Putin said that Moscow plans to ramp up missile production further. (AP photo)Russia-Ukraine War Live: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that Ukraine was working on developing new types of air defence to counter “new risks” following Russia’s deployment of a new medium-range missile in the 33-month war. Zelenskyy, in his nightly video address, said testing a new weapon for purposes of terror in another country was an “international crime” and issued a new call for a world-wide “serious response” to keep Russia from expanding the war. This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced plans to continue testing the hypersonic Oreshnik missile, which was recently fired at Ukraine, and to begin its serial production. Claiming the missile is impervious to interception, Putin stated, “There is no countermeasure to such a missile, no means of intercepting it, in the world today.”
In a televised address, Putin said Moscow struck a Ukrainian military facility with a new medium-range, hypersonic ballistic missile known as “Oreshnik” (the hazel). Moscow’s attack on Thursday came after Ukraine struck Russia with six US and UK made weapons on November 19 and 20, in a further escalation of the 33-month old war. Mentioning about the approval from Joe Biden’s US administration, Putin said, “From that moment, a regional conflict in Ukraine previously provoked by the West has acquired elements of a global character.”
Following the attack, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said use of the new missile by Russia amounted to “a clear and severe escalation” in the war and urged for a worldwide condemnation. In response to Putin’s address, Zelenskyy, in a post on X, said Russia’s acknowledgement it used the new weapon was another escalation after deployment of North Korean troops on Russian soil. Thursday’s attack, Zelenskyy said, was “yet more proof that Russia has no interest in peace.
The governor of Russia's Kursk border region said on Friday that 46 Russian civilian residents of Kursk held by Ukraine had been returned to Russia following negotiations with Kyiv.
Alexei Smirnov said the civilians, including 12 children, had been moved by Ukrainian troops into Ukraine after Kyiv staged a cross-border incursion into the western Russian region of Kursk in August.
Ukraine continues to control part of the region despite Russian attempts to dislodge Kyiv's forces.
(Reuters)
The Russian missile that struck the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday flew for 15 minutes and reached a maximum speed of beyond Mach 11, Kyiv's top spy agency said on Friday.
"The flight time of this Russian missile from the moment of its launch in the Astrakhan region to its impact in the city of Dnipro was 15 minutes," the Main Directorate of Intelligence said in a statement, adding that the weapon was "likely from the 'Kedr' missile complex.
"The missile was equipped with six warheads: each equipped with six submunitions. The speed at the final part of the trajectory was over Mach 11."
(Reuters)
Russian forces have taken control of the settlement of Novodmytrivka in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, the RIA state-owned news agency reported on Friday, citing the Defence Ministry.
Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield reports.
(Reuters)
Nato and Ukraine will hold talks next week in Brussels over Russia’s firing of an experimental hypersonic intermediate-range missile, diplomats said on Friday.
The meeting on Tuesday of the Nato-Ukraine Council will happen on the ambassadorial level. It was called by Kyiv after the strike on the city of Dnipro, officials told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The Kremlin on Friday said that new US sanctions on Gazprombank were an attempt by Washington to hinder the export of Russian gas and that a solution would be found.
Washington imposed new sanctions on Gazprombank on Thursday that prevent the lender from handling any new energy-related transactions that touch the US financial system, bans its trade with Americans, and freeze its US assets.
Gazprombank is one of Russia's largest banks and is partially owned by Kremlin-owned gas company Gazprom. Ukraine has been urging the US to impose more sanctions on the bank, which receives payments for natural gas from Gazprom's customers in Europe.
(Reuters)
The Kremlin said on Friday that a strike on Ukraine using a newly developed hypersonic ballistic missile was designed to warn the West that Moscow will respond to moves by the US and Britain to let Kyiv strike Russia with their missiles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was speaking a day after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had fired the new missile - the Oreshnik or Hazel Tree - at a Ukrainian military facility.
Peskov said Russia had not been obliged to warn the United States about the strike but had informed the US, 30 minutes before the launch anyway.
Putin remained open to dialogue, Peskov said.
(Reuters)
Ukraine’s parliament canceled Friday’s session, with lawmakers citing the threat of a Russian missile strike on the Kyiv district, where government buildings are located.
