Approximately 18 killed in a Russian attack
On Friday, Russia carried out a substantial missile assault on Ukraine, marking one of the most significant attacks in the ongoing conflict. The strike resulted in the tragic loss of 18 civilian lives, with over 130 individuals sustaining injuries. Residential areas in Kyiv, as well as the southern and western parts of the country, were impacted, according to official reports.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry emphasized that the extensive year-end air offensive dispels any notion of a truce with the Kremlin. Amid uncertainties about the future of crucial Western support for Kyiv, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged continued long-term military aid, stating that the world should hear the explosions in Ukraine.
In Kyiv, at least three fatalities and twenty-two confirmed injuries were reported as residential buildings and an uninhabited property were struck. The Air Force claimed to have successfully intercepted 87 cruise missiles and 27 drones among the 158 aerial “targets” launched by Russia.
One of the biggest attack
Poland, a NATO member, reported an unidentified aerial object entering its airspace from Ukraine and being tracked by air defenses until its signal disappeared. General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the Ukrainian army chief, noted that critical infrastructure, industrial sites, and military facilities were the focus of the attack. Russia, however, has not immediately commented and denies targeting civilians.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy revealed on Telegram messenger that Russia deployed a comprehensive array of its arsenal, firing around 110 missiles, most of which were successfully intercepted. Ukraine had been issuing warnings for weeks about the possibility of Russia amassing missiles for a major air assault on the energy system, recalling the previous winter’s power grid strikes that left millions without electricity.
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The Ukrainian foreign ministry described Friday’s strike as “one of the largest missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and villages” since the invasion began in February 2022. The energy ministry reported power outages in southern Odesa, northeastern Kharkiv, central Dnipropetrovsk, and the vicinity outside Kyiv.