Russia’s “Special Operation” In Ukraine; Day 309: Ukraine Reports Massive Russian Missile Attacks - Iran Front Page
"Russia, wary of NATO’s eastward expansion, began a military campaign in Ukraine on February 24 after the Western-leaning Kiev government turned a deaf ear to Moscow’s calls for its neighbor to maintain its neutrality. In the middle of the mayhem, Moscow and Kiev are trying to hammer out a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Wave of Russian strikes one of “most massive” since war began: Ukrainian Defense Ministry
Explosions rattled villages and cities across Ukraine on Thursday in what the government has announced was one of Russia’s largest missile barrages since the war began.
“Russian terrorists have been saving one of the most massive missile attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion for the last days of the year,” Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Twitter.
“They dream that Ukrainians will celebrate the New Year in darkness and cold. But they cannot defeat the Ukrainian people,” it added.
Russia launched more than 120 missiles in the attack, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said in a post on Twitter, without giving more details.
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Kyiv mayor urges residents to stock up on reserves of water
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has said on Telegram that the capital could experience power cuts and urged residents to charge their devices and stock up on reserves of water.
Two private houses were hit by fragments of downed missiles in the east of the capital while an “industrial enterprise” and a playground were damaged in the city’s southwest, the Kyiv city military administration announced.
Power cuts were also announced in the Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions, aimed at minimising potential damage to the energy infrastructure.
German refineries under strain as government moves to ban Russian oil
Several refineries in Germany have come under strain due to the government’s decision to completely stop Russian oil imports at the end of December.
The Schwedt refinery, which supplies 90 percent of all petroleum products consumed in Berlin, will operate at 70 percent of its usual capacity from January, public broadcaster ZDF reported.
Michael Kellner, state secretary at the economy ministry, told ZDF that Russian oil will be replaced with supplies via pipelines from Germany’s Rostock port and neighbouring Poland.
According to the government’s plan, the pipeline from Rostock will fulfil about 55 percent of the Schwedt refinery’s supply needs.
Germany’s ban on Russian oil imports could also hamper production at other refineries, such as Leuna, one of the country’s biggest chemical industrial complexes.
Belarus summons Ukraine’s ambassador over S-300 missile
Belarus summons Ukraine’s ambassador after shooting down a Ukrainian S-300 air defence missile in a field.
The military commissar of the Brest region, Oleg Konovalov, told locals they had “absolutely nothing to worry about”.
“Unfortunately, these things happen,” he added.
“The Belarusian side views this incident as extremely serious,” Belarusian foreign ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz said.
“We demanded that the Ukrainian side conduct a thorough investigation … [and] hold those responsible to account and take comprehensive measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future,” he continued.
A Ukrainian military spokesman acknowledged that the missile was a Ukrainian stray, saying the incident was “nothing strange, a result of air defence” and something that “has happened more than once”.
Belarus announced the missile had come down near the village of Harbacha in the Brest region, some 15km (9 miles) from the border with Ukraine, at around 10am (07:00 GMT).
Russia to build new ballistic missile submarines: Putin
Russia will build four new ballistic missile submarines that will ensure the country’s security for decades, President Vladimir Putin said.
The new submarines and ships with modern navigation, communication and sonar systems will be equipped with high-precision weapons and robotic systems.
Putin added that the Generalissimus Suvorov submarine, armed with Bulava (Mace) ballistic missiles, would “significantly increase the capabilities” of the country’s nuclear naval forces.
“And I would like to note that within the framework of the current state armament programme, four more such submarines will be built, which will ensure Russia’s security for decades to come,” he continued.
In addition, Putin stated that the small rocket ship, Grad Sviyazhsk, is also a new-generation project, specifying that ships effectively perform combat tasks in Syria and during the “special military operation” in Ukraine.
No signs that Russia wants peace: Italian PM
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says there are no signs that Russia wants peace in Ukraine, urging continued international backing for Kyiv.
The prime minister stated supporting Ukraine was key to maintaining a balance of power on the battlefield and creating conditions for peace.
Speaking at an end-of-year news conference, Meloni added she intends to visit the Ukrainian capital before the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, which began on February 24.
Poland ready for Russian oil ban
Poland is prepared for Russia’s response to the G7 price cap, which will stop the sale of oil to participating countries, the climate minister said.
In response to a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude, Putin on Tuesday signed a decree that bans the supply of crude oil and oil products from February 1 for five months to nations abiding by the cap.
