Authorities in Russia have said that Kyiv has fired drones into Russian regions bordering Ukraine in attacks that follow Vladimir Putin’s suggestion he wants to change the criteria for Moscow to use nuclear weapons.
Often without claiming direct responsibility, Ukraine has increased its drone strikes on Russian military facilities to hurt Moscow’s war machine.
The latest incidents on Wednesday night follow Putin upping the ante on the Kremlin’s nuclear rhetoric after he announced that Moscow may consider the use of nuclear weapons in response to a massive launch of missiles or drones crossing its state border.
The governor of Russia’s Oryol, Andrei Klychkov, said that a Ukrainian drone had been shot down over the region overnight Wednesday, without providing further details, according to the Astra Telegram channel.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that seven drones had been destroyed over the Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions that border Ukraine, although there were no reports of damage.
Newsweek has not been able to verify this claim and has contacted the Ukrainian Defense Ministry for comment.
Russia in turn has continued with its drone strikes targeting Ukrainian infrastructure, with authorities in Kyiv saying that debris from an intercepted drone had damaged a gas pipeline in a residential building overnight Wednesday.
Over 15 drones were spotted near the capital, 10 of which were downed by air defenses, the Kyiv City Military Administration said. An air raid alarm in Ukraine’s capital sounded for five hours with explosions in several of the city’s districts as well as in Kyiv Oblast, according to English-language Ukrainian online newspaper The Kyiv Independent.
Putin’s announcement about Russia’s nuclear doctrine has sparked speculation about Moscow’s intentions as the war it started in Ukraine continues to rage.
Putin said that Moscow retains the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of an attack that poses a critical threat to Russia and Belarus. However, according to the new suggestions, the Russians could use nuclear weapons if they had information about a massive launch of missiles or drones crossing their state border.
Putin told Russia’s Security Council meeting on Wednesday that any aggression by a country without nuclear weapons “with the participation of a nuclear state is proposed to be considered as their joint attack on Russia.”