Ukraine under attack. Biden: Kiev agrees to use of long-range missiles in Russia

US President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine for the first time to use US-supplied long-range missiles to strike inside Russia. The news, released to the Associated Press by sources familiar with the matter, came after what Kiev’s Foreign Ministry called “one of the largest Russian airstrikes” against Ukraine, with a hail of missiles and drones launched from Russia in the Sunday, while the thousand days of war that will take place on Tuesday approach, hitting energy infrastructures and causing deaths and injuries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched a total of 120 missiles – of various types, including cruise and ballistic missiles – and 90 drones, including Iranian-made Shaheds. The Kiev Air Force announced that it shot down 144 aerial targets out of a total of 210. The Ukrainian energy operator Ukrenergo announced the introduction of restrictions following the attacks: “On November 18, measures will come into force in all regions to limit the consumption. “, stated the organization, specifying that there will be blackouts and asking users “not to connect several powerful electrical appliances at the same time”.

Biden’s decision to give Kiev the green light to use long-range missiles on Russian territory constitutes a major shift in US policy and comes as Biden is set to leave office and President-elect Donald Trump has committed to limit American support for Ukraine and end the war as quickly as possible. According to one of the sources, the weapons will likely be used in response to North Korea’s decision to send thousands of troops to Russia in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Sunday’s Russian attack on Ukrainian infrastructure was so massive that Poland deployed fighter jets, both its own and those of its allies, into its airspace. To ensure the security of the border areas, the operational command of the Warsaw armed forces was announced. For its part, Russia, through the Ministry of Defense, acknowledged having carried out a “massive” attack with missiles and drones against “critical energy infrastructures” in Ukraine, but stated that all the targeted structures were linked to Kiev’s military industry.

The total number, reported by Ukrainian media, is at least 7 dead and 19 injured. “The enemy’s target was our energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine. Unfortunately, there is damage due to impacts and debris. In Mykolaiv, due to a drone strike, 2 people were killed and 6 others were injured, including 2 children,” said Zelensky. But not only that: two other people died in the Odessa region, where the attack damaged energy infrastructure and interrupted power and water supplies, said the local governor, Oleh Kiper. The spate of attacks comes as fears grow that Moscow wants to devastate Ukraine’s electricity production capacity before winter. Russian attacks have crippled Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, triggering repeated emergency shutdowns and blackouts across the country, and authorities in Kiev have repeatedly called on Western allies to bolster the country’s air defenses. to combat attacks. The IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency, was present in the new wave of attacks: Ukrainian nuclear power plants were not directly hit, but several electrical substations on which they depend suffered damage. “Ukraine’s operational nuclear power plants (NPPs) reduced electricity production as a precautionary measure this morning following widespread military activity across the country that reportedly targeted its energy infrastructure, placing further pressure on nuclear security.” , explained IAEA number one, Mario Grossi. .

Meanwhile, as leaders prepare to meet in Rio de Janeiro for the G20, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz returned to the controversial phone call he had on Friday with Vladimir Putin and defended him, after being criticized by Kiev, who believes that the conversation will only help the Kremlin emerge from international isolation. The chancellor said it was important to make the Russian president understand “that he should not expect support from Germany, Europe and many others around the world for Ukraine to wane” and said Putin’s views “on this war do not have changed a lot.” , which is not good news.” However, Scholz stressed that “there will be no decisions behind Ukraine’s back” and that the principle “that Ukraine can count on us” is still valid.