Russia unleashed a “massive” aerial assault involving missiles and drones on Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of at least nine individuals nationwide. This marked the largest attack in months, which Ukrainian officials described as “hellish.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Russia fired 120 missiles and nearly 100 drones, aiming at various regions, including southern, central, and far-western Ukraine.
Civilians were reported dead in the Mykolaiv, Lviv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odesa regions.
“It was a hellish night,” stated Yuriy Ignat, spokesperson for Ukraine’s air force, on social media, noting that Ukraine managed to intercept “144 targets.”
Ukrainian officials described this attack as one of the largest during the nearly three-year-long Russian invasion.
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“This is a massive attack on our country,” said Mr. Zelensky.
“In the past week alone, the aggressor has deployed nearly 140 missiles of various types, over 900 guided aerial bombs, and more than 600 strike drones,” he added, accusing Moscow of attempting to “intimidate us with cold and blackouts.”
This assault occurred just two days after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin for the first time in nearly two years.
‘True response’
“This is the true response of war criminal Mr. Putin to all those who recently called and visited him,” remarked Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga following the attack.
“We seek peace through strength, not appeasement.”
Ukraine criticized Mr. Scholz for engaging with the Russian leader, a sentiment echoed by many in Germany.
Nonetheless, Mr. Scholz reaffirmed Germany’s support for Ukraine, emphasizing that no decisions regarding the end of the war would be made without Ukrainian input.
“Ukraine can count on us,” and “no decision will be made behind Ukraine’s back,” the chancellor stated at Berlin airport before departing for a G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
In eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have made consistent advances, Ukraine’s military has faced significant challenges.
Police officers investigate a large fragment of a downed Russian hypersonic missile Zircon in Kyiv.
The election of Donald Trump in the US has raised uncertainties regarding the conflict’s future, especially given the Republican Party’s strong criticism of US aid to Ukraine.
Russia, on the other hand, claimed it had successfully hit all its targets, asserting that it aimed at “essential energy infrastructure supporting the Ukrainian military-industrial complex.”
However, civilian casualties were reported across various regions in Ukraine.
In Kherson, officials noted that a 51-year-old woman was killed by a drone strike.
Civilian fatalities across the country
In the southern Mykolaiv region, local leader Vitaliy Kim reported that “two women” were killed in a nighttime attack, with seven others, including two children, wounded.
The death toll included two workers from the state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia in Nikopol, who died when a depot was struck, as confirmed by the Dnipropetrovsk regional governor, Sergiy Lysak, and the operator. Three additional individuals were injured in the bombing.
In the Odesa region, two people also lost their lives, and a teenager sustained injuries.
Maksym Kozytsky, the head of the Lviv region, mentioned that a 66-year-old woman was killed while in her car in the village of Sheptytsky, located about 20 kilometers from the Polish border.
This incident prompted NATO-member Poland to scramble fighter jets and mobilize all available resources as a precaution.
Poland places its armed forces on high alert whenever there are perceived threats due to attacks against its neighboring country.
Additionally, Russia reported that a man was killed by a Ukrainian drone in its Belgorod region.
Attacks on energy facilities ‘throughout Ukraine’
Residents of Kyiv sought refuge underground as explosions echoed through the capital.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s energy operator DTEK announced emergency power cuts in the Kyiv region and two eastern regions.
President Zelensky has stated that the ongoing aerial bombardment by Russia has decimated half of Ukraine’s energy production capacity.
Earlier, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko mentioned on Telegram that Russian forces were “targeting electricity generation and transmission facilities across Ukraine.”
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With the harsh Ukrainian winter fast approaching, the country is already facing significant energy shortages, as its outnumbered and outgunned forces have been gradually yielding ground to Kremlin troops for weeks.
Ukraine has urgently appealed to its Western allies for assistance in repairing its energy infrastructure – a costly endeavor – and in supplying its under-resourced military with additional air defense systems.
However, many in Ukraine are concerned that support from the West may wane following the anticipated return of Mr. Trump to the White House in January.