“The hour of questions to the government has been cancelled,” Yevgenia Kravchuk, an MP from the ruling party, said, as quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP). "There are signals of an increased risk of attacks on the government district in the coming days."
A top South Korean official says Russia has supplied anti-air missiles to North Korea in exchange for it sending troops.
The US, South Korea and others say North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. What Russia would give North Korea in return has been the focus of keen attention.
National Security Director Shin Wonsik told a SBS TV programme Friday that South Korea has found Russia has provided anti-air missiles and other equipment to reinforce its air defence network for Pyongyang, the capital.
Shin says Russia has also give diverse economic assistance to North Korea.
Seoul and Washington have voiced worries about possible Russian transfers of sensitive nuclear and missile technology to North Korea.
(AP)
A Russian drone attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy killed two people and injured 12 on Friday morning, regional authorities said, as quoted by Reuters.
Twelve apartment buildings, five private residences, a store, and three cars were damaged after three drones attacked the city around 5 a.m. (0300 GMT), the national police said.
Volodymyr Artiukh, Sumy regional governor, said Russian forces had equipped drones with shrapnel for the attack on a densely populated area of the city.
"This weapon is used... exclusively (to kill) people," Artiukh said, pointing to scars on a damaged building. "Not for a facility, but in order to destroy more people."
(With inputs from Reuters)
Russian gas producer Gazprom said it would send 42.4 million cubic metres of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Friday, the same volume as on Thursday.
Reuters
After Russian President Vladimir Putin warned to further strikes, Ukraine's parliament has postponed a sitting scheduled to be held on Friday out of security concerns.
"On 22nd November, plans called for a session of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament), which included questions to the government, but this was cancelled for reasons of potential security issues," public broadcaster Suspilne was quoted as saying by Reuters.
It said the order told members to keep their families out of Kyiv's government district and quoted parliamentarians as saying that, for the moment, the next sitting was not scheduled until December.
With Reuters inputs
Responding to Russia's attack on Ukraine, NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said Russia was seeking to "terrorise" civilians and intimidate Ukraine's allies.
"Deploying this capability will neither change the course of the conflict nor deter NATO allies from supporting Ukraine,” Dakhlallah said.
Some military experts told Reuters that the missile launch could be seen as an act of deterrence by Moscow following Kyiv's strikes into Russia with Western weapons this week, after restrictions on such strikes were lifted.
Oil prices rose on Friday after Russia said it had fired a ballistic missile at Ukraine and warned of a broadening conflict, raising the prospect of tightening crude supplies.
Brent crude futures gained 14 cents, or 0.2%, to $74.37 a barrel by 0007 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 17 cents, or 0.2%, to $70.27 per barrel.
Reuters
Russia’s Defence Ministry said that its forces had captured the eastern Ukrainian village of Dalne in the Donetsk region, a key region in their advance in the war. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s General Staff did not confirm Russia’s capture of Dalne, instead said Russian forces had tried to pierce Ukrainian defences 26 times over the past 24 hours and 10 out of 16 armed clashes continued in the area.
With Reuters inputs
In response to Putin’s address, Zelenskiy, in a post on X, said Russia’s acknowledgement it used the new weapon was another escalation after deployment of North Korean troops on Russian soil. Thursday’s attack, Zelenskiy said, was “yet more proof that Russia has no interest in peace.
After Russia fired a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at Dnipro in Ukraine on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that more could follow and added civilians would be warned ahead of such strikes. In a televised address, Putin said Moscow struck a Ukrainian military facility with a new medium-range, hypersonic ballistic missile known as “Oreshnik” (the hazel). Moscow’s attack on Thursday came after Ukraine struck Russia with six US and UK made weapons on November 19 and 20, in a further escalation of the 33-month old war. Mentioning about the approval from Joe Biden’s US administration, Putin said, “From that moment, a regional conflict in Ukraine previously provoked by the West has acquired elements of a global character.”
With Reuters inputs
Spot gold rose for a fourth consecutive session on Thursday, hitting an over one-week high as safe-haven demand soared following AI bellwether Nvidia's lackluster revenue forecast and intensifying Russia-Ukraine tensions.
