Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Monday it had prevented an attempt by Ukraine to hijack a missile-carrying strategic bomber the FSB claimed it gained intelligence to help Russia’s military strike Ukrainian territory “The FSB has stopped another Ukrainian special services attempt to carry out an operation to hijack the Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber,” the Russian intelligence agency said in a statement It claimed an unidentified “special service of a NATO country” was involved in “preparing and implementing” the operation. an unidentified Russian pilot was promised money and “Italian citizenship” for flying and landing the Tu-22M3 in Ukraine Video published by state news agencies showed the Russian pilot standing in front of the warplane and recounting his communications with the alleged Ukrainian recruiter he started threatening my close relatives [and] demanded that I burn down aircraft,” the pilot said his voice disguised and face covered by a helmet My interlocutor didn’t even hide that he was from the Ukrainian special services,” the pilot added “He suggested I hijack a warplane to Ukrainian territory but a long-range bomber that can carry nuclear weapons.” The FSB said “operative work” with the would-be hijackers allowed the Russian military to gain intelligence that helped it “inflict damage” on the Ozerne airfield in western Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region The timing of the Ozerne strike was unclear, with previous public reports saying the airfield was last targeted in March and unconfirmed reports on social media claiming there were explosions in the Zhytomyr region The FSB did not say whether Russia was pursuing charges into the alleged hijacking attempt It was not immediately possible to independently verify the FSB’s statement 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 who demonstrate the results of successful counterattacks both in the south and in the east Considering the fact that these videos and photos are being actively circulated We are talking about a rather unexpected liberation of the village of Ozerne in the Donetsk Oblast A video from the scene of the events was posted on the Internet by one of the soldiers of the National Guard who reported on the de-occupation of Ozerny which is located on the northern bank of Siverskyi Donets There is also a photo to the post showing that the flag of Ukraine is now again flying over the village of Visokopillya in the Kherson Oblast According to the map of the operational situation by Deep State this settlement was already in the semi-circle by the Armed Forces of Ukraine the Operational Command "South" in the summary as of 12:00 on September 4 didn’t mention the liberation of any settlements "The situation in the operational area in the southern Buh direction remains steadily tense but controlled by the defense forces of Ukraine The enemy continues to conduct hostilities on defense lines the hope of raising reserves and morale," the official statement said the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard did not note the liberation of Ozerny as well as any actions in the area of this settlement Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London She has previously extensively covered U.S Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com 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 In a video shared by Ukrainian member of Parliament Roman Hryshchuk on Twitter appears to be hit by numerous incendiary weapons falling from the sky The spectacle resembles fireworks falling down in slow motion on the village's homes This is horrible," wrote Hryshchuk in the post accompanying the clip which has now been watched by over 225,000 people Ozerne village, Donetsk region. Ukraine.This is horrible. pic.twitter.com/RbX9AF3SeG The Ukrainian MP did not confirm the date of the attack, but the location of the video has been confirmed to be Ozerne, thanks to comparison with images of the village offered by Google Maps Newsweek could not verify who shot the video or when but has contacted Ukraine's Ministry of Defense for comment Russian use of Incendiary Munitions #Ozerne, Donetsk Oblast @GeoConfirmed 48.902166, 37.913899https://t.co/hgdJn6AUee pic.twitter.com/NCyP6IKz4u @Geoconfirmed Additional proofshttps://t.co/bbA49HZlYJ pic.twitter.com/e1iK8Po6W9 Marina Miron from the Defence Studies Department of the King's College London told Newsweek that the one portrayed in the undated video is certainly thermite a mix of metal powder and metal oxide which can be used during conflict as an incendiary weapon in the same way as the more well-known napalm and white phosphorus "Both Ukraine and Russia have incendiary rockets," Miron said Similar attacks have been witnessed since 2014 the Ukrainian side had accused Russian of using 9M22S incendiary munitions (these missiles—in contrast to 9M22—would have carried a different warhead and were most likely fired from BM-21 Grad MLRS) against Popasna on March 12 These weapons were developed in the Soviet Union Thermite has been used since World War II to disable artillery pieces without the use of explosive but it's limited to clearly defined military targets by Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) due to the high humanitarian risk linked to