PKN Orlen, Poland’s top refinery, has secured alternative oil supplies via its partnership with Saudi Aramco.
“We are prepared to process all types of crude oil, this is our advantage,” Minister of Climate and Environment Anna Moskwa told a news conference.
Moskwa also added that she believed the next EU sanctions package would include a decision on banning Russian oil.
Wave of Russian strikes one of “most massive” since war began: Ukrainian Defense Ministry
Explosions rattled villages and cities across Ukraine on Thursday in what the government has announced was one of Russia’s largest missile barrages since the war began.
“Russian terrorists have been saving one of the most massive missile attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion for the last days of the year,” Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Twitter.
“They dream that Ukrainians will celebrate the New Year in darkness and cold. But they cannot defeat the Ukrainian people,” it added.
Russia launched more than 120 missiles in the attack, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said in a post on Twitter, without giving more details.
He added the focus of the onslaught was to “destroy critical infrastructure and kill civilians en masse.”
According to preliminary data, Ukraine’s Air Force said that Russian forces had used 69 missiles and that it had downed 54 of those, along with Ukraine’s Defense Forces. The Air Force added that it had repelled attacks from “Iranian-made Shahed drones”, which are designed to explode on contact with their targets, as well as cruise missiles.
War is at a stalemate: Ukraine’s intelligence chief
The war has reached a stalemate, with neither Ukraine nor Russia able to make any substantial gains, Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov has said, as Kyiv awaits more weapons from the United States and other Western allies.
“The situation is just stuck,” Kyrylo Budanov told the BBC in an interview, adding, “It doesn’t move.”
Since Ukrainian forces reclaimed the southern city of Kherson in November, much of the fiercest fighting has raged around Bakhmut, in the eastern Donetsk region, where Budanov visited frontline positions earlier in the week. Both sides have been locked in brutal battle there since Russian forces launched their siege on the city in earnest in May.
The freezing winter conditions have slowed advances and Russian forces are “now completely at a dead end” after heavy losses, Budanov said. But he added that Ukrainian troops were unable to progress either without more resources, particularly weapons supplies.
“We can’t defeat them in all directions comprehensively. Neither can they,” Budanov stated, noting, “We’re very much looking forward to new weapons supplies, and to the arrival of more advanced weapons.””
Budanov also poured cold water on the idea that Russian forces might launch another attack from Belarus, where Moscow has been holding joint military exercises with Minsk.
“As of now, I don’t see any signs of preparations for an invasion of Kyiv or northern areas from Belarus,” he continued.
Russian missile attacks are “senseless barbarism”: Ukrainian FM
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba described the latest wave of Russian missile attacks as “senseless barbarism” on Thursday.
“Senseless barbarism. These are the only words that come to mind seeing Russia launch another missile barrage at peaceful Ukrainian cities ahead of New Year,” Kuleba said on Twitter, adding that there could be “no neutrality” in the face of such attacks.
The barrage of Russian missiles, one of the largest waves of attacks, hit several Ukrainian cities Thursday, damaging civilian infrastructure and knocking out power.
Ukrainian military shot down 54 out of 60 Russian missiles
Ukraine’s military announced it had shot down 54 missiles out of 69 launched by Russia in its latest air strikes.
“This morning, the aggressor launched air and sea-based cruise missiles, anti-aircraft guided missiles to the S-300 ADMS at energy infrastructure facilities of our country,” wrote Ukraine’s top general, Valery Zaluzhny, on Telegram.
40 percent of people in Kyiv without power: Mayor
After a fresh barrage of missiles hit Ukraine on Thursday morning, Kyiv’s mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, says 40 percent of people are now without energy.
On Telegram he stated: “40 percent of the capital’s consumers are without electricity after the missile attack. In connection with the necessary safety measures used by power workers during an air alert. Power engineers are currently working on restoring the power supply.
“The city supplies heat and water as usual. In addition to houses where there is no energy supply, on which the operation of boiler rooms depends,” he added.
Western support will result in Russia’s defeat: Germany
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will end in military defeat due to Western support for Kyiv, according to Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck.
“Nobody would have thought that 2022 would end like this,” Habeck told the DPA news agency.
“Vladimir Putin is losing this war on the battlefield” because the Ukrainian army is receiving weapons from Europe, NATO and the US and is using them “skilfully and strategically, cleverly and heroically”, the minister added.
“I am in favour of Germany, together with the allies, supporting Ukraine in such a way that it can win this war,” said Habeck, who had advocated arms deliveries to Kyiv before the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine."
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