{"id":196709,"date":"2026-01-13T02:24:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T02:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-war-latest-uk-announces-project-nightfall-to-provide-kyiv-with-new-missiles-the-independent\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T02:24:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T02:24:43","slug":"ukraine-war-latest-uk-announces-project-nightfall-to-provide-kyiv-with-new-missiles-the-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-war-latest-uk-announces-project-nightfall-to-provide-kyiv-with-new-missiles-the-independent\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine war latest: UK announces Project Nightfall to provide Kyiv with new missiles &#8211; The Independent"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.<br \/><span class=\"sc-1ty8yds-0 bbjlNt\">Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in<\/span><span class=\"sc-1ty8yds-1 SkKtY\">Please refresh your browser to be logged in<\/span><br \/>Swipe for next article<br \/>UK vows to arm Ukrainians with advanced weapons after Putin&#8217;s hypersonic missile strike on Lviv<br \/>Removed from bookmarks<br \/>From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<br \/>At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<br \/>The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<br \/><a href=\"\/topic\/ukraine\">Ukraine<\/a> has attacked three Russian oil drilling platforms in the Caspian Sea, according to its military. <br \/>\u201cDirect hits have been recorded,\u201d it said in a post on Telegram on Sunday, adding: \u201cThe extent of the damage is being assessed.\u201d<br \/>The infrastructure is said to be owned by <a href=\"\/topic\/russia\">Russia<\/a>\u2019s Lukoil Corporation. Dramatic drone footage shows the overnight attack although <a href=\"\/topic\/kyiv\">Kyiv<\/a> did not share further details of the operation. <br \/>It comes as the <a href=\"\/news\/uk\/politics\/defence-spending-mod-overdraft-ukraine-b2898061.html\" title=\"Extra defence spending is being lost on MoD\u2019s overdraft, warns former RAF chief\">Ministry of Defence<\/a> announced it will <a href=\"\/news\/uk\/home-news\/ukraine-nightfall-ballistic-missile-project-uk-russia-war-b2898543.html\" title=\"UK says it will develop new ballistic missile for Ukraine\u2019s defence against Russia\">develop new tactical ballistic missiles<\/a> for Ukraine, code-naming the initiative &#8220;Project Nightfall&#8221;.<br \/>Defence secretary <a href=\"\/topic\/john-healey\">John Healey<\/a> said the <a href=\"\/topic\/uk\">UK<\/a> was determined to arm Ukrainians with advanced weapons to <a href=\"\/news\/world\/europe\/ukraine-uk-army-starmer-troops-b2896253.html\" title=\"Is the UK really ready to put boots on the ground in Ukraine? Britain\u2019s dwindling military might in numbers\">fight back against Vladimir Putin&#8217;s invasion<\/a>.<br \/>Later on Monday the UN Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting to discuss <a href=\"\/news\/world\/europe\/russia-putin-hypersonic-ballistic-missile-oreshnik-b2897343.html\" title=\"Russia launches nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile for only second time at Ukraine in massive airstrike\">Russia&#8217;s use of its Oreshnik hypersonic missile<\/a> just 60 miles from the border of Nato member Poland.<br \/><a href=\"\/topic\/russia\">Russia<\/a> has claimed the Oreshnik strike was retaliation for an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on one of Putin\u2019s residences, an allegation <a href=\"\/topic\/kyiv\">Kyiv<\/a> denies. <br \/>Shortly before Christmas, the new chief of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/mi6\">MI6<\/a>, Blaise Metreweli, made her first public speech since taking charge. She chose as her subject the multifaceted threat posed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/russia\">Russia<\/a>, warning of the growing danger from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/vladimir-putin\">Vladimir Putin<\/a>\u2019s regime. \u201cWe are operating in a space between peace and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/war\">war<\/a>,\u201d she said.<br \/>The recently appointed \u201cC\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/uk\/home-news\/russia-ukraine-blaise-metreweli-putin-b2884561.html\">\u201cthe front line is everywhere\u201d<\/a>, explaining that Putin is provoking a new \u201cage of uncertainty\u201d by busily rewriting the unwritten rules of conflict. \u201cThe export of chaos is a feature, not a bug, in the Russian approach to international engagement,\u201d said Metreweli.