such destructive incendiary weapons Thermite munitions can inflict painful burns on both troops and civilians and also cause respiratory injuries Miron said we should exercise caution before attributing the attack to Russia as we don't have enough information about the attack yet "Now to figure out which side had used them remains unclear," she said we can deduce that it would make sense for the Russians to use them in the instance below apparently these munitions have also been used in the city of Donetsk on July 23 Whether or not either side would use these on areas under their control cannot be determined with certainty," she added There are a number of videos showing what looks like incendiary munitions used on Donetsk tonight. https://t.co/uIOorlZ0yd https://t.co/8zAfGo7pI1 pic.twitter.com/Pz8JFgxqwm Another video. 2/https://t.co/4PhaGoiMTz https://t.co/23FUpvbMcM https://t.co/4PhaGoiMTz pic.twitter.com/d5ESRMAIF2 "In the case of Ozerne one would assume that the Russian side is responsible for the attacks while in the case of Donetsk—at least due to numerous Russian allegations of indiscriminate attacks conducted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces it would make sense for the Ukrainian side to use these I would be very careful trying to pin it to either side without having more information," Miron said The town of Ozerne was reportedly liberated by Ukrainian ground troops on September 4 together with the nearby town of Yampil and the village of Vysokopillya in Kherson In his daily address to the nation on September 4, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky praised the soldiers of the battalions which retook the three villages in strategic locations for Kyiv Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all Call us: +96265504222 Copyright © 2025 Ammonnews. All Rights Reserved. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world Photographer: Pavel Golovkin/AFP/Getty Images 2024 at 2:27 AM EDTBookmarkSaveRussia’s Federal Security Service said it foiled an attempt by Ukraine to recruit a pilot willing to defect with a supersonic strategic bomber jet Ukrainian agents offered money and the prospect of Italian citizenship to a pilot in return for flying a Tu-22M3 plane to Ukraine The FSB also accused unspecified security services of NATO countries of involvement Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker A Ukrainian air force officer said Ukraine had more combat planes available than it did in 2022, Voice of America reported. Thanks for signing up for our daily insight on the African economy We bring you daily editor picks from the best Business Insider news content so you can stay updated on the latest topics and conversations on the African market Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected HORRIFYING new video shows flesh-eating thermite bombs raining down on a Ukrainian village as desperate Putin steps up his attacks on civilians Terrifying footage shows the night sky in Ozerne village in the Donetsk region lit up by a chilling rain of sparkling, burning thermite - a killer chemical mixture The drone footage was geolocated in Ozerne which stands just a few kilometers from the frontline and was liberated on September 4 The chilling 12 second video was posted on Twitter by Ukrainian MP Roman Hryshchuk who commented: "This is horrible" Experts from the Ukrainian Military Centre claim Russian troops are able to launch the 9M22S incendiary munition that use a thermite mixture using BM-21 Grad or BM-30 Smerch multiple rocket launchers from their ground positions while thermite may only have a limited impact on military targets This week, the Ukrainian army announced it had made huge gains and consolidating positions across the Oskil river - which represents the last natural obstacle before the border with Donetsk. The Ukrainian counter-offensive - bolstered by Western-supplied weaponry - comes as demoralised Russian troops have withdrawn in "panic" from their positions along the River Oskil, according to local newspaper The Kyiv Independent. Those fleeing have left behind hundreds of vehicles and machinery, and potentially thousands of casualties. A proposal presented to the Duma stated failure to comply would result in giving "the military from 2 to 3 years in prison for refusing to participate in hostilities and if it caused serious consequences - from 3 to 10 years." This new proposal comes as a new intercept released by the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry showed that the Russian command in Donetsk Oblast has forbidden its troops to retreat – under the threat of being shot Amid an apparent Russian panic, the Ministry of Defence released a statement detailing Putin's aggressive change in the pattern of missile strikes on Ukrainians It is reported that Russian military efforts have increased attacks on civilians in the last week with the aim to “undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government,” the MoD said every 9M22S missile carries a 9H510 warhead - formed of 180 incendiary combat elements used to destroy enemy manpower and equipment by creating mass fires Thermite, a mixture of metal powder and metal oxide, is used in the making of incendiary bombs It burns at temperatures of more than 2,400C - being so hot it can burn through steel