Record drone attack on Ukraine, NATO meeting to address Russian threats

Ukraine said Tuesday it had been targeted by a record drone attack overnight Russians, in the midst of an escalation of war and threats from Vladimir Putin, after his recourse to a missile capable of carrying a nuclear charge and striking anywhere in Europe.

In this very tense context, NATO and Ukrainian ambassadors are meeting in Brussels on Tuesday. While kyiv has said it expects “concrete” decisions from this meeting, Alliance diplomats are more cautious.

Ukraine announced that it was the target of a Russian attack overnight with a record number of 188 combat drones that damaged, according to kyiv, residential buildings and “essential infrastructure”, without causing any casualties. Four Iskander-M ballistic missiles were also fired, according to the Ukrainian air force.

Moscow and kyiv have stepped up their drone and missile attacks in recent weeks, with Ukraine recently firing Western-made ATACMS and long-range Storm Shadow missiles at Russia, which has continued to pound its territory since it began invading its neighbor nearly three years ago.

Moscow, for its part, struck Ukraine on Thursday with a latest-generation ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear payload, and Mr. Putin also threatened to strike Europe and the United States.

Ukraine has already indicated that it will not give in to these demands, but has not said whether it has reused its ATACMS, particularly in the Russian region of Kursk, which has been partially occupied by Ukrainian forces since August. The Kremlin has refused to comment, while once again blaming the United States for the current “escalation.”

– Critical infrastructure affected –

Ukrainian law enforcement officers and residents stand among debris in the courtyard of a residential building damaged by a missile attack in Kharkiv on November 25, 2024 © AFP – SERGEY BOBOK

On the night of Monday to Tuesday, “critical infrastructure sites were hit” and “in several regions, houses and residential buildings were damaged,” the Ukrainian Air Force said without giving further details.

Russia has been waging a months-long campaign targeting Ukrainian energy sites, plunging millions of Ukrainians into darkness, a tactic described in kyiv as designed to terrorize the civilian population.

By dawn Tuesday, air defenses had managed to shoot down 76 drones in 17 Ukrainian regions, and another 95 aircraft were likely downed by electronic jamming by the Ukrainian military, according to the air force.

In kyiv, AFP journalists heard explosions during the air alert that lasted more than five hours. According to the military administration, “more than 10” Russian drones targeting the city were destroyed.

Later in the day, the Ukrainian ambassador to NATO is to meet at kyiv's request with her counterparts from the alliance in Brussels, a meeting that follows the launch of the Russian experimental missile.

Ukraine has asked its Western allies to provide it with new, state-of-the-art air defense systems, although Moscow has assured that these missiles, called “Orechnik” (“Hazelnut” in Russian), are impossible to intercept.

– NATO-Ukraine meeting –

Russia, for its part, has promised to increase this type of attack if kyiv continues to use Western missiles on Russian territory. Vladimir Putin also threatened to strike the countries supplying these weapons to the Ukrainians.

Western ambassadors are expected to reaffirm their support for kyiv.

The Kremlin, via spokesman Dmitry Peskov, dismissed the significance of the meeting: “It is unlikely that important decisions will be taken at the ambassadorial level.”

This renewed tension comes at a time when Europeans and kyiv fear a halt to American military support for Ukraine with the return of Donald Trump to the White House, and the conclusion of an agreement to the detriment of Ukraine.

And the intensification of Russian attacks appears to be an attempt by Moscow to strengthen its position before possible negotiations. Russia has also received reinforcements of thousands of North Korean soldiers who, according to Washington, should “soon” fight the Ukrainian forces.

Map of areas controlled by Ukrainian and Russian forces in Ukraine as of November 25, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. GMT © AFP – Valentin RAKOVSKY, Sophie RAMIS, Cléa PECULIER

Washington's military aid is crucial for Ukraine, whose exhausted army has been retreating for months in the face of Russian troops, which are more numerous and better armed.

On Tuesday, Russia claimed the capture of a new village, this time in the Kharkiv region (northeast).

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