Live blog: DPRK supplied Russia with missiles for Ukraine attacks — US

Thursday, January 4, 2024

1927 GMT — North Korea has provided Russia with ballistic missiles and missile launchers that were used in recent attacks on Ukraine, the White House said.

The Pyongyang-supplied missiles with ranges of around 900 kilometres (550 miles) were fired by Russia in two attacks within the past week, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.

"This is a significant and concerning escalation of the DPRK's support for Russia." The development underscored the need for the US Congress to pass a package of vital military aid for Ukraine, without which the pipeline of support will soon run dry, Kirby added.

"It's critical that Congress meets this moment and responds by providing the Ukrainians what they need to defend themselves. The time for Congress to act is now," he said.

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1806 GMT — Putin speeds up a citizenship path for foreigners who enlist in the Russian military

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that speeds up the path to Russian citizenship for foreigners who enlist in the country's military amid the 22-month-old war in Ukraine.

Putin first allowed fast-track citizenship for foreigners who signed contracts with the Russian army in September 2022, shortly after announcing a partial mobilisation to draft 300,000 reservists for Ukraine.

The decree signed Thursday made the citizenship path even quicker, saying a decision on such applications shouldn't take more than a month, instead of three. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin on why Putin decided on that change.

1803 GMT — UN chief welcomes major Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed one of the largest prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, an associate spokesperson said.

"The Secretary-General welcomes the exchange of 230 Ukrainian and 248 Russian prisoners of war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation — the largest such exchange since the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine," Florencia Soto Nino​ said in a statement.

Guterres commends the efforts of both parties and the third-party facilitation by the United Arab Emirates that contributed to this positive development, Nino said.

"The Secretary-General hopes that this important step will be followed by additional exchanges of prisoners of war and by other de-escalation efforts," she added.

1743 GMT — Russia keeps border schools shut as deadly strikes hit Ukraine

Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine said that it would keep schools closed beyond the planned end of the winter holidays following unprecedented shelling by Kiev's forces, as Ukraine reported several killed in strikes across the country.

The Kremlin has tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy on the home front, but recent deadly strikes on Belgorod were a reminder that Russian civilians can also be impacted by the conflict.

"I report the decisions that have been made: to extend the school holidays from January 9 to 19," Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said, ordering the move in several districts including Belgorod city. Russian schools have been closed this week as the country celebrates Orthodox Christmas on January 7.

"In technical colleges and universities located in these municipalities, it is recommended to hold class remotely," he continued, adding that the holidays may be extended further.

1736 GMT — Ukraine hit two Russian military targets in occupied Crimea

Ukraine said that its air force conducted a strike on a Russian command post near the occupied city of Sevastopol more than 200 km from Kiev-held territory, and also hit a military unit in a separate strike on the Crimean peninsula.

Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk posted a video from social media on the Telegram messaging app showing smoke rising from an explosion near Sevastopol, a Crimean port that serves as the main headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

"Thanks again to the air force pilots and everyone who planned the operation for perfect combat work," he said.

He also published a screenshot of a social media post saying that a Russian military base in the city of Yevpatoria had been hit in a strike.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-backed governor of Sevastopol, described the attack as "the most massive in recent times".

Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had foiled a Ukrainian attack, destroying 10 incoming missiles over the peninsula.

0922 GMT — NATO, Ukraine to discuss air defence after Russian strikes

Ambassadors from NATO and Ukraine will hold a special meeting next week as Kiev urges faster deliveries of air defences after mounting Russian strikes, the alliance has said.

Moscow has over the New Year unleashed some of its biggest missile and drone attacks on Ukraine since the early days of the military operation in February 2022.

"NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will convene a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council next Wednesday," NATO spokesperson Dylan White said.

"The meeting will be held at ambassadorial level and is convened at Ukraine's request following recent Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians, cities and towns."

White added that "NATO allies have already delivered a vast array of air defence systems to Ukraine and they are committed to further bolstering Ukraine’s defences."

0501 GMT — UAE mediates major Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange: Foreign Ministry

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that one of the largest prisoner exchanges since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine has taken place under its mediation.

The UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement that mediation talks have been successful.

The statement did not specify the number of prisoners involved in the exchange but expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the Russian and Ukrainian governments in the mediation efforts.

0351 GMT — Ukraine's mobile air defences have ammo for 'few more attacks': commander

Kiev's mobile air defences have enough ammunition to withstand a few more powerful attacks but then will need more Western aid, a senior military commander said.

Late last year, Russia launched its largest missile and drone attacks since the early days of the military operation and again on Tuesday bombarded the capital and the second-largest city of Kharkiv, killing five and injuring dozens.

"The current situation with man-portable air defence systems for mobile air defence groups is that there is enough ammunition to withstand the next few powerful attacks," Sergey Nayev, commander of the joint forces of the armed forces of Ukraine, told AFP while meeting troops outside Kiev.

0715 GMT — Death toll from Russian air strike on Kiev rises to 32: Ukraine

The death toll from a large Russian air strike on Ukraine's capital Kiev last week has risen to 32, local authorities said.

"Update on the consequences of the missile strike on December 29, 2023. Investigators of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, during the examination, discovered two more dead," Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kiev City Military Administration, said on Telegram.

The ongoing investigation into the missile strike on Kiev found that 32 people were killed and 30 others were injured, Popko added.

On Wednesday, the Kiev City Military Administration announced that the death toll had risen to 30, while 29 people were receiving medical care.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the strikes as the "heaviest attack" by Moscow on the country.

0108 GMT — Ukraine calls US weapons to Kiev 'investment' in NATO protection

Ukraine is considering no alternative to securing stalled US military assistance for its war against Russia and is confident the US Congress will give its approval to release the aid, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.

"We don't have a plan B. We are confident in plan A," Kuleba told CNN in an interview.

"Ukraine will always fight with the resources given to it. And...what is given to Ukraine is not charity. It's an investment in the protection of NATO and in the protection of the prosperity of the American people," he said.

2344 GMT — Ukraine hangs in balance as US Republicans demand harsher border policies

US House Speaker Mike Johnson led about 60 fellow Republicans in Congress on a visit to the Mexican border to demand hardline immigration policies in exchange for backing President Joe Biden's emergency wartime funding request for Ukraine.

He expressed serious doubts about whether he would support a bipartisan compromise.

The trip to Eagle Pass, Texas, came as the Senate engages in delicate negotiations in hopes of striking a deal on border policies that could unlock Senate GOP support for Biden's $110 billion package for Ukraine, Israel and other US security priorities.

2000 GMT — US official shifts question to Ukraine over weapons sent to Kiev

The US administration is not ready to inform, what portion of US weapons transferred to Ukraine was damaged in combat actions, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said at the regular briefing, according to Russian TASS news agency.

Asked what portion of US weapons transferred to Ukraine was damaged in ongoing war, Kirby said: "That's a better question put to the Ukrainian defence forces, not the United States."

"We are working very, very hard to make sure that for every system that is provided to Ukraine, there's a measure of accountability for it, that we can assure the Congress and the American people that the material is being used appropriately on the field of battle. And we've seen no indication that it hasn't been, that there's been some wide-scale corruption or misuse by the Ukrainian military," the official said.

For our live updates from Wednesday, January 3, click here.