Spot gold was up 0.6 per cent at $2,666.00 per ounce by 10:27 a.m. EST (1527 GMT), while US gold futures GCv1 rose 0.6 per cent to $2,668.60.
"It's really one main geopolitical factor that's at play here in the gold market over the course of the last several days - the increased tensions between Ukraine and Russia is probably most notable," said David Meger, director of metals trading at High Ridge Futures.
Russia's third largest bank, Gazprombank and its six foreign subsidiaries were hit with US sanctions on Thursday — in a move intended to curtail Russia's ability to evade the thousands of sanctions imposed on the nation since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the sanctions targeting Russia’s largest remaining non-sanctioned bank would further diminish Russia's military effort and “will make it harder for the Kremlin to evade US sanctions and fund and equip its military."
In addition, more than 50 internationally connected Russian banks, 40 Russian securities registrars, and 15 Russian finance officials were hit with sanctions.
The US imposed fresh sanctions on Russia's Gazprombank on Thursday, the Treasury Department said, wielding its most powerful sanctioning tool against the bank as President Joe Biden steps up actions to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine before leaving office in January.
The move effectively kicks Gazprombank — one of Russia's largest banks — out of the US banking system, bans their trade with Americans, and freezes their US assets.
Gazprombank is partially owned by Kremlin-owned gas company Gazprom.
Since Russia's invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has been urging the US to impose more sanctions on the bank, which receives payments for natural gas from Gazprom's customers in Europe.
Russia did not use an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during an attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday, two Western officials told Reuters, contradicting the official account from Ukraine.
The Western officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the assessment was based on initial analysis and left open the possibility that conclusion could change.
ICBMs are strategic weapons designed to deliver nuclear warheads and are an important part of Russia's nuclear deterrent.
-Reuters
Britain is now directly involved in the war in Ukraine, Russia's ambassador to the UK said on Thursday, following reports that British long-range missiles were used to strike targets inside Russian territory.
"Britain and UK is now directly involved in this war, because this firing cannot happen without Nato staff, British staff as well," Andrei Kelin told Sky News.
Ukraine's foreign ministry on Thursday called on the international community to react swiftly to Russia's use of a "new type of weaponry", though it stopped short of saying it was confirmed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile.
"If it is confirmed that specifically an intercontinental ballistic missile was used, then we believe that it can be said that Putin's Russia has degraded to the status of North Korea, which from time to time...fairly regularly fires such missiles, frightening its neighbours, frightening the world," spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said during a press briefing in Kyiv.
Earlier, Ukraine said Russia had fired what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile at the city of Dnipro.
Two Western officials told Reuters that initial analysis suggested it was not an ICBM.
Russia's weekend missile strikes hit three of the five working thermal plants owned by Ukrainian power giant DTEK and one of them is still offline, an industry source said, illustrating the severity of the latest blow to the national grid.
DTEK, which is Ukraine's largest private power producer and which provided a quarter of the country's electricity needs before Moscow's February 2022 invasion, has been hammered by a campaign of aerial assaults that Russia renewed in March.
After a pause in major strikes on the grid, Russia fired a salvo of more than 200 missiles and drones on Sunday, reigniting concern about the already hobbled energy system as winter sets in. The first snow fell in Kyiv on Thursday.
Disclosing details of the damage to DTEK for the first time, the source said that three power stations were damaged, one was still completely offline and it was unclear how long it would take to fully repair them.
Oil prices climbed more than 2 per cent on Thursday as Russia and Ukraine launched missiles at each other, overshadowing the impact of a bigger-than-expected increase in US crude inventories.
Brent crude futures rose $1.48, or 2.03 per cent, to $74.29 by 1158 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose $1.53, or 2.23 per cent, to $70.28.
Ukraine fired British cruise missiles into Russia on Wednesday, the latest Western weapon it has been permitted to use in such a way, a day after it fired U.S. missiles.
Kyiv's air force said Russia responded Thursday morning, launching an intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine, the first time Moscow has used such a powerful, long-range missile during the war.
A Russian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that Ukraine says was fired at the city of Dnipro on Thursday was an RS-26 Rubezh, Ukraine's Ukrainska Pravda media outlet reported, citing anonymous sources.
According to defence sources, however, there are doubts as to whether the weapon used was the RS-26 Rubezh, and said that an accurate assessment based on the available imagery would be difficult.
