SpaceWar.com reports: “Russia said Monday its air defences had shot down eight ballistic missiles fired by Ukraine, amid heightened tensions over Kyiv’s use of Western-supplied long-range arms against Russia.

Ukraine also targeted a Russian fuel depot while Russian aerial attacks wounded more than 30 in strikes on Odesa and Kharkiv, the latest wave of attacks.

The nearly three-year war has escalated dramatically over the last week, with both sides deploying new weapons as they try to secure an upper hand on the battlefield before Donald Trump enters the White House in January.

The Republican has vowed to secure a peace deal, though has not said how, and is a critic of American aid to Kyiv.

Ukraine fired US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles into Russia for the first time last week after receiving approval from Washington, prompting a furious reaction from Moscow.

‘Air defence forces shot down eight ballistic missiles,’ the Russian defence ministry said in a daily briefing on Monday, without saying what kind of missiles were used or where they were shot down.

Moscow and Kyiv have escalated their use of long-range missiles after the United States gave Ukraine approval, long requested by Kyiv, to use the weapons against Russia…”