Ukrainian drones hit deep into Russia
Ukraine yesterday carried out its most brutal attack on Russian territory in its nine-month-old war, targeting two military bases hundreds of miles inside the country with drones.
At least one of the attacks was carried out with the help of special forces close to the base who helped guide the drones to the target, a Ukrainian official told The Times. The strikes signaled a new willingness from Kiev to take the fight to bases in the heart of Russia and demonstrated for the first time Ukraine’s ability to strike at such long ranges.
The Kremlin said the weapons launched by Ukraine were Soviet-era jet drones aimed at bases in Ryazan and Engels, between 300 and 450 miles from the Ukrainian border, beyond the range of any known missile in the Ukrainian arsenal. Ukraine.
Moscow said its troops intercepted the drones and that “the fall and explosion of the wreckage” had “slightly damaged” two planes, killing three servicemen. The fatalities occurred at the Dyagilevo military base in Ryazan, about 160 kilometers from Moscow.
Croatia and Brazil advance to World Cup
A veteran-laden Croatian team outlasted Japan yesterday to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
For a moment, it looked like Japan would take advantage of Croatia’s age, attacking and more than deserved the 1-0 half-time lead. But slowly but surely, the business Croatian team squeezed all the fun out of Japan, writes Rory Smith. In the second half, grizzled old warrior Ivan Perisic scored on a header to tie the game, and in the shootout, Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic stopped three shots.
The quarter-finals will see Croatia take on Brazil, who beat South Korea 4-1 yesterday – a scoreline that didn’t fully reflect the team’s carefree dominance. Brazil’s performance certainly cemented its status as one of the favorites to lift the FIFA World Cup Trophy on December 18, and it will be preferred to Croatia on Friday.
What’s next: Today Morocco plays against Spain and Portugal against Switzerland. This is what the bracket looks like.
Related: Visitors to Qatar looking for church services can head to Church City, a government-sanctioned island of Christendom on the outskirts of Doha with eight churches.
European governments warn of power outages
Life in some European cities could soon look like this: staggered blackouts. Temporary cuts in mobile telephony and internet. Schools closed due to lack of lighting and heating. Even traffic lights could be switched off for a short time.
As an unusual streak of mild weather gives way to freezing temperatures, governments are beginning to brace for a winter without Russian gas.
The French government last week began instructing officials across the country to start planning for possible rolling blackouts as early as next month. Britain’s National Grid operator has warned households of possible blackouts from 4pm to 7pm if the gas used to generate electricity runs out. In Germany, sales of candles have increased enormously.
European officials insist that the rationing plans are only a last resort. But governments have already tapped some of the emergency gas reserves, pushing European natural gas prices back to their highest level in six weeks.
Markets: Energy traders pushed crude oil prices higher yesterday following the European embargo of Russian crude oil by sea and the introduction of a price cap by the Group of 7 countries.
Russia: Sanctions have not collapsed the Russian economy, but eroded growth drivers such as technology transfer and investment.
THE LAST NEWS
Europe
Magnus Carlsen, the world’s best chess player, was beaten by an American teenager, Hans Niemann, previously known only to serious fans of the game and primarily as an abrasive jerk. Then Carlsen accused his opponent of cheating. It’s either overdue justice or paranoia.
SPORTS NEWS FROM ATHLETICS
USMNT Outlook for 2026: The Americans’ World Cup squad for 2022 was made up of many young players, but there are even more who could emerge and compete for a spot on the roster in the coming years.
Is England actually good?: The win over Senegal showed nothing we didn’t already know about Gareth Southgate’s team. A date with Kylian Mbappé and France will be the real test.
Qatar 2022 stadiums, ranked: The athletic force ranked the eight World Cup stadiums based on some very unscientific criteria. The winner may surprise you.
ART AND IDEAS
The world in corner kicks
Stuart Reid, a consultant employed by football teams around the world, watches hundreds of corner kicks a day, takes notes and diligently catalogs them. Over the years he has built up an unparalleled database of angles, turning a niche hobby into a career.
The more angles he dissected, the more he realized something. While football is now a resolutely globalized game where ideas spread around the world in the blink of an eye, corner kicks remain relatively untouched and defiantly local.
On defense, Brazilian teams rely heavily on zonal marking – in which each player defends a small area – and defenders are positioned relatively far from goal. Argentina and Netherlands teams prefer man-to-man marking, where players are assigned to a specific opponent.
In attack, Danes, who tend to be tall, like to pack in the area around the goalkeeper in the hope of getting a header or at least getting in the way. And Spaniards are dropping out: Some studies have suggested corner kicks are inefficient, so La Liga teams often make a short pass just to resume open play.
