The latest from Ukraine: Putin orders Wagner's soldiers to swear allegiance. Who can replace Prigozhin? (2023)

Yesterday we informed you that three pilots were killed in a plane crash in Ukraine (see yesterday's post at 16:27).

A well-known pilot nicknamed "Sock" was killed in a crash over the Zhitomir region (west of Kiev).

President Zelenskiy expressed his condolences to the three victims.

"Unfortunately, some sad news," he earlier told X on Twitter.

"Three pilots, including Andriy Pilschikov with the call sign 'Juice', died in the crash over the Zhytomyr region.

"My heart goes out to my friend and close pilot.

"Ukraine will never forget all those who defended its free skies."

The talented young pilot spoke to Sky News about his excitement flying the F-16 in February - you can read his comments and the full story of the crash herehere。

Several drones were shot down over Russian territory yesterday, with at least two approaching the capital Moscow and another flying over the Belgorod region.

This morning, the trend appears to be continuing - according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Kursk and Bryansk regions were hit by drone strikes.

One drone was shot down in each area, the ministry said, but gave no details on losses or casualties.

The attacks, if confirmed, would be the latest in a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian territory, with hundreds of drones striking the capital Moscow and borders including Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk area.

Ukrainian heavyweight champion Aleksandr Usyk dedicated his latest title defense to the Ukrainian army and country after defeating British boxer Daniel Dubois in a ninth round bout.

The match took place at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, and the champion defended his title in entertaining fashion after recovering from the apparent "low punch" that dominated the post-match rhetoric.

In a speech after retaining the unified WBO, IBF and WBA heavyweight belt, Usyk said: "I feel good. I appreciate my team, my family, my kids. I love you. I appreciate My country and Ukrainian army. Thank you very much".

Usyk was in Ukraine last year and joined Kiev's local Homeland Defense Force.

Ukraine's military said it repelled a massive Russian airstrike overnight, shooting down four cruise missiles fired at the capital.

The Air Force detected as many as eight rockets, but the Air Force believes some of them were fake because there was no recorded evidence of a missile of this caliber hitting the capital.

No casualties have been reported.

"Russia fired Kh-101/555/55 cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic aircraft in the Caspian Sea region," he added.Information from the Kyiv Military Administrationread.

"The cruise missile was launched by five strategic aircraft from the airspace of the Russian Federation in the Engels region," he added.Ukrainian Air Force says。

Around 5 a.m., an air raid siren was issued across the country. Ukraine time (3am UK time), but most areas have since been closed.

Good morning and welcome to live coverage of the war in Ukraine.

Yesterday we received news that three Ukrainian pilots, including a "super genius" nicknamed "Juice," had died after a mid-air collision with another plane.

It caused an uproar in Ukraine, with expressions of appreciation and condolences from across the country, including from President Zelensky.

Today we bring you more information on this week's seismic events - reports of Yevgeny Prigozhin's death, and more on the drone strikes we heard so often yesterday - The frequency of these attacks is increasing as the weeks pass.

In case you missed it, here are the highlights from the past 24 hours...  

• Vladimir Putin has signed a new decree requiring paramilitary fighters, including those from the apparently leaderless Wagner Group, to swear allegiance to the Russian state.
• A senior defense and security expert told Sky News she was "sure" the Kremlin was involved and the plane was brought down by a bomb.
• Two people were killed when a Russian missile hit a cafe in the village of Podolia in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine.
• There are fresh reports of drone attacks on Russian territory - two apparent strikes in Moscow led to the temporary closure of the main airport, while the governor of Belgorod state, which borders Ukraine, said air defenses shot down two unmanned drones. man-machine.
• According to Russian authorities, the fire spread to a warehouse in southwestern Siberia where pyrotechnic equipment was said to be stored.

Here's the latest Ukrainian territorial situation from the US think tank Institute for War...

Russia has reported new drone strikes in Moscow, leading to the temporary closure of major airports in Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed that air defenses shot down the drone in the Istria region, about 50 kilometers west of the Kremlin.

Flights were suspended for several hours due to the incident. The Ministry of Defense announced that at around 21:45 Moscow time, air defense forces successfully shot down a drone over the Bryansk region on the border with Ukraine.

In the Belgorod region near Ukraine, air defenses also intercepted a drone near Kupino without causing damage or casualties. However, Ukraine shelled the village of Urazovo, wounding four people.

Despite the incidents, Ukraine did not act immediately and has generally avoided publicly acknowledging responsibility for attacks on Russian soil.

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in an interview on Friday that he had warned Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin that his life was in danger before Prigozhin died in a plane crash on Wednesday.

Lukashenko, a key ally of President Vladimir Putin, said he had issued such warnings twice.

The first occurred during the talks in June, when Putin's ally Prigozhin launched a 24-hour mutiny against the Russian government, driving Wagner's forces to Moscow.

"I said to him: 'Evgeny, do you know that you are going to condemn your people and kill yourself?' I just came back from the front. Lukashenko told Belarusian state news agency Bell on Friday, according to CNN. Ta told reporters in a statement that he said on the spur of the moment: "Then I'm dead, damn it! "

In the months leading up to the defection against the Kremlin, Prigozhin had been openly critical of Putin and the Russian Ministry of Defense. He made sure that his troops were not given adequate support, necessary weapons, and necessary military supplies. His June uprising was eventually crushed thanks to the intervention of Lukashenko, who was negotiating with the Wagner Group.

Yevgeny Prigozhin's private jet was allegedly shot down, so what really happened?

Several theories have been put forward as to why the flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg went down.

Using crash footage that has emerged online, military analyst and former pilot Sean Bell pointed to four key elements that could hold clues to what may have happened to the plane.

1. Rocket attack

One of the photos showed a "cloud swirl" that didn't contrast sharply with the others, Bell said.

Based on his own experience flying fighter jets, he explained that if the plane is hit by a surface-to-air missile, "you can see these vapor trails in the final stages of the aircraft's approach."

"So it could be an explosion or it could be a surface-to-air missile system," he said.

2. The plane "smoked" when it crashed

Bell noted what appeared to be a puff of smoke emerging from the wreckage of the plane halfway down its descent.

"It's almost certainly not smoke," he said, and it could have been a "fuel leak."

"It's a huge amount and it means a lot of damage to the aircraft," he added.

3 and 4. Missing wings or flaps in the air and debris on the ground

Footage of the plane close to the ground appears to show it lacking wings and tail, which would explain why it "falls vertically like a fallen leaf".

A fourth point Bell noted was that other photographs of the crash site showed the stabilizers "at some distance" from the main body of the aircraft.

"To summarize ... there are many reasons why this happened, but it was not a natural accident," Bell explained.

"It was a disaster in the air... there were rumors that a case of wine (with a bomb in it) was placed on board at the last minute.

"The problem with this theory is that, generally speaking, an [explosion] inside the aircraft will cause the aircraft to eject ... and a surface-to-air missile system or an air-to-air missile system will usually try to find the most interesting and effective way. portion of meat.

"That would explain why he might have ripped off the wing. Once he did, the plane's fate was sealed."

Colorful fireworks were set off today as part of prayers for peace in Ukraine during the Omagari Fireworks Festival in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, Japan.

Fireworks revealed the sunflower, Ukraine's national flower, in the summer night sky.

The reported death of Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash has raised questions about the future of the Russian mercenary group.

Vladimir Putin asked Wagner's soldiers to swear allegiance to the Russian state.

Military analyst Sean Bell details the fate of Wagner's team.