Ukraine confirms drone attack on Russian air base near Moscow

Jul 31, 2023

By Tara Subramaniam, Jack Guy, Ed Upright, Leinz Vales and Mike Hayes, CNN

From CNN’s Mariya Knight

Ukraine on Monday confirmed it carried out a drone attack on a Russian military air base located just more than 200 kilometers (130 miles) northeast of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian drone attack on Shaykovka air base in Russia's Kaluga region left “at least one aircraft damaged," Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, said in an interview with Ukrainian media Liga.net on Monday.

The Shaykovka military air base operates Tupolev Tu-22M3 supersonic long-range bombers that have been used by Russia to strike targets in Ukraine since the start of the invasion last year.

The Ukrainian air force reported on August 15 that aircraft operating from the Shaykovka air base had launched four Kh-22 air cruise missiles toward Ukraine.

According to Yusov, Monday's attack was carried out “in clear coordination with the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.”

"There are people who, in coordination with the Main Directorate of Intelligence, completed the assigned tasks,” Yusov said, adding that this specific task was carried out from within the Russian territory. “In many other cases” Ukraine’s Intelligence performs various tasks from within the Russian territory, he said.

Russian social media blog Baza, which has close contacts with the Russian security services, said a Ukrainian drone had crashed on the territory of the Shaykovka air base on Monday.

Baza reported that "an unused aircraft at the airfield was damaged … However, this information has not been officially confirmed."

Another Russian Telegram channel, Mash, said "the Ukrainian armed forces attempted to attack the Shaykovka military airfield in the Kaluga region."

The Russian defense ministry has not commented on the incident.

From CNN's Oren Liebermann

Pope Francis discussed the war in Ukraine with the top United States general during a meeting at the Vatican Monday.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley was “honored and privileged” to have the opportunity to meet the Pope, according to spokesperson Col. Dave Butler.

The two met for about 30 minutes, and Milley presented Pope Francis with a copy of the US Constitution, Butler said.

During the discussion about Ukraine, the Pope was particularly concerned about the number of civilian casualties during the ongoing war.

Milley, who routinely meets his counterparts and other dignitaries in his formal dress uniform, was instead wearing a civilian suit.

Pope Francis has been an outspoken critic of the war in Ukraine. Earlier this month while in Portugal, the Pope rhetorically asked what path Europe was taking if not to end the war in Ukraine. He has urged Russia to rejoin the Black Sea Grain Initiative and said the Vatican is part of a mission to end the war in Ukraine.

In a video released by the Vatican, Milley is heard telling the Pope that he would pray for him.

It was a “humbling experience overall” for Milley to meet the Pope, Butler said.

From CNN’s Mariya Knight in Atlanta

Greece will train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens Monday.

Zelensky said that in addition to the training, Ukraine is very grateful for a new defense package Greece pledged for Ukraine.

Zelensky also said that “Greek companies are ready to take part in the transporting of Ukrainian grain” and his country is counting on it as the restoration work of the port of Odesa is underway.

Mitsotakis emphasized that Greece will help reconstruct Ukraine with a focus on the city of Odesa.

Zelensky also noted that Greece has joined the G7 countries on security guarantees for Ukraine and signed a declaration to support Ukrainian Euro-Atlantic integration.

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly attributed remarks on Greece's future training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. Only Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made those remarks.

From CNN's Hanna Ziady, Tim Lister and Maria Kostenk

Ukraine is in talks with some of the world’s biggest insurance companies to cover ships traveling to and from its ports in the Black Sea — a crucial step toward a full resumption of vital grain exports around the globe.

Work on an insurance mechanism follows Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative last month, which threatens the safe passage of ships carrying grain to and from Ukrainian ports.

The collapse of the deal — brokered by Turkey and the United Nations a year ago — has already pushed up global food prices and could tip millions in poor countries into hunger.

To keep grain shipments moving, Ukraine’s government will share potential losses with insurers, which should make cover for travel through risky Ukrainian waters more affordable for commercial shipping companies.

“We are now actively working with the international insurance community,” Oleksandr Hryban, an adviser to Ukraine’s economy minister, told the country’s state news agency Ukrinform.

Lloyd’s of London, the world’s oldest insurance market, and professional services firm Marsh McLennan — which owns the world’s biggest insurance broker Marsh and consultancy Oliver Wyman — are among the companies involved in the talks, Hryban said.

The program could be finalized within a couple of weeks, according to Marcus Baker at Marsh, and will replace the previous arrangement, which insured shipments as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative but was paused when Russia pulled out of the deal. The risk of a ship becoming a casualty of the war surged as a result.

Read more about this here.

From Maria Kostenko in Kyiv

The evacuation of civilians from around the city of Kupiansk in northern Ukraine continues amid intense Russian artillery fire and air strikes, according to Ukrainian officials.

