Tag: missiles

North Korea to send new weapons to border after spy satellite launch

SEOUL, Nov 23, 2023 (AFP) – North Korea said Thursday it would deploy new weapons and stronger armed forces to the border with the South, as Seoul’s spy agency said Pyongyang had received Russian help to successfully put a military spy satellite into orbit. Tuesday’s launch of the “Malligyong-1” was Pyongyang’s third attempt at securing a military eye in the sky after two failures in May and August. North Korean state media claimed within hours […]

Moscow targets Kyiv region after lengthy calm

KYIV, Ukraine, Nov 11, 2023 (AFP) – A missile targeted Kyiv on Saturday without causing casualties but ending nearly two months of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital, while frontline regions fended off waves of drone attacks overnight. Ukrainian officials also hailed the anniversary of the recapture of Kherson city, the regional capital liberated a year ago in the last major frontline shift. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Kherson as a “city of hope” while […]

Moscow test fires missiles, practicing retaliatory nuclear strike as it moves closer to scrapping nuclear test ban treaty

MOSCOW, Oct 25, 2023 (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw ballistic missile drills Wednesday, the Kremlin said, with Moscow’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announcing forces will practise a “massive” retaliatory nuclear strike. The exercises came after Moscow moved to revoke a key nuclear test ban treaty, 20 months into Russia’s Ukraine offensive. During the dragging conflict, Putin and Russian officials have given mixed signals about the possible use of nuclear weapons, prompting alarm in […]

US Navy ship in Red Sea intercepts missiles and drones from Yemen, possibly aimed at Israel

WASHINGTON, Oct 19, 2023 (AFP) – A US Navy ship in the Red Sea on Thursday shot down missiles and drones that had been fired by Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen, possibly at Israel, the Pentagon said. Three “land-attack cruise missiles and several drones” were intercepted by a destroyer, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters. The attack was “launched by Huthi forces in Yemen” potentially toward targets in Israel, he added. The ship, […]

In first, Ukraine uses US-supplied long-range ATACMS: Zelensky

KYIV, Ukraine, Oct 18, 2023 (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine’s armed forces had used US-supplied ATACMS long-range missiles for the first time. “They have performed very accurately. ATACMS have proven themselves,” he said in an evening address posted on social media, without giving details of when or where they were used. The White House confirmed the delivery for the first time in an official statement. “We believe these ATACMS […]

Russian defence minister inspects factory for advanced missiles

MOSCOW, Oct 7, 2023 (AFP) – Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu inspected a military factory producing the Sarmat intercontinental missile, saying it would soon be ready for use, his ministry posted on Telegram Saturday. The Sarmat is capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads and is among Russia’s next-generation missiles which Putin has described as “invincible”. The Russian defence ministry posted footage of Shoigu and other military officials being given a tour of the Kramash factory […]

Russia fires dozens of missiles at Ukraine overnight: Kyiv

Kiev, Ukraine | AFP | Thursday 2/16/2023 Ukraine on Thursday reported a new wave of overnight Russian missile and drone strikes, which killed at least one and damaged many buildings. The Ukrainian army said it shot down 16 of the 36 missiles Russia launched overnight from planes and ships in the Black Sea. “Unfortunately, there were hits in the north and west of Ukraine, as well as in the (central regions of) Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovograd,” […]

Ukraine reports ‘massive’ Russian attacks

Kyiv, Ukraine | AFP | Ukraine said Russia launched “massive” missile and drone attacks on Friday, a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky visited some European countries to push for long-range weapons. On Friday morning, “the enemy struck cities and critical infrastructure facilities,” the air force said, adding that seven Iranian-made “kamikaze” drones were launched from the Sea of Azov and six Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea. The air force said it had shot […]

URGENT: Air raid sirens across Ukraine, two killed in missile attack in south: officials

Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Ukraine officials in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia said Monday that two people had been killed by Russian missiles as authorities in several regions urged residents to shelter from a fresh Russian missile barrage. The head of the Zaporizhzhia region said two people were killed and two more injured in attacks that damaged residential homes, while Kyiv region officials said air defences were repelling Russian attacks and several regional governors called on […]

Japan mulls long-range missile upgrades due to China threat: report

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan is considering the deployment of more than 1,000 long-range cruise missiles to increase its ability to counter growing regional threats from China, local newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Sunday. The country plans to upgrade its existing surface-to-ship missiles to extend their range from 100 kilometres (62 miles) to about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles), which would be enough to reach Chinese coastal areas as well as North Korea, the newspaper […]

N. Korea fires two cruise missiles: Seoul defence ministry

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea fired two cruise missiles Wednesday, Seoul’s defence ministry said, ending a month-long lull in Pyongyang’s record-breaking spate of weapons tests this year. “Early this morning, we detected that North Korea fired two cruise missiles into the West Sea from Onchon, South Pyongan province,” a ministry official told AFP. “The US and South Korean military authorities are analysing detailed specifications such as flight distance.” North Korea has not tested […]

North Korea fires three ballistic missiles, Seoul military says

by Kang Jin-kyu North Korea fired three ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan early Wednesday, Seoul’s military said, just one day after President Joe Biden wrapped up his first Asia visit as US leader. South Korea‘s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it had “detected at around 0600 (2100 GMT), 0637 and 0642 the firings of ballistic missiles launched from Sunan area.” Japan’s coastguard warned of a “possible ballistic missile” launch […]