Ukraine late on Wednesday said its aerial defense units had detected half a dozen balloons, apparently launched by Russia, over the capital, Kyiv, and shot most of them down.
Kyiv authorities said the balloons could carry reconnaissance equipment and were launched to “detect and exhaust our air defense forces.”
“Most of the probes have been shot down,” they said in a statement, adding that they would carefully examine the debris.
Photo: REUTERS
The balloons prompted sirens to go off in the Ukrainian capital, which usually happens when missiles are approaching.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said that Russia uses balloons to exhaust Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles.
“The Russians will use all available methods of warfare to achieve their goals,” he said. “It cannot be ruled out that these devices can conduct some kind of surveillance, so it is important to see what they are and understand them.”
Since the start of the Russian invasion in February last year, Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly reported Russian balloons drifting in the country’s airspace.
On Tuesday, Moldova temporarily closed its airspace due to the presence of a flying object resembling a weather balloon amid heightened tensions with Moscow.
The US has been in a state of alarm since a balloon from China was spotted tracking over a series of top secret nuclear weapons sites, before being shot down off the east coast early this month.
Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly is planning to vote on a draft resolution on “the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace” in Ukraine, as it marks one year since Russia invaded the country.
The resolution would demand Moscow withdraw its troops and call for a halt to hostilities.
The 193-member General Assembly is likely to vote on it next week after two days of speeches by country representaives to mark the anniversary of the start of the war.
Ukraine and its supporters hope to deepen Russia’s diplomatic isolation by seeking yes votes from nearly three-quarters of the General Assembly to match — if not better — the support received for several resolutions last year.
“We count on very broad support from the membership. What is at stake is not just the fate of Ukraine, it is the respect of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of every state,” said EU Ambassador to the UN Olof Skoog, who codrafted the resolution.
Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy declined to comment on the draft, which was sent to UN members on Wednesday.
The General Assembly has been the focus for UN action on Ukraine because the 15-member UN Security Council has been paralyzed by Russia, which holds a veto power along with the US, China, France and the UK.
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
RSS