 Soviet-made jets and damaged two more stationed at the Myrhorod airfield, a Mi-24 helicopter at the Poltava airfield, and a Mig-29 fighter jet stationed at the Dovhyntseve airfield in Kryvyi Rih Air Force spokesperson Illia Yevlash refused to give any comments to the Kyiv Independent on reported Russian attacks against Ukrainian airfields "Myrhorod is located 150 kilometers from the front line and the Su-27s that are based there are the aircraft with the longest flying range among Ukrainian planes," Andrii Kharuk Russia has targeted Ukraine's air bases since the beginning of the full-scale war. Drone and missile strikes regularly hit both those near the front line and in the rear, such as Starokostiantyniv in the country's west "The Air Force is doing everything it can to counter the enemy and deceive it including using mock-ups and other means," Ihnat said The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims No satellite images have been published to show the extent of the destruction A number of Ukrainian soldiers and activists have criticized Ukraine's Air Force for failing to properly protect the airfields despite advance warnings and the expected arrival of F-16 fighter jets The tactic of recent Russian strikes is not new retired military officer and defense expert with the Center for Defense Strategies the fact that drones can penetrate Ukrainian defenses up to 130 kilometers deep into Ukraine-held territory is sending a worrying signal "The purpose of publishing (video of the attacks) is to demonstrate that they have the capabilities to destroy aircraft and that they should not be afraid of F-16s," Kevliuk said Ukraine is preparing to receive dozens of F-16 fighter jets, with the first batch expected this summer. France also promised to transfer Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Kyiv next year Ukraine has faced challenges in adapting its Soviet-built infrastructure to store the advanced Western-made aircraft — a task which could take years, according to Ihnat Although defense experts do not expect F-16s to become game-changers in the war the jets may strengthen Ukraine's air defense capabilities which can shield the country's settlements from Russia's daily bombardments "It is fair to surmise that these strikes against base infrastructure are connected to the anticipated arrival of F-16s," Michael Kofman defense analyst and senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment Illustrative purposes only: An F-16 aircraft is pictured after the first delivery of Norway's old F-16 fighter aircraft to Romania at Rygge Air Force Base (Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB/AFP via Getty Images)According to Kharuk recent strikes point to a new tactic tested by Russia This is a combination of reconnaissance and target destruction means — for instance unmanned aerial vehicles that help Iskander missiles Russia could have embedded technologies on its drones that allow them to fly over targets in radio silence Successful strikes may also damage trust that Ukrainian allies have in Kyiv's ability to protect the aircraft that the West is about to provide "There may be voices (among partners) like — 'we shouldn't give Ukrainians F-16s because the Russians will destroy them immediately'," Kharuk told the Kyiv Independent Special equipment is needed to detect and shoot down Russian reconnaissance drones hovering over the attacked airfields "There are more airfields than we have anti-aircraft systems," Kevliuk said Concrete shelters are required to protect aviation stationed at air bases "No one has invested in defense properly no one has prepared airfields for basing aircraft in protected shelters," he said Kevliuk said the first steps must include uncovering Russian handlers around air bases "Any means that can deceive the enemy and using the existing infrastructure will allow us to avoid exposing the F-16 jets to enemy attacks for a long time," Kevliuk said Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said a ceasefire should last at least 30 days to give diplomacy a "real chance" Chinese President Xi Jinping will sign a number of documents during his visit to Moscow next week Listen to the latest episode of The World podcast as you scroll We'll be back tomorrow with more from the war in Ukraine We brought you reports this morning of a Russian drone attack in Kyiv At least 11 people were wounded in the attack overnight and among them were two children Russia fired a total of 165 exploding drones and decoys overnight Here are just some of the images that have been coming through from the Ukrainian capital.. Vladimir Putin has said that is always thinking about the succession and suggested that there could be an contest between several candidates Putin served as president from 1999 to 2008 and then again as president from 2012 to the present He is the longest serving Kremlin chief since Josef Stalin "I always think about it," Putin said when asked if he thought about the succession in a film by Russia's state television about Putin's quarter of a century as Russia's leader entitled Russia There is no clear successor to Putin though under the Russian constitution if the president was unable to fulfil his duties then the prime minister - currently Mikhail Mishustin - would assume presidential powers Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued more comments in the last few moments on the prospect of a ceasefire He has reiterated his stance that a ceasefire should be at least 30 days "to give diplomacy a real chance" Vladimir Putin has declared a three-day ceasefire to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany in the Second World War We reported earlier that Volodymyr Zelenskyy had been speaking at a joint news conference in Prague alongside Czech President Petr Pavel (see post at 4.42pm) On Vladimir Putin's three-day ceasefire offer Zelenskyy said such a measure is pointless and called instead for an unconditional ceasefire over at least 30 days in line with a US proposal launched in March The Ukrainian president said that rather than putting tanks on display during Russia's VE Day parade Putin should be thinking "about how to actually end his war" and a significant increase in defence cooperation across Europe," he said.  "Russia must know that Europeans will defend themselves." Pavel said Russia had yet to show any indication it wanted to proceed with measures to end the war "If someone has all the cards in their hand to end the war then it is President Putin who can do it with a single decision," he told reporters.  Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that a ceasefire with Russia is possible at any moment speaking at a joint news conference in Prague alongside Czech President Petr Pavel also said that Ukraine hopes to receive 1.8 million shells in 2025 under a Czech initiative to provide military assistance "We believe that without increased pressure Russia will not take real practical steps to end the war Today marks the 54th day that Russia has ignored even the American proposal to completely cease fire," Zelenskyy said "We believe that a ceasefire is possible at any moment and should last at least 30 days to give diplomacy a real chance." For context: Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a three-day ceasefire to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany in the Second World War The 72-hour ceasefire will run when Putin hosts international leaders on Moscow's Red Square Zelenskyy said he was ready as long as the ceasefire would be 30 days in length You can watch Zelenskyy arriving in Prague in the clip below.. Ukrainian troops have struck an electrical equipment factory in Russia's Bryansk region close to the border with Ukraine destroying much of the plant but causing no casualties whose region borders both Ukraine and Belarus in the far west of Russia said on Telegram that the Ukrainian strike had destroyed workshops and administrative buildings at the factory in the village of Suzemka an official at Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council said on Telegram: "According to preliminary information is no longer operational following the strike." Ukraine has targeted Russian industrial facilities that it suspects of producing equipment for Moscow's military campaign since the beginning of the war Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting the Czech Republic today to meet its president Petr Pavel The Czech government has been a strong backer of Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and has led an initiative to supply Ukraine with large-calibre ammunition that has delivered more than a one million shells business and industrial expertise to find large-calibre ammunition around the world and ship it to Ukraine with funding from NATO allies who is accompanied on the trip by First Lady Olena Zelenska will also meet Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Monday with the Czech ammunition drive among the topics on the agenda Chinese President Xi Jinping will make an official visit to Russia this month to participate in VE Day celebrations the Kremlin said that Xi will discuss with Vladimir Putin the development of the two countries' strategic partnership the main issues of further development of relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction as well as current issues on the international and regional agenda will be discussed," the Kremlin said Russia's celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany will take place from 7-10 May Xi's visit to Russia comes after Putin proposed a three-day ceasefire with Ukraine around the celebration Responding to Moscow's offer of the ceasefire Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready as long as the ceasefire would be 30 days in length something Putin had already ruled out in the near term in partnership with the German development bank KfW and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine handed over eighteen units of agricultural machinery to vocational and technical institutions of the Poltava region ― participants of the "EU4Skills: Better Skills for Modern Ukraine" programme This equipment will help to modernise and improve the educational process of students in the profession "Master of operation repair and maintenance of agricultural machinery" "Car repairman" and "Agricultural machinery and equipment repair mechanic" in the following educational institutions: Vocational School #44 in Myrhorod and I Borovensky Reshetyliv professional agrarian lyceum Head of the Local and Human Development Section at the EU Delegation to Ukraine stressed the significance of collaborative efforts in the modernization of VET schools: "The European Union continues to help Ukraine  build a modern vocational education infrastructure Vocational school students are the future of the agricultural sector it is very important to provide them with the best conditions for obtaining professional and technical education” "High-quality and modern equipment in vocational schools is an opportunity for students to acquire skills that business needs here and now because the employer does not need to spend time and effort to retrain students who came to him after graduation The business immediately receives professional specialists We are grateful to our partners for regular and stable support of vocational education because the development of vocational and technical institutions today is an opportunity to ensure the required number of specialists in labour professions during the reconstruction period” Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine for digital development digital transformations and digitalization Vocational and technical schools of the Poltava region are not the only ones that have updated their educational base and sewing equipment were received by institutions of the Rivne The EU-funded "EU4Skills: Modernisation of Vocational Education and Training Infrastructure in Ukraine" project is part of the "EU4Skills: Better Skills for Modern Ukraine" programme (Component 3) and aims to update and modernise the equipment and infrastructure of VET schools in Ukraine The project aims to create a modern VET infrastructure that contributes to increased attractiveness for students The project works on laying the foundation for effective demand-driven education that equips students with skills that the Ukrainian labour market seeks On behalf of the European Union and the German Development Bank KfW the project is implemented by the Ukrainian Social Investment Fund For additional information, please contact Inna Pavliuk via inna.pavljuk@brandcom.com.ua Russian terrorists attacked Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles Strikes hit the Kharkiv and Poltava regions resulting in casualties among the civilian population For more details on the aftermath of the massive attack read the full report from RBC Ukraine below Russian occupiers launched drone strikes on Ukraine starting the evening of January 31 According to preliminary information from the regional military administration no hits on civilian objects or casualties have been reported there was damage to the energy infrastructure in the Myrhorod district 164 residential consumers and one business remained without electricity Specialists are already working to restore the power supply According to the latest information from the Poltava regional military administration Rescue workers and emergency services are on the scene Photo: a house was hit in Poltava (t.me/poltavskaOVA/20637) Rescuers reported that the occupiers struck a five-story building in Poltava with a missile The entrance from the first to the fifth floor was destroyed Neighboring buildings and 12 cars were also damaged A total of 21 people were rescued from the building Russian forces attacked Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region with missiles Head of the Kharkiv regional military administration reported around 7:30 AM that enemy hits were recorded in the Kharkivskyi and Berestynskyi districts "Information regarding the destruction and casualties is being verified by relevant services," the official said A series of explosions also occurred in Kharkiv there was a strike in the residential area of the Kholodnohirskyi district Synehubov confirmed that as a result of the attack it was reported that five people were injured in Kharkiv According to local authorities and the State Emergency Service the Russian army launched 18 drone strikes on Zaporizhzhia This is one of the most massive attacks on the city multi-story and private houses were damaged a 57-year-old man was injured but refused hospitalization several explosions were heard in the Khmelnytskyi region enemy drones were moving from the Zhytomyr region toward the city of Starokostyantyniv the Russian aggressor launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles an air raid alert was issued in the eastern regions due to the threat of ballistic weapon use the alert was extended across all of Ukraine Russian forces also attacked the country with Shahed kamikaze drones.