Russia shoots down 8 ATACMS missiles, declares retaliation

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on January 4 that it would retaliate after accusing Ukraine of launching US-supplied ATACMS missiles at the Belgorod region the day before.

“On January 3, a missile attack from Ukraine on the Belgorod region was carried out using US-made ATACMS tactical missiles,” AFP quoted the Russian Defense Ministry as saying.

US newspaper: Ukraine doesn't have many ATACMS missiles left, must be frugal

“These actions by the Kyiv authorities, supported by the West, will be met with retaliation,” the ministry added, saying all missiles had been shot down.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its air defense systems had shot down eight long-range ATACMS missiles and 72 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of Ukraine, but did not specify the time, location or damage.

US-made ATACMS missile in a single launch

The US-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) has a range of up to 300 km and its supply to Ukraine prompted Russia to respond by using new missiles to attack Ukraine and warning of a possible hypersonic missile attack on Kyiv.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that air defense forces shot down 10 Ukrainian drones flying over Russian territory on the morning of January 4, including three over the Leningrad region. Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg, Leningrad region, suspended all incoming and outgoing flights on the same morning.

A representative of the Russian Federal Aviation Agency (Rosaviatsia) said the suspension began at 7:45 a.m. to ensure the safety of civil aircraft and was lifted at 10:15 a.m.

Rosaviatsia did not say why the flights were suspended, but several Russian airports had previously been closed amid concerns of possible Ukrainian drone attacks in the region, Reuters reported. Leningrad Governor Alexander Drozdenko said Russian forces had shot down two drones near Luga Bay.

Ukraine did not immediately comment on the information.

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Russia wants to cut off Ukraine's supply lines

The Ukrainian military said on January 4 that Russian forces continued to attack near the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region in an attempt to cut off supply routes to the Ukrainian army.

Control of the road and rail lines east of Donetsk region could cause serious difficulties for Ukrainian troops on the eastern front and also allow Russia to intensify its advance westward.

“The Pokrovsk direction remains the hottest and the Russian side has attacked 34 times (in the past 24 hours), trying to break through our defenses south of Pokrovsk,” said Viktor Trehubov, spokesman for Ukraine’s Khortytsia group.

Pokrovsk has a coal mine that is the sole source of coking coal for Ukraine's giant steel industry. The city had a pre-war population of about 60,000. Ukraine estimates that about 11,000 of them remain in the city.

Russian forces are trying to block supply routes by sending small groups of soldiers to villages south of Pokrovsk, Mr Trehubov said.

“They (the Russians) did not go straight into the city because that would mean intense urban fighting. So they first tried to bypass the city and disrupt the logistics chain,” the official said.

Regarding the general situation, the Ukrainian Air Force said on January 4 that its air defense forces had shot down 34 Russian UAVs, in addition to 47 other UAVs that disappeared from radar screens. Previously, these UAVs had taken off from Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia.

The downed UAVs were shot down in the Ukrainian regions of Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Mykolaiv. The downed UAVs caused damage to houses and injured several people in Chernihiv and Sumy provinces.

Russia has not commented on the information above but has always denied all accusations against civilians in the conflict.

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Poland takes over presidency of the European Council

Poland on January 3 held an event to mark its assumption of the presidency of the European Council, amid growing political divisions as the region faces a series of major global challenges.

Suffering from a stagnant economy, the European Union (EU) is preparing for Donald Trump's return to the White House this month with an "America First" mentality and the possibility of US tariffs on European exports.

The EU is also facing deteriorating trade relations with China and Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. Against this backdrop, Poland is seeking a leading role in shaping European policy, especially on security, according to Reuters.

“If Europe is impotent, it cannot survive… Let us do everything so that Europe and Poland do not pay the highest price for freedom, strength and sovereignty. Let us do everything so that Europe is strong again,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at a gala in Warsaw.

Also in attendance was European Council President Antonio Costa, who stressed the importance of continued support for Kyiv.

“This year, we must continue to stand by Ukraine as much as possible, for as long as necessary, to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. That is why we must continue to make defence a strategic priority for the European Union,” said Mr Costa.

In another development, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has canceled several events in the first two weeks of January due to severe pneumonia, according to commission spokesman Stefan de Keersmaecker. The spokesman did not provide further details about von der Leyen's condition.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chien-su-ukraine-ngay-1046-nga-ban-roi-8-ten-lua-atacms-tuyen-bo-se-tra-dua-185250104191551155.htm