and concrete And if it comes into contact with human flesh it can melt through right down to the bone Human Rights Watch previously warned the deadly weapon can cause extremely painful burns on the human skin and can lead to respiratory problems The bombs use is significantly dangerous as their wide area of range means they cannot be contained on the battlefield - and its effects could hit civilians The use of thermite as an incendiary weapon is nowadays considered a war crime Its use was banned by the third protocol of the 1980 UN Convention on Conventional Weapons in Geneva "It is prohibited in all circumstances to make the civilian population as such individual civilians or civilian objects the object of attack by incendiary weapons," the Convention's Article 2 reads This comes less than a week after Ukraine uncovered a mass grave of over 440 people in the north-eastern city of Izyum that was recaptured as part of the operation Though it's not confirmed Russian troops were behind the executions, Ukraine said it was further evidence of "war crimes" committed by Russian forces said on Monday: "Some of the dead have signs of violent death there are bodies with tied hands and traces of torture The deceased were also found to have mine-explosive injuries The vast majority of those found were said to be civilians Russia's army has been almost totally pushed out of Ukraine's north-eastern Kharkiv region since Ukraine started its latest counter-offensive to regain territory De-occupation is not far away," Haidai wrote on Telegram separatist leaders of four Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine have announced they are planning to hold elections on whether to join Russia Kherson and partially Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia residents will vote in a move that could "irreversibly" redefine Russia's borders This could be seen as a stepping stone for Russia to mobilise more personnel should the provinces agree to the annexation Головна Сторінка » English stories » “If we shot five of them they will all obey”: how prisoners live in the occupied prison in the Zaporizhzhia region When the Russians entered the village of Ozerne the institution operated under Ukrainian law it came under the control of the occupiers The life of the Veselivskyy Correctional Center No. 8 under occupation is described in the video by Slidstvo.Info Veselivskyy Correctional Center No.8 is located on the border of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in the village of Ozerne and during the day they work at the colony’s enterprise: in the workshop This regime allows the convicts to buy personal items in a local store the colony’s management cooperated with the Russians The presence of the Russians was felt even by the prisoners most of whom maintained a pro-Ukrainian position The colony began to punish them for their patriotism and some prisoners who tried to escape were threatened with execution says that everything has changed since the arrival of the Russians There was no one to buy the products produced by the company because there was no money They stopped paying the prisoners their salaries and had to close the shop a shop assistant at the store located on the territory of Veselivskyy Correctional Center No.8 “Prisoners in Ukraine used to get a salary Because the Ukrainian courts in the occupied territories are temporarily closed the prisoners could not be released on parole They had to either wait until the end of the year or the end of their full sentence While the majority of the prisoners had a pro-Ukrainian position the colony management sided with the enemy Since the correctional center is located on the border of two regions constantly frightening the staff and prisoners “There are constant explosions there or planes are flying over the village for no reason You cover your ears because it’s so loud We taught all of our children to open their mouths when the planes were flying so that their eardrums wouldn’t burst,” Olha recalls the head of the enterprise where the prisoners work says that most of the officers resigned with the beginning of the occupation and only three are left to work for Russia the head of an enterprise employing inmates of Veselivskyy Correctional Center No “We used to have a correctional center but now it’s a Russian ‘colony-settlement’ only one man remained to cooperate with the Russians And another retired officer decided to return,” says Oleksandr Fursa The pro-Russian leadership did not just take the side of the enemy but began to establish “new orders” in the colony one of the officers banned all Ukrainian symbols and any mention of Ukraine “They forced us to take down the Ukrainian flag and put up a Russian one and began to put pressure on them to not mention Ukraine at all,” says Oleksandr Fursa Collaborators’ pressure on Ukrainian convicts led to a wave of protests and escapes and three of them surrendered to the Ukrainian military I heard gossip that one was caught and was digging trenches for the Russians,” says Olha Two of the prisoners who made it to Zaporizhzhia went to fight against the Russian occupiers after serving their time “They served their time there and are now fighting for Ukraine,” says Olha the other convicts staged a riot: twenty prisoners escaped and ran towards Nova