Washington Condemns Russia's Use of Kinzhal Missile, Zelensky Warns of Another Attack

SadaNews - The United States condemned Russia's use of the Kinzhal hypersonic missile in an attack on Ukraine last week, considering it a "dangerous and unexplainable escalation," while Russia confirmed that the missile targeted an aviation industry facility.

During an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council on Monday, U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Tami Bruce, stated that the missile landed "in an area in Ukraine close to the border with Poland and NATO. This represents a new dangerous and unexplainable escalation, at a time when the United States is working with Kyiv and other partners, as well as Moscow, to end the war through a negotiated agreement."

Bruce condemned the ongoing and escalating Russian attacks on energy facilities and other civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed on Monday that its ballistic missile targeted an aviation industry facility in Lviv, western Ukraine.

The ministry added that according to confirmed information from independent sources following the strike carried out on the night of January 9 by the Russian armed forces using the ground-based Kinzhal missile system, the state-owned aviation navigation repair factory in Lviv was rendered inoperable.

Moscow indicated that the strike was in response to Ukraine targeting the residence of President Vladimir Putin in northwest Russia.

Meanwhile, British Acting Ambassador James Kariuki described the attack as "reckless," considering it "a threat to regional and international security that carries major escalation risks."

Zelensky Warns

In the meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday evening that intelligence information indicates that Russia is preparing to launch another major attack on Ukraine.

He explained that the attack, which may occur in the coming days, could involve the use of drones to disrupt air defense systems, followed by missile strikes, urging Ukrainians to fully comply with air raid sirens.

The Ukrainian president speculated that Moscow seeks to take advantage of the severe cold wave, as temperatures in many regions of Ukraine currently drop to below 10 degrees Celsius at night.

In this context, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephol stated that NATO members must work together for security, adding that he emphasized the importance of the alliance in efforts to secure lasting peace in Ukraine during his meeting with his U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio.

The two ministers expressed their commitment to the provisions of Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which obliges member states to defend any member country that comes under attack, indicating that Russia should not attempt to threaten NATO countries.

Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that around 800 buildings in the city are experiencing heating outages after three days of intense Russian shelling that targeted heating and electricity supplies in the capital during freezing weather.

In response, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, who visited Kyiv on Monday, pledged a support package worth $400 million for the affected energy sector in Ukraine.

Source: Agencies