UK fast-tracks Nightfall ballistic missile program for Ukraine as energy crisis deepens

The Guardian reported the information.

Britain announced on Sunday the creation of Nightfall, a rapid-development program designed to produce ground-launched ballistic missiles capable of striking targets more than 310 miles away with 440-pound warheads. The UK defense ministry is awarding £9 million to each of three industry teams to design and deliver their first three prototype missiles within 12 months for testing.

"Nightfall missiles will be capable of being launched from a range of vehicles," the Defense Ministry stated, "firing multiple missiles in quick succession and withdrawing within minutes – allowing Ukrainian forces to hit key military targets before Russian forces can respond."

The initiative comes as Ukraine continues to rely heavily on American-supplied Atacms ballistic missiles alongside its domestically developed Sapsan system for deep-strike capabilities.

Meanwhile, Ukraine faced another assault on its capital early Monday, with Russian attacks sparking fires in at least one Kyiv district. Air defense systems engaged incoming targets, according to Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration. The strike followed Friday's devastating bombardment that left over 1,000 apartment buildings without heating as winter temperatures intensify.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that despite ongoing repairs, conditions remain "still extremely difficult," particularly in border regions where infrastructure damage has been most severe.

Pope Leo addressed the humanitarian crisis from the Vatican, describing the strikes on energy infrastructure as "particularly serious" and noting they were "hitting the civilian population hard, just as the cold weather is getting worse." He called for an end to violence and intensified peace efforts.

In military operations, Ukraine's General Staff announced Sunday that its forces successfully struck three drilling platforms operated by Russian oil giant Lukoil in the Caspian Sea. These attacks on Russian energy facilities are part of Ukraine's broader strategy to cut Moscow's oil export revenues that finance the war effort.