Closing summary
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has confirmed that Kyiv did use US-provided long-range army tactical missile systems (ATACMS) missiles. “Today, special thanks to the United States. Our agreements with President Biden are being implemented. Very accurately – ATACMS missiles proved themselves,” he said.
This marks the first officially confirmed usage of the ATACMS, that can fly up to 190 miles, in Ukraine.China’s president, Xi Jinping, welcomed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to Beijing, which is to host representatives of 130 countries for a forum on Xi’s vast trade and infrastructure project, the belt and road initiative.
A telecommunication cable connecting Sweden and Estonia has been damaged, Sweden’s civil defence minister has said. Carl-Oskar Bohlin said the incident appeared to have occurred at the same time as a subsea gas pipeline and a telecom cable connecting Finland and Estonia were damaged on 8 October.
Ukrainian forces struck airfields in Russian-held territory in eastern and southern Ukraine overnight, destroying helicopters, knocking out an air defence missile launcher and damaging runways, Kyiv’s military said. The military said its forces had carried out “well-aimed strikes on enemy airfields” near the eastern city of Luhansk and the southern city of Berdiansk.
The lower house of the Russian parliament has reportedly given preliminary approval to a bill revoking the ratification of a global nuclear test ban treaty.
Updated
Zelenskiy confirms Kyiv used US-provided ATACMS missiles
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has confirmed that Kyiv did use US-provided long-range army tactical missile systems (ATACMS) missiles (see earlier post at 15.20).
“Today, special thanks to the United States. Our agreements with President Biden are being implemented. Very accurately – ATACMS missiles proved themselves,” he said in his nightly address.
This marks the first officially confirmed usage of the ATACMS in Ukraine. Kyiv has repeatedly asked the US for ATACMS.
Fired from a mobile launcher, the missiles can hit targets up to 190 miles (300km) away, allowing Ukrainian forces to strike far beyond the front lines.
Potential targets include command headquarters, weapons depots and supply networks, including railways.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Ukrainian military said they hit two airfields used by Russia in the Moscow-occupied cities of Luhansk and Berdiansk.
Updated
