Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine to strike inside Russia with long-range US missiles, prompting dire warnings from Moscow. Meanwhile, 11 people have been killed after major attacks in the Ukrainian city of Sumy.
Monday 18 November 2024 14:20, UK
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A number of pictures have emerged showing the aftermath of the deadly missile strike on Odesa this morning.
At least 10 people were killed in the attack and dozens more injured.
Germany has funded a “top secret” delivery of 4,000 strike drones to Ukraine, it is being reported.
Ukraine ordered the drones from artificial intelligence firm Helsing in September, and they are being paid for through a German government fund, according to the Bild tabloid.
Defence minister Boris Pistorius is said to have confirmed the deliveries, saying he is pleased they are happening now, when they are desperately required.
Known as “mini Tauruses” – after the long-range missiles which chancellor Olaf Scholz is refusing to provide Ukraine with despite pressure to do so – the devices are AI-controlled and can apparently get the better of Russian GPS jamming capabilities.
Their success rate in hitting targets is said to be higher than manually controlled fighter drones and their range four times more than the conventional kamikaze drones used by the Ukrainian army.
Former British ambassador to Russia Sir Toby Brenton has been speaking to Sky News about the latest development in the war, including the Biden administration’s decision to let Ukraine use US-supplied missiles to strike inside Russia.
“Nobody is really expecting this to be a game changer,” he said.
“They’re expecting it to make life more difficult for the Russians, slow the Russian advance down, but the tendency for the war at the moment is for the Russians to advance.
“That tendency seems likely to continue, not least because, from all the stories I’m hearing, there are not actually that many of these missiles available to be used.
“So they’re not going to be able to make a huge difference.”
Sir Toby said the Russian reaction to the move had been as angry as he had seen in response to a US decision since the start of the war.
“They’re talking about this being tantamount to direct US involvement because I gather the missiles require some guidance directly from the US,” he said.
“You don’t want to get too worked up about these general angry responses. We still have to hear from Putin himself.”
The number of people killed a reported Russian attack on Odesa today has risen to 10, according to the local governor.
Oleg Kiper said seven police officers, a medic and two local residents were killed in the strike on the southern port city this morning.
Earlier, Kiper said at least 39 people were injured, including four children aged between seven and 11 years old.
“Sincere condolences to the families of the victims,” the governor said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a ballistic missile hit a residential neighbourhood in the city, striking three buildings including an apartment block.
He said the attack was not “random” and showed Russia is only interested in war (see 12pm post).
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited soldiers in the key frontline town of Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
A video posted by the Ukrainian president showed him meeting troops defending the town from Russian forces situated around five miles away.
“It is only thanks to the strength of our warriors that the east has not been completely occupied by Russia,” he said.
“The enemy is confronted every day. I thank our warriors for their unwavering courage.”
Russia has been waging a months-long offensive aimed at capturing Pokrovsk, a crucial rail and road hub for Ukraine.
Control of the city, which the Russian media call “the gateway to Donetsk”, would allow Moscow to severely disrupt Ukrainian supply lines along the eastern front.
Speculation has suggested that the UK would change its position and allow Ukraine to launch British long-range missiles deep into Russia after the decision by the US.
But a Downing Street spokeswoman refused to confirm that any such shift had been agreed.
“We have been consistent throughout that providing specific details on operational matters would only serve to benefit [Vladimir] Putin during an ongoing illegal war,” she said.
Asked if it was fair to say the UK would work in lockstep with the US, the spokeswoman replied: “It has always been the case we work closely with our allies and engage to ensure that strategically we are providing the support that Ukraine needs.”
She would not be drawn into repeating previous statements by Downing Street that “the policy has not changed” on Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow missiles.
We continue to receive reactions to the decision to allow Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to strike deep into Russia, the latest coming from the Polish president.
“This decision was very necessary… Russia sees that Ukraine enjoys strong support and that the West’s position is unyielding and determined,” Andrzej Duda said.
“It’s a very important, potentially decisive moment in this war.”
He also criticised Germany for saying it would not align its policy with the US, and expressed disapproval at German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s phone call with Vladimir Putin last Friday.
“Germany may be looking for opportunities, as the German press indicates, to reach some agreement with Russia in order to return to energy contracts and to be able to buy energy resources from Russia again,” Mr Duda said.
“Russia is brutally attacking Ukraine, and one of the leaders of the free world, one of the leaders of the West, a large European country, the strongest economy in Europe, is in talks with the aggressor. I absolutely believe that it was a mistake on the international political front.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has also criticised Scholz, saying “no one will stop Putin with phone calls”.
Oleg Kiper, the governor of Odesa, has been providing an update on the missile attack that is said to have killed at least eight people in the southern port city.
He said those killed included medics, police officers and ordinary civilians.
Another 39 people have been injured, he said, including four children.
Kiper added that 30 adults were being treated in hospital, three of them in “extremely serious condition”.
“Law enforcement officers record the consequences of another terrorist act by Russians against the civilian population of Odesa,” he said.
Volodomyr Zelenskyy has responded to the Russian strike on Odesa reported in our 11.22 post, which officials say has left at least eight people dead.
The Ukrainian president offered his condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed, and said “all the necessary forces” were helping those in need.
“These are not random shots – they are indicative shots,” he said, before seemingly referencing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s telephone call with Vladimir Putin on Friday.
“After the calls and meetings with Putin, after all the false gossip in the media about the alleged ‘abstention’ from strikes.
“Russia shows what it is really interested in: only war. And this signal should be heard across the world, from the halls where the members of the G20 meet to all the capitals of the world.”
By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent
The Kremlin’s reaction to reports that Washington has lifted restrictions on how Ukraine uses its weapons was nothing we haven’t heard before.
It follows a well-worn theme of anger, warnings and accusations.
If confirmed, the decision will spark a “new round of tension”, we were told. The Biden administration wants to “throw oil on the fire”. They are the ones guilty of escalation, not Russia.
There was no mention of the thousands of North Korean troops Moscow has reportedly deployed to the frontline in Russia’s Kursk region to repel the Ukrainian incursion. But that’s to be expected.
That’s because this sort of rhetoric is now very much part of the script for the Kremlin. It’s trying to ensure the public here continues to buy into its narrative that Moscow is the innocent party, that Russia is under attack.
As for the threats of retaliation, they’re still undefined.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred journalists to Vladimir Putin’s comments in September, that Russia would be forced to take “appropriate decisions” if the West lifted restrictions on Ukraine’s use of its long-range weapons.
What could such decisions look like?
In the past, Russia’s president has mentioned sending weapons to the West’s adversaries to strike Western targets abroad. He didn’t mention any nations specifically, but the assumption was it was a reference to Iran.
Moscow has also recently changed its nuclear doctrine, to allow it in theory to respond with nuclear weapons if Western missiles fall on Russian soil.
So are these threats genuine? Or is it more sabre-rattling?
The calculus in Washington seems to be that this is another bluff from Moscow, following the obliteration of previous red lines without consequence.
The West has supplied missiles, battle tanks and fighter jets to Kyiv, all without invoking the escalation that was threatened.
But could Russia respond in other, more subtle ways, which it doesn’t want to broadcast? Think sabotage, cyber attacks, closer alignment with Iran (and of course North Korea).
So in that sense, it’s not the Kremlin’s public fury the West will be worried about, it’s what happens behind the scenes.
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