Orthodox Christmas overshadowed by Russian-Ukraine missile clash

By Stefan J. Bos

Air raid sirens wailed in Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea. Traffic was suspended for a second straight day on a bridge connecting the peninsula, which Moscow seized illegally a decade ago, with Russia’s southern Krasnodar region.

The span is a crucial supply link for Russia’s war effort. There were also reports that a power station in Moscow was hit, leaving parts of the capital without electricity as temperatures plunged to freezing temperature of minus 27 Celsius, more than minus 16 Fahrenheit.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its defenses intercepted 36 drones over Crimea and one over Krasnodar. It is part of an emerging pattern of intensified Ukrainian aerial attacks in recent days following massive strikes by Russia that have overshadowed the New Year and Orthodox Christmas.

Moscow claimed that a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile was also destroyed over the northwestern part of the Black Sea.

Additionally, Russian authorities said the Saky airbase, which is located in Crimea, was attacked, and there were several reports that five senior commanders were killed, but they have not been confirmed.

Authorities also said three people were injured Thursday night by other Ukrainian rocket and drone attacks on the Russian border city of Belgorod and the surrounding region.

Scores killed

Ukrainian attacks on December 30 in Belgorod killed 25 people, officials there said.

However, Kyiv has defended its actions, saying scores of civilians have been killed in Ukraine since last week, including in the most considerable missile bombardment of the war so far.

The Russian attacks also highlighted concerns that Moscow is reaching out to North Korea and other autocratic-ruled nations to help in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

Washington and Kyiv say Russia has started using ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea to attack Ukraine, in what they view as an attempt by Moscow to further expand its arms deals with regimes under sanctions to sustain its war effort.

Washington also alleged Russia was in talks with Iran to buy short-range ballistic missiles. The U.S. intelligence assessment is that Iranian missiles have not yet arrived in Russia but that the deal will eventually be done.

The U.S. reports were endorsed by several Ukrainian officials, including an adviser of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s administration. The official was quoted as saying that Russian arms deals with Pyongyang and Tehran made the country part of a new “axis of evil of the [21st] century”.

Hundreds of thousands of people are known to have been killed and injured on both sides, and millions have been displaced, and the New Year has just begun.