Putin claims nuclear-capable Satan 2 missiles ready for combat in ‘near future’

British fighter jets intercept three Russian military planes flying near Nato airspace

Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russia’s new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles – capable of carrying 10 or more nuclear warheads – will soon be ready for combat duty, as his defence minister insisted the West was waging “real war” against Moscow.

The rollout of the missiles, nicknamed Satan 2, has already been delayed, and the Russian president’s new comments to military academy graduates at the Kremlin come days after he claimed Ukraine had “no chance” in their current counteroffensive, and Moscow had no need to resort to nuclear weapons.

While Kyiv officials claimed “partial success” in operations this week, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky admitted progress in its nascent counteroffensive was “slower than desired”, as he blamed dangerous minefields laid by Russian troops.

Despite his dismissive remarks, Mr Putin’s generals appear to be concerned about Kyiv’s ability to directly strike Crimea, having constructed “elaborate” defences near the occupied peninsula, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said.

Meanwhile, international leaders descended upon a London conference aimed at drumming up funds to rebuild Ukraine, where foreign secretary James Cleverly claimed the UK would be “very supportive” if Kyiv was permitted to bypass a key requirement of joining Nato.

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RAF scrambles jets to respond to Russian aircraft flying ‘close to Nato airspace’

The Royal Air Force (RAF) scrambled its fighter jets in Estonia after a Russian Navy airplane was seen flying near Nato airspace, officials said today.

“This evening [Tuesday], RAF Typhoons from 140 EAW in Estonia were scrambled to intercept a Russian Navy Tu-134 and 2x Su-27 ‘FLANKER’ Bs flying close to @NATO airspace,” the air force said on Twitter, sharing photos of the two planes flying alongside in the Estonian skies.

The RAF warplane is seen alongside the intercepted Russian navy airplane.

“The Russian aircraft failed to comply with international norms by not liaising with regional airspace control agencies,” the RAF added.

Arpan Rai21 June 2023 07:21

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Putin sees ‘lull’ in Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Russian president Vladimir Putin said Moscow had observed a “lull” in Ukraine‘s counteroffensive which began early this month.

Although Ukraine still had some offensive potential, Kyiv understood it had “no chance”, Mr Putin said in televised remarks.

This comes as Volodymyr Zelensky said progress in Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces was “slower than desired”, but Kyiv would not be pressured into speeding it up.

“Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It’s not,” Britain’s BBC quoted him as saying in an interview. “What’s at stake is people’s lives.”

Arpan Rai22 June 2023 05:04

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Putin sees ‘lull’ in Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Russian president Vladimir Putin, said Moscow had observed a “lull” in Ukraine‘s counteroffensive, which began early this month.

Although Ukraine still had some offensive potential, Kyiv understood it had “no chance”, Putin said in televised remarks.

This comes as Volodymyr Zelensky said progress in Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces was “slower than desired”, but Kyiv would not be pressured into speeding it up.

“Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It’s not,” Britain’s BBC quoted him as saying in an interview. “What’s at stake is people’s lives.”

Arpan Rai22 June 2023 04:58

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Putin sees ‘lull’ in Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Russian president Vladimir Putin, said Moscow had observed a “lull” in Ukraine‘s counteroffensive, which began early this month.

Although Ukraine still had some offensive potential, Kyiv understood it had “no chance”, Putin said in televised remarks.

This comes as Volodymyr Zelensky said progress in Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces was “slower than desired”, but Kyiv would not be pressured into speeding it up.

“Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It’s not,” Britain’s BBC quoted him as saying in an interview. “What’s at stake is people’s lives.”

Arpan Rai22 June 2023 04:42

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Putin sees ‘lull’ in Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Russian president Vladimir Putin, said Moscow had observed a “lull” in Ukraine‘s counteroffensive, which began early this month.

Although Ukraine still had some offensive potential, Kyiv understood it had “no chance”, Putin said in televised remarks.

This comes as Volodymyr Zelensky said progress in Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces was “slower than desired”, but Kyiv would not be pressured into speeding it up.

“Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It’s not,” Britain’s BBC quoted him as saying in an interview. “What’s at stake is people’s lives.”

Arpan Rai22 June 2023 04:38

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Putin sees ‘lull’ in Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Russian president Vladimir Putin, said Moscow had observed a “lull” in Ukraine‘s counteroffensive, which began early this month. Although Ukraine still had some offensive potential, Kyiv understood it had “no chance”, Putin said in televised remarks.

This comes as Volodymyr Zelensky said progress in Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces was “slower than desired”, but Kyiv would not be pressured into speeding it up.

“Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It’s not,” Britain’s BBC quoted him as saying in an interview. “What’s at stake is people’s lives.”

Arpan Rai22 June 2023 04:31

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Putin sees ‘lull’ in Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Russian president Vladimir Putin, said Moscow had observed a “lull” in Ukraine‘s counteroffensive, which began early this month. Although Ukraine still had some offensive potential, Kyiv understood it had “no chance”, Putin said in televised remarks.

This comes as Volodymyr Zelensky said progress in Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces was “slower than desired”, but Kyiv would not be pressured into speeding it up.

“Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It’s not,” Britain’s BBC quoted him as saying in an interview. “What’s at stake is people’s lives.”

Arpan Rai22 June 2023 04:26

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Putin sees ‘lull’ in Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Russian president Vladimir Putin, said Moscow had observed a “lull” in Ukraine‘s counteroffensive, which began early this month. Although Ukraine still had some offensive potential, Kyiv understood it had “no chance”, Putin said in televised remarks.

This comes as Volodymyr Zelensky said progress in Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces was “slower than desired”, but Kyiv would not be pressured into speeding it up.

“Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It’s not,” Britain’s BBC quoted him as saying in an interview. “What’s at stake is people’s lives.”

Arpan Rai22 June 2023 04:15

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Putin sees ‘lull’ in Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Russian president Vladimir Putin, said Moscow had observed a “lull” in Ukraine‘s counteroffensive, which began early this month. Although Ukraine still had some offensive potential, Kyiv understood it had “no chance”, Putin said in televised remarks.

This comes as Volodymyr Zelensky said progress in Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces was “slower than desired”, but Kyiv would not be pressured into speeding it up.

“Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It’s not,” Britain’s BBC quoted him as saying in an interview. “What’s at stake is people’s lives.”

Arpan Rai22 June 2023 03:58

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Zaporizhzhia plant plans to pump water from burst dam’s reservoir

The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine plans to resume pumping water from what remains of the massive reservoir behind a nearby dam that burst two weeks ago, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said last week it was unclear whether it would be possible to pump water from the reservoir to cool reactors and spent fuel at Europe’s biggest nuclear plant given how much the reservoir’s level has fallen.

While the plant can fall back on other water sources, including a cooling pond with what the IAEA says is months’ worth of water in it, whatever can be pumped from the reservoir should buy more time before stocks have to be replenished.

“Ukraine‘s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is planning to resume pumping water that still remains accessible despite a major loss of water in the Kakhovka reservoir caused by the destruction of the downstream dam earlier this month,” the IAEA said in a statement.

Katy Clifton22 June 2023 01:00

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