Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war Isabel joined Newsweek in 2021 and had previously worked with news outlets including the Daily Express You can get in touch with Isabel by emailing i.vanbrugen@newsweek.com or by following her on X @isabelvanbrugen 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 A column of Russian military equipment was destroyed in the Kursk region a video circulating via Russian pro-war Telegram channels appears to show with some suggesting that Ukrainian forces used U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in the attack The footage was shared on social media on the third day of Ukraine's surprise incursion into Russia's Western Kursk region Kyiv's forces launched its cross-border armored assault on Tuesday swiftly seizing a large number of settlements and capturing scores of Russian personnel Ukraine has so far gained control of at least 166 square miles of Russian territory—equivalent to the size of New Orleans—investigative Russian outlet Agentstvo reported on Thursday Newsweek could not independently verify this where the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant is located A large fire 🔥 is occurring in Rylsk in the Kursk Region, 27km from Ukraine 🇺🇦Reportedly, a Russian column was destroyed at nightRylsk would be a key target for Ukraine to cut off most Russian logistics going to the border with Ukraine’s Sumy region. It’s within HIMARS range pic.twitter.com/UqXGSeg4q2 Several Russian Telegram channels said Ukraine's military used HIMARS in the attack "A column of Russian equipment was destroyed by a HIMARS strike in the Kursk region,' the Truexa News channel said Videos showed the charred remains of what appears to be Russian vehicles on the side of a road Newsweek couldn't independently verify the use of HIMARS in Kursk and has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment by email The U.S.-supplied HIMARS have allowed Ukraine to destroy Russia's most-advanced anti-aircraft missile systems in the war the Biden administration said that Ukraine was allowed to use U.S.-supplied weapons as part of its incursion into Kursk The armored assault into Kursk is "consistent with our policy," U.S Defense Department Deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters "We have supported Ukraine from the very beginning to defend themselves against attacks that are coming across the border and for the need for crossfires," said Singh "So they are taking actions to protect themselves from attacks that are coming from a region that are within the U.S The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its latest analysis of the conflict in Ukraine on Thursday that the Kremlin will "almost certainly endeavor to retake Russian territory in Kursk Oblast that Ukrainian forces have seized and stop Ukrainian activity further into Russia." This is because "substantial Ukrainian advances within Russia would be a strategic blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin's decades-long effort to cement a legacy of Russian stability and geopolitical resurgence," the ISW said According to Agentstvo, in roughly 24 hours, Ukraine's forces overwhelmed two major lines of fortifications in the Kursk region that took Russia over two-and-a-half years and more than $170 million to build The defense lines were jointly built by Russia's Defense Ministry and Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) after Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022 Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsweek is committed to journalism that's factual and fair Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter. 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All rights reserved The latter claimed that the Ukrainian military used the U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket launcher for the attack and published video of the strike’s aftermath According to a report by the independent Russian publication Agentstvo (lit which geolocated the site of the strike using Google Maps panoramas the convoy was destroyed 30 kilometers from the Russia-Ukraine border and 20 kilometers from the village of Korenevo the nearest point where fighting is taking place adviser to the Governor of Russia’s Kursk Region Russian security services also detained a local Kursk Region resident who recorded a video of the burning Russian convoy. According to the Russian Telegram channel Mash the detained individual is a 48-year-old resident of the village of Oktyabrskoye a Telegram news channel with purported links to Russian law enforcement reported that the individual filmed the aftermath of the AFU attack and shared the video with a representative of an unspecified Ukrainian Telegram channel The footage had earlier also been circulated by Russian channels the man claimed that he filmed and sent the footage to the Ukrainians “on assignment,” according to Mash he was allegedly “promised money and future citizenship in a NATO country” if he continued to fulfill their orders Mash added that the Russian authorities are now considering opening a criminal case against the man on charges of espionage We really need your help! Subscribe to donations! Сделано в Charmer устарел и не позволяет корректно