<br \/>Last week has seen the cementing of the axis between the UK, France and Germany with the promise of troops on the ground to monitor peace in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/ukraine\">Ukraine<\/a>, a move that is bound to antagonise Putin. Concerns about Russian retaliation are growing still further following the boarding of a tanker in Russia\u2019s \u201cshadow fleet\u201d by US forces off the British coast. The involvement of the Royal Navy will have been noticed and noted in Moscow. The hostility continues to ramp up in intensity.<br \/><em>Read the full analysis from Chris Blackhurst here: <\/em><br \/>As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/uk\/home-news\/troops-ukraine-starmer-british-army-b2897499.html\">Ukraine<\/a> is gripped by a bitter cold snap, more than one million people have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/ukraine-moscow-zaporizhzhia-donald-trump-washington-b2896925.html\">left without heating and electricity<\/a> as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/bulletin\/news\/oreshnik-hypersonic-missile-war-crime-kyiv-lviv-b2897528.html\">Russia<\/a> ramps up attacks on energy infrastructure.<br \/>Elderly residents and those with vulnerable family members told <em>The Independent<\/em> they are cold and unable to cook proper meals as they face temperatures as low as -15C.<br \/>Despondent and fearing death, many are struggling through the winter as blackouts plunge Ukraine\u2019s cities into darkness, lit up only by the bright flash of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/europe\/oreshnik-ballistic-missile-russia-ukraine-b2897325.html\">Russian drone and missile attacks<\/a>.<br \/>\u201cIt gives you depression,\u201d 33-year-old Dnipro resident Kyril Tulenev says. \u201cYou cannot do anything. You cannot check the news. You cannot properly use your things. Sometimes you cannot call anyone because there is no connection.\u201d<br \/><em>Read the full article here: <\/em><br \/>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that the world had to help Iranians build on protests to engineer change to free them from rule that brought evil to their own and other countries, including Ukraine.<br \/>Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address, described the nationwide protests gripping Iran as an &#8220;uprising&#8221;.<br \/>He said the unrest showed that Russia had to rethink its close links with Iran, which have included its wide use of Iranian-made &#8220;Shahed&#8221; drones in the nearly four-year-old war against Kyiv.<br \/>&#8220;Every normal person on Earth very much wants the people of Iran to finally be fortunate enough to free themselves from the regime that exists there and that has brought so much evil, including to Ukraine and to other countries,&#8221; Zelensky said.<br \/>&#8220;It is important that the world not miss this moment, when change is possible. Every leader, every country, international organisations must engage now and help people remove those who are responsible for Iran unfortunately being what it has been.&#8221;<br \/>Russia launched an overnight missile attack on Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities said early on Tuesday.<br \/>&#8220;Stay in safe places! The Russians are attacking the capital with ballistic missiles!&#8221; Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv&#8217;s military administration, said on Telegram.<br \/>Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that air defence units were trying to repel the attack. <br \/>Shortly before Christmas, the new chief of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/mi6\">MI6<\/a>, Blaise Metreweli, made her first public speech since taking charge. She chose as her subject the multifaceted threat posed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/russia\">Russia<\/a>, warning of the growing danger from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/vladimir-putin\">Vladimir Putin<\/a>\u2019s regime. \u201cWe are operating in a space between peace and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/war\">war<\/a>,\u201d she said.<br \/>The recently appointed \u201cC\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/uk\/home-news\/russia-ukraine-blaise-metreweli-putin-b2884561.html\">\u201cthe front line is everywhere\u201d<\/a>, explaining that Putin is provoking a new \u201cage of uncertainty\u201d by busily rewriting the unwritten rules of conflict. \u201cThe export of chaos is a feature, not a bug, in the Russian approach to international engagement,\u201d said Metreweli.