Downing Street has condemned the “depraved” Russian leadership’s decision to lower the threshold for using nuclear weapons, after Vladimir Putin signed a revised nuclear doctrine into effect.
The revised Russian doctrine, first announced in September, declares that an attack using conventional weapons by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power will now be considered a joint attack on Russia.
It does not specify whether a joint attack will trigger a nuclear response. But the doctrine does declare that a massive aerial attack against Russia could trigger a nuclear response.
It came as Ukraine launched its first US-supplied long-range missile strike into Russia, following authorisation by Joe Biden, which officials in the US and Kyiv said struck an ammunition depot in Bryansk. Ukraine’s army has acknowledged a strike in the area, but did not say what weapons were used.
Asked about Mr Putin’s decision to alter Russia’s nuclear doctrine, Downing Street said it was the “latest example of irresponsibility” from the “depraved Russian government”.
Key Points
- UK condemns ‘depraved’ Putin’s ‘irresponsible’ change to nuclear doctrine
- Mapped: How far into Russia did Ukraine fire an American missile?
- Russia’s forces hit with first ATACMS long-range missile after US decision - reports
- Putin signs revised nuclear doctrine, increasing threat to West
- UK expected to allow long-range missile use inside Russia
- Eight killed including one child in Russian strike
- Ukraine marks 1,000 days since Russian invasion
Biden now clears anti-personnel mines for Ukraine, US official says
03:05
Arpan Rai
President Joe Biden has approved providing anti-personnel land mines to Ukraine, a US official told Reuters.
Ukraine had committed to not using the mines in densely populated areas, an unnamed official told the Washington Post, which first reported the development.
Liz Truss provoked nuclear conversation, Russia says
02:22
Andy Gregory
Liz Truss is one of the western politicians to blame for starting the conversation about using nuclear weapons, Russian foreign minster Sergei Lavrov said.
In a press conference, Lavrov accused western politicians of provoking Russia, and cited Liz Truss saying she was “ready” to press the red button to fire nuclear weapons, according to the BBC’s Ione Wells.
He also claimed that Russia’s new nuclear doctrine “doesn’t have anything different” to the US doctrine, and that Russia is “in favour” of not allowing nuclear war.
Russia ready to normalise ties with US but will ‘not tango alone’, says Putin’s aide
01:31
Andy Gregory
Russia is ready to normalise its relations with the United States, but will not “tango alone”, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told TASS state news agency in remarks published on Tuesday.
“Russia, as our president has said, is open to normalisation,” TASS cited Mr Peskov, a close aide of Vladimir Putin, as saying. “But we cannot tango alone. And we are not going to do it.”
Listen: Kremlin says US authorisation for Ukraine to strike inside Russia 'adding fuel to the fire'
00:44
Andy Gregory
Ukraine and Middle East wars eating away at US air defence stocks, top official warns
Tuesday 19 November 2024 23:56
Andy Gregory
Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are eating into US stockpiles of air defences, the top US admiral overseeing American forces in the Asia-Pacific region has warned.
“With some of the Patriots that have been employed, some of the air-to-air missiles that have been employed, it’s now eating into stocks and to say otherwise would be dishonest,” said Admiral Sam Paparo.
“Inherently, it imposes costs on the readiness of America to respond in the Indo Pacific region, which is the most stressing theater for the quantity and quality of munitions, because the PRC is the most capable potential adversary in the world,” he said, using an acronym for the People’s Republic of China.
Russian air defences down Ukrainian drones in six regions, officials claim
Tuesday 19 November 2024 23:29
Reuters
Russian air defence units intercepted Ukrainian drones in six southern and central regions late on Monday, with some damage reported on the ground, but no casualties, officials claimed.
In Voronezh, a region bordering northeastern Ukraine, governor Aleksandr Gusev said drones had attacked a plant producing “strictly civilian” goods, triggering a fire. Staff were evacuated and there were no injuries.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed that an unspecified number of drones had been intercepted in the Bryansk and Kursk regions, also on the border. The ministry said air defences had intercepted drones in the Rostov region, on Ukraine’s eastern border and in Kaluga region, further north.
