War in Ukraine: Russia launches an attack on kyiv, a final package of American aid soon to be announced… an update on the situation

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Friday, December 20, 2024, discover the latest news about this conflict.

Russia attacks kyiv in response to use of Western missiles

Russia launched an attack on the Ukrainian capital kyiv on Friday, using long-range, high-precision weapons in response to a Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Rostov region this week, which the Russian Defense Ministry said used missiles supplied by the United States and Britain.

The governor of Russia’s Kursk region, Alexander Khinshtein, also said six people were killed, including a child, when a Ukrainian missile struck the city of Rylsk. Russia said Thursday that Ukraine launched six U.S.-made long-range ATACMS missiles and four British-made Storm Shadow missiles at the southern Russian region of Rostov on Wednesday.

Ukrainian authorities said Friday’s Russian attack killed one person and damaged buildings in kyiv, as explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital. According to the Kiev administration, 11 people were injured, five of whom were taken to hospital.

Fires broke out in several buildings, kyiv military administration chief Serhiy Popko said. Photos from the scene showed the roof of an office building with windows blown out and firefighters putting out a blaze. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that it had struck a command center belonging to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), a U.S.-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile system and the Luch design bureau in kyiv, which is suspected of being involved in the design and manufacture of missiles.

“The strike targets were achieved. All targets were hit,”, the ministry said. Reuters was unable to verify the reports. According to kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, Russian forces used eight missiles in the attack, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and Iskander/KN-23 ballistic missiles. The Ukrainian Air Force said it had shot down all five Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles used to attack the capital

US to announce final military aid package to Ukraine in coming days

The administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden will announce in the coming days the final package of support and aid to Ukraine under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), the remaining funds of which will be used to purchase new weapons, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

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The aid includes air defense interceptors and artillery munitions, according to a third source, and will be worth about $1.2 billion (1.15 billion euros), the sources said. The military equipment was purchased from the defense industry or partners rather than drawn from U.S. stocks, which could slow down the delivery to Ukraine.

Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, the United States has committed $175 billion in assistance to Ukraine, including approximately $61.4 billion for security. About half of this security assistance has been provided through the USAI program, with the remainder being used to draw down existing military stockpiles through the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA). $5.6 billion of PDA remains.

The State Department and the Pentagon declined to comment, saying they do not discuss aid packages until they are officially unveiled. The USAI program has been a boon to U.S. defense contractors, which have been able to secure weapons orders and create new revenue streams. L3Harris Technologies’ VAMPIRE system is one example.

The modular, palletized, agnostic ISR counter-drone system received its first order funded by USAI in August 2022. L3Harris delivered its first four units within 12 months. The US group has seen increased interest in the system and has subsequently placed several orders under the USAI programme.

The package that the Biden administration is set to unveil could be one of the last steps the US will take to provide direct military support to Ukraine as President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. During the US presidential campaign, Donald Trump publicly questioned the military aid and promised to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office.

He has also repeatedly questioned the level of US involvement in the conflict, suggesting that European allies should shoulder a greater share of the financial burden. This position, despite strong past support in the US Congress for continued aid to Ukraine, has raised concerns among Kiev supporters in Washington about how the United States will continue to help its ally in the absence of dedicated funding for USAI.