Putin promises more “destruction” after attack in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised this Sunday, December 22, even more “destruction” to Ukraine after a drone attack the day before, which Moscow attributes to kyiv, against buildings in Kazan, a city in central Russia.

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“Anyone who attempts to destroy anything in our country, no matter how small, will face much greater destruction in their own country and will regret what they tried to do to our country.”he said at an official ceremony while commenting on Saturday's strike in Kazan, about 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. This targeted residential buildings without causing any casualties, according to local authorities.

Impressive images, which circulated on Russian social networks, showed drones striking tall glass buildings in a ball of fire. Ukraine has not commented on this attack, nor on the Russian accusations.

Regular strikes in Russia

kyiv regularly carries out strikes in Russia, often against oil or industrial targets, in response to Russian air attacks and the assault launched by the Kremlin against its territory almost three years ago. It is rarer for Ukraine to be accused of attacks on residential buildings so far from its borders.

In recent weeks, Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened to strike the center of kyiv with his new and powerful “Orechnik” missile, used for the first time in November.

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His army's near-continuous airstrikes have brought Ukraine's energy system to its knees, confronting the country with regular power outages in the middle of winter.

Advances of the Russian army

On the front, the Russian army is advancing rapidly, particularly in the eastern region of Donetsk, the hot spot of fighting. Russian troops have further captured the villages of Lozova, in the Kharkiv region, and Sontsivka, near the industrial town of Kurakhové in the Donetsk region, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday.

Sontsivka is close to Kurakhové, which the Russian army has almost surrounded and which constitutes one of the key sectors of the fighting.

Russia has accelerated its advance into eastern Ukraine in recent months, seeking to gain as much territory as possible before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes power in January. The Republican promised to quickly put an end to this conflict which has lasted for almost three years, without ever really explaining how he intends to proceed.

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The vagueness surrounding this plan is enough to give Ukraine a cold sweat, which, given its current military difficulties, fears being forced into an unfavorable agreement.

Russian troops say they have captured more than 190 Ukrainian towns this year. Opposite, kyiv is trying to put up a front, despite the shortage of manpower and ammunition.