“Air defense downed eight ballistic missiles, six American-made JDAM guided aerial bombs as well as 45 drones,” said the Russian Defense Ministry, which provided no details on the type of missiles or the targets.
But Russia struck Ukraine last week with a latest generation intermediate-range ballistic missile (up to 5,500 km) without a nuclear charge, the Orechnik, and promised to increase this type of attacks if kyiv continued to use Western missiles against Russian territory.
Possible use of nuclear weapons
President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago, also threatened to strike countries supplying such weapons to the Ukrainians, saying the conflict had taken on a “global character” by their mistake.
Various Russian officials, including the president, also discussed the possible use of nuclear weapons, after kyiv struck military targets on Russian territory with American ATACMS and British Storm Shadows, missiles with a range of a few hundred of kilometers. Russian doctrine in this area has also been amended to facilitate the use of atomic bombs.
For its part, Ukraine, which is calling on the West for a strong response against Russia, said on Monday morning that it had struck several military targets on Russian territory, without specifying what weapons had been used. A civilian was killed in the Russian region of Belgorod, according to authorities, in a Ukrainian drone attack.
40 buildings damaged
Ukrainian explosive drones also struck a fuel depot in the Russian region of Kaluga during the night, according to a source within military intelligence who claims significant “destruction”. The Russian governor of this region located south of Moscow limited himself to saying that air defense had shot down eight drones in the suburbs of the city of Kaluga and that the “falling debris” from these devices had caused a fire, which was brought under control. in a few hours, on the site of an “industrial company”.
Residents and a police officer walk past damaged cars in the courtyard of a building destroyed following a missile attack in Odessa, November 25, 2024.
OLEKSANDR GIMANOV / AFP
Furthermore, new Russian attacks against Ukrainian urban areas left dozens injured on Monday, particularly in the city centers of Kharkiv (north-east) and Odessa (south).
In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, shelled by the Russian army since the start of its invasion almost three years ago, 23 people were injured, including 14 hospitalized during a morning attack, which damaged “more than 40 buildings”, according to the latest assessment announced by the regional governor. In Odessa, a Black Sea port city, at least eleven people were injured in a missile strike, according to the regional administration.
NATO-Ukraine meeting
Both camps are determined to show their strengths and position themselves at a time of deep uncertainty over continued US support for Ukraine, with Donald Trump returning to the White House in January. Saying it is worried about “escalation”, the team of the next American president will work with the administration of outgoing President Joe Biden to reach an “arrangement” between Ukraine and Russia, said Sunday Mike Waltz, the future White House security advisor.
In Europe as in Ukraine, the fear is to see the United States force kyiv to accept territorial concessions which would de facto constitute a military and geopolitical victory for the Kremlin, which would then have free rein to impose, under threat, its domination over its neighbors. It is in this context that an emergency NATO-Ukraine meeting is planned for Tuesday.
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