Russia has issued a threat to intercept and eliminate Tomahawk cruise missiles and their launch sites should Donald Trump decide to supply these weapons to Ukraine. The warning came from a senior Russian lawmaker in response to Trump’s statement indicating a potential decision to provide the powerful 1,600-mile range missiles to Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces.
Andrei Kartapolov, the head of the Russian parliament’s defense committee and a former deputy defense minister, conveyed that Putin’s response would be firm and varied if the deal proceeded, including possible strikes on launch sites. He emphasized that actions would be taken to retaliate against those causing trouble.
Kartapolov downplayed NATO allies’ suggestions that the missiles could significantly impact the situation in Ukraine, citing logistical limitations that would restrict the supply to Kyiv. Additionally, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov expressed disappointment over the diminishing progress following Putin and Trump’s previous meeting, attributing the setback to the actions of European allies.
Recent events saw Russia targeting one of Ukraine’s thermal power plants in an overnight attack, resulting in injuries to two workers. This assault is part of Russia’s efforts to disrupt essential supplies to Ukraine as winter approaches.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin, who recently turned 73, commenced a state visit to Tajikistan for a three-day trip involving meetings with leaders of former Soviet Union nations. Human Rights Watch called for Putin’s arrest under an International Criminal Court warrant for war crimes, cautioning that a failure to act would demonstrate disregard for the victims of Russian military actions in Ukraine.
