Ukraine’s military has conducted its most extensive air attacks on Russian territory since the beginning of the conflict nearly three years ago, coinciding with the imminent inauguration of Donald Trump as the new president of the United States.
The Russian Defense Ministry has vowed to retaliate for the large-scale missile and drone strikes that occurred overnight, accusing Ukraine of using missiles provided by the US and the UK. The Russian military reported that most of the projectiles were intercepted, with attacks targeting various cities and industrial sites.
Reports indicate that the cities of Saratov and Engels in Russia were hit, causing damage to local factories. Some schools had to switch to remote learning, and several airports had to temporarily suspend air traffic.
Last week, Ukrainian forces targeted the same region, claiming to have struck an oil depot servicing a Russian airbase for bomber planes. This attack sparked a large fire that was only extinguished the day before the latest wave of strikes.
In addition to the attacks on Saratov and Engels, Ukraine also targeted points in Bryansk, Tula, and Tatarstan, including a chemical factory producing rocket fuel and ammunition for the Russian army.
This escalation follows Ukraine’s use of US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles and British Storm Shadow projectiles to target Russian locations last year. Russia has warned that such actions could heighten tensions and has introduced a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile called Oreshnik.
NATO Chief Mark Rutte recently stated that Ukraine lacks the strength to negotiate from a position of power, a sentiment echoed by Trump during his campaign. While Trump initially vowed to resolve the conflict before taking office, his stance has since evolved, with talks of a 100-day timeframe for addressing the issue.
As tensions continue to escalate, Ukraine may be attempting to demonstrate its resolve to Trump through these military actions. Meanwhile, Russia continues its advance into eastern Ukraine, while Kyiv persists with its offensive in the Russian territory of Kursk, where they recently captured North Korean soldiers fighting for Moscow.
