The Russian defense ministry reported on Thursday that they successfully took out 15 drones and eight missiles from Ukraine, while authorities in a Russian border region stated that a Ukrainian drone strike resulted in one fatality and multiple injuries.

The initial report from Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod, stated that a man was fatally wounded in a car and other individuals sustained injuries in the incident.

According to Gladkov, another unmanned aircraft collided with a tree, resulting in a shock wave that caused minor damage to two homes but fortunately, no one was injured.

The defense ministry of Russia reported intercepting a total of 12 drones in the Belgorod region and three in the Kursk region of western Russia.

The governor of the eastern Kharkiv region in Ukraine, Oleh Synehubov, has reported that a Russian missile was launched as an attack.

According to Synehubov, there were no recorded injuries or deaths as a result of the assault.

On Wednesday, the Russian leader Vladimir Putin stated that he is willing to employ nuclear weapons if the country’s self-governance or autonomy is jeopardized. He also cautioned the U.S. that any deployment of soldiers to engage in combat in Ukraine would be seen as a significant escalation of the ongoing conflict.

According to Putin’s interview on state television, Russia’s two-year invasion of Ukraine did not require the use of nuclear weapons. He also expressed his belief that the world is not on the path towards a nuclear showdown. Putin described U.S. President Joe Biden as an experienced politician who recognizes the risks of nuclear conflict.

But Putin’s remarks appeared to be one of his recurring messages to the West that it intends to protect its territorial gains in Ukraine and was ready to use nuclear weapons in case of a threat to “the existence of the Russian state, our sovereignty and independence.”

“He stated that we have not altered any components of our strategy.”

Putin warned NATO allies supporting Kyiv that if they have no red lines, then Russia won’t have any either.

However, he also mentioned that the United States has a sufficient number of experts in the areas of Russian-American relations and strategic restraint. As a result, he does not believe that there is a rush towards nuclear confrontation in this country, although he acknowledged that the U.S. is prepared for it.

Adrienne Watson, the spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, stated that Russia’s nuclear discourse has been careless and thoughtless during this conflict. She added that Russia was the aggressor in the invasion of Ukraine, which was unwarranted and unjustifiable. The United States will stand by Ukraine in their efforts to protect their citizens and their land from Russian aggression.

A high-ranking member of the White House stated, “Based on our understanding, Mr. Putin was reiterating Russia’s nuclear strategy which states the use of nuclear weapons in the event of a threat to their sovereignty. This is not a new position for them. We have not found any justification to modify our own nuclear approach and there is no indication that Russia is planning to utilize a nuclear weapon in Ukraine.”

Biden has reiterated the United States’ stance of not intending to deploy American soldiers to battle alongside Kyiv’s forces. However, French President Emmanuel Macron recently did not dismiss the potential for Western troops to become involved in the prolonged and unresolved conflict.

Although there has been opposition, Western nations are still providing weapons to Ukraine. Just this week, the U.S. hastily gathered $300 million in supplies such as ammunition, anti-aircraft missiles, artillery rounds, and some anti-armor systems from its own military reserves, in order to give further support to the forces in Kyiv. However, a larger aid package of $60 billion that has been backed by Biden is currently held up in Congress.

In his evening speech on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that overcoming the Russian aggression is crucial for the survival of democratic systems.

“According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine has the ability to defend itself with enough support. After successfully defending ourselves, we can prevent other international criminals from being emboldened to commit aggression like Putin. It is our duty to protect life and we are willing to do so.”

During the conflict, the Ukrainian armed forces employed unmanned aerial vehicles to attack oil refineries in Russia on Wednesday, resulting in the destruction of a facility in the Ryazan region.

The initial reports state that Pavel Malkov, the governor for the Ryazan region, has declared that a fire and several injuries were caused by an attack at an oil refinery.

Authorities in Leningrad announced that a refinery was safely guarded against a Ukrainian drone by the Russian air defense system, preventing any potential harm.

Ukrainian drones were once again launched into Russian territory for the second day in a row, as part of a series of attacks.

The governor of the Voronezh region, Alexander Gusev, reported on Wednesday that air defense systems successfully brought down over 30 drones from Ukraine during the previous night.

Patsy Widakuswara, a reporter from VOA who covers the White House, also contributed to this report. Certain details were supplied by Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

Source: voanews.com