[Article publié le mardi 19 novembre 2024 à 14h38 et mis à jour à 15h23] Tensions are rising again between Russia and Ukraine, on the thousandth day of the offensive. Moscow has accused kyiv of having fired six long-range American ATACMS missiles during the night from Monday to Tuesday against a military site in the Russian border region of Bryansk.
“At 03:25, the enemy struck a site in the Bryansk region” with “ATACMS tactical missiles”according to a press release from the Ministry of Defense. He assures that five missiles were destroyed and another was damaged by Russian anti-aircraft defense.
« Its fragments fell on the technical area of a military site in the Bryansk region, causing a fire which was quickly brought under control », According to the ministry. These strikes did not cause any casualties. They mark a “ new phase » in the conflict, underlined Sergei Lavrov, head of Russian diplomacy early this Tuesday afternoon. He promised a response “ appropriate ».
Ukraine struck Russia with American ATACMS missiles, a senior Ukrainian official confirmed to AFP. As a reminder, American President Joe Biden gave kyiv the green light a few days ago to use American missiles on Russian territory, an American official confirmed to AFP.
“The Russians are also very active elsewhere than in Ukraine” (General Philippe Adam)
Nuclear threat
This accusation thus comes in a tense context. Vladimir Putin signed the decree on Tuesday expanding the possibilities of using nuclear weapons. “Among the conditions justifying the use of nuclear weapons is the launch of ballistic missiles against Russia”according to this decree.
“It was necessary to adapt our foundations to the current situation”explained the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitri Peskov, in the face of what Vladimir Putin considers to be « menaces » emanating from the West against the security of Russia.
The Russian president warned at the end of September that his country could now use nuclear weapons in the event of “massive launch” air attacks against Russia and that any assault carried out by a non-nuclear country, such as Ukraine, but supported by a power with atomic weapons, such as the United States, could be considered as aggression “joint”potentially requiring the use of nuclear weapons.
Another case which opens the way to such an appeal, “the provision of territory and resources for aggression against Russia”continues the text signed by Vladimir Putin.
American presidential election: the difficult equation of the war in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin explicitly warned in mid-September that such a decision would mean that “NATO countries are at war with Russia”. He then said that his country could use nuclear weapons. In August, Russia had already claimed to have destroyed twelve ATACMS missiles targeting the annexed Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula that Moscow considers an integral part of its territory.
“Ukraine can defeat Russia”
The year 2025 will decide whether the war started by the Kremlin will be won by Russia or Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
“In the decisive moments that come next year, we must not allow anyone in the world to doubt the resilience of our entire state. And this stage will determine who wins.”he declared in front of the Ukrainian Parliament.
He emphasized that “the war will decide the destiny of the entire Nation” and that Ukraine had the right to its independence. To the applause of the deputies, he proclaimed that “Ukraine can defeat Russia”. “It’s very difficult, but we have the inner strength to do it”.
(With AFP)
