Ukraine war latest: Ukraine carries out 'largest attack' against Russian military facilities - Sky News

Ukraine says its overnight attacks on Russia were the biggest it has carried out on the country’s military facilities during the war. Meanwhile, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has held his annual news conference in Moscow. Watch Sky News ask him a question in the clip below.
Tuesday 14 January 2025 18:17, UK
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That’s all for now – but we’ll be back soon with the latest from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Until then, here’s a brief recap of the main developments we reported today:
Ukraine’s army is fighting across several fronts, with some of the most intense conflicts in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.
Below are images from close to the frontline showing Ukrainian an artillery team firing on Russian positions.
Luxury good company LVMH says it is “impossible” to control the final destination of its products sold by third-party distributors after a report said its champagne reached Russia.
French investigative media La Lettre reported today that the group’s beverages branch Moet Hennessy worked with two third-party, duty-free distributors in the US on shipments ultimately headed for the Russian market.
LVMH, which also owns Christian Dior, Givenchy and Bulgari among other brands, said in March 2022 it would close its boutiques in Russia and halt business operations there after the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Many Western goods are still shipped to Russia through intermediaries, also known as parallel imports, which are mostly legal, though many companies say they are against such practices.
“Some of [Moet Hennessy’s] distributors have export activities. It is therefore impossible for Moet Hennessy to control the final destination of a product marketed by a distributor,” an LVMH spokesperson said.
“Moet Hennessy and its partners scrupulously comply with the laws, rules and international sanctions in force on products marketed wherever they operate.”
The leader of Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria has travelled to Moscow since the suspension of Russian gas deliveries via Ukraine, says Moldova’s president.
Transnistria has suffered widespread power cuts since 1 January when Russia’s Gazprom suspended gas exports to the region over an alleged $709m (£582m) debt, a figure fiercely disputed by Moldova’s pro-Western government.
Moscow blames the suspension of gas supplies on Moldova and Ukraine, which refused to extend a five-year gas transit deal that expired on 31 December on the grounds that the proceeds help fund Russia’s invasion.
Moldova says Moscow could use an alternative route to continue supplying Transnistria, which was receiving gas via Ukraine.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu gave no details about Vadim Krasnoselsky’s trip to Moscow but said the decision to allow him to travel via Chisinau showed that her government was not obstructing efforts to resolve the crisis.
Neither Krasnoselsky’s office nor the Russian authorities have commented on the visit.
New Delhi’s foreign ministry says one Indian apparently recruited by the Russian army has been killed, while another is receiving treatment for injuries at a hospital in Moscow.
It said Narendra Modi’s government has “strongly taken up” the matter with the authorities in Moscow and with the Russian embassy in New Delhi.
The ministry also reiterated demands for the early discharge of remaining Indian nationals serving in the Russian army.
“We are working with the Russian authorities for early transportation of the mortal remains to India,” the ministry said.
“We have also sought the early discharge and repatriation to India of the injured person.”
For context: After the deaths of Indians last year in the war, New Delhi demanded the Russian army stop recruiting Indians and urged anyone seeking employment in Russia to be wary.
About 45 Indians were discharged from the Russian army and efforts were under way to get a further 50 released, India’s foreign ministry said in September.
By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent
Despite speaking for nearly three hours, Russia’s foreign minister didn’t give too much away at his annual press conference.
Sergei Lavrov took questions from an audience of both Russian and foreign media, but gave answers that frequently meandered away from what was asked, and he rarely addressed matters head-on.
On the key issue of Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the prospect of a peace deal in Ukraine, he said Russia would study the president-elect’s proposals.
But there were no specifics, and he didn’t address my question on how far Russia would be willing to go to reach an agreement, and what compromises it would be willing to make.
I think that’s for two reasons.
Firstly, Russia is in a bit of a holding pattern right now ahead of Trump’s inauguration. Like everyone else, it knows things will change dramatically once he takes office, but it doesn’t know exactly how, so all it can do is wait and see.
And secondly, I think he doesn’t want to weaken Russia’s negotiating position. Moscow believes it will have the upper hand in any negotiations, because it has the upper hand on the battlefield.
And it believes Team Trump is coming round to their point of view, with Lavrov welcoming the fact the incoming administration had “started to mention the realities on the ground” more often.
But I think there will be concessions on both sides in the event of a deal, with Moscow’s position probably not as strong as it claims.
Russia continues to suffer frequent drone attacks; it still hasn’t repelled Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region, more than five months after it started; the US has just unloaded its toughest sanctions yet on the all-important energy sector; and according to the UK, Moscow is racking up daily casualties of more than 1,500.