отображать сайт Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London He also covers other areas of geopolitics including China Brendan joined Newsweek in 2018 from the International Business Times and well as English You can get in touch with Brendan by emailing b.cole@newsweek.com or follow on him on his X account @brendanmarkcole Blasts have ripped through two ammunition depots in Russia in suspected Ukrainian drone strikes days after a site that fuels Moscow's military machine had been hit in one of the biggest attacks of the war Ukraine has stepped up drone strikes on military facilities with attacks hitting targets deep inside Russia Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian Defense Ministry for comment on the latest incidents Video shared on the Astra Telegram channel purported to show explosions and fire overnight Friday at the ammunition depot in the village of Kamenny in the southern Krasnodar region bordering Ukraine Regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram Ukraine had a carried out a "terrorist attack" and that while air defense and electronic warfare had "suppressed" two drones the falling debris of one caused a fire that spread to explosive objects which detonated Residents of the village near the site have been evacuated and according to preliminary information Kondratyev did not specify where the explosions occurred, but Astra said they had hit the Tikhoretsk ammunition depot which The Washington Post reported in 2023 houses munitions from North Korea Russian Telegram channels report one more drone attack on an ammunitions warehouse in Oktyabrskoye, Tver region of Russia.NASA fire maps show a large fire in that area. https://t.co/HJYCO04SbX pic.twitter.com/8ZnOr39A6X Drone strike on the main Russian artillery ammunition depot in the village of Kamenny, Tikhoretsky District, Krasnodar Krai. The destroyed depots here allegedly contained ammunition from North Korea.Videos will probably surface soon where brave Russian generals talked about… pic.twitter.com/KGCIusVwC4 Further north in Russia, another ammunition depot was hit overnight Friday in the village of Oktyabrsky in the Tver region with NASA fire maps showing a large blaze in that area The site is near a weapons depot in Toropets which was reportedly attacked by Ukrainian drones on Wednesday causing a blast so big that it was registered as a small earthquake Russian Telegram users said the site had been targeted to finish off whatever might be left there pro-Ukrainian X users posted footage of Friday night's blasts "Ukrainian Forces have struck a large Russian ammo depot in the Tikhoretsky District of Krasnodar Krai in Russia over 300km [186 miles] from the frontline causing massive explosions tonight," posted Ukraine Battle Map on X "Ukraine has also struck another ammo depot in Tver with several drones/missiles 460km [285 miles] inside Russia," the post added "Spectacular explosion of the Tikhoretsk ammunition facility in Russia," posted pro-Ukrainian X account (((Tendar))) Looks like Russia is losing its primary logistics hubs There was no mention of the destruction in the update by the Russian Defense Ministry which said that it had intercepted 101 Ukrainian aircraft-type drones over seven border regions Moscow has continued with repeated drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure including on Friday night when a missile on Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk region killed three people and injured three others Russian attacks killed two people and injured 24 in the Donetsk and Kherson regions 20224:35 PM UTCSatellite images show build-up of Russian forces near UkraineRussia has massed tens of thousands of troops on its borders with Ukraine and Western states fear Moscow is planning a new assault on a country it invaded in 2014 [1/38]A close-up of troops and equipment at Oktyabrskoye air base [2/38]Multiple rocket launchers and self-propelled artillery training in Novoozernoye [3/38]A troop housing area and military equipment in Rechitsa [6/38]A battle group departing from a vehicle park in Yelnya [8/38]A tent camp and equipment at the southern end of Oktyabrskoye air base [9/38]Troops and equipment deployments at Zyabrovka air base in Belarus [10/38]An overview of a helicopter deployments near Lake Donuzlav Maxar Technologies/via REUTERSDONUZLAV [11/38]A deployment of a troop housing area and tents in Yelnya [12/38]A deployment of troop housing area and military equipments in Rechitsa Maxar Technologies/via REUTERSRECHITSA [13/38]A closer view of a battle group in formation in Soloti [14/38]A deployment of battle groups and troops in Soloti [15/38]Armor and self-propelled artillery loaded in flatcars passing through a rail yard in Yelnya [16/38]A tent camp and equipment at the northern end of Oktyabrskoye air base [17/38]Armoured vehicles at Zyabrovka air base in Belarus [18/38]A housing area for troops and a field hospital at Zyabrovka air base in Belarus [19/38]A new military deployment and armoured vehicles in Slavne More in this CollectionSee all picturesItem 21 of 38 New deployments and military equipment in Novoozernoye Maxar Technologies/via REUTERS[21/38]New deployments and military equipment in Novoozernoye Maxar Technologies/via