Russia said its air force destroyed a US-made high-speed military ship “with a landing party of the Armed Forces of Ukraine” near Snake Island on Tuesday morning.

The Ukrainian military has not commented on the claim.

Ukraine regained control of Snake Island last year and has intensified its attacks in the Black Sea over the past week. The small rocky island off the southwestern Ukrainian coast gained general recognition early in the Russian invasion, when the sailors defending it told the Russian navy to “fuck you.”

The Russian Defense Ministry released a video purporting to show the military ship incident, but has not provided any further details.

“The high-speed surface target actively maneuvered, tried to evade fighter fire, but was successfully hit by an aircraft gun,” the ministry said.
The video shows multiple shots fired at a target, but no identifying details. CNN cannot independently verify this.

3 hours ago
Russian airbase attacked on Saturday housed Tu-22 bombers, satellite images reveal
By Gianluca Mezzofiore, Eve Brennan, Ivana Kottasova, Olga Voitovych

A burning plane at the Soltsi airbase in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, in this undated image from social media. (Photo: warhistoryalconafter/Telegram)

A Russian airbase that came under attack on Saturday was being used to house Tu-22M3 supersonic bombers, according to a CNN analysis of satellite and social media images of the base.

Satellite images provided by Planet Labs and taken on August 8 show several Tu-22M3 bombers parked at the Soltsi airfield in Russia’s northwestern Novgorod region.

Another Planet Labs satellite image taken on August 21 appears to show the charred ground where a Tu-22M3 was parked, while the rest of the parked aircraft appear to have been moved.

Two social media images geolocated by CNN show a similar plane on fire at the same Russian base.

Some context: The Russian Defense Ministry had previously said that Ukrainian drones attacked the airfield, causing a fire in the aircraft parking lot. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the August 19 attack.

Ukraine confirmed on Monday that it carried out a drone attack against the Shaykovka airbase, in the Russian region of Kaluga, located more than 200 kilometers northeast of the border shared by both countries, which left “at least one plane damaged “.

Ukrainian media reported that attacks on Russian bases in recent days destroyed several aircraft, including two bombers, citing unnamed Ukrainian defense intelligence officials.

Ukraine confirmed on Monday that it carried out a drone attack against the Shaykovka airbase, in the Russian region of Kaluga, located more than 200 kilometers northeast of the border shared by both countries, which left “at least one plane damaged “.

“Damaging or even destroying two Tu-22M3 aircraft will not generate militarily significant effects in itself,” the Institute for the Study of Warfare (ISW) said. Citing criticism from Russian military bloggers, the ISW said that “such deep strikes support broader Ukrainian efforts to degrade Russian morale.”

The aircraft is capable of carrying out nuclear strikes as well as conventional strikes and anti-ship missions, according to open source intelligence firm Jane’s.

5 hours ago
EU chief celebrates “productive” meeting with Zelensky
By James Frater, Niamh Kennedy

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (left) gestures as she speaks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (right) during a family photo at the Greek prime minister’s office in Athens on August 21. 2023. (Photo: ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, claims to have held a “productive” meeting in Athens on Tuesday with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, who is on another tour of European countries.

Von der Leyen said the two leaders discussed “Ukraine’s progress on the EU path” in a message on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.

Zelensky said Ukraine hopes the bloc’s member states will decide to start accession talks related to Ukraine’s EU candidacy by the end of 2023.

Von der Leyen also underscored the EU’s commitment to bring “Ukrainian grain to world markets” as the country continues to grapple with the fallout from Russia’s withdrawal from a UN-brokered grain deal reached in July.

She also underlined the commitment to provide “economic assistance” to Ukraine in its fight against investment.