<br \/><em>Chris Blackhurst reports:<\/em><br \/>The former head of the RAF has warned that increased defence spending in the UK is being \u201ceaten up by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/bulletin\/news\/greenland-us-trump-britain-john-healey-b2897903.html\">Ministry of Defence (MoD)\u2019s overdraft<\/a>\u201d with the UK\u2019s military footprint shrinking at a critical moment.<br \/>The intervention by retired Air Marshall Edward Stringer comes just days after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/trump-greenland-defence-denmark-frank-rose-b2898026.html\">Sir Keir Starmer<\/a> committed to sending UK troops to Ukraine as part of the coalition of the willing to protect any peace agreement from Russian aggression.<br \/>But it represents the third warning by a former member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/uk\/politics\/ukraine-putin-coalition-willing-nuclear-deterrence-b2896282.html\">UK\u2019s military top brass<\/a> in less than a week over how the UK\u2019s commitments to Ukraine and elsewhere are not matched by resources in the armed forces and manpower.<br \/><em>The Independent\u2019s political editor David Maddox reports:<\/em><br \/><a href=\"\/topic\/ukraine\">Ukraine<\/a> has attacked three Russian oil drilling platforms in the Caspian Sea, according to its military. <br \/>\u201cDirect hits have been recorded,\u201d it said in a post on Telegram on Sunday, adding: \u201cThe extent of the damage is being assessed.\u201d<br \/>The infrastructure is said to be owned by <a href=\"\/topic\/russia\">Russia<\/a>\u2019s Lukoil Corporation. Dramatic drone footage shows the overnight attack although <a href=\"\/topic\/kyiv\">Kyiv<\/a> did not share further details of the operation. <br \/>Germany is providing five Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine following a contract signed in December 2025, according to Defence News. <br \/>The systems, provided by company Rheinmetall are expected to arrive in the coming weeks, according to a statement on Monday. They vehicles will be configured specifically for Ukrainian requirements.<br \/>\u201cWe are grateful for the trust that Ukraine has placed in us,\u201d Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said in an announcement.<br \/>The most recent government figures show there are around 147,000 people in the UK armed forces, with just over half assigned to the army.<br \/>But Prime Minister Keir Starmer\u2019s promise to send troops to Ukraine could require as many as 50,000 according to Sir Richard Shirreff, former deputy commander of Nato.<br \/>Sir Richard stressed in an interview this week that British troops must be ready to fight Putin\u2019s army if deployed.<br \/>\u201cThere\u2019s not going to be a peace until Russia is forced into it,\u201d he <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lbc.co.uk\/article\/british-forces-russian-troops-ukraine-5HjdQLp_2\/\">told LBC<\/a>. \u201cAt least now there is a clear plan from France and the UK to provide a reassurance force or an enforcement force.<br \/>\u201cBut it\u2019s got to be the right capability, and it\u2019s got to have the right numbers, the means, and there\u2019s got to be proper capabilities.\u201d<br \/>The UK is to invest an additional \u00a3200m into the British military in a bid to enhance its capabilities. <br \/>Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies<br \/><span class=\"sc-1ty8yds-0 bbjlNt\">Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in<\/span><span class=\"sc-1ty8yds-1 SkKtY\">Please refresh your browser to be logged in<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/rss\/articles\/CBMiwwFBVV95cUxOaUFrZnY0NVZOY2lOTEhIN25EYTE2bVY5TVk2REh6bmswVFFBc1NhNzhRRExrUk51VWtzc0lYUGRyNzkyc1huY0EzTGp3bmdqRDRiVUNwRGVTWDdCYUllYU5vZEEtTjZKSVFRVWlzaU5NakNxWjh5RURPcWRyZFdtaEJWUVo5R21XeUdvdzJCZ3kyWDNVZkQ0Tkp5QUhMQnlfTmRSeDdLVGx4QzV5Qmdjdmo4RjA3UTRGR3FnMHRFXzdGTDg?oc=5\">source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inSwipe for next articleUK vows to arm Ukrainians with advanced weapons after Putin&#8217;s hypersonic missile strike on LvivRemoved from bookmarksFrom reproductive rights to climate change to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":196710,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-196709","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=196709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/196710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=196709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=196709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=196709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}