11 minutes ago
Recent Russian missile attacks show a change in target, Britain says
Remains and debris of a Russian missile after a missile attack on December 29, 2023 in Dnipro, Ukraine.
Denys Poliakov | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images
Recent missile attacks on Ukraine suggest that, like last year, Russia is targeting Ukraine's defense industry rather than its energy infrastructure.
“Since December 29, 2023, Russia has increased the intensity of its long-range strikes against Ukraine,” the British Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday.
It noted that last week Russian forces had deployed a “significant portion” of the inventory of air-launched cruise and ballistic missiles they had built up in recent months to attack targets across Ukraine.
“The recent attacks likely primarily targeted Ukraine’s defense industry. “This is in contrast to the major attacks last winter, which primarily targeted attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure,” he said The ministry stated this in an intelligence update on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday.
“These new operations indicate at least a temporary change in Russia’s approach to using long-range strikes. Russian planners are almost certainly aware of the importance of relative defense industrial capabilities when preparing for a long war.”
– Holly Ellyatt
6 minutes ago
Poland says the West should give Ukraine long-range missiles
The West should tighten sanctions against Russia and supply Kiev with long-range missiles in response to Moscow's recent shelling of Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Wednesday.
Russia bombed Ukraine's two largest cities on Tuesday in a new wave of heavy airstrikes, killing at least five civilians and prompting calls for the West to quickly increase its military aid.
“We should respond to the latest attack on Ukraine in a language Putin understands: by tightening sanctions to prevent him from producing new weapons from smuggled components, and by providing Kiev with long-range missiles that will allow the country to do so “To turn off launch sites and command centers.” Sikorski wrote on the social media platform X.
—Portal
38 minutes ago
What to expect from the war in Ukraine in 2024
Ukrainian soldiers sit on a T-64 tank during combat operations toward Bakhmut on December 27, 2023 in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.
Roman chop | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images
An hour ago
According to the UN, 90 civilians have died in Ukraine in the last six days
Ukrainian rescuers carry a wounded woman from a damaged residential building in central Kharkiv after a rocket attack on January 2, 2024, during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Sergey Bobok | Afp | Getty Images
The UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine said it had recorded 90 civilian deaths in Ukraine in the last six days alone, following a series of major Russian attacks that began last Friday.
“Since the beginning of a nationwide wave of attacks by the Russian Federation, which began on December 29, to date, the MMPLU has registered 90 cases of civilian deaths, including 2 children, and 421 cases of civilian injuries in 12 regions,” said the The shared UN on Facebook.
A child and an adult stand near a smoking high-rise apartment building after a Russian missile attack on December 29, 2023 in Odessa, Ukraine.
Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images
“These include shelling and rocket attacks that reportedly left 8 civilians dead and 29 injured in areas [the] “The Donetsk region is occupied by the Russian Federation.” Every civilian death is independently verified by the monitoring mission, it said.
The monitoring mission found that 421 civilians had been injured in 12 regions “since the Russians fired missiles and drones into Ukraine on December 29,” according to the update posted on Facebook.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine carries out work to extinguish a fire in a warehouse after rocket attacks in the center of the capital of Ukraine on December 29, 2023 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Kostiantyn Liberov | Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Tuesday that Russia has used nearly 300 missiles and over 200 Iranian-made “Shahed” drones to attack Ukraine since December 29.
– Holly Ellyatt
An hour ago
According to an official, Russia attacked Kharkiv late Tuesday night
Russia attacked the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv late into the night on Tuesday, the regional governor said.
Oleg Sinegubov, head of the Kharkiv regional state administration, said on Telegram on Wednesday that Russian forces had shelled the city of Kharkiv with S-300 missiles late the previous evening, partially destroying a school. There were no casualties.
KHARKIV, UKRAINE – JANUARY 2: Cars lie damaged or destroyed at the site of a rocket attack on a residential building on January 2, 2024 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Russia bombs central Kharkiv with Iskander-M and Kinzhal missiles, injuring at least 47 people, including two children. One person died. 41 residential buildings and infrastructure objects were damaged. (Photo by Oleksandra Novosel/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC “UA:PBC”/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Global Images Ukraine | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images
Kharkiv was attacked several times on Tuesday, killing one woman and wounding 62 others, Sinegubov said. In addition to the city of Kharkiv, more than 15 settlements in the Kharkiv region were also hit by Russian artillery and mortar attacks
– Holly Ellyatt
3 hours ago
Norway is sending two fighter jets to Denmark for a training mission in Ukraine
Norway will send two F-16 fighter jets to Denmark to help train Ukrainian pilots to use the US-made plane, the Norwegian defense minister said on Wednesday.
