🔗 Share this article

In a latest forum appearance in Sochi, the Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin stated that supplying US long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces would trigger a "whole new level of escalation" involving Russia and Washington. He asserted that this action would fail to change the ongoing dynamics on the front lines, where Russian troops are achieving slow but steady gains.

American Missile Supply Plans Face Practical Hurdles

According to reports, the US government's interest in delivering Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv could be viable due to existing stockpile commitments to the American naval forces and additional purposes. Officials suggested that the US might explore allowing European allies to purchase other high-distance arms for supply to Ukraine, but the Tomahawk system were unlikely. The official questioned the workability of furnishing cruise missiles with a range of 2,500km, proposing shorter-distance options instead.

American Intelligence Support for Kyiv Allegedly Grows

Multiple media outlets have reported that the US will offer Ukrainian forces with reconnaissance data on long-range energy infrastructure targets Russia. Such a move would signify a major change in US administration support for Ukraine. This policy adjustment would mark the first instance of a policy alteration under Donald Trump following his late September online remarks suggesting that the country could reclaim all seized territory from Russia.

Ukrainian President Warns Europe of Moscow's Aggression

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned European leaders that latest drone incursions demonstrate Russia is seeking to "escalate" its aggression. Speaking at a summit of 45 European leaders in Copenhagen, the Ukrainian leader asserted that Moscow aims to "break the west and the European Union". The caution came amid unexplained UAV observations in Denmark and notable aerial incursions by Russian forces in Baltic states and Eastern Europe, increasing fears that the conflict could spill over Ukraine's frontiers. He added that Ukraine was prepared to share its battlefield experience to assist in combating the danger. "If the Russians dare to launch drones against Poland, or breach the airspace of Scandinavian states, it means this can happen anywhere," he emphasized.

Russian Leader Pledges Retaliation Against European "Militarisation"

Vladimir Putin promised to swiftly retaliate against Europe's "growing military expansion" while rejecting Western apprehensions that Moscow intends to assault the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as "baseless". In his address in the Russian resort city, the Russian leader stated, "Our officials are carefully observing the escalating militarisation of Europe … We simply cannot ignore what is happening. We have no right to do so for reasons of our own national security." He added, "In my view everyone understands that Russia's countermeasures will not be long in coming."

Russian Opposition Politician Confronts Charges

The deputy leader of the Russian liberal Yabloko party, which is against the war in Ukraine, has been accused with disseminating false information about the Russian army and could face up to a decade in prison if found guilty. The defendant, 38 ex-parliamentarian in Moscow's city legislature, informed a Moscow court from a secure enclosure that the allegation against him was "ridiculous" and that he posed no danger to society. His legal representative said that her client had been indicted over two posts on Telegram in the previous years and that he had been intensively questioned in the late hours and had his home searched.

Ukrainian Electricity Restoration Operations In Progress

Utility workers were gradually restoring electrical supply to regions of northern Ukraine disconnected from the power network by Moscow's strikes, the Ukrainian prime minister announced late on Thursday. Electricity had been fully restored in two areas of the northeastern Sumy oblast hit by nocturnal assaults, the official reported on Telegram. Restoration work were also proceeding in the adjacent Chernihiv area, where more than 300,000 consumers had been deprived of electricity.

Russia and Ukraine Swap Captured Soldiers

Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war on the recent day. The Ukrainian president said that 185 service members – the majority had been in detention since 2022 – and 20 civilians were returned home. Russia's defence ministry announced that 185 Russian troops and 20 citizens were released. Since the war began, more than 7,000 Ukrainians had returned, the president said on Telegram.