Kakhovka they were captured by the Russian military and brought back to the colony the men were beaten and shot at over their heads “The head of the institution begged that no one was shot there Although they (the collaborators – ed.) suggested that they killed five people here and everyone would obey,” says Oleksandr Fursa Oleksandr and Olha say that due to the lack of control the prisoners were mocked and often beaten there is no procedure to protect these prisoners Oleksandr Fursa says that when there was an opportunity to take them out there was no corresponding order from the central government “When there was a possibility to take the convicts out and it was possible to take them out in two trips and then that was it,” says Oleksandr Slidstvo.Info agency traced the path of the 27-year-old Viktoria uncovering the conditions of her detention in .. who for the first time shared her experience of imprisonment and what is .. The Command of the Ground Forces told Slidstvo.Info that Oscar was captured in Luhansk Oblast and has been .. The issue of the Tu-22M3 strategic bombers disposal is being sharply discussed every time russia shells Ukraine or there is a need to increase the operational range of missiles targeted at russian military facilities Ukraine is claimed to have given not only the Kh-55 cruise missiles but also the Kh-22 cruise missiles to the kremlin the shortage of long-range weapons is significant But the decision to get rid of the Tu-22M3 bombers and the Kh-22 missiles has been completely justified the Kh-22 cruise missiles were disposed by the U.S 225 missiles were destroyed at the Ozerne air base (Zhytomyr region) and 432 pieces in Poltava The reasoning behind this step was primarily that Ukraine didn’t have money The Kazan Aircraft Production Association (Kazan russia) is a manufacturer of the Tu-22 aircraft Under no circumstances would the russian federation maintain Ukrainian bombers after the dissolution of the Soviet Union russia have got 170 Tu-22M3 strategic bombers 60 of them are still in service (according to The Military Balance 2022) So it seems like russia can’t maintain its own bombers The Western world countries occurred a similar practice at the beginning of 2000s The United States of America abandoned the F-111 Aardvark combat aircraft France sent the Mirage IV strategic bomber on retirement Strategic conditions in the world dictated the fate of the Tu-22M3 strategic bomber Should be noted that the West have concentrated on the adaptation of the long-range cruise missiles for the tactical airforce crafts The United States Air Force have the AGM-158 JASSM cruise missile with the range of 900 km that can be carried by the F-16 or the F-15 fighters France have adapted the Air-Sol Moyenne Portée-Amélioré ASMP-A cruise missile for the Rafale B multirole fighter Ukraine have to work on the development of its own air-launched long-range missiles in accordance with the requirements of the modernity but not of the remnants of the Soviet past Ceremonies celebrating the 30th birthday of Ukraine’s Armed Forces and Ozerne saw the handover of weaponry and military equipment to units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Lt Gen Valerii Zaluzhniy handed over certificates on: (1) 10x Kozak-2M1 armored cars (produced by NVO Practika) to a representative for the 3rd Independent SpecOps Regiment Special Operations Force; (2) 3x T-64BM2 tanks (referred to in a dedicated press release as T-64 BV tanks upgraded with enhanced combat capabilities) to commander of a tank battalion within the 92nd Independent Mechanized Brigade and (3) 10x BTR-4E APC vehicles (produced by Kharkiv Morozov Design Bureau) to a representative for a mechanized battalion within the 92nd Independent Mechanized Brigade Interim Commander for the Air Force Command “Center” and (4) a Mi-8MT helicopter (overhauled and refurbished by the DP “Aviacon” company) to a crew captain from the 456th Transport Aviation Brigade Lt Gen Oleksandr Pavliuk handed over certificates on: (1) 14x Kozak-2M1 armored cars to 2nd Rank Captain Serhiy Sundukov commander of the 73rd Naval Special Operations Center Ukrainian Naval Force and (2) 20x Kozak-2M1 armored cars to commander of the 122nd Independent Air Mobile Battalion within the 81st Independent Air Mobile Brigade Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Lt Gen Yevhen Moisiuk and People’s Deputy Ihor Herasymenko handed over certificates on 13x Humvee military utility vehicles (referred to as Hammer vehicles in a dedicated press release) which had come as part of US security aid to Ukraine to commander of the 3rd Independent Special Operations Regiment Ukraine’s Chief of Armed Forces General Staff Lt Gen Serhiy Shaptala handed over cerficates on 15x Humvee military utility vehicles to commander of the 8th Independent SpecOps Regiment certificates on 12x Humvee vehicles were handed over to a representative for the 140th Independent SpecOps Center Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov and Navy’s Commander Rear Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa presented commanding officers of the Island-class patrol boats R192 Sumy and R193 Fastiv with memorial signs commemorating the ships’ induction into the Ukrainian Navy’s fleet inventory 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.