Ukrainian drones carried out multiple attacks in Russia overnight into Saturday, including on a fuel storage infrastructure facility in central Russia's Oryol region, causing fires and breaking residential windows. Ta. Oryol Governor Andrei Klychkov said early Saturday that a “massive attack” on infrastructure ignited the fuel. Governor Vladimir Kondratyev of the Krasnodar region said that air defense forces destroyed Ukrainian drones in several areas of the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine. One drone broke the window of a house in the village, but no one was injured. Governor Alexander Bogomaz announced that air defense forces had destroyed seven drones over the Bryansk region on Ukraine's northern border. In Russia's Belgorod Oblast, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Ukrainian military airstrikes had hit two villages, injuring one resident and causing a fire in a house.
The Ukraine attack came one night after Russia attacked energy facilities in Ukraine in a major air raid. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia used 93 missiles and more than 200 drones in Friday's attack. He said that the Ukrainian military had successfully shot down 81 missiles, 11 of which were successfully targeted by F-16 fighter jets. Officials said six energy facilities were damaged in the western city of Lviv, which borders Poland. Industry sources told Reuters that the attack targeted electrical substations and that attacks on gas infrastructure were more common than in previous attacks.
President Zelenskiy called for a “massive response” from the world to the strike. “this is [Russian president Vladimir] Putin's “peace” plan is to destroy everything. This is how he wants a 'negotiation' that terrifies millions of people,” Zelenskiy said. “We need a strong reaction from the world. A massive strike, and a massive response.'' In response to the attack, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha said: “We need 20 Nasum, Hawk, or Iris-T air defense systems. called for emergency deployment.
The Russian government said the attack was in retaliation for Ukraine's attack on a Russian military airfield earlier that week using U.S.-supplied Atakum missiles. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that long-range precision air and sea weapons and unmanned aircraft were used against “key facilities of Ukraine's fuel and energy infrastructure supporting the military-industrial complex.” Russia has not targeted civilian infrastructure, but says it views the power grid as a military target.
The Kremlin praised U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's criticism of the U.S. missile attack on Ukraine deep into Russian territory, saying his position was fully consistent with Russia's own. President Trump criticized Ukraine's use of U.S.-supplied missiles in an interview with Time magazine published Thursday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump's statement was “in line with our vision of the causes of escalation and is appealing to us.”
President Zelenskiy is scheduled to attend a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday with the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, NATO and the European Union to discuss support for his country in the war with Russia. “It will be more of a political meeting that will be discussed over the coming weeks and months, rather than a meeting to make concrete decisions,” a source told Reuters. President Zelenskiy and some European allies have called for European troops to be sent to Ukraine as a deterrent to further military action by Russia after the ceasefire. The gathering, hosted by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, took place on the day already scheduled for the EU-Western Balkans summit in Brussels, as well as a joint meeting with Zelenskyy and several bilateral meetings. is included.
The new commander of Ukraine's ground forces has announced a “massive scale-up” of his troops to improve their training, management and recruitment as the poorly manned and poorly armed Ukrainian army struggles to stop Russia's heavy march in the east. We are planning a major transformation. The overhaul by Maj. Gen. Mihailo Drapati, who took office last month, will target not only training systems but also battlefield and logistics management, including eliminating corruption, embracing technology and strengthening the role of non-commissioned officers. “Today, ground forces need change, renewed energy among soldiers, and a modern approach to capacity development,” the military quoted Drapati as saying at a high-level security meeting.