Russian forces are as close as 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) to Kupiansk, a city on the river Oskil recaptured by the Ukrainians last September.

"We continue evacuating people from the frontline communities of Kupiansk district on a daily basis with strong support from volunteers," Oleh Syniehubov, the head of Kharkiv region military administration, said Monday.

Evacuees are provided with accommodation and humanitarian supplies, he said.

The official said 30 people, including five children and one person with a disability, were evacuated from the villages amid shelling on August 20 and 21. A total of 556 people have been evacuated since August 9, including 148 children, Syniehubov added.

Ukrainian officials say that defense forces have been able to prevent the Russians making any meaningful advances east of Kupiansk.

From CNN's Victoria Butenko, Alex Stambaugh and Maria Kostenko

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used an address to Denmark's parliament to thank the country for its support, including a pledge to provide Kyiv with F-16 fighter jets.

"When humanity is a value for you and when your values match the values of other nations, you will definitely find all the necessary weapons to defend yourself how we do," Zelensky said Monday.

"I thank you, from all the Ukrainians, from all of us, thank you Denmark for your solidarity, thank you for your help, all the help provided to Ukraine."

The Ukrainian president also warned its European allies that "all of Russia’s neighbors are under threat if Ukraine does not prevail."

Yurii Ihnat, Ukraine's air force spokesperson, told Ukrainian television that the jets "can change the course of events and provide us with what we need most."

The official said that Russian air superiority was hurting the war effort.

"At this very moment, eight to nine Russian fighter jets are flying freely in the occupied territories. They are dropping guided bombs and launching missiles," Ihnat said. "They will not be able to do this with the F-16s [present]. Air superiority is the key to success on the ground."

He said the first group of pilots in Denmark would be immediately retrained on the F-16. Another group of pilots who had recently graduated will head to the UK to complete a longer program, which will take up to two years.

More on Denmark's pledge: On Sunday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen pledged to donate 19 F-16 aircraft to Ukraine between this year and next.

“Today we announce that we will provide 19 F-16 jets to Ukraine, we believe Danish fighter jets will help protect your skies,”

“The aim of this delivery is to protect Ukraine. We plan to provide the jets closer to the new year, about six of them, then eight in the next year and then another five," said Frederiksen alongside Zelensky in a joint press conference at the Skrydstrup airbase in Denmark.

Also on Sunday, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that the Netherlands would provide Ukraine with F-16 aircraft.

Read more about Denmark's pledge.

From CNN staff

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked Denmark for its pledge to send F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv, while Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar has described a "difficult" situation in the east of the country, where Russian forces have been on the attack.

Here are the latest headlines:

From CNN's Tim Lister

European gas storage facilities are almost full, long before the onset of the winter heating season, according to the latest data from the Aggregated Gas Storage Inventory (AGSI).

Most European countries' storage is already at 90% capacity, with Spain's facilities 100% full, the United Kingdom at 98% and Germany at 92%.

Across the European Union, the average is 91.05% of capacity, as the bloc works to end its reliance on Russian energy.

The EU had set a target of 90% of capacity by November 1, to avoid a scramble for supplies in the northern hemisphere's winter months.

On Friday, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that moves to secure supplies were "well ahead of schedule" in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"This will help us be safe this winter. Together, we are weaning ourselves off Russian gas. And we keep working in parallel on more diverse energy supplies for the future," she added.

However analysts warn that a colder-then-expected winter or global supply disruptions could still impact the EU's energy security.

"The risk of European natural gas shortages in the upcoming winter 2023/24 peak demand season is only marginal, with a mere 10% probability of serious shortages, even with little or no Russian supply," said political risk consultancy Eurasia.

"Governments, suppliers, and consumers have successfully coordinated in accessing new supply, reducing consumption, and sending available gas to regions and sectors where there are no alternatives," it added.

Eurasia noted reduced gas demand as well as "an aggressive switch to alternative supply, for instance by boosting North Sea offshore wind for industrial power supply has further helped reduce the EU’s reliance on imported gas."

From CNN’s Anna Chernova

Russian authorities have said that drones were intercepted in the Kaluga and Belgorod regions in the west of the country on Monday.

Air defense systems thwarted a drone attack in the Kaluga region's Kirovsky district, southwest of Moscow, said Governor Vladislav Shapsha on his Telegram channel.

“This morning, despite difficult meteorological conditions, a UAV attack was repelled on the territory of the Kirovsky district. There were no casualties and no infrastructure damage," said Snapsha.

Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov of the Belgorod region, on the border with Ukraine, said three drones had been intercepted near the village of Solomino, just south of the regional capital. There were no reported casualties or damage.