And in Belgorod Region, opposite northeastern Ukraine, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said “several” drones had been downed, with no casualties.
Gladkov said falling debris from a drone had damaged an industrial plant, infrastructure sites and power lines in the town of Alekseyevka, north of the border.
Electricity was temporarily cut to some districts and emergency crews were on site repairing damage.
Video posted on both Russian and Ukrainian military blogs showed explosions and a fire breaking out in Alekseyevka. One Ukrainian site posted a video of blasts in Voronezh region.
Watch: Boris Johnson claims Trump won’t embarrass himself by letting Putin win in Ukraine
Tuesday 19 November 2024 23:03
Andy Gregory
Putin’s lowering of nuclear threshold ‘latest example of Kremlin’s irresponsibility’, says No 10
Tuesday 19 November 2024 22:42
Andy Gregory
Downing Street has condemned Vladimir Putin’s decision to lower the threshold for nuclear weapons as the “latest example of irresponsibility” from the “depraved Russian government”.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, which marked 1,000 days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, a No 10 spokesperson said: “Our focus remains on supporting Ukraine ... we’re very clear that Vladimir Putin could end this war tomorrow.
“He could remove his troops, roll back his tanks and end the onslaught and needless bloodshed in both Ukraine and Russia. That is entirely within his gift. We would urge him to do so.”
Asked whether the Russian leader was behaving irresponsibly, the spokesperson said: “It would be fair to say it’s the latest example of irresponsibility that we’ve seen from the depraved Russian government.
“We remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine and the defence of an illegal invasion, and we’ve always said that the defence of the UK starts in Ukraine.”
Denmark makes new €130m donation to Ukraine’s military, PM says
Tuesday 19 November 2024 22:20
Andy Gregory
Denmark is making a new donation of €130m to develop Ukraine’s arms industry, prime minister Mette Frederiksen has said.
“Today I’m pleased to announce a new Danish donation to Ukraine. More than €130m directly to Ukraine’s defence industry because we know now what your industry is capable of,” Ms Frederiksen told reporters alongside Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
“Because we know that these investments make a real difference on the battlefield. And make no mistake, our support is long-term.”
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine and Denmark had created a “special model” to bring in investments from other countries.
“All the Nordic nations have already joined, more than $1bn have been invested by partners into our industries,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that the programme extended to drones, missiles and artillery production.
Trump can end Ukraine war in a day ‘because Putin respects him’, claims Eric Trump
Tuesday 19 November 2024 21:54
PA
The son of Donald Trump has claimed the US president-elect can end the war in Ukraine in “one day” because “Putin respects him”.
Speaking to the PA news agency at the Trump International golf course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, Eric Trump said he believes his father – who has said several times he could resolve the conflict in a day.
Asked how that could happen, Eric Trump replied: “Because Putin actually respects him. He’s not going to send $200bn over to see young boys blow each other’s heads off in dirty trenches, broadcast to the world on YouTube every night.
“He will end that conflict. You mark my words. He will end that conflict.”
US has not seen any reason to adjust its nuclear posture, State Dept says
Tuesday 19 November 2024 21:31
Andy Gregory
Washington has not seen any reason to adjust its nuclear posture, the US State Department has said, after Moscow lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike.
Calling on Russia to stop irresponsible rhetoric, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that Washington was generally “incredibly” concerned about hybrid warfare conducted by Russia and remains in close touch with European partners about the issue.
Full report: Germany says sabotage behind cutting of telecoms cables in the Baltic Sea
Tuesday 19 November 2024 21:09
Andy Gregory
The damage of two undersea internet cables in the Baltic sea must be seen as an act of sabotage, German defence minister Boris Pistorius has said.
A pair of fibre-optic communications cables were severed on Sunday and Monday, in an incident which “immediately raises suspicions of intentional damage”, Finland and Germany said in a joint statement.