Given all that, Donald Trump may prove to have the strongest hand, should he manage to bring the two sides together.
‘Listen to the Greenlanders’
I also asked Mr Lavrov about Trump’s recent refusal to rule out using military force to acquire Greenland. I wanted to know how Russia would react if that were to happen. Could Moscow rule out using military force in the Arctic?
You would think that Russia’s foreign minister would be alarmed at Trump’s comments, given his nation’s extensive Arctic border. But apparently not. Instead, he talked about self-determination.
“First of all, we need to listen to the Greenlanders,” he replied, before attempting to draw parallels with Russia’s annexation of Crimea and four regions in eastern Ukraine.
He was essentially using Trump’s expansionist world view to justify Russia’s own land grab.
And to me, it was a telling example of how countries like Russia may attempt to use Donald Trump’s unorthodox approach to their advantage.
By Deborah Haynes, security and defence editor, in Ukraine
Ukraine says its forces carried out their largest attack yet on Russian military facilities deep inside Russia less than a week before Donald Trump takes office.
Moscow says the barrage comprised British cruise missiles, American ballistic missiles, as well as more than 140 drones. It has vowed a response.
The attack comes as Ukraine and Russia attempt to strengthen their positions ahead of promised pressure by the new Trump administration to force a deal to end Vladimir Putin’s war.
Against this backdrop, it should not be a surprise that the Ukrainian military is ramping up strikes into Russia.
There is no guarantee that Trump will sanction the continued use of US-provided ATACMS ballistic missiles inside Russian territory.
Permission was only granted to Kyiv in the final weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency, despite months of urgent lobbying by Ukrainian officials.
Kyiv hits Russian military targets
The Ukrainian defence ministry said its strikes today targeted locations 200 to 1,100 km deep inside Russia.
Videos posted on social media purported to show the aftermath of the attack, with flames lighting up the night sky.
Among the targets were the “Kristall Plant” oil storage facility in Engels, Saratov region and the Bryansk Chemical Plant in the city of Seltso, the ministry said.
“This facility produces munitions for artillery, multiple rocket launch systems, aviation, engineering equipment, and components for Kh-59 cruise missiles,” it said in a message on social media.
Russia vows response
Russia said the Ukrainian military had fired six US-made ATACMS, six UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles and at least 146 drones.
The Russian defence ministry claimed it had shot down all the Western missiles fired by Ukraine at the Bryansk region, as well as 146 drones outside the war zone.
It said two more Storm Shadows had been shot down over the Black Sea.
It was not possible independently to confirm this claim.
“The actions of the Kyiv regime, supported by its Western curators, will not go unanswered,” the defence ministry said.
After Ukraine first launched ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles into Russia last year, Moscow responded on 21 November by launching a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile known as “Oreshnik”, or Hazel Tree, at Ukraine.
Russia and Vietnam have signed an agreement to boost their cooperation on nuclear energy.
Moscow’s state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom signed the agreement today with Vietnam’s state-owned power utility EVN.
Mikhail Mishustin, the Russian prime minister, is on a two-day visit to Hanoi.
He has held talks with his counterpart, Pham Minh Chinh, and met with Vietnam’s Communist Party chief, To Lam.
“Vietnam is an important partner of Russia in Southeast Asia,” Mr Mishustin said.
“Today, we plan to discuss with you a comprehensive plan for co-operation between Russia and Vietnam, which runs until 2030.”
For context: Russia and Vietnam have been close allies since the Cold War.
Hanoi wants to become energy-sufficient and reach its goal of curbing additional greenhouse emissions by 2050.
Ukraine’s military says its overnight attacks were the largest it has carried out on Russian military facilities.
Reports from Moscow this morning said Russia had downed more than 200 Ukrainian drones and five US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles (see 7.22am post).
Ukraine’s military said chemical plants, oil refineries and the Engels airbase’s ammunition depots were all successfully targeted.
Targets varied from between 200km and 1,100km deep inside Russian territory, it added.
By Gemma Peplow, culture and entertainment reporter
The Donetsk theatre in the city of Mariupol was supposed to be a place of safety for hundreds of civilians sheltering during the first few weeks of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. A sign bearing the word “children” was marked on the ground outside, visible from the air.
On 16 March 2022, the building was bombed. Authorities at the time said about 300 people had died, although some estimates were higher.
The stories of survivors are now being recounted by actors who were among those sheltering in the theatre at the time. Mariupol Drama, a play which opens in the UK this week, features real video footage captured on their phones, and personal items saved from the rubble.
Read more from Gemma here:
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