Ukraine continues to use US weapons for long-range attacks, Russia retaliates

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on December 20 that it had launched a response to Ukraine's recent use of missiles supplied by the US and UK to attack Russian territory.

The Ukrainian Air Force accused Russia of attacking the capital Kyiv on the morning of December 20 with five Iskander-M ballistic missiles or KN-23 missiles produced by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, according to The Kyiv Independent . The Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have shot down all five missiles, causing debris to fall on several districts of the city of Kyiv.

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Ukraine's State Ambulance Service confirmed that one person was killed and 11 were injured in the attack.

The Ukrainian Air Force announced that its forces shot down 40 out of 65 Shahed drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles launched by Russia into Ukraine on the night of December 19 and early morning of December 20.

Rescuers at the scene of a building destroyed by a Russian missile attack in central Kyiv, Ukraine, on December 20.

As of the evening of December 20, there was no information about the reaction of Russia or North Korea to the above accusations of Ukraine.

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Russia retaliates against Ukraine's attack on its territory

TASS news agency on December 20 quoted the Russian Defense Ministry as saying that Russian troops retaliated against Ukraine’s attack on Russia’s Rostov region by attacking the control center of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Luch design bureau and a Patriot missile site. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that all the objectives of the attack had been achieved.

As a result of the retaliatory strike, an air alert was issued across Ukraine on the morning of December 20. A series of powerful explosions were reported in the capital Kyiv, followed by a large fire. Several explosions were also reported in Ukraine's Kherson region, according to TASS.

On December 18, Ukraine launched an attack on the Kamensky Combine in Rostov Oblast using six US-made ATACMS missiles and four British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, according to TASS.

Russian servicemen shot down all ATACMS missiles as well as three of the four Storm Shadow missiles. The remaining missile was deflected from its target, according to TASS.

As of the evening of December 20, there was no information about Ukraine's reaction to the statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

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Ukraine used HIMARS to attack Kursk?

Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed that people were killed and injured in a Ukrainian missile attack on the town of Rylsk in Russia's Kursk region on December 20, according to Reuters.

Later, acting Kursk Governor Alexander Khinshtein wrote on the Telegram messaging app that six people were killed and 10 injured in the attack. Khinshtein also wrote that Ukraine had launched rockets from the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), damaging several buildings, including a school and a recreation center.

According to Mr. Khinshtein, Ukraine continues to attack Rylsk, complicating the efforts of rescue workers. Rylsk is about 26 km from the border with Ukraine's Sumy region.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow would raise the issue of the missile attack at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on December 20, according to TASS news agency.

As of the evening of December 20, there was no information about Ukraine’s response to the above accusation. The Ukrainian army still controls part of Kursk province after crossing the border in a surprise attack on August 6, according to Reuters.

See more: Ukraine controls more territory in Kursk, Russia attacks Kyiv?

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Kremlin explains Putin's challenge

The Kremlin spokesman said on December 20 that Russia's retaliation against attacks deep into Russian territory will be continuous, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated, according to TASS news agency.

"You know that such attacks on Russian territory have been carried out and you know that the president said there would be a response. You see that the response has been given, as the president said," Dmitry Peskov added.

This is how Mr Peskov responded to a question about whether Mr Putin's challenge of a "missile duel" with the US could be interpreted as a joke or a warning.

At a press conference on December 19, to address Western countries' skepticism about the effectiveness of the Oreshnik missile, President Putin suggested that the parties should choose a target protected by missiles from the United States. "We will attack it with the Oreshnik missile and see what happens. We are ready for such a test," Putin said.

Mr. Putin emphasized that the Oreshnik missile is a modern weapon and inherits previous Soviet designs. Russia first launched the Oreshnik missile at the city of Dnipro (Ukraine) on November 21, a move Mr. Putin considered a response to Ukraine's use of the US ATACMS long-range missile and the British Storm Shadow missile to attack Russian territory with the permission of the West.

See more : What did the US say when Russia accused Ukraine of firing ATACMS missiles into Crimea?

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chien-su-ukraine-ngay-1031-ukraine-tiep-tuc-dung-vu-khi-my-tan-cong-tam-xa-nga-tra-dua-18524122019234861.htm