A 745-mile (1,200 kilometre) cable linking Helsinki to the German port of Rostock stopped working at 2am on Monday, according to Finnish state-controlled cyber security and telecoms company Cinia.
Another cable linking Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland Island went out of service at 8am on Monday, according to a Lithuanian communications firm.
My colleague Alex Croft has the full report:
Ukrainian colonel ‘hoping to inflict a lot of damage’ on Russian troops and arms depots
Tuesday 19 November 2024 20:44
Andy Gregory
Asked about Joe Biden’s decision on using US long-range missiles, a Ukrainian colonel – with close links to the army’s top brass – told The Independent: “Hopefully we will be able to upset Russia’s plans by inflicting a lot of damage on troop concentrations and arms depots.”
He added: “It’s better late than never and a positive development.
“But a key issue is how many ATACMS will the US provide? The US can [also] programme the range the missiles can fly – so another important step is what distance they will allow the missiles to strike.”
Askold Krushelnycky has more details:
Washington seeing no signs Russia planning to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, US official says
Tuesday 19 November 2024 20:22
Andy Gregory
The Associated Press has quoted one anonymous US official as saying that Washington is seeing no indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, as Moscow warns that Ukraine's alleged use of US-made long-range weapons could trigger a strong response.
Asked on Tuesday whether a Ukrainian attack with longer-range US missiles could potentially trigger use of nuclear weapons, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov answered affirmatively.
US to send Ukraine $275m-worth of new weapons, officials say
Tuesday 19 November 2024 20:01
Andy Gregory
The Pentagon will send Ukraine at least $275m-worth of new weapons, US officials have said, as the Biden administration rushes to bolster Kyiv’s defences ahead of Donald Trump entering the White House, and potentially seeking to bring an end to the war, freezing the current lines of conflict.
The weapons in the new package of aid for Ukraine include an infusion of air defence, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, Javelin anti-armour munitions and other equipment and spare parts, US officials say.
The weapons will be provided through presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon quickly to pull supplies from its shelves to speed them to Ukraine’s front line.
Putin's nuclear doctrine revision ‘the result of careful escalation management’, says analyst
Tuesday 19 November 2024 19:40
Andy Gregory
Vladimir Putin’s alteration of the Russian nuclear doctrine is “the result of careful escalation management by both sides”, an analyst has suggested.
Professor Sam Greene, of the Centre for European Policy Analysis, said on X: “Deep breaths, everyone. The fact that Russia published a revised nuclear doctrine on the same day that Ukraine first fired ATACMs across the border is the result of careful escalation management by both sides.
“We may eventually get to WWIII, but probably not tonight. None of this happened at a moment’s notice. Ukraine had been asking for permission for long-range strikes for ages. Biden made it clear it was a matter of time. Putin will have decided that this--a relatively minor revision of a document--would be his response.
“That said, the same factors that keep Nato and Russia from going to war with each other make it more difficult for Ukraine to win the war, to the enduring frustration of many in Ukraine and elsewhere. It’s a circle the Biden Administration was never able to square.
“The question now is, will Trump do any better?”
Watch: Zelensky’s parliament address on the 1,000th day of Russia’s full-scale invasion
Tuesday 19 November 2024 19:15
Alex Croft
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has released a video of his address to the Ukrainian parliament on the 1,000th day of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“Putin does not value people or rules; he values only money and power. These are the things we must take away from him to restore peace,” he wrote in a post on X.
“We must do everything to end this war—fairly, justly, and, of course, together. A thousand days of war is a tremendous challenge. Ukraine deserves to make the next year the year of peace.”
