Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv uses US long-range missiles to blow up arms depot as Moscow issues warning
Ukraine hits Putin’s ammunition warehouse with ATACMS near Kursk on 1,000th day of war
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Your support makes all the difference.Ukraine has deployed the US-approved longer-range missile to hit Russia’s arms depot 110km deep inside the country on the 1,000th day of war, marking the first time since Joe Biden waived off the restrictions.
Ukrainian forces used the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) in a strike on Russia’s Bryansk region, prompting Moscow to issue a warning that it will respond “accordingly”. US officials told American media the ATACMS had been used to hit an ammunition warehouse which sits northwest of Kursk, the region on which a Ukrainian assault has been underway since the summer.
Within hours, Vladimir Putin signed a new nuclear doctrine lowering the threshold under which Russia can deploy atomic weapons to respond to attacks on its territory, warning Washington. The war-time Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said the step showed “Putin wants war” and had no interest in peace.
This comes as Mr Biden approved provision of anti-personnel landmines to Ukraine, a US official said, a move by the US to help Ukraine slow Russian advances in its east.
The Kremlin has scrapped a special emergency hotline between Russia and the White House this morning.
Putin’s ‘irresponsible nuclear rhetoric’ will not deter UK support for Ukraine
US will send Ukraine at least $275 million in new weapons in push to bolster Kyiv before Trump
The Kremlin has revised its nuclear policy. Does that make the use of atomic weapons more likely?
Watch: Ukrainians light 1,000 candles to mark 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion
Liz Truss provoked nuclear conversation, Russia says
Liz Truss is one of the western politicians to blame for starting the conversation about using nuclear weapons, Russian foreign minster Sergei Lavrov said.
In a press conference, Lavrov accused western politicians of provoking Russia, and cited Liz Truss saying she was “ready” to press the red button to fire nuclear weapons, according to the BBC’s Ione Wells.
He also claimed that Russia’s new nuclear doctrine “doesn’t have anything different” to the US doctrine, and that Russia is “in favour” of not allowing nuclear war.
Russia ready to normalise ties with US but will ‘not tango alone’, says Putin’s aide
Russia is ready to normalise its relations with the United States, but will not “tango alone”, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told TASS state news agency in remarks published on Tuesday.
“Russia, as our president has said, is open to normalisation,” TASS cited Mr Peskov, a close aide of Vladimir Putin, as saying. “But we cannot tango alone. And we are not going to do it.”
Listen: Kremlin says US authorisation for Ukraine to strike inside Russia 'adding fuel to the fire'
Ukraine and Middle East wars eating away at US air defence stocks, top official warns
Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are eating into US stockpiles of air defences, the top US admiral overseeing American forces in the Asia-Pacific region has warned.
“With some of the Patriots that have been employed, some of the air-to-air missiles that have been employed, it’s now eating into stocks and to say otherwise would be dishonest,” said Admiral Sam Paparo.
“Inherently, it imposes costs on the readiness of America to respond in the Indo Pacific region, which is the most stressing theater for the quantity and quality of munitions, because the PRC is the most capable potential adversary in the world,” he said, using an acronym for the People’s Republic of China.
Russian air defences down Ukrainian drones in six regions, officials claim
Russian air defence units intercepted Ukrainian drones in six southern and central regions late on Monday, with some damage reported on the ground, but no casualties, officials claimed.
In Voronezh, a region bordering northeastern Ukraine, governor Aleksandr Gusev said drones had attacked a plant producing “strictly civilian” goods, triggering a fire. Staff were evacuated and there were no injuries.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed that an unspecified number of drones had been intercepted in the Bryansk and Kursk regions, also on the border. The ministry said air defences had intercepted drones in the Rostov region, on Ukraine’s eastern border and in Kaluga region, further north.
And in Belgorod Region, opposite northeastern Ukraine, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said “several” drones had been downed, with no casualties.
Gladkov said falling debris from a drone had damaged an industrial plant, infrastructure sites and power lines in the town of Alekseyevka, north of the border.
Electricity was temporarily cut to some districts and emergency crews were on site repairing damage.
Video posted on both Russian and Ukrainian military blogs showed explosions and a fire breaking out in Alekseyevka. One Ukrainian site posted a video of blasts in Voronezh region.
Watch: Boris Johnson claims Trump won’t embarrass himself by letting Putin win in Ukraine
Putin’s lowering of nuclear threshold ‘latest example of Kremlin’s irresponsibility’, says No 10
Downing Street has condemned Vladimir Putin’s decision to lower the threshold for nuclear weapons as the “latest example of irresponsibility” from the “depraved Russian government”.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, which marked 1,000 days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, a No 10 spokesperson said: “Our focus remains on supporting Ukraine ... we’re very clear that Vladimir Putin could end this war tomorrow.
“He could remove his troops, roll back his tanks and end the onslaught and needless bloodshed in both Ukraine and Russia. That is entirely within his gift. We would urge him to do so.”
Asked whether the Russian leader was behaving irresponsibly, the spokesperson said: “It would be fair to say it’s the latest example of irresponsibility that we’ve seen from the depraved Russian government.
“We remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine and the defence of an illegal invasion, and we’ve always said that the defence of the UK starts in Ukraine.”
Denmark makes new €130m donation to Ukraine’s military, PM says
Denmark is making a new donation of €130m to develop Ukraine’s arms industry, prime minister Mette Frederiksen has said.
“Today I’m pleased to announce a new Danish donation to Ukraine. More than €130m directly to Ukraine’s defence industry because we know now what your industry is capable of,” Ms Frederiksen told reporters alongside Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
“Because we know that these investments make a real difference on the battlefield. And make no mistake, our support is long-term.”
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine and Denmark had created a “special model” to bring in investments from other countries.
“All the Nordic nations have already joined, more than $1bn have been invested by partners into our industries,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that the programme extended to drones, missiles and artillery production.
Trump can end Ukraine war in a day ‘because Putin respects him’, claims Eric Trump
The son of Donald Trump has claimed the US president-elect can end the war in Ukraine in “one day” because “Putin respects him”.
Speaking to the PA news agency at the Trump International golf course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, Eric Trump said he believes his father – who has said several times he could resolve the conflict in a day.
Asked how that could happen, Eric Trump replied: “Because Putin actually respects him. He’s not going to send $200bn over to see young boys blow each other’s heads off in dirty trenches, broadcast to the world on YouTube every night.
“He will end that conflict. You mark my words. He will end that conflict.”
US has not seen any reason to adjust its nuclear posture, State Dept says
Washington has not seen any reason to adjust its nuclear posture, the US State Department has said, after Moscow lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike.
Calling on Russia to stop irresponsible rhetoric, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that Washington was generally “incredibly” concerned about hybrid warfare conducted by Russia and remains in close touch with European partners about the issue.
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