Another massive Russian missile attack - Ukraine responds with attacks on border region

Another massive Russian missile attack - Ukraine responds with attacks on border region

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilian residential areas. Moscow, on the other hand, stated that the attacks were aimed at military facilities. All targets had been "destroyed".

In Kiev, according to the authorities, a residential building in a district near the city center was hit and a fire broke out. Two people were killed and dozens more were injured. Two more people died in attacks in the Kiev area, and a 91-year-old woman was killed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, according to the local authorities.

According to Ukrainian sources, Russia fired a total of "99 missiles of various types" during the wave of attacks on Tuesday morning. Of these, 72 were shot down by air defenses, the Ukrainian army said. The massive Russian wave of attacks was initiated by around 35 drones, all of which were shot down.

According to the state energy supplier Ukrenergo, the attacks also severely damaged the power grid in Kiev and the surrounding area. More than 250,000 people were left without electricity.

At least 92 people were injured in the Russian attacks, explained President Volodymyr Zelensky. He spoke of renewed "Russian terror" and at the same time thanked the Western allies for supplying air defense systems. "These help to save hundreds of lives every day and every night."

For his part, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on Kiev's allies to deliver weapons more quickly. The West must respond to the new Russian attacks "in a decisive manner", explained Kuleba. Above all, "additional air defense systems and combat drones of all kinds" must be delivered. The Ukrainian army also needs more "missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometers".

In view of the massive attacks, there are increasing calls in Germany for the delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. "Ukraine needs more ammunition, more spare parts and the Taurus must be delivered immediately in order to finally make it more difficult for the Russian supply," said Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), Chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, to the news portal t-online.

Sara Nanni, security policy spokesperson for the Greens, expressed a similar view. According to the "Augsburger Allgemeine", the CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag also wants to demand "the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to the Ukrainian army" at its traditional winter retreat in Seeon Monastery in Upper Bavaria.

The German government is still reluctant to deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. Taurus has a range of more than 500 kilometers and would make it easier for the Ukrainian army to attack weapons depots and supply lines on Russian territory.

There are great fears that the war between Russia and Ukraine could escalate and also involve NATO. After a Russian missile briefly penetrated Polish airspace last Friday, Poland again deployed fighter jets to the border region with Ukraine on Tuesday. The Polish army announced that "two pairs of F-16 jets and an allied tanker aircraft" had been deployed to protect Polish airspace.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday that he intended to step up attacks on military targets in Ukraine in response to Kiev's attack on the Russian city of Belgorod. According to the authorities, 25 people were killed in the attack on Belgorod on Saturday.

According to Russia, the Belgorod region was attacked again on Tuesday. All Ukrainian missiles were destroyed, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow stated. The governor of the border region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, later reported one dead and five injured.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced that Russian troops had "accidentally" shelled one of their own villages around 150 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. However, there had only been damage to buildings.

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1. The authority statement from Moscow claimed that the missile attacks were aimed at military facilities, but Defense Minister Rustem Umerov of Ukraine argued that they deliberately targeted civilian areas.
2. Volodymyr Selensky, the President of Ukraine, condemned the renewed "Russian terror" and expressed gratitude towards Western allies for providing air defense systems.
3. Following the missile attacks, dozens of people were injured and two people were killed in Kiev, while a 91-year-old woman was killed in Kharkiv.
4. The Ukrainian army reported that approximately 72 out of the 99 missiles launched by Russia were successfully intercepted by air defenses.
5. The attacks caused significant damage to the electricity supply in Kiev and surrounding areas, leaving over 250,000 people without power.
6. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to intensify attacks on military targets in Ukraine after Kiev attacked the Russian city of Belgorod.
7. Moscow claimed that the attacks on the Belgorod region were again targeted at military facilities, resulting in one death and five injuries.
8. The German government is considering the delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine to strengthen its defensive capabilities against Russian attacks.
9. The Ukrainian army is in need of additional air defense systems, combat drones, and missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometers to effectively defend against Russian missile attacks.
10. Following the Russian missile attack on Poland's airspace last Friday, Poland reinforced its border defenses with Ukraine, deploying fighter jets to protect its airspace.
11. German politicians, such as Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann and Sara Nanni, have called for the immediate delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
12. Russian troops reportedly accidentally shelled one of their own villages around 150 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, causing damage to buildings but no casualties.

Source: www.stern.de