Today, I addressed the participants of an extraordinary session of the European Parliament marking the 1,000th day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 19, 2024
Every “today” is the best moment to push Russia harder. It is clear that without certain key factors, Russia will lack… pic.twitter.com/etKlasOmtg
In pictures: Fierce fighting continues on Donetsk frontline
Tuesday 19 November 2024 18:57
Alex Croft
A group of European foreign ministers discuss support for Ukraine and future ties with US
Tuesday 19 November 2024 18:40
Alex Croft
The foreign ministers of Poland, Germany, France and Italy are discussing stepping up Europe’s military support for Ukraine and also future ties with the United States under the presidency of Donald Trump.
Trump says he expects Europe to make a greater effort for its own defense in the face of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Meeting in Warsaw on Tuesday are Germany’s Annalena Baerbock, France’s Jean-Noel Barrot, Italy’s Antonio Tajani and Poland’s Radek Sikorski. The U.K. and Spanish foreign ministers are to join remotely.
Also present is the EU’s upcoming chief of diplomacy, Kaja Kallas.
Read the full report:
Watch: Ukrainians light 1,000 candles to mark 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion
Tuesday 19 November 2024 18:23
Alex Croft
Furious Kremlin – and Trump allies – attack Biden’s ‘escalation’ of Ukraine war
Tuesday 19 November 2024 18:06
Alex Croft
Joe Biden’s decision to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russia with US-made long-range missiles is an “escalation” of the conflict, Moscow said on Monday as it warned use of the weapons would trigger a “tangible” response.
The Kremlin reacted with fury after the US president eased limits on what targets Kyiv can strike using the American-made Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS.
“It is obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to … continue pouring oil on the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions around this conflict,” Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Read the full report from Alastair Jamieson:
Zelensky visits the frontline towns of Pokrovsk and Kupiansk
Tuesday 19 November 2024 17:35
Alex Croft
Volodymyr Zelensky visited the embattled towns of Pokrovsk and Kupiansk on Monday, as their Ukrainian defenders attempt to hold back the Russian onslaught.
In Pokrovsk, Mr Zelensky visited the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade and awarded medals to soldiers. He then oversaw the construction of trenches and “defensive structures” at an unspecified location in Donetsk.
My Zelensky then headed to the city of Kupiansk, which last week repelled a major Russian attack when two tank convoys attempted to gain a foothold in the city.
Filming himself outside a large Kupiansk sign, Mr Zelensky paid tribute to Ukrainian soldiers, saying “the strength of our entire Ukrainian army is the people who serve”.
Russian and Chinese foreign ministers discuss Ukraine at G20
Tuesday 19 November 2024 17:19
Alex Croft
Chinese and Russian foreign ministers discussed bilateral ties, the conflict in Ukraine, and the situation on the Korean peninsula on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Brazil, they said.
“We are truly at an unprecedented stage in the development of our strategic relations of a comprehensive partnership,” Russia’s Sergei Lavrov told China’s Wang Yi, according to a post on the Russian foreign ministry’s Telegram channel.
Mr Wang said Beijing is willing to work with Russia to further strengthen bilateral “comprehensive strategic coordination”, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.
The “two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and the situation on the Korean Peninsula”, it added without providing further details.
China and Russia have held a series of bilateral meetings since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine 1,000 days ago. The war isolated Moscow from Kyiv’s Western allies, bringing waves of sanctions on its politicians and businesses, but pushed it closer to China.
24 hours in Ukraine: A single day shows the reality of life as war hits 1,000 days
Tuesday 19 November 2024 17:03
Alex Croft
The clock on her wall stopped almost as soon as the day began, its hands frozen by the Russian bomb that hit the dormitory serving as home for Ukrainians displaced by war.
It was 1:45 a.m. in an upstairs room in the eastern city of Zaporizhzhia, Natalia Panasenko’s home for just shy of a year after the town she thinks of as her real home came under Russian occupation. The explosion blasted a door on top of her, smashed her refrigerator and television and shredded the flowers she’d just received for her 63rd birthday.
“The house was full of people and flowers. People were congratulating me ... and then there was nothing. Everything was mixed in the rubble,” she said. “I come from a place where the war is going on every day. We only just left there, and it seemed to be quieter here. And the war caught up with us again.”