F-16s have been on Ukraine's wish list as the country seeks to bolster its air force in the war with Russia, and Norway said last year it would join Denmark, the Netherlands and others in donating aircraft.
A Danish F-16 fighter jet is pictured at the Skrydstrup Fighter Squadron Air Base near Vojens, Denmark, May 25, 2023.
Bo Amstrup | Afp | Getty Images
Norway has already sent 10 instructors to Denmark to support the training of Ukrainian pilots, Defense Minister Björn Arild Gram said in a statement.
The Norwegian Air Force has replaced its own F-16 with the successor model F-35.
—Portal
3 hours ago
EU puts Russia's largest diamond producer on the sanctions list
Alexander Nemenov | Afp | Getty Images
The European Union has added Russia's largest diamond producer to its sanctions list, an EU official said on Wednesday.
“In line with the diamond ban that we introduced with the 12th sanctions package, the EU today lists Alrosa, the largest diamond mining company in the world, and its CEO,” said the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on X, previously known as Twitter.
Borrell added that the latest addition was part of a coordinated effort by the Group of Seven industrialized nations, which includes the EU, to “deprive Russia of this important source of revenue.”
The Council of the EU said in a statement that it had introduced restrictive measures against Alrosa and its chief executive Pavel Alekseevich Marinychev because they are considered “responsible for actions that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.”
“PJSC Alrosa is the largest diamond mining company in the world owned by the Russian state, accounting for over 90% of total Russian diamond production, and the company represents an important part of an economic sector that brings significant revenue to the government of the Russian Federation .”
– Holly Ellyatt
3 hours ago
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine attacked Belgorod with twelve missiles
The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine used 12 missiles to attack the Russian border region of Belgorod overnight.
“This morning, the Russian Armed Forces foiled another attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack using Olkha and Tochka-U tactical missiles against facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation,” the ministry wrote on Telegram.
“Six Olkha and six Tochka-U missiles were destroyed by alerted air defense systems operating over the territory of the Belgorod region,” it said.
Belgorod's Russian governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said Russia had fired more Ukrainian missiles approaching the city and the wider Belgorod region and reported some damage to homes and power supplies. He said this morning that “the situation in Belgorod remains tense.”
Ukraine rarely comments on attacks against Russia itself and has not publicly commented on the latest attack. On Saturday they launched a major attack on Belgorod, leaving 25 people dead, including five children, and over 100 injured.
Moscow and Kiev both deny any deliberate attacks on civilians in the war, although at least 10,000 civilians have died in Ukraine, according to the United Nations. It is believed that the actual number of victims is much higher.
– Holly Ellyatt
4 hours ago
Belgorod and Sevastopol were attacked overnight, Russian officials say
Russian officials said Ukraine attacked the Russian city of Belgorod overnight as well as the port city of Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Belgorod's Russian governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said Russia had fired more Ukrainian missiles approaching the city and the wider Belgorod region and reported some damage to homes and power supplies. Belgorod lies across the Russian border in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region.
“The situation in Belgorod remains tense. There were two shellings in the morning,” Gladkow said in Telegram.
“The air defense worked. As soon as it gets dark, we will carry out door-to-door inspections to check the damage to roofs, windows, facades, etc [we will] “We are starting the restoration work,” he said.
In Crimea, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, also said a rocket was fired there on Tuesday evening, although no damage to infrastructure was recorded. CNBC could not immediately verify the officials' claims.
A firefighter walks down a street in front of a burning building in Podilskyi district after a Russian missile attack on January 2, 2024 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Viktor Kovalchuk | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images
The latest attacks, which have not been confirmed by Ukraine, are a continuation of the recent intensification of the air war around the New Year and a series of “like me” attacks by Russia and Ukraine in recent days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Tuesday that Russia has used nearly 300 missiles and over 200 Iranian-made “Shahed” drones against Ukraine since December 29.
“No other state has ever repelled such combined attacks: both drones and missiles, including air-launched ballistic missiles. Ten “Kinzhal” rockets [hypersonic air-launched ballistic missiles] were shot down alone today,” said Zelensky.
– Holly Ellyatt
21 hours ago
Pictures show the aftermath of the attacks on Kiev and Kharkiv
Pictures show destruction in the Ukrainian capital Kiev and Kharkiv in the northeast of the country after Russian attacks on the cities.
Ukrainian rescuers carry a wounded woman from a damaged residential building in central Kharkiv after a rocket attack on January 2, 2024, during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Sergey Bobok | Afp | Getty Images
Smoke rises from a residential building damaged by a blast wave after a Russian missile attack on January 2, 2024 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Oleksandr Gusev | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images
Firefighters work on a ladder at a residential building damaged by Russian shelling on January 2, 2024 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Roman Petushkov | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images
People stand amid destroyed cars in the courtyard of a residential building damaged by Russian shelling on January 2, 2024 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Roman Petushkov | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images
Firefighters evacuate a disabled man from a destroyed multi-story building after a rocket attack in central Kiev on January 2, 2024, during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Anatolii Stepanov | Afp | Getty Images
Firefighters conduct an operation in a burning building after a massive rocket attack by Russian forces on the morning of January 2, 2024.
