Russia and Ukraine trade missile and drone strikes

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military said overnight it struck the Kaluganefteprodukt oil depot in the Kaluga region southeast of Moscow with drones.

Sources told Ukrainian media that the attack caused a series of explosions and a fire at the site.

There has been no comment from the Russian military on the attack, but regional governor Vladislav Shapsha said debris from drones shot down by air defenses had caused “a fire on the territory of an industrial enterprise”. A total of eight drones were destroyed, he added.

Ukraine’s military also mentioned attacks in the Bryansk and Kursk regions, without specifying what was hit.

However, Russian military bloggers said the Khalino airbase in the Kursk region had been hit in an attack by eight US-supplied Atacms missiles.

US authorization for the use of Atacms is said to be limited to this region due to the presence of North Korean troops there.

They are believed to be involved in a Russian offensive to drive Ukrainian forces out of a small area in the Kursk region, which they captured last fall in a surprise attack.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said only that it had shot down eight ballistic missiles from Ukraine, without saying where.

Russian forces have also hit Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in an attempt to create difficult conditions as winter approaches.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Both countries are now trying to secure a battlefield advantage before Donald Trump becomes US president in January and seeks to end the conflict.

He has promised to end the war within hours, but has not given details on how.