Las Ukrainian Armed Forces They claimed this Sunday to have destroyed a radar station belonging to a S-400 anti-aircraft missiles in the Russian region of Kurskan area partially under Ukrainian control since last August, amid rising tensions and a military escalation in the region.
According to a statement published by the Ukrainian General Staff on Telegram, the attack was carried out during the night by units of the Missile Forces in coordination with other components of the Army. The objective was the anti-aircraft missile division 1490 of the anti-aircraft missile regiment of the 6th Army of Russia. The General Staff confirmed “a successful impact” on the radar station of the S-400 systemone of the most advanced anti-aircraft systems in the Russian arsenal.
According to the Ukrainian military leadership, the Russian Armed Forces unit was carrying out combat operations in the “ground-ground” modethat is, they hit fixed targets located on the ground.
”These bombings by the Russian invaders are directed mainly against civilian targets and against the civilian population in the frontline regions of Ukraine”said the Ukrainian General Staff.
This attack occurs at a time of particular tension in the Kursk regionwhere according to information from the Pentagon, Russia has deployed approximately 10,000 North Korean troops. The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin anticipated on Saturday that these troops could “soon” enter combat against Ukrainean assessment that has increased international concern about the expansion of the conflict.
kyiv has warned for its part that Russia is concentrating a force of 50,000 fighters in the areaincluding the North Korean contingent, with the aim of recovering the approximately 800 square kilometers of territory that Ukraine controls in the region since its advance in August.
Despite increasing Russian pressure and shortages of equipment and personnel, Ukrainian forces have expressed their intention to maintain its presence in the Kursk regionin what is emerging as a new point of tension in this conflict that continues to intensify.
At the same time, on the eastern front, Russian forces continue their advance, especially near You darewhere sources from the Ukrainian General Staff said on Friday, They progress between 200 and 300 meters daily. However, close to Pokrovska major Ukrainian logistics center, the situation remains relatively stable.
The destruction of the radar in Krusk It comes days after Russia significantly escalated the conflict by use an Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile for the first time against a factory in the region of Dnipro.
The Kremlin, through its spokesperson Dmitri Peskovjustified this Sunday the use of this new weapon as a necessary response to what he considers the West’s willingness to “do anything” to inflict strategic defeat on Russia.
“Indeed, the Collective West, led by the United States, demonstrates that it is willing to do anything to crush Russia and inflict strategic defeat on it,” Peskov said in statements to public television. Hence, he added, “those warning signs in the sense of ‘don’t even think about it.’ I am referring to the attack carried out with the new missile, which It was very timely, in demand and effective”.
Tension has also increased in the diplomatic spherewith Moscow directly accusing Western countries of participating in attacks against Russian territory. The Russian president Vladimir Putin has responded not only with the deployment of new weapons, but also with changes in nuclear doctrine Russian that now allows responses with atomic weapons to conventional attacks.
This military escalation has been accompanied by a significant increase in the Russian defense budgetwhich will increase by almost 25% next year, reaching more than 6% of the country’s gross domestic product, as recently approved by the Duma.
In his statements today, Peskov assured that Moscow trusted that the Western powers would heed the Kremlin’s warningslike the clear message that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent in September when he said that if kyiv was given permission to use long-range missiles that would mean that the US and NATO “are at war with Russia.” As for the nuclear doctrineexplained that the decision had been made months ago to react to the new phase of antagonism with the West. However, he added, Putin must respond “continually” to the “increasingly reckless” steps of the Westwhich add even more tension to the Ukrainian conflict.
The international community has reacted with concern to this escalation. Western powers have described the launch of the hypersonic missile as an dangerous “escalation” and have condemned the “irresponsible” rhetoric from Moscow on the use of nuclear weapons. China, a staunch ally of Russia, has for its part called for moderation.
(With information from AFP, EFE and AP)
