Ukrainian officials reported Russian airstrikes on Kyiv on Monday, Jan. 12, while Russian authorities reported a Ukrainian drone attack in the city of Voronezh. The military actions occurred as the United Kingdom and Sweden announced new defense support packages for Ukraine, and European Union officials discussed regional security strategies.
According to Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, Russian forces launched an air attack on the Ukrainian capital overnight, causing a fire in one district. Tkachenko stated that Ukrainian air defense units responded to the attack.
In a separate statement on Telegram, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said that more than 1,000 apartment buildings in Kyiv remained without heat following a prior Russian attack. Svyrydenko noted that there had been at least 44 Russian attacks targeting energy facilities and critical infrastructure over the past week.
Meanwhile, Russian officials reported a Ukrainian drone attack in Voronezh on Sunday. The region’s governor, Alexander Gusev, said the attack resulted in one death and three injuries. Gusev also reported damage to over 10 apartment buildings, several private homes, a school, and administrative buildings.
In other military developments, Ukraine’s military announced it had conducted “direct hits” on three Caspian Sea drilling platforms belonging to the Russian oil company Lukoil. The platforms were identified as the V Filanovsky, Yuri Korchagin, and Valery Grayfer. Separately, Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed its forces had taken control of the village of Bilohirya in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region, according to the state news agency TASS.
Ukraine’s main intelligence directorate also reported that Russia had deployed a new jet-powered drone, the “Geran-5,” this month. The directorate described the drone, a Russian version of the Iranian-designed Shahed, as capable of carrying a 90kg warhead with a range of nearly 1,000km.
Several European nations announced new military aid for Ukraine. The United Kingdom confirmed it will develop a new deep-strike ballistic missile for use by Ukrainian forces under a project named “Nightfall.” The missile is being designed to carry a 200kg warhead over a range of more than 500km. Sweden announced it will allocate 15 billion Swedish crowns ($1.6bn) for air defense systems intended to protect civilian areas and infrastructure in Ukraine.
In diplomatic developments, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen commented on a 20-point peace plan supported by Kyiv and its allies. Von der Leyen stated it was now “up to Russia to show it is interested in peace.” She outlined that the plan relies on Ukraine’s armed forces as a first line of defense, equipped by European partners, with a second line of defense provided by a “Coalition of the Willing” comprised of 35 states.
Additionally, the European Union’s defense commissioner, Andrius Kubilus, said the bloc should consider establishing a combined military force of up to 100,000 troops to enhance European security.
