MEZIESBLOG

Ukraine’s military says its overnight attacks were the largest it has carried out on Russian military facilities.

Reports from Moscow this morning said Russia had downed more than 200 Ukrainian drones and five US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles (see 7.22am post).

Ukraine’s military said chemical plants, oil refineries and the Engels airbase’s ammunition depots were all successfully targeted.

Targets varied from between 200km and 1,100km deep inside Russian territory, it added.

Russia signs nuclear energy agreement with Vietnam

Russia and Vietnam have signed an agreement to boost their cooperation on nuclear energy.

Moscow’s state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom signed the agreement today with Vietnam’s state-owned power utility EVN.

Mikhail Mishustin, the Russian prime minister, is on a two-day visit to Hanoi.

He has held talks with his counterpart, Pham Minh Chinh, and met with Vietnam’s Communist Party chief, To Lam.

“Vietnam is an important partner of Russia in Southeast Asia,” Mr Mishustin said. 

“Today, we plan to discuss with you a comprehensive plan for co-operation between Russia and Vietnam, which runs until 2030.”

For context: Russia and Vietnam have been close allies since the Cold War.

Hanoi wants to become energy-sufficient and reach its goal of curbing additional greenhouse emissions by 2050.

No surprise Ukraine ramping up strikes inside Russia ahead of Trump return

Ukraine says its forces carried out their largest attack yet on Russian military facilities deep inside Russia less than a week before Donald Trump takes office.

Moscow says the barrage comprised British cruise missiles, American ballistic missiles, as well as more than 140 drones. It has vowed a response.

The attack comes as Ukraine and Russia attempt to strengthen their positions ahead of promised pressure by the new Trump administration to force a deal to end Vladimir Putin’s war. 

Against this backdrop, it should not be a surprise that the Ukrainian military is ramping up strikes into Russia.

There is no guarantee that Trump will sanction the continued use of US-provided ATACMS ballistic missiles inside Russian territory. 

Permission was only granted to Kyiv in the final weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency, despite months of urgent lobbying by Ukrainian officials.

Kyiv hits Russian military targets

The Ukrainian defence ministry said its strikes today targeted locations 200 to 1,100 km deep inside Russia.

Videos posted on social media purported to show the aftermath of the attack, with flames lighting up the night sky.

Among the targets were the “Kristall Plant” oil storage facility in Engels, Saratov region and the Bryansk Chemical Plant in the city of Seltso, the ministry said.

“This facility produces munitions for artillery, multiple rocket launch systems, aviation, engineering equipment, and components for Kh-59 cruise missiles,” it said in a message on social media.

Russia vows response

Russia said the Ukrainian military had fired six US-made ATACMS, six UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles and at least 146 drones.

The Russian defence ministry claimed it had shot down all the Western missiles fired by Ukraine at the Bryansk region, as well as 146 drones outside the war zone. 

It said two more Storm Shadows had been shot down over the Black Sea.

It was not possible independently to confirm this claim.

“The actions of the Kyiv regime, supported by its Western curators, will not go unanswered,” the defence ministry said.

After Ukraine first launched ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles into Russia last year, Moscow responded on 21 November by launching a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile known as “Oreshnik”, or Hazel Tree, at Ukraine.