Ukraine Launches Largest Aerial Strikes Against Russia in Three-Year War

Kyiv targets military and industrial sites deep in Russian territory as Moscow threatens retaliation and tensions escalate ahead of U.S. presidential transition.

Ukraine carried out its most extensive drone and missile attacks on Russian territory, hitting military and industrial targets up to 1,100 kilometers from the front lines.
Key targets included an oil depot near Engels air base, a chemical plant in Bryansk, and facilities in Saratov, Tula, and Tatarstan, causing significant damage to Russia's military logistics.
The Russian defense ministry claimed to have intercepted U.S.-supplied ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles but vowed the strikes would not go unanswered, citing potential attacks on Kyiv or the use of experimental hypersonic missiles.
The Ukrainian-controlled Pokrovsk mine, a critical coke producer for steelmaking, was shut down as advancing Russian forces posed increasing threats to the region's safety and economy.
Both sides appear to be intensifying military actions ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, with concerns over potential shifts in U.S. support for Ukraine.