Updates on Ukraine: Russia launches a deadly missile barrage

A wave of Russian missile attacks across Ukraine has destroyed civilian infrastructure and left at least two dead. Meanwhile, a Western price cap on Russian oil has come into effect. DW rounds up the latest.

Ukrainian officials have reported a new wave of Russian missile strikes across the country as Moscow seeks to cripple Ukraine's energy supplies and infrastructure. Explosions were reported in several parts of the country, including the cities of Odesa, Cherkasy and Kryvyi Rih.  

Russia's latest wave of airstrikes has destroyed homes in the south and knocked out power in the north. Two people were reportedly killed by gunfire in Zaporizhzhia.

A missile strike in Odesa cut power to pumping stations, leaving the entire city without water, according to the local water company. Officials in Kryvyi Rih said, "Parts of the city are cut off from electricity, several boiler and pumping stations are disconnected."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said air defense forces shot down most of the Russian missiles fired at his country Monday, and that energy workers were already restoring power supplies. 

"Every Russian missile shot down is concrete proof that terror can be defeated," said Zelenskyy during a daily video address.

"Our people never give up," Zelenskyy said, but he also noted that four people had reportedly been killed in Monday's attack. "Unfortunately, there are victims." 

Ukrainian authorities claim that 60 of the 70 rockets fired on Ukraine were intercepted.

"The enemy is again attacking the territory of Ukraine with missiles!" Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian president's office, wrote on Telegram as officials urged people to take shelter, and air raid sirens sounded across the country.

White House National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby called the latest strikes, "a reminder of Putin's brutality."

Report: Ukraine struck 2 military bases in Russia

The New York Times reported, citing an unnamed senior Ukrainian official, that Kyiv hit two military bases inside Russia using unmanned drones. 

According to the paper, the bases were hundreds of miles inside Russia and the strikes were launched from Ukrainian territory. 

At least two planes were destroyed at one of the bases, the report said. 

It added that special forces close to one of the bases helped guide the strike to its target.

The report also noted that Russia's deadly wave of missiles was possibly in retaliation to the strikes that struck the military bases. 

Kyiv has declined to publicly acknowledge the strikes. The Ukrainian government has previously refused to immediately claim attacks on Russia or the Russian-annexed Crimea. 

Blasts reported at two Russian air bases

Explosions at two military airfields in western Russia on Monday left three people dead and several injured. 

There were reports of two planes being damaged in the blast at the Engels air base near Saratov, some 860 kilometers (534 miles) southeast of the Russian capital, Moscow. The base reportedly houses T-95 strategic bombers, according to Russian news agencies. The plane is the type that Russia has used for rocket attacks on Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure.

The Saratov facility is far from the Ukrainian border, some 1,000 kilometers east of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. According to images and reports on social media, the blast was considerable.

At roughly the same time, a gasoline truck blew up on a runway in the region of Ryazan, south of Moscow. No information was available about what caused the blast in Ryazan, where the three fatalities were recorded.

The Ryazan base houses long-range flight tankers that serve to refuel bombers in the air.

The Russian Defense Ministry on Monday said that the damage occurred when it shot down Ukrainian drones targeting Russian airbases and that the deaths, injuries and material damage were all caused by debris from the exploding UAVs.

A Defense Ministry spokesperson said, "the Kyiv regime attempted to strike the Dyagilevo airfield in the Ryazan region, and the Engels airfield in the Saratov region, with Soviet-made drones." 

Russia said the bases were targeted to "disrupt Russian long-range aircraft."

Putin drives across Kerch bridge for 1st time after explosion 

Russian leader Vladimir Putin drove across the Kerch bridge after an explosion destroyed the key link between Russia and illegally annexed Crimea in October.

Putin drove his Mercedes across the bridge and talked about repair work with Marat Khusnulin, a deputy prime minister in charge of the project, an exchange that was broadcast by Russian television.

The president also spoke to workers involved in restoring the 12-mile (19-kilometer) bridge that Russia has used to move military equipment into Ukraine.

