Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow’s forces have “liberated” 97% of the Luhansk region.

By Associated Press

Russia claimed Tuesday it has occupied large swathes of eastern Ukraine after a relentless, weeks-long barrage and the recent deployment of more troops.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow’s forces have “liberated” 97% of the Luhansk region.

Russia appears bent on capturing the entire eastern Donbas part of Ukraine, which is made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. That goal appears to be its most immediate ambition in Ukraine.

But while the Kremlin’s forces have superior firepower, the Ukrainian defenders — among them the country’s most well-trained forces — are entrenched and have shown the capability to counterattack.

Shoigu claimed that Russian forces have seized the residential quarters of Sievierodonetsk and are fighting to take control of an industrial zone on its outskirts and the nearby towns.

Sievierodonetsk, the administrative center of the Luhansk region, has recently been the focus of the Russian offensive. Sievierodonetsk and nearby Lysychansk are the only two Donbas cities holding out against the Russian invasion, which is being helped by local pro-Kremlin forces.

Shoigu added that the Russian troops were pressing their offensive toward the town of Popasna and noted that they have taken control of Lyman and Sviatohirsk and 15 other towns in the region.

Popasna is a town with a pre-war population of 20,000 located about 30 kilometers (nearly 20 miles) south of Sievierodonetsk.

A Ukrainian official said Tuesday that Moscow is deploying troop reinforcements in eastern Ukraine as a Russian artillery barrage aimed to grind down Ukrainian defenses.

Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai conceded that Russian forces control the industrial outskirts of Sievierodonetsk, one of two cities in the Luhansk region still in Ukrainian hands.

“Toughest street battles continue, with varying degrees of success,” Haidai told The Associated Press. “The situation constantly changes, but the Ukrainians are repelling attacks.”

Attacks from the ground, sea and air

Moscow’s strategy has suffered numerous setbacks, however, since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, including a failed attempt to take Kyiv, the capital.

Moscow’s forces also kept up an artillery barrage of Lysychansk, a city close to Sievierodonetsk which is almost fully controlled by Russian troops.

Haidai said Russian troops shelled a local market, a school and a college building, destroying the latter. Three wounded people were sent to hospitals in other parts of Ukraine, he said.

“A total destruction of the city is underway, Russian shelling has intensified significantly over the past 24 hours. Russians are using scorched earth tactics,” Haidai said.

In all, Ukrainian forces had repelled 10 Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours, according to Haidai. His report couldn’t be independently verified.

Ukraine is receiving weapons and ammunition from the West to help fend off relentless Russian attacks. That assistance has become a target for Russian artillery and warplanes.

Russia claimed Tuesday its forces took out two artillery systems given by the United States and a howitzer supplied by Norway.

Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the Russian artillery barrage destroyed other Ukrainian equipment in the country’s east while the Russian air force hit Ukrainian troops and equipment concentrations and artillery positions.

Konashenkov’s claims couldn’t be independently confirmed.

In Kyiv, meanwhile, autopsies were planned on dozens of Ukrainian fighters killed at the Azovstal steelworks.

The bodies were returned to Ukraine by the Russian occupiers of the fortress-like plant in the destroyed city of Mariupol, where their last-ditch stand became a symbol of resistance against Moscow’s invasion.

The Azov Regiment was among the Ukrainian units that defended the steelworks for nearly three months before surrendering in May under relentless Russian attacks from the ground, sea and air.

It was unclear how many bodies might remain at the plant.

The post Russia deploys more troops, claims progress in east Ukraine appeared first on World Israel News.

Israel concerned about joint Syrian-Russian jet patrol. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the path of the areal patrol included the Israeli and Syrian Golan Heights that has seen regular Israeli airstrikes against suspected Iranian and Hezbollah positions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OORgW7rlgp0

The post WATCH: Looming danger of new Syrian-Russian jet patrols along Israeli border appeared first on World Israel News.

A prototype of the Il-112V military transport aircraft crashed during a flight in the Moscow region on Tuesday.

The post WATCH: Russian military transport aircraft crashes near Moscow appeared first on World Israel News.

After an hour of ignoring multiple bridge-to-bridge radio and sound warnings did the Iranian ships finally back off.

By Aaron Sull, World Israel News

Eleven Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) vessels repeatedly harassed U.S. warships on Wednesday after approaching them at extremely close range and high speeds, a statement by the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet said.

According to the statement, IRGCN vessels repeatedly “crossed the bows and sterns” of four Navy and two Coast Guard ships in the Persian Gulf as they were conducting joint operations with U.S. Army AH-64E Apache attack helicopters.

After an hour of ignoring multiple bridge-to-bridge radio and sound warnings did the Iranian ships finally back off.

“The IRGCN’s dangerous and provocative actions increased the risk of miscalculation and collision, and were not in accordance with the obligation under international law to act with due regard for the safety of other vessels in the area,” the Navy said.

When asked about the incident by Fox News, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he is “evaluating how best to respond and how best to communicate our displeasure with what took place.”

Also on Wednesday, a U.S. jet flying over the Mediterranean Sea was put in peril after a Russian SU-35 fighter jet came within 25 feet of it.

A Russian SU-35 fighter jet performed a “high-speed maneuver” for 42 minutes in front of its airborne U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon, an anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare aircraft, the Navy’s 6th Fleet said in a statement.

“While the Russian aircraft was operating in international airspace, this interaction was irresponsible,” the Navy said. “We expect them to behave within international standards set to ensure safety and to prevent incidents.”