Read the full report:
US says to announce additional support for Ukraine in coming days
Tuesday 19 November 2024 16:48
Alex Croft
The US will announce additional security assistance for Ukraine in coming days, the US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said as the United Nations marked 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion of the country.
Ms Thomas-Greenfield said supporting Ukraine in the US Congress and beyond could not and should not be a partisan issue, and that standing up for democracy and human rights was “above petty politics” and would outlast any one leader.
Ukrainian military ‘grateful’ for Estonian military aid
Tuesday 19 November 2024 16:15
Alex Croft
The Ukrainian military has shared its gratitude after Estonia committed a new military aid package to Ukraine.
“We are grateful to our Estonian friends for a new military aid package which includes ammunition and equipment for Defense Forces!” read a post on the military’s X account.
“Thank you for your unwavering support! Together, we are stronger!”
We are grateful to our Estonian friends for a new military aid package which includes ammunition and equipment for Defense Forces!
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 19, 2024
Thank you for your unwavering support!
Together, we are stronger!
https://t.co/Z7J4YTPTzd
Ukraine’s troops seek revenge on Russia with long-range strikes: ‘We want to inflict a lot of damage’
Tuesday 19 November 2024 15:58
Alex Croft
Hopefully we will be able to upset Russia‘s plans by inflicting a lot of damage on troop concentrations and arms depots”.
That is the reaction of a Ukrainian colonel – with close links to the army’s top brass – to news that Joe Biden had lifted the restriction on US-supplied long-range missiles being used to target Vladimir Putin’s forces deep inside Russia after months of pleas from Kyiv.
A few hours later, on the 1,000th day of the invasion, Moscow claimed the first use of the US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) ballistic missiles on the Bryansk region of Russia, about 80 miles from the Ukraine border. The missiles have a full range of around 190 miles.
Askold Krushelnycky reports:
Boris Johnson says Trump won’t embarrass himself by letting Putin win in Ukraine
Tuesday 19 November 2024 15:17
Alex Croft
Ukraine struck Russia with US missile, military confirms
Tuesday 19 November 2024 14:52
Alex Croft
A Ukrainian official source has confirmed that Ukraine struck a Russian arsenal in the Bryansk region with a U.S.-made ATACMS missile.
The Russian Defence Ministry previously said Ukraine had fired six of the missiles, but Russia had shot down five of them.
Lammy criticises Putin for Sudan stance
Tuesday 19 November 2024 14:40
Alex Croft
UK foreign minister David Lammy has condemned Russian president Vladimir Putin’s decision to vetoe a UN Security Council resolution to protect civilians in Iran.
Mr Lammy wrote on X: “Shame on you, Vladimir Putin.
“Russia alone vetoed the UK and Sierra Leone’s UN Security Council resolution to protect civilians in Sudan, condemning more Sudanese people to killing, rape and starvation in a brutal civil war.”
Shame on you, Vladimir Putin.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) November 18, 2024
Russia alone vetoed the UK and Sierra Leone’s UN Security Council resolution to protect civilians in Sudan, condemning more Sudanese people to killing, rape and starvation in a brutal civil war. pic.twitter.com/XOPjcDvqf4
How has Nato reacted to Biden’s clearance of missile to Kyiv strike Russia
Tuesday 19 November 2024 14:28
Alex Croft
Ukraine’s Nato allies have welcomed the green lighting move by Joe Biden to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russia with US-supplied longer-range missiles.
President Andrzej Duda of Poland, which borders Ukraine, praised the decision as a “very important, maybe even a breakthrough moment” in the war.
“In the recent days, we have seen the decisive intensification of Russian attacks on Ukraine, above all, those missile attacks where civilian objects are attacked, where people are killed, ordinary Ukrainians,” Mr Duda said.
Easing restrictions on Ukraine was “a good thing,” said foreign minister Margus Tsahkna of Russian neighbor Estonia.
