Moscow launched a wave of missile strikes in response to Kiev’s continued use of US ATACMS to target sites deep inside Russia
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has responded to the latest strikes on his country’s energy infrastructure. The massive overnight barrage came in response to Kiev’s recent use of US-made ATACMS missiles to attack a military airfield in southern Russia, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow.
The Russian military has said it targeted “critical fuel and energy infrastructure facilities in Ukraine that support the operation of the military industrial complex,” in a retaliatory strike for this week’s attack near the city of Taganrog.
Moscow’s response on Friday morning was “one of the biggest yet” to hit the Ukrainian energy network, Zelensky acknowledged in a statement on social media. He claimed, however, that most of the Russian weapons had been intercepted.
Zelensky complained that Moscow “is not restricted in terms of weapons range or the purchase of components necessary to produce missiles” and urged his Western backers to supply more arms and impose more restrictive anti-Russian sanctions.
”We need strength, which would bring peace,” Zelensky said, adding that “the world can stop this madness” by putting more pressure on Moscow.
The language he used seems to be aligned with that of US President-elect Donald Trump. The Republican politician promised to bring “peace through strength” on his campaign trail.
Trump also called the Ukraine conflict “madness” due to the high number of casualties suffered by both sides, after holding a meeting with Zelensky last week. Moscow and Kiev must want a ceasefire, Trump suggested.
Following his party’s loss to the Republicans in the US elections, outgoing president, Joe Biden, authorized Kiev to fire long-range missiles deep into Russia. The decision has made NATO members direct participants of the hostilities, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated, since Ukrainian troops are incapable of deploying systems like the ATACMS on their own. Trump called Biden’s decisions “foolish” in a recent interview.
Russia responded to the escalation last month by firing a new medium-range Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile at an arms factory in Ukraine. The demonstration of the new capability was meant as a message to the US and its allies, officials have said.
This week, Biden approved the delivery of the latest package of weapons to Kiev, worth some $500 million, according to the Pentagon. His administration intends to drain dry the funding allocated for Ukraine by Congress before he leaves office in January.
