Day 681 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Massive Ukrainian Attack On Targets In Russia And Crimea

Day 681 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• State Department: US May Not Continue Support to Ukraine at 2022, 2023 Levels
• Russia shot down 36 Ukrainian drones over Crimea
• Russian shelling over 3 Ukrainian regions, Kyiv attacks Sevastopol and Belgorod
• North Korea recently supplied Russia with ballistic missiles, the US announced

State Department: US May Not Continue Support to Ukraine at 2022, 2023 Levels

The US is committed to supporting Ukraine "as long as necessary," but that does not mean the level of support will remain as high as in 2022 and 2023, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a Jan. 4 press conference.

US has ongoing debate over approved new funding for Ukraine. Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would have provided 61 billion dollars in aid to Ukraine in early December.

A week later, President Joe Biden said the US would continue to support Ukraine "as long as it can."

Miller's comments come after other U.S. officials acknowledged that there is essentially no money left for aid to Ukraine if Congress does not take legislative action.

Asked by a reporter if US policy was to support Ukraine for as long as necessary, Miller confirmed, but added that this did not mean they would continue to support Ukraine at the same level of military funding as in 2022 and 2023 Mr.

"We don't think that should be necessary because the goal is ultimately for Ukraine to stand on its own two feet and build its own industrial base and its own military industrial base to be able to both finance and acquire munitions on its own " the spokesman said.

Miller said there was "no tension" between his comments and those made by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in December.

Blinken said then that "we have to help Ukraine get through the next period of time, get through this winter, get through the spring and summer," but did not specifically say that US aid would decrease after that. He also did not mention that the level of funding for Ukraine in 2024 will be less than in previous years.

Ukraine is increasingly focused on increasing its domestic military-industrial capacity, which President Volodymyr Zelensky has said will triple by 2023.

Ukraine's allies have also pledged help in the process.

German arms maker Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said on December 2 that the company plans to build the first armored vehicles on site in Ukraine in the summer of 2024.

Later in December, Ukrainian and US officials signed a declaration of intent to jointly produce weapons.

However, it is not clear how Ukrainian domestic production will fill the gap created by the reduction in US military aid.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on January 3 that "we don't have a plan B (if US aid ends), we are confident in plan A."

"Ukraine will always struggle with the resources provided to it," he added.

Russia shot down 36 Ukrainian drones over Crimea

Air defense systems shot down 36 Ukrainian drones over Crimea and one over the Krasnodar Territory, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported, as quoted by TASS and BTA.

"On January 5, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles on objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was thwarted. The air defense units on duty destroyed and intercepted 36 Ukrainian drones over the territory of the Republic of Crimea and one - over the Krasnodar Territory", the message said.

Ukraine said yesterday that its air force struck a Russian command post near the occupied city of Sevastopol, more than 200 km from Kyiv-held territory, and hit a military unit in a separate strike on the Crimean peninsula, Reuters reported.

Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk posted a social media video on the Telegram app showing smoke rising from an explosion near Sevastopol, a port that serves as the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

"Once again, I thank the Air Force pilots and all who planned the operation for the perfect execution of the combat mission," he said. Oleshchuk also published a still from a post on social networks saying that the strike hit a Russian military base in the city of Yevpatoria.

The Moscow-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, described the attack as "the most massive in recent times." One person was taken to hospital after a piece of shrapnel hit a house, he reported on Telegram.

In a later post, Razvozhaev informed that three people were taken out of a residential building damaged by falling debris. More evacuations are possible as forensic experts examine a piece of a rocket that fell near a village.

Reuters notes that it could not independently verify the information.

The chief administrative officer in Saky, north of Sevastopol, where there is an air base, said several Ukrainian airstrikes in the area had been repulsed.

Ukrainian bloggers and unofficial Telegram channels reported that Russian air defense units repelled Ukrainian attacks in the Kerch Strait, in eastern Crimea, and in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had shot down ten missiles over the peninsula.

Russian shelling over 3 Ukrainian regions, Kyiv attacks Sevastopol and Belgorod

Russian air defense systems shot down 10 aerial targets over the southern city of Belgorod, the governor of the district announced.

Two people were injured, a residential building and at least 30 cars were damaged. After the attack on the city on Saturday, in which, according to the Russian authorities, 25 people were killed, in several municipalities near the border with Ukraine, the winter vacation for students has been extended - until January 7.

Kyiv also attacked a command post near the port city of Sevastopol from the air, injuring one person, according to Russian officials.

After the Russian shelling yesterday in three areas, the victims on Ukrainian territory are at least four.

Ukraine maintains its hope that it will soon be able to count on new military aid from abroad, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address:

"The whole team of our diplomats, all responsible for communication with partners, are doing everything possible to ensure the delivery of additional air defense systems and missiles for them. This is the number one priority. I am grateful to all our partners who are already forming new packages in our support".

North Korea recently supplied Russia with ballistic missiles, the US announced

Missiles recently supplied by North Korea to Russia have been used in mass attacks in Ukraine in recent days, the White House said today, condemning Pyongyang's "serious and alarming increase" in its support for Moscow.

"Our information indicates that North Korea has recently provided Russia with ballistic missile launch systems and several ballistic missiles," some of which were subsequently used on Dec. 30 and Jan. 2 in strikes against Ukraine, said John Kirby.

The US and its allies will now take the matter to the UN Security Council, as this missile transfer is a violation of UN sanctions against North Korea, Kirby said.

Russia also intends to buy missiles from its ally Iran, the spokesman said.

"We will impose additional sanctions against those who work to facilitate this arms transfer between Russia and North Korea and between Russia and Iran," he added.

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