Footage released by the Ukrainian army shows the Bayraktar drone hitting the two boats. “Two Russian Raptor boats were wrecked this morning near the island of Zmiinyi (Snake),” General Staff Chief Valeriy Zaluzhniy wrote in the Telegram messaging app. Read the full story here.
4. The Bolshoi Theater cancels anti-war directors
Russia’s famous Bolshoi Theater has announced that it is canceling performances by Kirill Serebrennikov and Timofey Kulyabin – both of whom have spoken out against Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine. Russia’s top theater has announced that instead of three performances of “Nureev”, a ballet directed by Serebrennikov, audiences will see a production of Aram Khachaturian’s ballet “Spartacus” this week. The famous theater also said that instead of “Don Pasquale”, a comedy opera by Gaetano Donizetti directed by Kulyabin, the audience will see this week a production of “The Barber of Seville” by Gioachino Rossini. Bolshoi gave no reason for the cancellations, and spokeswoman Katerina Novikova said Monday that she had no “official” comment.
5. British components found in Russian weapons systems
A government investigation has been launched into the use of Russian-made components in weapons systems developed by Russia in Ukraine. Inspections of the abandoned kit left behind by Vladimir Putin’s forces have revealed a deep dependence on Western-made components, according to a field study by academics from the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi). In just one example, a Borisoglebsk-2 mobile interception system was found to contain sophisticated components made in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan, and the Netherlands. Components from the United Kingdom included multiple high-frequency transistors, examples of so-called “dual-use” electronics that can be used for both military and civilian purposes. Read more here.
