Ukraine launches massive attacks on Russian cities

Moscow said on Tuesday that Ukraine had fired six U.S.-made ATACMS ballistic missiles, six British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles and at least 146 drones at Russia, adding that the attack would not go unanswered.

After Ukraine launched ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles against Russia for the first time last year, Moscow responded on November 21 by launching a new medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile called Oreshnik or Hazel over Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that it had shot down all Western missiles launched by Ukraine towards the Bryansk region, as well as 146 drones outside the war zone. Two more Storm Shadows were said to have been shot down over the Black Sea.

“The actions of the Kiev regime, with the support of Western managers, will not go unanswered,” the defense ministry said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in November that the war in Ukraine was escalating into a global conflict after the United States and Britain first allowed Ukraine to launch missiles deep into Russia.

President-elect Donald Trump's push for a ceasefire and negotiations to quickly end the war has called into question Washington's longstanding support for Ukraine.

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, killing tens of thousands, displacing millions, and triggering the most serious crisis in relations between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

The drone strike on Russia was one of the largest to date.

Roman Busargin, governor of the Saratov region, about 450 miles southeast of Moscow, said the cities of Saratov and Engels, located on both sides of the Volga River, suffered large-scale drone attacks and that two industries The venue was damaged. He said schools have moved to remote learning.

Ukraine struck the same area last week and claimed it hit an oil depot at an air base for Russian nuclear bombers, sparking a fire that took five days to put out.

Ukrainian security sources said on Tuesday that a drone strike hit an ammunition storage facility housing guided bombs and missiles at Engels Air Base in Russia's Saratov region, among other targets.

Sources said the attack resulted in a fire at the Alexinsky chemical plant in the Tula region, a fire at the Saratovsky refinery and an attack on the Bryansk chemical plant. Reuters could not independently verify the damage claims.

Sources said that an explosion occurred at the Bryansk chemical plant and a fire broke out. Ukrainian sources told Reuters in Kyiv that the operation was carried out by the SBU and the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Russia's aviation regulator said flight restrictions were in place at airports in Kazan, Saratov, Penza, Ulyanovsk and Nizhnekamsk.