REUTERSShare this gallery © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Officials believe the woman was the child’s nanny and that she had killed the child before setting fire to the parents’ apartment An investigation is underway after the remains of a 3- or 4-year-old child were found in an apartment in the city [BBC] Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com Former Moscow industrial zones are becoming modern city spaces more often. Today it is difficult to imagine the city without the Vinzavod Modern Art Centre or the Bolshevik Cultural and Business Complex or without the transformed ZIL and the Hammer and Sickle industrial zones. Offices and cafes have opened in the renovated buildings; residential quarters and social facilities are built on newly cleared land; infrastructure is being developed; and jobs are being created. Moscow is not the first metropolis in the world to expand due to the development of abandoned industrial sites. However, it was only in 2017 that the legal framework was created for the comprehensive development of former industrial zones. Read this mos.ru article on how the city, land owners and private investors cooperate to create new modern living spaces. Over the past three years the Moscow Government has reviewed the status all Moscow industrial zones, which cover almost 15,000 hectares. Some of these areas are occupied by operating enterprises, and some have other businesses and facilities. One third of industrial zones were free, or almost 5,400 hectares, with 2,000 hectares or so suitable for redevelopment projects. Before implementing a redevelopment programme, it is necessary to go through 14 different approvals. The city took over this work to help land owners attract new investors. As of today, Moscow has signed two contracts with businesses to develop the former Oktyabrskoye Pole and Korovino industrial zones . The contract on the area redevelopment for the Oktyabrskoye Pole industrial zone was signed at the initiative of the land owner. The Korovino industrial zone took a longer route to redevelopment. The private investor that will be responsible for development was first determined in a tender. The winning company won the tender with a bid of 201.2 million roubles. In December 2020, the Moscow Government signed an agreement on the comprehensive redevelopment of part of the Korovino industrial zone in northern Moscow. By 2035, there will be a new industrial and business centre with up to date infrastructure. Over 35 hectares will be renovated; the overall construction site could reach 600,000 sq m. Another section of the Korovino industrial zone (almost five hectares) may also get a new life as part of the redevelopment of industrial areas. The property lines of the Korovino-2 section will be approved in the rules of land use and development of Moscow, which will allow making a decision on redevelopment in this area. The total investment in Korovino-2 could reach 5.9 billion roubles. It will be possible to build up to 84,000 sq m of industrial and business facilities there, which will create more than 1,500 new jobs. Annual tax revenues could reach 467 million roubles from this site. In 2020, it was decided to redevelop four other industrial zones: Bratsevo, Chertanovo, Yuzhnoye Butovo and Altufyevskoye Shosse. There will be industrial, public and business facilities in the area covering almost 60 hectares. Moreover, residential areas, kindergartens, schools and hospitals will also be built in Yuzhnoye Butovo. The planned volume of investment in these projects will reach almost 82 billion roubles. Implementation will begin in the second half of 2021. The mechanism for industrial redevelopment can also be applied to other inefficiently used areas, for example, with abandoned unfinished facilities. The area must comply with the requirements for district redevelopment. In addition, each site is inspected individually, since the decision is made in accordance with the Urban Planning Code of the Russian Federation. The city has enacted various conditions for redevelopment: the area must comply with a series of requirements for city sponsored redevelopment, including unauthorised or dilapidated buildings or misuse of the land. Each site is to be inspected individually, as the decision is made in accordance with the Urban Planning Code of the Russian Federation. In the above case, investors will provide about 1.6 billion roubles, and the budget will receive 175.8 million roubles per year, with 675 new jobs created. Recently the city approved a redevelopment project at the former Avtomotornaya industrial zone. Proposals on realigning the property lines of four other areas have been approved. They are located in the industrial zones of Kashirskoye Highway, Yuzhnoye Ochakovo and Kuryanovo. Public and industrial facilities covering more than 1 million sq m will appear on the five sites. The implementation of these projects will result in almost 37,000 jobs. The expected investments will reach over 240 billion roubles, and the budget will receive about 13 billion roubles annually. In total, in 2020 the Urban Planning and Land Commission resolved to redevelop 23 areas, including the industrial zones at Krasny Stroitel, Berezhkovskaya