Danylo Antoniuk | Anadolu | Getty Images
23 hours ago
Strikes in Kiev and Kharkiv bring death toll to 5
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko (r) inspects a multi-story residential building destroyed by a rocket attack in central Kiev on January 2, 2024, during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Genya Savilov | Afp | Getty Images
The death toll has risen to five after Russian attacks on the cities of Kiev and Kharkiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
According to current information, two people were killed and 49 injured in attacks on Kiev. Two more people died and 16 were injured in the Kiev area. One person was killed and 47 injured in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine. Zelensky said Russia would be held “responsible for every life killed.”
Utility workers stand in the yard of a damaged residential building after a Russian missile attack on January 2, 2024 in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Oleh Arkhanhorodsky | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images
He said nearly 100 missiles of different types were used in the attacks, 70 of which were shot down by Ukraine's air defense systems. “'Patriots', 'Iris', 'NASAMS' – each of these systems has already saved at least hundreds of lives,” Zelensky said.
– Holly Ellyatt
Tue Jan 2, 2024 6:56am EST
A Russian official claims Ukraine has tried to attack Belgorod again
The governor of Russia's Belgorod region said on Tuesday that Ukraine had again attempted to attack the city of the same name.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Russian air defenses shot down five Ukrainian missiles as they approached the city. “The operational services are clarifying information about the consequences on site,” he said in Telegram.
“According to preliminary information, there is one victim – a woman has a laceration on her left hand. She was examined by emergency doctors and refused hospitalization,” Gladkow said. He added that a shop and several cars were damaged by shrapnel. In the Belgorod region, a car was damaged by shrapnel in the village of Belovskoye.
CNBC was unable to verify the information. If true, the recent attempted attack on Belgorod would increase attacks between Ukraine and Russia around the New Year.
BELGOROD, RUSSIA – DECEMBER 31: People laid flowers, toys and candles at the site of the attack in Belgorod yesterday to commemorate the victims of the attack in Belgorod, Russia on December 31, 2023. At least 24 dead and 108 injured, said Russian governor Vyacheslav Gladkov in the Belgorod region in a statement on the Telegram channel. (Photo by Emil Leegunov/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images
Ukraine attacked Belgorod on Saturday in retaliation for a massive missile and drone attack by Russia on Ukraine last Friday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed on Monday to step up attacks on Ukraine following the attack in Belgorod that left 25 people dead, including five children, and more than 100 injured. Ukraine has not publicly commented on the attack and both Moscow and Kiev deny that it was an attack on civilians.
On Tuesday, Ukraine's largest cities, Kiev and Kharkiv, were attacked by Russia with drones and missiles, leaving four people dead and dozens injured.
– Holly Ellyatt
Tue Jan 2, 2024 5:56am EST
Poland says the threat of Russian attacks has decreased and planes have returned to base
Poland said planes protecting its airspace after recent Russian attacks on Ukraine had returned to base.
After the recent attack on Ukraine, in which Kiev and Kharkiv were attacked, Poland deployed two pairs of F-16 fighter jets and an allied tanker.
The Polish army operations command announced that the aircraft had now returned to the base “due to the reduced threat situation”.
“The use of Polish and allied aircraft in our airspace has been stopped. The released resources returned to their bases and normal operational activities,” the task force said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Poland has been on high alert since last Friday after a Russian missile entered Polish airspace for almost three minutes before re-entering Ukrainian airspace. Poland said on Tuesday that it was continually monitoring the situation in Ukraine and “remains in constant readiness to ensure the security of Polish airspace.”
—Portal
Tue Jan 2, 2024 5:11am EST
Ukraine is pushing for faster deliveries of air defense, combat drones and long-range missiles
Ukraine's foreign minister called for faster delivery of air defense systems, combat drones and long-range missiles, the ministry said on Tuesday.
A statement said Dmytro Kuleba called on Ukraine's Western partners to respond to a new Russian attack on Ukraine by “accelerating the delivery of additional air defense systems, combat drones of all types and long-range missiles with a range of over 300 km.” .”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba attends a joint press conference with Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot (not pictured) amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, December 5, 2023, in Kiev, Ukraine.
Alina Smutko | Portal
He also called on partners to “take a decision to transfer frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s needs and to end contacts with Russian diplomats in relevant capitals and international organizations.”
—Portal
6 hours ago