“We have been saying that from the beginning — that no restrictions must be put on the military support,” he told senior European Union diplomats in Brussels. “And we need to understand that situation is more serious (than) it was even maybe like a couple of months ago.”
But Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico, known for his pro-Russian views, described Biden’s decision as “an unprecedented escalation” that would prolong the war.
Kremlin says US authorisation for Ukraine to strike inside Russia 'adding fuel to the fire'
Tuesday 19 November 2024 14:17
Alex Croft
Russia commends German refusal to provide long-range missiles to Kyiv
Tuesday 19 November 2024 14:06
Alex Croft
Germany’s decision not to provide long-range missiles to Ukraine is a “responsible position”, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.
On Monday, Germany confirmed it would not provide long-range missiles despite recent U.S. approval for the use of American long-range missiles deep in Russia territory.
Ukraine fired its first U.S.-made long-range missile at Russia’s Bryansk region on Tuesday.
Lavrov described this as an escalation, saying: "Without the Americans, it is impossible to use these high-tech missiles, as Putin has repeatedly said.”
Mapped: Where did Ukraine strike Russia with an American long-range missile?
Tuesday 19 November 2024 13:54
Alex Croft
Ukraine has used a long-range American missile on targets inside Russia for the first time.
The military struck the area of Karachev in Russia’s southwestern Bryansk region. This is more than 100 kilometres into Russian territory.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ukraine’s General Staff said a strike hit the arsenal of the 1046th Logistics Support Center.
Multiple explosions were heard in the targeted area, the General Staff said. “The destruction of ammunition depots for the Russian occupying forces, aimed at ending Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, will continue,” a statement read.
Zelensky: ‘Decisive moments’ in the war will come in next year
Tuesday 19 November 2024 13:42
Alex Croft
Addressing parliament, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said the war’s “decisive moments” will come in the next year.
On the 1,000th day of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, Mr Zelensky told Kyiv’s legislators: “At this stage of the war, it is being decided who will prevail. Whether us over the enemy, or the enemy over us Ukrainians... and Europeans. And everyone in the world who wants to live freely and not be subject to a dictator.”
A candlie-lit commemmoration is planned for later on Tuesday after thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died, over six million have been displaced as refugees and the population has fallen by a quarter.
Editorial: At last Biden is taking real steps to help Ukraine – but is it too little too late?
Tuesday 19 November 2024 13:30
Alex Croft
“What took you so long, Joe?” President Biden’s belated decision to allow Ukrainian armed forces to deploy a key US-supplied missile system deeper into Russian territory will be a welcome boost to morale in Kyiv, as well as being of some material help. It should also prompt the British and French to follow suit and to generally encourage other allies to boost their support for Ukraine.
However, it is painful to reflect on how much more effective this change in tactics would have been had the move been made, say, a year or two ago. In hindsight, President Vladimir Putin’s veiled threats about escalation proved to be empty – and now no one thinks he’s about to bomb New York, Paris or London in revenge for the West giving the Ukrainians more firepower. As it is, in the dying days of the Biden administration, it seems unlikely to be the kind of “game changer” that President Zelensky and his long-suffering people have been virtually begging from the West since the earliest days of this conflict.
Read The Independent’s editorial:
Watch: David Lammy marks 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Tuesday 19 November 2024 13:19
Alex Croft
David Lammy says UK must put Ukraine in ‘strongest position possible’
Tuesday 19 November 2024 13:04
Alex Croft
1,000 days since Putin’s full-scale invasion, we must stand with Ukraine and put it in the strongest position possible.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) November 19, 2024
That is what the UK will continue to do. pic.twitter.com/o9kQjdqf0c
Ukrainians mark 1,000 days since Russian invasion
Tuesday 19 November 2024 12:50
Alex Croft
Ukraine marked 1,000 days today since Russia’s full-scale invasion, with weary troops battling on numerous fronts, Kyiv besieged by frequent drone and missile strikes, and officials preparing for Donald Trump to reclaim the White House in January.
