Ukraine acknowledges rapid Russian advances in the east, fears strikes on kyiv

Ukraine acknowledged Friday that Russian troops were advancing rapidly near Kurakhovka, a flashpoint in the east of the country, amid escalating tensions following Moscow's launch of a new ballistic missile and threats to the West.

Vladimir Putin blamed the West for the escalation in a speech to the nation Thursday night. He said the war in Ukraine had now taken on a “global character” and threatened to strike countries supplying arms to Kiev.

NATO and Ukraine are due to meet in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss the situation, with Kiev saying it was waiting for “concrete” decisions from its allies.

In this context, a high-ranking source within the Ukrainian general staff acknowledged on Friday that Russian troops are advancing “200-300 meters per day” near Kurakhove, one of the important localities that could soon fall.

A sign of these advances, the Russian army claimed on Friday the capture of Novodmytrivka, a locality north of Kurakhove. The area notably contains a major lithium deposit.

Near Pokrovsk, another locality that serves as a major logistical hub for Ukrainian forces, the situation is more favorable and “has hardly changed over the last two months,” according to this military source.

Despite this Russian advance in the east, the Ukrainian forces, which lack recruits and equipment, have no intention, at this stage, of withdrawing from the Russian region of Kursk, of which they still control “around 800 km2”, reported this source.

– The deserted Parliament –

In kyiv, a sign of the tension still present, the Parliament, the Rada, “cancelled” its session due to “signals of an increased risk of attacks against the government district in the coming days”, several deputies explained to AFP.

In the heart of kyiv, this district where the presidency, the seat of government and the Central Bank are also located has so far been spared by the bombings.

On Thursday, Russia struck Ukraine with a new type of intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile (up to 5,500 km), called “Oreshnik”, which did not carry a nuclear warhead. A response, according to Vladimir Putin, to two Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory using Western missiles.

In Dnipro, a city in central Ukraine with 970,000 inhabitants before the war and which was targeted by this attack, residents interviewed by AFP on Friday were still in shock, although already accustomed to regular Russian strikes.

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Image from Russia's official Sputnik news agency showing Russian President Vladimir Putin, seen as being in the Kremlin, Moscow, on November 21, 2024 © POOL – Vyacheslav PROKOFYEV

“We're always afraid, but this was different,” said Janna, 49, who works at a market.

Ian Valetov, a writer, said he heard a “loud roar” and a “series of explosions.”

Ukrainian authorities have not reported any deaths in the attack and have been tight-lipped about the damage caused. The strike reportedly targeted a factory owned by the PivdenMach group, which produces missile components.

AFP journalists were unable to confirm that the factory had been hit. The company's forecourt was empty on Friday.

Vladimir Putin addressed Russians on television on Thursday evening, referring to a conflict that now has a “global character” and threatening to strike Western countries that supply weapons to Ukraine.

– “Impossible to win” –

“The main message is that the imprudent decisions and actions of Western countries that produce missiles, supply them to Ukraine and then participate in strikes on Russian territory cannot go unanswered by Russia,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted on Friday.

He said he was convinced that Washington had “understood” this message.

In Moscow, Russians supporting the Kremlin interviewed by AFP shown to be galvanized by the martial speech of Mr. Putin, who invaded Ukraine in 2022.

“Russia will overcome everything (…) no one will be able to defeat it,” enthused Alexei Pechtcherkin, a 57-year-old plumber, judging that Vladimir Putin “is doing everything very well.”

Ukraine: the positions of the military forces © AFP – Valentin RAKOVSKY, Sophie RAMIS, Cléa PECULIER

The president's speech “provoked “I feel safe,” said Alexander Timofeev, a 72-year-old railway worker.

Western capitals, for their part, condemned the Russian missile launch as a dangerous “escalation” and condemned Moscow's “irresponsible” rhetoric on the use of nuclear weapons. China called for “restraint.”

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov welcomed the fact that his forces had “practically foiled” Ukraine's 2025 military campaign by “destroying its best units,” noting that Russian advances on the ground had “accelerated.”

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