27-11-2024 (MOSCOW) Russian authorities have pledged decisive countermeasures following confirmed Ukrainian strikes on military installations using American-supplied ATACMS missiles, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict’s aerial warfare dimension.
The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed today that Ukrainian forces successfully targeted military facilities and an airfield in western Kursk region on November 23 and 25, acknowledging rare casualties including two wounded servicemen at the Kursk Vostochny air base and damage to radar systems at an air defence installation.
In what appears to be an immediate response, Russian forces launched their largest drone assault to date, deploying 188 unmanned aircraft across Ukraine overnight. Ukrainian air defences claim to have neutralised 76 drones across 17 regions, with others reportedly lost to electronic countermeasures.
The escalating exchange of sophisticated weaponry has raised international concerns about potential conflict expansion. Russia’s recent deployment of its experimental Oreshnik hypersonic missile, which President Vladimir Putin suggested could carry nuclear payloads, has prompted an emergency NATO-Ukraine Council meeting in Brussels.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Russian forces reported capturing the village of Kopanky near Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, an area that has seen shifting control since 2022. Separately, Moscow-appointed officials in occupied Kherson reported a Ukrainian strike on a civilian bus in Nova Kakhovka, claiming four fatalities and seven injuries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attributed Russia’s continued assault capabilities to sanctions evasion, calling for enhanced international efforts to enforce existing restrictions. “These attacks demonstrate Russia’s ongoing ability to circumvent sanctions through various schemes,” he stated.
