Moscow claims strikes on Ukrainian data centers and military infrastructure.

On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned that Russia would adopt “the necessary measures to reliably ensure its own security” if Lithuania authorizes the deployment of nuclear weapons. The warning came after the Baltic republic’s Parliament lifted the constitutional ban on such a deployment in a first reading.

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Lithuania’s decision “will not contribute to the stability and predictability of the situation on the European continent, but, on the contrary, will unfortunately constitute a new significant escalation of tensions,” Peskov stressed, alluding to the possibility that the United States could build a military base in Lithuania, which “cannot be interpreted in any other way than as a step toward escalation.”

To eliminate the constitutional clause that prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons, the Lithuanian Parliament will hold a second vote on Jan. 12. While Vilnius considers NATO’s nuclear shield to be the best deterrence mechanism, the United States has shown itself willing to consider the Lithuanian proposal to deploy a base on the territory of the country, which borders the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

President Gitanas Nauseda clarified that the authorization would not automatically result in the deployment of such weapons, but would free his hands to take urgent measures if the security situation changed radically.

The other two Baltic states — Latvia and Estonia — do not have explicit prohibitions on the stationing of allied nuclear weapons. Estonia said last year that it would be willing to host British F-35 fighter jets with nuclear capabilities on its territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow would use its entire arsenal at its disposal in the event of a direct attack on any of its regions, particularly Kaliningrad, after Russian diplomats denounced allied plans to blockade the Baltic enclave, a casus belli for Russia.

Russia Forces Strike Ukrainian Data Centers

On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that its forces struck Ukraine’s Parkovyi, Ukrtelecom, Giga and Podolskyi data centers to reduce the country’s communications capabilities and disrupt military logistics and troop control.

Russian forces also struck several targets in the Odesa region, including a missile and artillery weapons depot, a dry cargo vessel delivering military supplies, and berthing infrastructure facilities used for unloading and storing military cargo.

“Yuzhny port strike: A tanker-type vessel delivering fuel and lubricants intended for the Ukrainian forces was hit as a result of strikes on the port. Odessa region strike: Russia hit trucks that had transported military cargo into Ukrainian territory,” Sputnik reported.

Early Tuesday, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said that 650 drones were intercepted on the way to the Russian capital overnight. Moscow Region Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said two people were killed and several others were injured in the region.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: EFE – Xinhua – TASS

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