The latest on Russia’s war in Ukraine
What we're covering
• Western embassies in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv closed today after the US received “specific information of a potential significant air attack.”
• Ukraine later said Russia had staged an “information and psychological attack” by spreading a fake warning of a massive air attack on Kyiv, purporting to be from Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, but reminded residents that the threat of air raids remained.
• The United States approved sending anti-personnel mines to Ukraine for the first time, according to two US officials — another major policy shift after it allowed Kyiv to strike targets deep inside Russia with American missiles.
• The White House also announced a support package for Ukraine worth $275 million, including funding for munitions and military hardware.
What it looks like on the ground in Kyiv after US embassy temporarily closed
The US embassy in Kyiv was temporarily closed after the embassy said it received “specific information of a potential significant air attack,” according to an advisory issued on its website.
But the closure also a sign of the escalating tensions between Russia and the United States, CNN correspondent Nick Paton Walsh reported, standing outside the embassy on Tuesday. It comes after Ukraine has started using US-made ballistic missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia.
Watch the full report from outside the embassy:
US outlines what’s in $275 million in extra funding for Ukraine
The US Department of Defense has confirmed in a press release that it will send Ukraine more military equipment as a part of an additional $275 million of funding.
The funding is a part of a surge in military assistance ordered by President Joe Biden in late September. According to the department, it is the country’s “seventieth tranche of equipment” provided from US military supplies since August 2021.
The package includes:
- Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
- Artillery ammunition
- Mortar rounds
- Unmanned Aerial Systems – also known as drones
- Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles
- Anti-armor systems
- Small arms and ammunition
- Demolitions equipment and munitions
- Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear protective equipment and
- Spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training and transportation
Ukraine says Russia spread “fake” warning of massive looming airstrike, adding to fears
Ukraine said Russia had staged an “information and psychological attack” by spreading a fake warning of a massive air attack on Kyiv, purporting to be from Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence.
The warning came after the US Embassy in Kyiv said it had received “information of a potential significant air attack” and announced it would close Wednesday. The Greek, Spanish and Italian embassies also closed temporarily.
In a Telegram post Wednesday, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence said a message “about the threat of a ‘particularly massive’ missile and bomb attack on Ukrainian cities” had been spread online, appearing to pile on to existing fears based on US intelligence.
“This message is fake and contains grammatical errors typical of Russian information and psychological operations,” the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence said.
The US Embassy in Kyiv said it was closing Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution.”
A US official told CNN the standards for the credibility of threat information are lower in a heightened threat environment like Ukraine, particularly if the threat is imminent.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry addressed the embassy closures and appeared to downplay concerns of Wednesday’s strikes being out of the ordinary, warning that Russian misinformation may try to fuel some of the anxieties.
“The threat of shelling by the aggressor state has unfortunately been a daily reality for Ukrainians for over 1,000 days,” it said.
The Foreign Ministry urged residents not to ignore air raid warnings, which sounded in Kyiv several times overnight into Wednesday, as Russia continues to pummel Ukrainian cities with airstrikes.
Former kindergarten teacher honored by Ukrainian defense minister for shooting down Russian missile
A former kindergarten teacher has been honored with an award by Ukrainian defense minister Rustem Umerov for her role in shooting down a Russian missile during her first combat launch.
Natalia Grabarchuk, a Ukrainian soldier who completed a five-month training course before the mission, accurately launched the “Igla” anti-missile device to shoot down a Russian cruise missile that was headed towards a critical infrastructure facility in Ukraine’s Rivne region.
The mission, captured on video, was shared by the Ukrainian Air Forces on Sunday.
In the video, Grabarchuk is seen operating the anti-aircraft missile, resting the device on her shoulder before firing it. A plume of smoke can be seen, followed by the sound of a large explosion. Natalia falls to her knees as she is congratulated by her colleagues.
“Well done!” her colleagues say in the video. “You hit it, Natalia, you hit it!”
Reacting to the successful mission on Sunday, Grabarchuk said she was “very glad” that she had managed to hit the Russian missile, stating that she “threw away all emotions and excitement” during the mission. “After the combat work,” she said, “I let my emotions run wild.”
In a Facebook post Tuesday, Umerov called the former kindergarten teacher and her colleagues Olga Makisimenko and Valentina Steblevts, “incredible defenders” and “a symbol of professionalism and courage,” showing pictures of the soldiers being presented with their awards.
Thanking the soldiers for their service, the post called the mission and corresponding video “an inspiring moment for all of us.”
Putin has failed to achieve "any strategic objective" in 1,000 days of war in Ukraine, says Austin
Russian President Vladimir Putin has failed to achieve “any strategic objective” in more than 1,000 days of war in Ukraine, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday.
“The largest military in Europe invaded its neighbor, who had a much smaller inventory, much less capability, and 1,000 days later, they’ve yet to be successful,” Austin told reporters in Laos.
“This war has gone on for 1,000 days, and Putin has failed in every case to achieve any sort of strategic objective,” he said.
Ukraine has demonstrated to the world that “it is possible for a smaller, less capable country to defend its sovereign territory, if its people are committed and if it has some of the resources that it needs to do so,” he said.
Some context: While Russia certainly failed to achieve Putin’s initial goal of taking Ukraine within a few days, the Russian campaign has reached some of its objectives. Around one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory is currently under Russian control according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Russia has more weapons, ammunition and people and Putin’s strategy appears to be slowly grinding Ukraine down by outgunning and outspending it while wearing down Kyiv’s western allies.
CNN’s Ivana Kottasová contributed reporting.
US decision to send Ukraine anti-personnel mines spurred by new Russian frontline tactics, Austin says
The Biden administration’s decision to send anti-personnel landmines to Ukraine for the first time was motivated by Russia’s changing tactics on the frontlines, said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“Because the Russians have been so unsuccessful in the way that they have been fighting, they’ve kind of changed their tactics a bit,” Austin told reporters in Laos.
“They don’t lead with their mechanized forces anymore. They lead with dismounted forces who are able to close and do things to kind of pave the way for mechanized forces,” he explained.
CNN previously reported the US intends for Kyiv to use the anti-personnel mines in eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops have made slow and steady progress.
Austin said Ukraine’s military needs “things that can help slow down that effort.”
The US has provided Ukraine with anti-tank mines since the start of the war, but the decision to provide anti-personnel mines represents another major policy change from the outgoing Biden administration.
“The land mines that we would look to provide them with are land mines that are not persistent. We can control when they would self-activate, self-detonate, and that makes it far safer eventually than the things that they are creating on their own,” Austin said.
He stressed that Ukraine must be responsible in “recording where they’re putting these mines.”
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