UKRAINE HAS SAID it could not confirm that Russia had used North Korean missiles for attacks after Washington accused Moscow of using weapons provided by Pyongyang.
Residents of Belgorod in southern Russia were meanwhile urged to tape their windows for added protection during escalating Ukrainian shelling, signalling how the war is being felt by Russians despite Kremlin reassurances.
The White House said last night that Russia was using North Korean weapons and was also seeking missiles from its ally Iran, as it burns through stockpiles of key munitions.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby described the deliveries as a “significant and concerning escalation” but Ukraine said it had no independent evidence.
“So far, we have no information that such missiles have been used. The United States made a statement to that effect,” Ukraine’s air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat told state media.
“So experts will study the wreckage, and then we can say whether this is a fact or not. I can’t confirm it yet,” he added.
In the grinding war of attrition, which the Kremlin had hoped would conclude in days, Kyiv and Moscow have struggled to refill stockpiles of artillery shells, drones and long-range missiles.
The Pyongyang-supplied missiles with a range of around 900km were fired by Russia in two attacks on Ukraine within the past week, Kirby said.
He said at least one of the North Korean-supplied missiles had landed in an open field in the Zaporizhzhia region on 30 December.
It is one of four regions that the Kremlin claimed to have annexed in September 2022 but still does not control entirely.
Moscow’s forces then fired “multiple” ballistic missiles into Ukraine as part of a mass aerial attack on 2 January, he added.
Russia rained down missiles on Ukraine’s two largest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, on that date. Ukraine hit back at the Russian border city of Belgorod, forcing schools to close.
In a statement today, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said that “in the past few weeks, Russia has again launched a series of indiscriminate and brutal attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure”.
“Instead of celebrating with their friends and family, millions of Ukrainians are forced to spend what should be a joyous time of year hiding in bomb shelters, and praying for the safety of loved ones,” Martin said.
“Russia also continues its relentless ground assault on Ukraine, particularly around the now devastated cities of Avdiivka and Bakhmut,” he said.
“Ukrainians continue to defend their country and their freedom with courage and resilience,” the Tánaiste added.
He said that “the international community, including Ireland, must also remain firm in its resolve to support them”.
“I have long advocated for Ukraine’s membership of the European Union and the decision by the European Council in December to open accession negotiations with Ukraine offers the prospect of a brighter future.”
The international community, including Ireland, must also remain firm in its resolve to support them. I have long advocated for Ukraine’s membership of the European Union and the decision by the European Council in December to open accession negotiations with Ukraine offers the prospect of a brighter future.
The Kremlin has tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy on the home front, but recent deadly strikes on Belgorod have brought the Ukraine conflict closer to Russians.
Belgorod city hall issued instructions on taping windows after schools near the Ukrainian border in the region were ordered to extend their winter holidays due to the threat of attacks.
The measure was adopted by Ukrainians across the country shortly after Russia invaded in February 2022 and launched systematic strikes on towns and cities.
Authorities said Ukrainian shelling in Belgograd less than a week ago killed 25 people. It was the worst attack on Russian civilians since the conflict began.
Kirby said the North Korean missiles underscored the need for the US Congress to pass a package of major military aid for Ukraine, without which the pipeline of support will soon run dry, he added.
Air defences for Ukraine, which has come under a barrage of aerial attacks by Russia in recent days, were “absolutely” a priority, he said.
The United States said in October that North Korea had delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia, but it was the first time it had reported the use of such weapons.
Ukraine has substantially boosted its air defence systems compared to last winter, when systematic Russian strikes on energy infrastructure left millions in the cold and dark for extended periods.
Its air force said today that Russia had launched nearly 30 Iranian-designed attack drones overnight, but that 21 had been downed.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had repelled a Ukrainian attack over Crimea, shooting down 36 drones over the peninsula annexed in 2014.
It also said it had shot down a long-range Ukrainian missile over the Black Sea today.
Kyiv has struck the Russian-controlled territory throughout the war, launching missiles and drones at Sevastopol, Crimea’s largest city, in a bid to suppress Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet.
Ukraine’s prosecutor general meanwhile said that Russian shelling in the partially-occupied Kherson region in southern Ukraine had injured four people.
© AFP 2024 with reporting by Hayley Halpin
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