'The German Defense Ministry's plans have just been smashed by Russia.'
In a statement on Thursday, the FSB said the operation mounted by the agency and the Russian Defense Ministry targeted chemical and mechanical plants in Pavlograd, Dneptropetrovsk Region, as well as the ‘Zvezda’ plant and State Scientific Research Institute of Chemical Products in Shostka, Sumy Region.
The impact of the strikes has been confirmed by satellite imagery and open-source intelligence, it added.
The FSB said that Ukraine, with NATO’s permission, had planned to use Sapsan long-range missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory. “Thanks to the joint efforts of the FSB and Russian Armed Forces, Ukraine’s missile program plans have been thwarted,” the statement added.
The agency described the damage to Ukraine’s military industrial complex as “colossal,” and said it far surpassed Kiev’s “Spiderweb” operation that targeted strategic Russian aviation in early June.
Moscow said that the Ukrainian attack, which involved dozens of drones, damaged several aircraft but dismissed Kiev’s claims that approximately 40 warplanes were destroyed.
An unnamed FSB official told russian media that the Sapsan missile systems were developed with financial support from Germany and assistance from foreign specialists.
The Sapsan is a Ukrainian tactical ballistic missile with a warhead weighing around 480kg. The missile can travel at speeds over 6,000kph and has a range estimated of up to 700km.
In May, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Germany would fund Ukraine’s domestic production of long-range missiles, although he did not specify the type of weapon.
The German Defense Ministry also stated at the time that investing in Ukraine’s production would enable Kiev to have a “substantial” number of long-range weapons this year.
The Sapsan was clearly what they were referring to. Those plans have just be smashed by Russia.
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Trump-Putin Summit Today
The Kremlin revealed the very high level of the Russian delegation, which also includes:
- Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
- Yuri Ushakov, former Soviet diplomat who served as the Ambassador of Russia to the United States from 1998 until 2008. Since 2012, he has been an advisor to the President of Russia on foreign policy issues.
- Defense Minister Andrey Belousov,
- Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and;
- Kirill Dmitriev, Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries , who has been a key figure in the Ukraine settlement process.
In addition to the presidents, five members from each delegation will participate in the negotiations,” the Kremlin said, adding that “of course, a group of experts will also be nearby.”
Regarding the agenda, it is “obvious” that the central issue in the talks will be the Ukraine conflict, Yuri Ushakov said, adding, though, that “broader objectives of ensuring peace and security will also be addressed, as well as current and most acute international and regional issues.”
There
will also be an exchange of views “regarding the further development of
bilateral cooperation, including in the trade and economic
spheres,” Ushakov noted, adding that such ties have “enormous and,
unfortunately, still untapped potential.”
Ushakov
confirmed that Putin and Trump will not only deliver a short opening
statement but also hold a joint press conference after the talks.
He said the duration of the talks “would depend on how the discussion goes” and confirmed “the delegation will return [to Russia] immediately after the negotiations conclude.”
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