Chicago wheat rose for a fifth straight session on Thursday after Ukraine reported that Russia had fired an intercontinental ballistic missile, adding to concerns about escalation in the war between the Black Sea grain exporters.
Corn was almost unchanged, while soybeans steadied after hitting a two-week low due to bumper crop prospects in Brazil and worries over the impact of incoming US President Donald Trump's trade and biofuel agendas.
While answering reporters' questions at a weekly briefing, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was phoned by a man who used the informal "Mash" instead of Maria. He told her not to comment on ballistic missiles.
"Yes, hello," Zakharova said, according to the recording of the briefing.
"Mash," said the man, who was not identified.
"Yes, I am at a briefing," Zakharova said.
"About the ballistic missile strike on Yuzhmash (rocket company Pivdenmash) that the Western media are talking about, we are not commenting at all," the man said.
Asked about the conversation by Russian state news agencies, Zakharova said that while preparing for the briefing she had asked experts for clarification on certain topics as is standard practice.
"The answer came during the briefing - the foreign ministry does not comment. So there is no intrigue," Zakharova was quoted by RIA state news agency as saying
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman was phoned during a live briefing and told not to comment on reports that Russia had fired a ballistic missile at Ukraine, according to a video of the briefing that picked up the telephone conversation.
Kyiv said earlier on Thursday that Russia had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile during an attack on the city of Dnipro.
Russian Telegram channels said Russia had attacked what is known in Ukraine as the missile and space rocket company Pivdenmash, which is headquartered in Dnipro.
Russia has yet to comment.
France's foreign ministry spokesman on Thursday said he could not confirm Russia had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in an attack on Ukraine, but added such a move would be a serious escalation if reports are true.
Kyiv's air force earlier said Russia fired an intercontinental ballistic missile during an attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, in what would be the first use in war of a weapon designed to deliver long-distance nuclear strikes.
"If confirmed we will react in an appropriate manner," Christophe Lemoine told journalists at a news conference.
-Reuters
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson on Thursday said that reports Russia had used an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to attack Ukraine were deeply concerning, and would be another example of Russia's recklessness if true.
Russia launched an ICBM during an attack on Ukraine on Thursday, Kyiv's air force said, in the first known use in the war of a powerful weapon designed to deliver nuclear strikes thousands of kilometres away.
As tensions in the war in Ukraine rise still further, Russia's defence ministry said it shot down two British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
Asked about the statement, Starmer's spokesperson declined to comment on operational matters.
The Ukrainians did not specify what kind of warhead the missile had or what type of missile it was.
There was no suggestion it was nuclear-armed.
Russia did not immediately comment on the Ukrainian air force statement.
Asked by reporters about the air force statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters to contact the Russian military for comment.
Ukrainska Pravda, a Kyiv-based media outlet, cited anonymous sources saying the missile was an RS-26 Rubezh, a solid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 5,800 km, according to the Arms Control Association.
The RS-26 was first successfully tested in 2012, and is estimated to be 12 metres (40 ft) long and weigh 36 tonnes, according to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
It said the RS-26 can carry an 800-kg (1,765-pound)nuclear warhead.
While the range of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) would seem excessive for use against Ukraine, such missiles are designed to carry nuclear warheads, and the use of one would serve as a chilling reminder of Russia’s nuclear capability and a powerful message of potential escalation.
In a statement on Thursday on the Telegram messaging app, Ukraine's air force did not specify the exact type of missile, but said it was launched from Russia’s Astrakhan region, which borders the Caspian Sea.
It said an intercontinental ballistic missile was fired at Dnipro city along with eight other missiles, and that the Ukrainian military shot down six of them.
Two people were wounded as a result of the attack, and an industrial facility and a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities were damaged, according to local officials.
Russia-Ukraine War Live Updates: The Russian Defence Ministry said Thursday its air defence systems shot down two British-made Storm Shadow missiles, six HIMARS rockets, and 67 drones.
The announcement came in the ministry's daily roundup of the “special military operation” in Ukraine.
It didn't say when or where exactly it happened or what the missiles were targeting.
This is not Moscow's first public announcement of the downing of Storm Shadow missiles.
