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Ukraine strikes with its drones one of the biggest blows of the war to the Russian arsenal

Faced with the resistance of its partners to lifting the ban on using their long-range missiles against Russian territory, Ukraine once again resorted to its own drones to hit the enemy rearguard with a massive attack that hit a warehouse of missiles, ammunition and aerial bombs in the city of Toporets in the Tver region of western Russia.

According to sources of the Ukrainian espionage, the attack was a joint operation by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Kiev military intelligence and the special forces of the Army and reached an ammunition depot in which Iskander and Tochka-U missiles were stored, in addition to aerial bombs and ammunition for artillery.

According to the Russian Telegram channel Astra, the warehouse in question, located in the city of Toporets in the Tver region, was hit by six Ukrainian kamikaze drones around 3.30 a.m. local time (00.30 GMT).

The Ukrainian portal Militarni, specialized in defense matters, has revealed that the attacked unit is 541690 of the Main Directorate of Missiles and Artillery of Russia (GRAU), in information that includes the coordinates of the attacked tank.

According to the balance sheet offered by the Russian Ministry of Defense, 54 drones were shot down throughout Russian territory during last night’s Ukrainian attack, 27 of them over the Kursk region, the scene of a military operation in Kiev since last August 6.

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The authorities of the Tver region ordered the evacuation of part of the population of the area where the anti-aircraft defenses were activated in the city of Toporets, of about 11,400 inhabitants, located 460 kilometers from the Ukrainian border and where the attacked weapons warehouse is located, which had already been the target of the Ukrainian drones on two other occasions during the war.

Access to the city was reopened on Wednesday afternoon, when the evacuees were able to return to their homes.

According to the governor of Tver, Igor Rudenia, the attack has not caused fatalities or serious injuries.

Ukraine has made attacks on military airfields and missile and air bomb deposits one of its top priorities during the last months of the war, with the aim of reducing Russian air superiority.

According to data from the Ukrainian Army, Russian warplanes launch a hundred airstrikes every day against Ukrainian positions, infrastructure and inhabited areas, often causing civilian victims.

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Through the massive use of guided air bombs – conventional high-power explosives equipped with their own navigation systems that allow the planes to launch them from outside the reach of enemy defenses – Russian aviation destroys Ukrainian defensive structures to pave the way for ground troops.

Kiev has insistently asked its main allies to allow it to multiply the effectiveness of its attacks on airfields and related infrastructures located within Russia with the use of its long-range missiles for this type of attack.

Given the resistance that its partners have shown so far, Ukraine must be content with using its drones for this type of operation, which increasingly hit Russian military installations but have so far failed to significantly decimate Russian aviation.

None of the countries with the capacity to transfer long-range missiles to Ukraine has given the green light for the moment to this request from Kiev, which is welcomed by countries with less military power and by some leaders of Western supranational organizations such as NATO, whose Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Monday that he “applauds” the efforts of the allies to take this step.

Speaking to a Russian radio, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov criticized Stoltenberg for “not taking seriously” the warnings in this regard by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said last week that giving permission to Kiev to attack Russian territory with long-range weapons will be interpreted with Moscow as a NATO entry into the war against Russia.

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Peskov linked Stoltenberg’s words to the imminence of the end of his mandate at the head of the Atlantic Alliance. “It is clear that soon he will no longer have any responsibility for these words, but it is an extremely provocative and dangerous position,” he said.

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International

U.S. strike in Caracas killed 32 cuban security officers, experts say surprise was crucial

Two days after a U.S. military attack on a military complex in Caracas, Havana confirmed that 32 members of its security forces were killed in the operation, some of whom were likely responsible for protecting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The Venezuelan government also reported that 23 of its own military personnel died during the assault.

Of the Cuban dead, 21 belonged to the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees intelligence services, and 11 were from the Revolutionary Armed Forces. No official information has been released regarding potential injuries.

Experts consulted by AFP agreed that the element of surprise was the key to the success of the U.S. military operation, which was meticulously prepared over months and kept entirely secret. “Cuban intelligence … convinced the Maduro regime and its security agencies that the United States would never attack Venezuelan territory,” explained José Gustavo Arocha, a former Venezuelan army officer and expert at the Center for a Secure Free Society, a U.S. defense think tank.

Fulton Armstrong, a former U.S. intelligence officer and Latin America researcher at American University in Washington, also highlighted the failure to anticipate the attack and to detect U.S. helicopters entering Venezuelan airspace, noting that even a five- to ten-minute warning could have made a significant difference for the guards and for Maduro.

U.S. forces additionally benefited from “incredible” real-time intelligence provided by stealth drones to monitor movements of the Venezuelan leader, according to experts. A highly sophisticated combat team was deployed, and analysts believe the order to “fire to kill” was likely given.

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Paul Hare, former British ambassador to Cuba and Venezuela, added that Cuban intelligence also underestimated the extent of U.S. access to internal cooperation within Venezuela’s security apparatus, contributing to the operation’s success.

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International

Report: Vatican mediation included russian asylum offer ahead of Maduro’s capture

The Vatican reportedly attempted to negotiate an offer of asylum in Russia for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro before his capture by U.S. forces last Saturday, according to The Washington Post.

The U.S. newspaper reported that Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin spoke with U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch about a supposed Russian proposal to grant Maduro asylum. A source familiar with the offer said that what was proposed “was that he would leave and be able to enjoy his money,” and that part of the plan involved Russian President Vladimir Putin guaranteeing Maduro’s security.

Despite these diplomatic efforts, the United States carried out a military operation that resulted in Maduro’s capture and detention, along with his wife Cilia Flores, who are now being held in New York on narcoterrorism charges.

The Washington Post also noted that U.S. President Donald Trump may have invited Maduro to Washington for in-person discussions about safe conduct, an offer that Maduro reportedly declined.

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International

Pope Leo XIV warns of rising “war enthusiasm” in global politics

“War is becoming fashionable again, and war enthusiasm is spreading.” Pope Leo XIV delivered a somber assessment of international politics on Friday, sharply criticizing the growing reliance on force by nations at a time when his country of birth is increasing military displays.

While offering New Year’s greetings to the diplomatic corps, the U.S.-born pope — who also holds Peruvian nationality — delivered one of his strongest speeches to date, denouncing the “worrying weakening of multilateralism” and the emergence of what he described as “war enthusiasm.”

From the outset of his address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, delivered in English, the pontiff lamented the rise of a “diplomacy of force, by individuals or groups of allied states,” at the expense of dialogue, warning that such trends threaten the global order established after World War II.

“Peace is no longer sought as a gift or as a good desirable in itself, or as the pursuit of ‘the establishment of an order willed by God, one that entails greater justice among human beings.’ Instead, it is pursued through weapons as a condition for asserting one’s own dominance,” the head of the Catholic Church said, without directly naming any country.

His remarks come amid ongoing conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and in the Gaza Strip, and against a broader international backdrop marked by European concerns over a potential U.S. takeover of Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory, a scenario that could threaten the cohesion of NATO.

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