4th January 2025 – (Moscow) Russia pledged today to take retaliatory measures after alleging that Ukraine fired U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles into the Belgorod region the previous day. This accusation follows a controversial decision by outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden, who authorized the use of long-range weapons for Ukraine, a move the Kremlin condemned as a significant escalation in the nearly three-year conflict.
The Russian defence ministry reported that on 3rd January, there was an attempted missile strike from Ukrainian territory targeting Belgorod using ATACMS missiles. They claimed that all missiles were intercepted by air defences, which reportedly downed a total of eight ATACMS without specifying the time or location of these incidents.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously warned that continued Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with Western long-range weapons could provoke a response, including potential strikes on central Kyiv.
The rhetoric intensified as both Kyiv and Moscow exchanged accusations of civilian casualties since the start of the year. Earlier on the same day, a Russian attack on a village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region resulted in the death of a 74-year-old man, according to regional governor Oleg Synegubov.
Additionally, Russia’s defence ministry announced the capture of the Ukrainian village of Nadiia, one of the few remaining settlements in the eastern Lugansk region under Kyiv’s control. An analysis by AFP indicated that Moscow advanced nearly 4,000 square kilometres in Ukraine throughout 2024, amidst Kyiv’s struggles with manpower shortages and operational fatigue.
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