Russia earlier reported shooting some down over the annexed Crimean Peninsula.
-AP
Russia has launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from its southern Astrakhan region in a morning attack on Ukraine, Kyiv’s air force said. This is the first time since the war broke out that Russia has used such a long-range, powerful missile.
AP is reporting that North Korea and Russia have reached a new agreement for expanding economic cooperation following high-level talks in Pyongyang this week as they continue to align in the face of their confrontations with Washington.
After the Joe Biden administration approved the provision of anti-personnel land mines to Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the US in a video address, saying that the landmines were “essential … to stop Russian assaults”, reported The Guardian. Earlier, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the shift in Washington’s policy on antipersonnel landmines for Ukraine was needed to counter changing Russian tactics.
Russia staged "a massive information-psychological attack" against Ukraine by spreading a fake warning, purportedly from Ukrainian military intelligence, about an imminent mass air attack, Kyiv's top spy agency said on Wednesday.
"A message is being spread via messengers and social networks ... about the threat of a 'particularly massive' missile and bomb strike on Ukrainian cities today," the Main Directorate of Intelligence said in a statement.
"This message is a fake, it contains grammatical errors typical of Russian information and psychological operations."
-Reuters
Gold prices climbed for a third consecutive session to mark a one-week high on Wednesday, as investors sought refuge in the safe-haven metal amid mounting geopolitical unease fuelled by escalating Russia-Ukraine tensions.
Spot gold was up 0.6 per cent at $2,646.79 per ounce as of 10:23 a.m. EST (1523 GMT), after hitting its highest level since Nov. 11 earlier in the session.
U. gold futures gained 0.8 per cent at $2,650.60.
-Reuters
The Netherlands has handed the final two of 18 promised F-16 fighter jets to a training facility in Romania, where Ukrainian pilots and ground staff are being taught to fly and maintain the planes in battle, the Dutch ministry said on Wednesday.
The Netherlands has been one of the driving forces behind an international coalition to supply Ukraine with F-16s to strengthen its air defence against the Russian invasion.
Ukraine fired a volley of British Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia on Wednesday, the latest new Western weapon it has been permitted to use on Russian targets a day after it fired US ATACMS missiles.
The strikes were widely reported by Russian war correspondents on Telegram and confirmed by an official on condition of anonymity.
Moscow has said the use of Western weapons to strike into Russian territory far from the border would be a major escalation in the conflict.
Kyiv says it needs the capability to defend itself by hitting Russian rear bases used to support Moscow's invasion, which entered its thousandth day this week.
Russian war correspondent accounts on Telegram posted footage they said included the sound of the missiles striking in Kursk region.
At least 14 huge explosions can be heard, most of them preceded by the sharp whistle of what sounds like an incoming missile. The footage, shot in a residential area, showed black smoke rising in the distance.
Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday as concern that escalating hostilities in the Ukraine war could potentially disrupt oil supply from Russia outweighed data showing rising US crude stocks.
Brent crude futures for January were up 40 cents, or 0.6 per cent, at $73.71 a barrel by 1420 GMT (7.50 pm IST).
US West Texas Intermediate crude futures for December, due to expire on Wednesday, were up 56 cents, or 0.8 per cent, at $69.95, while the more active WTI contract for January was up 47 cents, or 0.7 per cent, at $69.71.
The escalating war between major oil producer Russia and Ukraine has kept a floor under the market this week.
Russia staged "a massive information-psychological attack" against Ukraine by spreading a fake warning, purportedly from Ukrainian military intelligence, about an imminent mass air attack, Kyiv's top spy agency said on Wednesday.
"A message is being spread via messengers and social networks ... about the threat of a 'particularly massive' missile and bomb strike on Ukrainian cities today," the Main Directorate of Intelligence said in a statement.
"This message is a fake, it contains grammatical errors typical of Russian information and psychological operations."
A view shows the US embassy, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv on Wednesday. (Photo Reuters)
Russia-Ukraine War Live Updates: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Wednesday dismissed President Vladimir Putin's decision to lower the threshold for a nuclear strike as just "rhetoric".
"We are not intimidated," he said in an interview with France 2 television
Putin approved the change in nuclear doctrine as Ukraine used US ATACMS missiles to strike deeper into Russian territory, taking advantage of newly granted permission from the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden on the war's 1,000th day.