Naberezhnaya, Kapotnya, Vykhino, Trikotazhnaya, Perovo, Teply Stan, Kuntsevo, Sviblovo and Verkhniye Kotly. Industrial redevelopment helps the city reorganise unused and abandoned areas. At the same time, site use is strictly regulated. Today, over 100 areas under this redevelopment programme are planned. More than 37 million sq m of housing, industrial, public and social facilities can be built on this land. These areas will provide about 500,000 new jobs, attract 7 trillion roubles in private investment and almost 3 trillion roubles in budget revenue. The mechanism for the redevelopment of former industrial zones with investors and property owners is just getting started. However, there are already successful examples of the revival of these territories in Moscow, including landmark projects such as the transformation of the ZIL and Hammer and Sickle industrial zones. A residential district with parks, schools, an outpatient clinic, a sports cluster and recreation and creative zones is being developed at the former Likhachev Plant site. A unique landscape park, Tyufeleva Roshcha, has opened there. The Anastasia Davydova Olympic Synchronised Swimming Centre, an ice palace, the largest school in Russia, metro and the Moscow Central Circle stations, as well as infrastructure for car owners were built there. 2016 17:44 ISTMoscow's Oktyabrskoye Pole metro station has been shut after a Burkha clad woman took out a 4-year-old girl's severed head from her bag The woman has been identified as 39-year-old native of Uzbekistan named Gyulchekhra Bobokulova.Graphic video below Russia's Interior Ministry has confirmed in a statement that the woman had been carrying severed head of a child Russia Today reports she shouted "Allahu Akbar" and "I'm a terrorist" over and over The woman waited until the parents left the apartment She then set the apartment on fire hoping she would destroy evidence When police approached and asked for documents the woman took out the severed head out of her bag and threatened to detonate explosives The Police haven't found any explosives on her The woman is also suspected to be under the influence of drugs an eyewitness who saw Bobokulova with the child's head told Russia's TV Rain "I saw that a woman was walking near the Oktyabrskoye Polye metro Russia's Defence Ministry said it had brought down three Ukrainian drones early on Sunday that had tried to strike Moscow in the second such attack in a week which damaged a high-rise building reported to house government offices Nobody was hurt and there was only minor damage to the facade of two office buildings in the Moskva-Citi business district One of the buildings damaged was home to three Russian government ministries as well as residential apartments That hostile drones have reached the heart of the Russian capital in recent months even if they have so far caused no major damage is uncomfortable for the authorities who have told the public that Russia is in full control of what they call its "special military operation" against Ukraine Two drones reached the Kremlin in May in the most high-profile incident of its kind Russia said it thwarted an attack on Moscow with two drones one of which was brought down close to the headquarters of the defence ministry Kyiv typically does not claim responsibility for specific incidents on Russian territory though President Volodymyr Zelensky said the war was "gradually returning to Russia's territory - to its symbolic centres" and absolutely fair process," Zelensky said in his daily address to the nation a young woman who gave her name as Liya told Reuters she was in an apartment she had rented with some friends at the moment of Sunday's strike we heard an explosion and it was like a wave "And then there was a lot of smoke and you couldn't see anything Reuters saw glass panels blown out in one high-rise building and glass debris and office documents littering part of the pavement below The area had been cordoned off by police and emergency services Flights to and from Moscow's Vnukovo airport were briefly suspended due to the incident The Defence Ministry said two drones had crashed in the Moskva-Citi district after being brought down using radio-electronic equipment Air defences had shot down one more in the air over the Odintsovo area in the Moscow region an attempted terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime using unmanned aerial vehicles against targets in the city of Moscow was foiled," the ministry said in its statement it said it had also successfully thwarted an overnight attack on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea by 25 Ukrainian drones which it said it had either shot down or forced to crash Nobody had been hurt and no damage was caused in the Crimea episode - This story was first published by Reuters Opinion - Russia's war with Ukraine is now at a critical turning point The relentless missile and drone strikes on the capital Kyiv may look like a sign of strength Russia accused Ukraine of a failed attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack on the Kremlin A drone attack on an ammunition depot in Crimea prompted authorities to evacuate a 5km radius and briefly suspend road traffic on the bridge linking the peninsula to Russia