Ukraine-Russia warfare newest: Kyiv advances inside ‘kill zone’ areas as world distracted by Middle East disaster | EUROtoday

Ukraine’s military struck a Russian plant producing ⁠military transport and cargo planes in Russia’s ⁠Ulyanovsk ​region, the ⁠Ukrainian General Staff ⁠said on Wednesday.

It ​said ⁠in a ‌statement that the attack took ‌place on ‌March 16 and targeted the ⁠Aviastar plant, part of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation. The plant produces Ilyushin-76MD-90A military transport ‌planes, Ilyushin-78M-90A ​refueling ‌planes and provides ⁠maintenance for “Ruslan” cargo planes.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he’s told US president Donald Trump that Germany will be “directly involved” in negotiating security guarantees for Ukraine when the time comes.

The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley reports

The head of the Royal Navy, general Sir Gwyn Jenkyns, has said today that the UK was ‘in conversations” with Ukraine over president Volodymyr Zelensky’s provide to assist defend British and allied pursuits within the Gulf from Iranian missile and drone assaults.

The provide, made this week in London, represented a shift in Ukraine’s standing as a sufferer of Russia’s invasion to a nation that might assist defend allies around the globe on account of years of pioneering drone warfare.

“We are in conversation with the Ukrainians. They’ve got a lot to teach us about this kind of scenario, and I think it’s fantastic that despite the fact that they’re suffering an egregious illegal invasion from Russia and losing 1000s of people in their conflict, that they’re willing to step forward and try and help the rest of the world in the situation in the Gulf. That is something to be celebrated.”

“Whether or not it is really the potential from Ukraine, or the teachings on the way you quickly develop functionality in a excessive risk atmosphere, it’s positively one thing that we’re making use of to this situation already, and we have got the expertise that Ukraine have given us to be glad about that,” Sir Gwyn, a former Royal Marine and Special Forces officer, said.

Russia’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that a Polish ⁠court decision to extradite a Russian archaeologist had no ⁠legal ​basis and ⁠that Moscow would work for ⁠his swift return ​to ⁠Russia.

A Warsaw ‌court decided on Wednesday that Alexander ‌Butyagin should be extradited ‌to Ukraine, where he is ⁠accused of involvement in unauthorised excavation and plundering historical artefacts in Crimea, his lawyer said.

Butyagin is an employee of the renowned Hermitage museum in St Petersburg.