Russia and Ukraine exchange missile and drone attacks

   Since Sunday evening, Russian forces have carried out close to 1,500 missile strikes across Ukraine, targeting nearly half of the country’s regions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that these attacks resulted in dozens of injuries, adding to the already devastating impact of the ongoing war. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military claimed to have struck significant targets within Russian territory, including an oil depot south of Moscow, and additional strikes in the Bryansk and Kursk border regions.

One of the most notable developments in this escalation was Russia’s use of the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. This strike marks a significant milestone in the war, which has been further complicated by Ukraine’s recent use of US and British missiles against targets inside Russia for the first time. Additionally, reports suggest that US President Joe Biden gave Ukraine permission to use longer-range Atacms missiles against Russian targets in retaliation for Moscow’s use of North Korean troops in the conflict.

In Ukraine, the Russian missile campaign has caused significant damage. In Kharkiv, a missile strike left 23 people injured, with ongoing rescue operations at the site. The attack, which utilized an S-400 missile, is part of a broader Russian effort to target Ukrainian cities. The city of Odesa also suffered damage from a missile attack, resulting in injuries to 10 individuals and impacting residential buildings, schools, and a university sports hall. Additional attacks in Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, and Chernihiv regions also left more people injured, further underlining the widespread destruction caused by Russia’s bombardment.

In retaliation, Ukraine has targeted Russian infrastructure. Ukrainian military officials reported that they successfully struck the Kaluganefteprodukt oil depot in the Kaluga region, southeast of Moscow, using drones. The attack reportedly caused a series of explosions and fires at the depot, although there has been no official Russian comment on the incident. Russian regional authorities, however, acknowledged that drone debris shot down by air defenses had caused a fire at an industrial enterprise, though they did not specify the location.

Ukraine also carried out additional attacks in the Bryansk and Kursk regions, though the details of the damage caused remain unclear. However, Russian military bloggers reported that the Khalino airbase in Kursk had been struck by eight US-supplied Atacms missiles. Satellite imagery on Monday was obscured by heavy cloud cover, preventing confirmation of these claims. Footage shared on social media showed bright flashes in the sky above the Kursk region, which some suggested could have been the result of Ukrainian Atacms missile interceptions by Russian air defenses. While the authenticity of the footage was confirmed, it remains unclear whether these missile interceptions were indeed linked to the Atacms strikes.

The use of Atacms missiles has been restricted to regions like Kursk due to the presence of North Korean troops, believed to be involved in a Russian offensive aimed at pushing Ukrainian forces out of an area in Kursk that they had captured during a surprise attack in the autumn. This ongoing military pressure is part of broader efforts by Russia to regain ground ahead of the cold winter months, a strategy that also includes targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in an attempt to create more challenging conditions for the Ukrainian population.

Despite these attacks, Russian forces have reported shooting down eight ballistic missiles fired by Ukraine, though they did not specify their locations. The continued missile strikes reflect the intensity of the conflict as both sides seek to maintain or gain an advantage on the battlefield. The fighting continues as both nations prepare for future challenges, including the anticipated political shifts in the US government, with Donald Trump set to assume the presidency in January 2025. Trump has pledged to end the war quickly, although he has yet to detail a specific plan for achieving peace.

This ongoing exchange of missile and drone strikes between Russia and Ukraine marks a dangerous phase in the war, with both sides intensifying efforts to assert dominance. As the conflict drags on, the civilian toll continues to rise, and the potential for further escalation remains high.