Russia will retaliate against Nato countries that facilitate long-range missile strikes against Russian territory by Ukraine, foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin said in an interview published on Wednesday.
Naryshkin said changes announced by President Vladimir Putin to Russia's nuclear doctrine meant it was in effect impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield.
"Our enemies are forced to admit that the determination of the Russian President to firmly defend the country's fundamental interests by all available means narrows the room for manoeuvre for Washington and Brussels," he told the magazine National Defence.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the option of freezing the Ukraine conflict did not suit Russia, although it restated that President Vladimir Putin was open to negotiations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the decision by the US embassy in Kyiv to close on Wednesday and issue a warning about a potential "significant air attack", referring the question to the defence ministry.
Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russian envoy to India Denis Alipov on Wednesday said there is not much ground for negotiation at present but Moscow is prepared to sit and talk with Kyiv, provided there is an "acceptable basis".
Alipov said this in response to a query during an interaction session in New Delhi on Brics and its potential.
The session was hosted by Russian state-owned Sputnik news agency.
In his opening remarks at the session, Alipov hailed Brics and described the grouping of emerging economies as a "reflection of new realities".
The Russia-Ukraine conflict, which began in February 2022, entered its 1,000th day on Monday.
-PTI
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan opposes a US decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to attack inside Russia, saying it would further enflame the conflict, according to a readout shared by his office on Wednesday.
Ukraine used US ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory on Tuesday, taking advantage of newly granted permission from the outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden on the 1,000th day of the war in Ukraine.
On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a policy document that lowers the threshold
for Moscow to use nuclear weapons in response to attacks by an enemy using conventional weapons.
"Biden's step would be interpreted as a move to enflame the war and to ensure that it never ends but spreads," Erdogan told reporters on his flight back to Turkey from Brazil, where he attended the G20 Summit.
The embassy in Kyiv urged US citizens in Ukraine to have reserves of water, food, and other essentials such as required medications for the event of a "possible temporary loss of electricity and water" caused by Russian strikes.
"Persistent Russian attacks targeting civilian infrastructure throughout Ukraine may result in power outages, loss of heating, and disruption of municipal services," it said.
Commenting on Wednesday's US embassy warning, Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian Security Council's Centre for Countering Disinformation, said Russia was ready to conduct more missile strikes.
"Let me remind you that the Russians have been stockpiling missiles for a series of attacks on Ukraine for months. This includes Kh-101 missiles, which they continue to produce, as well as Kalibrs and ballistics," he said.
After having completed 1000 days, the war is at a volatile juncture, with a fifth of Ukrainian territory in Russian hands, North Korean troops deployed in Russia's Kursk region, and doubts over the future of Western aid as US President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.
On Sunday, Russia staged a massive missile and drone strike on the national power grid that killed seven people and renewed fears over the durability of the hobbled energy network.
Russian foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin said in an interview published on Wednesday that Moscow would retaliate against Nato countries that facilitate long-range Ukrainian missile strikes against Russian territory.
Ukraine's military intelligence agency said on Wednesday that a Russian military command post had been "successfully struck" in the town of Gubkin in Russia's Belgorod region, around 168 km from the border with Ukraine.
The Ukrainian statement raised the possibility of a second ATACMS strike, but did not specify who carried out the attack, when it took place or the type of weapon used.
Ukraine has also used drones for deep strikes against targets in Russia.
On Tuesday, Ukraine used US ATACMS missiles to attack an arms depot inside Russia, making use of newly granted permission from the outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden on the 1,000th day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"Out of an abundance of caution, the embassy will be closed, and embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place," the US Department of State Consular Affairs said in a statement on the embassy's website.
The United States shut its embassy in Kyiv on Wednesday due to "specific information of a potential significant air attack" and told its citizens in Ukraine to be ready to swiftly seek shelter.
The Italian and Greek embassies said they had also closed their doors after the unusual US warning, while the French embassy remained open but urged its citizens to be cautious.
Russia has been signalling to the United States and its allies for weeks that if they give permission to Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory with Western-supplied missiles, then Moscow will consider it a major escalation.
-Reuters
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