In a boost for the beleaguered country, US president Joe Biden gave the green light for US missiles to be used against targets deeper inside Russia, potentially limiting its options to launch attacks and supply the front.
But the dramatic shift in policy may be reversed when Mr Trump returns to the White House in January, and military experts cautioned that it would not be enough on its own to change the course of the 33-month-old war.
Thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died, over 6 million live as refugees abroad and the population has fallen by a quarter since Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion by land, sea and air that began Europe’s biggest conflict since the Second World War.
Military losses have been catastrophic, although they remain closely guarded secrets. Public Western estimates based on intelligence reports vary widely, but most say hundreds of thousands have been killed or wounded on each side.
Tragedy has touched families in every corner of Ukraine, where military funerals are commonplace in major cities and far-flung villages, and people are exhausted by sleepless nights of air raid sirens and anguish.
Now the return of Mr Trump, who has vowed to end the fighting quickly – without saying how – calls into question the future of US military aid and the united Western front against Mr Putin, and raises the prospect of talks to end the war.
In pictures: Fierce fighting continues on Donetsk frontline
Tuesday 19 November 2024 12:36
Alex Croft
Putin’s forces hit with first ATACMS long-range missile after US decision - reports
Tuesday 19 November 2024 12:14
Joe Middleton
Kyiv said on Tuesday it struck a Russian arsenal near the town of Karachev in the Bryansk region, over 70 miles (110 km) from Ukraine, in what two Ukrainian media outlets reported was a first strike with U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles.
There was no official confirmation from Ukraine about what weapon was used. The military’s general staff and military intelligence agency did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
Kyiv was granted permission by the White House to use US supplied weapons to strike deeper into Russia.
Ukrainian outlets Forbes Ukraine and RBC Ukraine cited unnamed sources as saying that ATACMS had been used for the first time to conduct the strike in Karachev.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces destroyed 12 Ukrainian drones over the Bryansk region, where the attack took place, between 7:15 a.m. (0415 GMT) and 8:35 a.m., and four more between 9:10 a.m. and 9:20 a.m.
A subsequent report from Russia’s state news agency TASS said Russian air defence forces had shot down 85 drones and five ballistic missiles launched by Ukraine in the past 24 hours.
The Ukrainian military said its strike was followed by 12 secondary explosions and detonations in the area.
“The destruction of ammunition depots will continue for the army of the Russian occupiers in order to stop the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine,” it said.
Ukraine uses American long-range missiles for first time
Tuesday 19 November 2024 12:12
Alex Croft
Ukraine has struck Russia territory with the American long-range ATACMS ballistic missiles for the first time, according to a source within the Ukrainian military.
The strike targeted a military facility near the city of Karachev in the Bryansk region of Russia overnight on Tuesday, the source told RBC-Ukraine.
"Indeed, for the first time, we used ATACMS to strike Russian territory. The strike was carried out against a facility in the Bryansk region, and it was successfully hit," the source said.
Karachev is near Bryansk, which is around 120 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
Number of North Korean troops in Russia could reach 100,000, says Zelensky
Tuesday 19 November 2024 11:57
Alex Croft
The number of North Korean troops inside Russia could grow up to 100,000, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
“Now, Putin has brought 11,000 North Korean troops to Ukraine borders. This contingent may grow to 100,000,” Mr Zelensky said in a virtual address to the European Parliament.
Kyiv and Western allies say North Korea has been supplying Russia with weaponry and troops, as Russian president Vladimir Putin’s forces seeks to seize as much territory as possible to strengthen Moscow’s negotiating position when US president-elect Donald Trump takes power.
North Korean troops have already engaged in combat operations against Ukrainian forces, South Korea’s spy agency said last week.
Two people suspected of assassinating Russian naval officer arrested
Tuesday 19 November 2024 11:41
Alex Croft
Russia has arrested two suspects who are believed to have assassinated a senior naval officer with a car bomb in Crimea last week, investigators said on Tuesday.
