International
Putin: NATO will be at war with Russia if it authorizes the use of missiles against Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that if NATO authorizes Ukraine to use long-range missiles to hit targets on Russian territory, it will mean that it will be at war with Russia.
“If that decision is made, it will mean nothing other than the direct participation of NATO countries, the United States and European countries in the war in Ukraine (…), that will mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries, are fighting against Russia,” Putin told public television after speaking at a cultural forum in St. Petersburg.
This decision will change “the very nature of the conflict”
Putin stressed that this decision will change “the very nature of the conflict,” alluding to the fat that it will no longer be reduced to a war between the Russian and Ukrainian armies.
“If that is the case (…), we will make the corresponding decisions based on the threats that create us,” he said.
Ukraine does not have technical capacity
He insisted that, in reality, NATO is not authorizing Kiev to use those long-range missiles, whether the ATCAMS or the Storm Shadow, since the Ukrainian army does not have the technical capacity to do so.
Putin stressed that, according to the opinion of Russian and Western experts, these missiles can only be launched against Russian territory with the help of intelligence data from US satellites or European Union countries, since Ukraine lacks them.
“And most importantly, in fact, flight missions can only be determined by the military of NATO countries,” he said.
Last May, the Kremlin leader already used the same argument against the use of Western weapons against targets on Russian territory.
Then, he warned European countries with “serious consequences,” alluding to the fact that, normally, “these are states with small, but densely populated territories.”
Lavrov: The West already gave permission “a long time ago”
In this regard, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, assured today that the West has already given permission “a long time ago” to Ukraine to attack Russian territory with long-range missiles.
Lavrov described Wednesday’s visit to Kiev by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Minister David Lammy, who would have addressed these issues with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “staging”.
“Every day the number of (Ukrainian) attacks against civilian targets and shootings against civilians increases drastically. (…) Western military specialists literally manually coordinate attacks with high-precision weapons,” he said.
Accuses NATO of providing Kiev with data
He also accused NATO of providing Kiev with data from its intelligence satellites, which are used to “hit targets within Russian territory,” which includes energy and industrial infrastructure, but also homes, schools and hospitals.
During their visit to Kiev, both Blinken and Lammy stressed that the authorization for the use of long-range missiles will be dealt with by their respective heads of state at the meeting that both will hold tomorrow, Friday, in Washington.
“It is (Russian President Vladimir) Putin who has escalated (the situation) this week with the shipment of ballistic missiles from Iran,” Lammy said.
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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