The Navy insists its aircraft did not provoke the Russian jet.

The post Iranian vessels harass US warships in Persian Gulf appeared first on World Israel News.

Syria’s T-4 airbase is believed to house Iranian forces, the Lebanese Hezbollah terror organization and Syrian regime forces.

By World Israel News Staff

Russian fighter jets intercepted Israeli warplanes that were allegedly en route to attack Syria’s largest airbase, reports Russian news site Avia.Pro.

According to the report, two Russian Su-35 fighters took off last week from the Russian-operated Hmeimim Airbase in Syria to intercept Israeli jets purportedly on their way to strike the T-4 airbase in the Syrian province of Homs.

The Russian fighter jets forced the Israeli planes to abort the mission, the report claims.

Syria’s largest airbase is believed to house Iranian forces, the Lebanese Hezbollah terror organization and Syrian regime forces.

It has been targeted multiple times in the past.

In an attack on the airbase on June 3, 2019, fighter jets destroyed an ammunition depot, several warehouses, and killed five soldiers, believed to be a part of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

In response to an Iranian armed UAV that made it’s way into Israeli airspace, Israeli Air Force jets destroyed the drone’s launch pad and control center stationed at the airbase on February 10, 2018. Several Iranian soldiers were reportedly killed in that attack.

On April 9, 2018, 14 were killed and several others were wounded after the airbase was hit by fighter jets. Syrian media claimed at the time that its military forces were successful in intercepting eight missiles.

The IDF, in keeping with its long-standing policy, has remained silent regarding its role in the strikes.

Israel has said on numerous occasions, that it will not allow Iran to gain a foothold in Syria.

The post Russia intercepts Israeli warplanes headed to Syrian airbase, says report appeared first on World Israel News.

The NATO ally cannot have both the Russian S-400 anti-missile defense system and America’s most advanced stealth jet, Washington says.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The United States officially informed Turkey last week that it will no longer be a welcome partner in the program producing the F-35 stealth fighter if it insists on going ahead with its purchase of advanced Russian air defense systems.

In a June 6 letter sent to his Turkish counterpart, acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan said that possessing Moscow’s S-400 anti-missile batteries while also being part of the international consortium that is building – and eventually buying — America’s most advanced jet goes against U.S. and NATO interests.

Turkey was planning to purchase a total of 100 F-35A planes. It took formal possession of four jets last year, although Washington has not yet delivered them.

“While we seek to maintain our valued relationship, Turkey will not receive the F-35 if Turkey takes delivery of the S-400,” Shanahan told Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.

Leaving a window open for Ankara to reconsider its purchase of Russia’s S-400 systems, the letter said that the four Turkish pilots and 38 maintenance personnel who are currently training on the F-35 in the U.S. would be asked to leave only by the end of July.

Furthermore, unless Turkey cancels its purchase of the Russian planes, by early next year the U.S. will end all its contracts with major Turkish companies that are receiving millions of dollars for building parts for the stealth fighter, Shanahan added. This includes Turkish Aerospace Industries, Roketsan and Tusas Engine Industries, among many others, marking a significant blow to Ankara’s sinking economy.

The Pentagon has already found new companies that could take their place in the supply chain, said Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord.

There was never any danger of the Turks getting their hands on secret technical information even while being part of the F-35 program, Lord noted. “We control what is downloaded from our computers,” she said. “We have shared what’s appropriate. The Turks have no critical documentation that we’re concerned about.”

In previous talks on the issue, the Trump administration offered to substitute the American Patriot air defense systems for the S-400, but President Recep Erdoğan refused the offer.

Two of the Russian systems will reportedly be delivered in the coming weeks. According to Akar, Turkish military personnel are already in Russia training on them.

The post US threatens to eject Turkey from F-35 fighter jet program appeared first on World Israel News.

A Russian warplane was shot down by rebel forces in northern Syrian. The pilot ejected successfully, but was captured and executed on the ground.

The post WATCH: Russian jet shot down over Syria; pilot captured and killed appeared first on World Israel News.

The US and Russia are currently engaged in a tit-for-tat as each side seeks to flex its muscles and demonstrate dominance and power.

A Russian fighter jet allegedly flew within 10 feet of a US Navy surveillance aircraft, in what American officials called an unsafe intercept over the Black Sea, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, says the Russian SU-27 Flanker fighter made the unsafe maneuver Wednesday near a US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft that was conducting routine operations in international airspace.

Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement Wednesday that the Poseidon aircraft did not have its transponders turned on, and that it approached Russia’s southern border twice.

He said Russian jets were deployed to intercept the incoming aircraft and “Russian pilots acted in strict compliance with international flight rules.”

Navy Capt. Danny Hernandez, spokesman for US European Command, said the Navy Poseidon had its transponder turned on during the entire flight, following international law for flight safety.

According to the US, Russian jets conducted four intercepts of US aircraft in the last day, and the one that was considered unsafe lasted about 19 minutes.

Davis said that US Navy aircraft and ships routinely interact with Russian units in the area and most interactions are safe and professional.

“However, we have concerns when there is an unsafe maneuver like this,” he said. “These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions, and could result in a miscalculation or accident.”

Russian jets have occasionally flown close to other US aircraft and Navy ships in the region. In another dramatic incident earlier this year, Russian jets buzzed the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea, coming within 30 feet of the warship.

By: AP

The post Russian jet taunts US aircraft appeared first on World Israel News.