Valery Trankovsky, a naval captain and the chief of staff of the 41st brigade of Russia’s missile ships in the Black Sea, died in the bombing in the city of Sevastopol.
A Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) source told Reuters it was responsible for the operation.
The two suspects are a 47-year-old man, accused of making and detonating the bomb, and a 38-year-old woman accused of carrying out surveillance on the target.
In a video published by Russian military news outlet Zvezda, the pair were shown confessing the crime. Their faces were blurred and it was not clear if they were speaking freely or under duress.
Opinion: It’s not yet World War Three – but ‘World War Z’ has begun
Tuesday 19 November 2024 11:25
Alex Croft
Time was when optimists responded to the imminence of world war with a cocky: “It’ll all be over by Christmas…”
Since President Biden’s foreign policy team leaked his decision yesterday to let Ukraine use US-supplied long-range missiles to strike military targets within Russia, pessimists have been warning that World War Three will start by Christmas.
The Russians certainly have been issuing blood-curdling warnings that any Western permission to Ukraine to use Nato-supplied rockets to attack Russia itself would trigger a terrible response.
Mark Almond writes:
Damaged undersea internet cables must be seen as ‘sabotage’, says German defence minister
Tuesday 19 November 2024 11:06
Alex Croft
Two undersea internet cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged on Sunday and Monday in what must be seen as an act of sabotage, the German defence minister has said.
A pair of fibre-optic communicatons cables connecting Germany to Findland and Lithuania to Sweden were severed. A joint statement from Finland and Germany said it “immediately raises suspicions of intentional damage”.
German defence minister Boris Pistorius said before a meeting with his EU counterparts on Tuesday that “no one believes” the cables were cut accidentally.
He added: “I also don’t want to believe in versions that these were anchors that accidentally caused damage over these cables.
“Therefore we have to state, without knowing specifically who it came from, that it is a ‘hybrid’ action. And we also have to assume, without knowing it yet, that it is sabotage.”
UK commitment ‘ironclad’, says Starmer
Tuesday 19 November 2024 10:47
Alex Croft
Today is the sobering milestone of 1,000 days since Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) November 19, 2024
As the people of Ukraine continue to bravely defend their sovereignty, the UK’s commitment to them remains ironclad.
We are watching situation closely, says Kremlin
Tuesday 19 November 2024 10:32
Alex Croft
After reports merged that Ukraine might use the US-made ATACMS missile in Russia’s Kursk region, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian military was monitoring the situation very closely.
It comes after US president Joe Biden’s administration allowed Ukraine to use the long-range missiles to strike deep into Russia, acccording to two US officials and a source familiar decision.
Putin signs revised nuclear doctrine - increasing threat to West
Tuesday 19 November 2024 10:13
Alex Croft
Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a revised nuclear doctrine which lowers the bar for using nuclear weapons.
The revisions were first announced in September, and have been signed by Putin after US president Joe Biden permitted the use of American long-range weapons deep inside Russian territory.
Any massive aerial attack may now provoke a nuclear response, the doctrine declares.
It also states that attack against his country by a nonnuclear power with the “participation or support of a nuclear power” will be seen as their “joint attack on the Russian Federation” - although it doesn’t specify whether this would be met with a nuclear response.
Nuclear weapons could also be used in response to aggression against Russia’s ally, Belarus.
Participation by a nuclear state in aggression against Russia will be treated as joint attack, says Kremlin
Tuesday 19 November 2024 09:53
Alex Croft
Aggression against Russia by a non-nuclear state with the participation of a nuclear state will be treated as a joint attack, a spokesperson for the Kremlin has said.
It comes as Russia responds furiously to US president Joe Biden’s decision to allow the use of long-range missiles inside Russian territory.
The Kremlin’s aim is to ensure its potential enemies recognise the inevitability of Russian retaliation to any attack on Russia or its allies, the spokesperson added. But the Kremlin’s warnings of its readiness to use nuclear weapons are nothing new, and have been consistent ove
