Ukraine-Russia war latest: Fury in Moscow as Biden allows Kyiv to use long-range missiles on Putin’s forces
Keir Starmer says ‘we need to double down’ on support for Ukraine
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Your support makes all the difference.Washington is throwing “oil on the fire” by allowing Ukraine to use US-made long-range missiles to target Russian territory, the Kremlin has said.
Condemning president Joe Biden’s decision, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated earlier warnings from Russian president Vladimir Putin saying that any strikes on Russian soil using US weapons would be interpreted as direct Nato involvement.
In response to a question from Tass at his regular press briefing, Mr Peskov said Russia was only aware of the apparent decision by the Biden administration from reporting in western media.
He accused the US of fanning the flames of conflict, as tensions rise with reports of North Korea deploying troops to assist Russia.
Speaking on Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not reference Mr Biden’s decisions but denounced Western involvement in Ukraine and warned of the potential for “World War III.”
It follows warnings on Sunday and Monday by Russian MPs that the Biden administration’s decision risked triggering a world war.
The US authorisation came as Keir Starmer urged “doubling down” on support for Ukraine, putting it high on the agenda for this week’s G20 summit.
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In pictures: Devastation following ‘massive’ Russian missile attack
Zelensky: ‘We are defending ourselves against absolute evil'
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine is defending itself against “absolute evil”, as he shares footage of the devastation following what Kyiv says is Russia’s largest missile attack in months.
“Russian terrorists are once again trying to intimidate us with cold and blackouts, repeating their actions and trying to get results from them,” Mr Zelensky said.
“The entire world sees and knows that we are defending ourselves against absolute evil, which understands no language but force. We need unity, the world needs unity. Only together can we stop this evil.”
Russia used nearly 140 missiles of different types, 900 guided aerial bombs and over 600 strike drones, Mr Zelensky added.
“Efforts to address the consequences of the combined attack on our infrastructure in the Rivne, Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, Volyn, and Odesa regions are ongoing.”
Kyiv takes thinly-veiled dig at German chancellor
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has taken a thinly-veiled dig at German chancellor Olaf Scholz after he held a phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Friday.
“Russia launched one of the largest air attacks: drones and missiles against peaceful cities, sleeping civilians, critical infrastructure,” Mr Sybiha wrote on X on Sunday morning.
“This is war criminal Putin’s true response to all those who called and visited him recently. We need peace through strength, not appeasement.”
He appeared to be taking direct aim at Mr Scholz following his discussiong with Putin, in which he called for Russian forces to retreat from Ukraine and for Moscow and Kyiv to open talks for a “just and lasting peace”.
Ukraine shoots down 144 drones and missiles
Ukrainian air defences destroyed 102 Russian missiles and 42 drones during the major overnight strike, the air force said on Sunday.
Russian forces launched a total of 120 missiles of multiple different types, including hypersonic missiles, alongside 90 drones, Kyiv said.
The scale of the damage to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has not yet been clarified.
Zelenskyy says Russia has launched 120 missiles and 90 drones targeting Ukraine's infrastructure
Zelenskyy says Russia has launched 120 missiles and 90 drones targeting Ukraine's infrastructure
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Russia has launched 120 missiles and 90 drones in a large-scale attack across Ukraine targeting its energy infrastructure
Polish air force scrambles jets to face Russian drone attacks
Poland and its allies carried out an air operation in response to a large-scale Russian missile attack on western Ukraine.
The Polish military says “regular pairs of fighter jets have been scrambled, and ground-based air defence and radar systems have been placed on high alert”, according to a statement from the Polish armed forces via Ukrainska Pravda.
“Attention, the operation of Polish and allied aircraft in our airspace has begun due to a large-scale attack by the Russian Federation, which has launched cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles against targets located, in particular, in western Ukraine,” the statement adds.
“The Operational Command is monitoring the current situation, and the subordinate assets and personnel remain in full readiness for immediate response.”
At least three killed overnight in Russian drone attacks
Two railway workers have been killed in a Russian drone attack on a depot in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Three other railway workers were also injured in the attacks, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
A 66-year-old woman was killed in in her car in the Chervonohrad district of the Lviv region after the fall of Russian missile wreckage. Two other men were injured in the attack, with one taken to hospital.
The main heating pipe in the area was damaged, leaving 6,000 people without heating, and 12 garages caught fire amid the bombardment.
Ukraine’s largest energy provider reports ‘serious damage’ after drone attacks
Russian strikes on Ukraine have “seriously damaged” equipment at the thermal power stations owned by the country’s largest energy provider, the company said on Sunday.
Employees are working on repairing the equipment, DTEK said on social media, but it did not specify what had been hit.
In pictures: Ukraine reels from largest drone attack in months
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