Putin also emphasized the need to build a highway along the Sea of Azov coast to link Crimea with regions in southern Russia, the Kremlin said. 

Russia blamed the bomb attack on the bridge last month on Ukrainian military intelligence and struck several Ukrainian energy facilities and other key infrastructures following it.

Russia built the Kerch bridge after it annexed Crimea in 2014Image: Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP/picture alliance

Ukrainian air defense forces shot down most Russian missiles, says Zelenskyy

Ukrainian air defense forces shot down most Russian missiles fired at Ukraine on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Energy workers had already begun working on restoring power supplies, he added. 

Russia carried out the latest in wave of airstrikes on Ukraine, destroying homes in the south and knocking out power in the north and killing at least two people, Ukrainian officials said.

New barrage of Russian missiles targets utilities 

Ukrainian officials have reported a new wave of Russian missile strikes across the country as Moscow seeks to cripple Ukraine's energy supplies and infrastructure.  

Explosions were reported in several parts of the country, including the cities of Odesa, Cherkasy and Kryvyi Rih. 

A missile strike in Odesa cut power to pumping stations, leaving the entire city without water, according to the local water company. 

Officials in Kryvyi Rih said "parts of the city are cut off from electricity, several boiler and pumping stations are disconnected." 

Authorities urged people to take shelter, with air raid sirens sounded across the country. 

"The enemy is again attacking the territory of Ukraine with missiles!" Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the Ukrainian president's office, wrote on Telegram. 

Western price cap on Russian oil takes effect

A price cap on Russian oil agreed by the EU, G7 and Australia has come into force. The measure has the aim of restricting Russia's revenue as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine, while making sure that Moscow keeps supplying the global market.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded by saying that the measure would contribute to a destabilization of world energy markets. He said it would not affect Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.

The cap took effect alongside an EU embargo on deliveries of Russian crude oil by ship. It comes several months after an embargo was imposed by the United States and Canada.

Russia is the second-largest crude exporter in the world and likely could find new buyers at market prices without the cap.

UK says Russia flying far fewer sorties 

The UK Ministry of Defence says the number of combat aircraft sorties carried out by Russia over Ukraine has significantly decreased in recent months. 

The ministry says Russian aircraft now probably conduct tens of missions per day, compared to a high of up to 300 per day in March 2022. 

UK experts say the decrease in sorties is likely a result of at least three factors - a continued high threat from Ukrainian air defenses, limitations on the flying hours available to Russian aircraft, and worsening weather. 

Russia has now lost more than 60 fixed-wing aircraft in the conflict. 

The ministry said that, because Russia's ground attack tactics are largely reliant on visual identification and unguided munitions, the Russian air force will likely continue some ground attack operations through the poor winter weather. 

Ukraine talks trade with neutral UAE

The United Arab Emirates and Ukraine have announced talks on a bilateral trade deal that is expected to conclude by the middle of next year

The Gulf Arab state has tried to remain neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war despite pressure from the West on Gulf oil producers to do more to help isolate Moscow. The UAE has called for diplomacy to resolve the conflict.

More DW coverage on Russia's invasion of Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has increased demand for weapons as Russia ups production and Western nations seek to replace stock donated to Kyiv. However, a report says the conflict may also hamper production.

The EU has stopped buying Russian seaborne crude oil as it seeks to deprive Moscow of a key revenue source fueling its war in Ukraine. The move will hurt Russia but not as much as the bloc would have liked.

As winter draws in at the front in Ukraine, what Russia's army really needs is a rest. This could prove to be an opportunity for Kyiv — but, to take advantage of it, Ukraine needs more ammunition.

Russia continues to attack energy infrastructure in Ukraine, causing homes to lose power, heat and water. Experts say it's a cynical tactic with a long history.

Russian propagandists are constantly saying Ukraine is full of Nazis, and posting alleged evidence online. DW's fact-checking team has investigated some of this supposed evidence and found it to be baseless.

Source: js,rc/wd (dpa, AFP, AP, Reuters)