Vladimir Putin has warned he could hit back against countries supplying weapons used by Ukraine to strike targets in Russia, in an apparent reference to the US and UK. Meanwhile, his ally in North Korea, Kim Jong Un, has made a nuclear threat of his own.
Friday 22 November 2024 15:13, UK
The governor of Russia’s Kursk border has said that 46 Russian civilian residents of Kursk held by Ukraine have been returned to Russia following negotiations with Kyiv.
Alexei Smirnov said the civilians, including 12 children, had been moved by Ukrainian troops into Ukraine after Kyiv invaded the western Russian region in August.
What happened in Kursk?
In August, Ukrainian forces pushed into the Kursk region.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged Ukraine’s invasion of the region and said the offensive was part of a drive to restore justice after Russia invaded in 2022.
Russian state television have been reporting on the West’s reaction to Vladimir Putin’s televised address to the nation yesterday.
In a clip shared by BBC reporter Francis Scarr, the presenter on Rossiya 1 lists how a number of news outlets in the UK have reported on the Russian leader’s comments.
With the headlines generated in the West being the focus of the segment, she then concludes: “They understood us correctly.”
For context: In his address yesterday Putin hinted at attacking military facilities in the UK and US – after the countries’ weapons were used by Ukraine in Russia.
British Storm Shadow missiles have been fired into Russia’s Kursk region by Kyiv’s forces for the first time this week.
Vladimir Putin ally and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned the West to take the Russian leader’s threats seriously.
“I just want to say that when the Russians change the rules for deploying their nuclear arsenal, what is called doctrine, it’s not a communications bluff,” he said, referring to changes made by Putin last week.
“That is not a trick. It has been modified, and there will be consequences,” he said.
Hungary is among the most supportive European nations of Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia, consistently opposing sanctions and frustrating the European Union and NATO over aid for Ukraine and accession of Kyiv and other neighbours to the alliance.
Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK is not at war with Russia or any other country, following suggestions by Moscow’s ambassador to Sky News last night that London was now “directly involved” in the conflict in Ukraine.
Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol as part of a wider local radio round, Sir Keir said: “No, we’re not at war, but Ukraine certainly is, because Ukraine has been invaded by Russia, and that war has now been going on for just over 1,000 days.
“That’s 1,000 days of aggression from Russia and 1,000 days of sacrifice for Ukraine, and that is why we’ve said consistently that we stand by Ukraine. We cannot allow Putin to win this war.”
Responding to Vladimir Putin’s threat to use weapons against nations that allow their own weapons to be used inside Russia, the PM said: “There’s irresponsible rhetoric.”
By Alex Rossi, international correspondent
There is no room for Vladimir Putin to back down.
He’s now locked into a narrative and an evolving ideology that gives him no option but to double down when it comes to his disastrous war in Ukraine.
The conflict’s been sold to his people as an existential war of survival for the nation.
It means he will raise the stakes every time the West escalates its response to his escalation.
We are at another dangerous cycle in a conflict that has now raged for more than a 1,000 days.
Putin’s latest threat is a declaration that the US is risking nuclear war with the expansion of its military aid.
His message is simple: to frighten and deter, and break the resolve of Ukraine’s allies.
The Russian leader is increasingly characterising the war as a “global conflict”, hinting at strikes at western countries if they continue their support for Kyiv.
His bellicose posture comes after the West permitted its supplies of long range weapons to be used to strike deep inside Russia.
The move is not a game-changer, but it shifts the dynamic of the war and gives Zelenskyy’s beleaguered nation at a time when it’s taking a battering.
But Putin’s tough words have also been followed by action.
He’s confirmed the use of a new intermediate range missile, that has nuclear capabilities, in Ukraine.
For Moscow, this was an unavoidable reaction to what the Kremlin casts as “western aggression”.
As well as causing destruction in Ukraine, the technology sends the message that, chillingly, Western Europe is also well within reach.
The implication is being made clear that a broader conflict may not be far away if the West does not change its policy.
This has also been underlined by recent changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, further complicating the situation.
By lowering the threshold for nuclear weapon use, if Russia’s attacked by a non-nuclear state supported by a nuclear power (such as the US), the Kremlin is attempting to keep western leaders on edge.
It’s also an attempt to communicate directly to their electorates about the dangers involved in unbridled support for Ukraine.
Although many analysts are sceptical that Russia would use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, Putin continues to make clear it is not impossible.
But the prospect of miscalculation, or accident, remains high.
And certainly the Kremlin is also hoping Putin’s perceived unpredictability will in itself be a powerful weapon against his foes.
Early this morning, we reported on a Russian strike on the Sumy region of Ukraine (see 6.31am post).
A drone attack left two dead and 13 wounded, local officials have said.
Here’s what you need to know about today:
Ukraine has started sharing details of its investigation into the new missile fired by Russia yesterday.
“The flight time of this Russian missile from the moment of its launch in the Astrakhan region to its impact in the city of Dnipro was 15 minutes,” the main directorate of intelligence said in a statement.
It added that the weapon was “likely from the ‘Kedr’ missile complex”.
“The missile was equipped with six warheads: each equipped with six submunitions. The speed at the final part of the trajectory was over Mach 11,” it added.
Mach 11 is a speed equitable to 8,440 mph – 11 times the speed of sound.
The “Oreshnik”, fired yesterday, is one of Moscow’s newest intermediate-range missiles.
Vladimir Putin said last night it travelled at 10 times the speed of sound and so could not be intercepted. Russian sources said the range was 5,000 km (3,100 miles), allowing Russia to strike most of Europe and the west coast of the US.
Moscow’s forces have captured another village on the route to a key town, state news agency RIA reports, citing the Russian defence ministry.
The village of Novodmytrivka fell to Russia today, it said, although Ukraine has not confirmed the report.
It lies some 20km to Pokrovsk’s south.
Pokrovsk, the sole source of coking coal for Ukraine’s steel industry, has been a major objective for Putin’s military. Some reports say Russian troops now hold positions less than six miles from the town.
Read our 11.11am post for more on that and the wider frontline situation.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence says it has intelligence saying that Russia is being forced to use its advanced fighter jets for more standard missions.
The MoD said Russia’s air force had failed to establish air superiority over Ukraine “despite technological and numerical advantage” and more than 1,000 days of war.
“Russia has resorted to using their tactical level aviation – such as SU-34 aircraft – as airborne artillery,” it added, without explaining why.
A single Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber is thought to cost between $36m-$85m.
Using such an expensive and advanced craft for relatively straightforward operations (that other cheaper craft could carry out) increases the likelihood of losing such prized assets.
The MoD said that Moscow’s effective use of drones had allowed it to recuperate its long aviation fleet and missile stocks.
Despite the challenges, Russia has been able to consistently target Ukrainian critical infrastructure.
The MoD said to expect more attacks on energy, military and other sites “as Russia attempts to break the will of the Ukrainian people”.
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