INTERNACIONAL
Ukraine fires first barrage of US-made long-range missiles into Russia, Kremlin says
Moscow says Ukrainian forces have taken advantage of President Biden’s green light and launched 6 U.S.-made ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems) into Russian territory Tuesday.
Russia says it shot down five of the missiles and damaged the sixth. It added that debris landed in the area of a Russian military facility, but that no casualties or damage beyond a small fire. A U.S. official confirmed the overnight strike to Fox News.
The attack came just two days after President Biden approved Ukraine to use American long-range missiles on Russian soil, an escalation that Russian President Putin previously indicated would be an act of war.
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According to a senior U.S. official, Biden’s decision was spurred by the Russian decision to invite 10,000 North Korean soldiers into the fight against Ukraine in Kursk. A second official told Fox that it is unclear if Biden plans to approve the use of the missiles outside the Kursk region.
The White House National Security Council reacted to Putin’s decision to update Russia’s nuclear doctrine on Tuesday as well.
«As we said earlier this month, we were not surprised by Russia’s announcement that it would update its nuclear doctrine; Russia had been signaling its intent to update its doctrine for several weeks. Observing no changes to Russia’s nuclear posture, we have not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture or doctrine in response to Russia’s statements today,» an NSC spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
«This is more of the same irresponsible rhetoric from Russia, which we have seen for the past two years. As we said to Russia weeks ago, Russia’s use of DPRK soldiers in combat operations against Ukraine presents a significant escalation of its war of choice against Ukraine and we warned that the United States would respond,» the statement continued.
The announcement came after Great Britain and France authorized Ukraine to launch SCALP/Storm Shadow missile strikes, according to French outlet Le Figaro.
Putin has previously said that giving Ukraine the green light on missile use would effectively mean that the U.S. and NATO are «in the war.»
«Flight assignments for these missile systems can, in fact, only be entered by military personnel from NATO countries. Ukrainian servicemen cannot do this. And therefore, it is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is a question of making a decision whether NATO countries directly participate in the military conflict or not,» Putin said in September.
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«If this decision is made, it will mean nothing less than the direct participation of NATO countries, the United States, and European countries, in the war in Ukraine,» he added.
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Meanwhile, President-elect Trump’s transition team is expected to soon announce a peace envoy to assist in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Trump argued on the campaign trail that he could solve the conflict before entering office.
Fox News’ Liz Friden contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
Sweden, Finland and Norway release new advice on surviving war amid concerns over Russia, Ukraine escalation
The once solidly «neutral» Nordic nations in Northern Europe are taking precautions to ready their citizens to be able to cope under war-like conditions as the security apparatus on the continent continues to deteriorate amid the war in Ukraine.
Sweden on Monday issued pamphlets to millions giving directions on what to do in the event that war breaks out or the nation is hit with an unexpected crisis.
The booklet, dubbed «In case of crisis or war,» has not only been updated from its previous version six years ago due to the worsening security situation in Europe, but it was also expanded and is nearly twice the size, reported the BBC.
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Issuing preparedness booklets out to its citizens is not new for Sweden, which has followed this practice since World War II when its first version titled «If War Comes» was reportedly distributed.
The guidance was updated during the Cold War, but one directive apparently highlighted in the middle of the booklet has been pushed forward noting that, «If Sweden is attacked by another country, we will never give up. All information to the effect that resistance is to cease is false.»
Sweden, like Finland before it, joined NATO earlier this year after first announcing its bid to do so in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Sweden’s Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin has also been sounding the alarm that «there could be war in Sweden» in a move to urge officials to bolster Stockholm’s defenses faster.
Unlike Sweden, neighboring Finland maintained a stronger defensive posture given its shared border with Russia, despite maintaining a decades-long neutrality status following World War II.
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But Finland, which joined NATO in 2023, also distributed its crisis preparedness on Monday, though its guidance was released by means of a digital copy for its citizens due to the cost of printing the booklets, noted the BBC.
The Finnish government said it is «well-prepared for self-defense» and assured its citizens that hostile parties threatening Helsinki does not necessarily mean it will be presented through direct military force, noting that in the event of an emergency the Finns should be prepared in case of long power or water outages, as well as disruptions to banking or internet services.
Similarly, Norway, which was a NATO founding member in 1949, released a pamphlet urging Norwegians to be prepared to cope for up to a week in the event of war, crises or extreme weather.
Over 2 million copies were sent out, urging citizens to have canned foods, pasta, pet food, water, matches, candles, first aid kits and medicines in store, including iodine tablets.
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«The tablets can protect against radioactive iodine in the event of nuclear accidents and must only be taken on instruction from the authorities,» the Norwegian government said in its instructions.
Denmark also encouraged its citizens over the summer to ensure they had three-days’ worth of essential items in store to help get through a crisis situation.
Western leaders continue to monitor Russia’s war in Ukraine very closely, and have warned Moscow that any attack on a NATO nation will result in a united response from all 32 nations.
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