2023-12-29 13:32:30
The toll is heavy. Explosions were heard this Friday morning in kyiv, announced its mayor Vitali Klitschko, after strikes targeted several cities across Ukraine, leading to the triggering of a national air alert. According to the Air Force, 158 missiles and drones were fired at Ukraine, 114 of which were destroyed.
Half a dozen towns were the subject of Russian strikes, including Kharkiv (north-east), Lviv (west) and Odessa (south), authorities said, and a generalized air alert across the country. was activated around 5 a.m. GMT (i.e. 7 a.m. in Ukraine). For now, the overall toll stands at at least 16 dead and 97 injured, according to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriï Kostin.
“This is the most massive missile attack in general,” air force spokesman Yuri Ignat told AFP, adding that the count excluded the first few days of the war which saw “constant and uninterrupted” strikes.
The strikes targeted “civilian installations, civilian buildings,” denounced Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff. “We are doing everything possible to strengthen our air shield. But the world must see that we need more help and means to stop this terror,” he added.
A mass terrorist attack, missiles are once again moving to our cities, targeting civilians.
Ukraine needs support. We will grow stronger, reinforcing our air defenses. But the world must see that we need more support to stop this terror.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) December 29, 2023
Victims of Dnipro in Lviv
The city of Kharkiv suffered at least ten strikes in two waves which left one dead and eight wounded, according to the head of the local military administration, Oleg Synegubov. A hospital in the Kyivskyi district (north-east of the city) was damaged, local police said. Mayor Igor Terekhov said the strikes were carried out by S-300 and X-22 missiles, and disrupted the electricity supply to transport.
In Odessa, a building was damaged following a strike overnight but the resulting fire was quickly brought under control, said Mayor Gennady Trukhanov.
In Lviv, a city close to the Polish border that is more rarely targeted, his counterpart Andriy Sadovyi spoke of “two strikes” in an attack carried out in total by “ten (Iranian drones) Shaheds” in the region. The official mentioned “a fire in a crucial installation”, without providing further details. One person was killed, and 15 injured, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
❗️Lviv. As a result of Russian shelling, one person died, 15 were injured
13 residential buildings, buildings of two educational institutions, as well as vehicles were damaged.
Police teams, investigators, criminalists, rescuers of the State Emergency Service are working on the ground. pic.twitter.com/Dp1Ot83dWN
— Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (@MVS_UA) December 29, 2023
Authorities also reported explosions in the Dnipro region where “people died and more than 20 were injured.” According to the military, “guided missiles” were fired by Russian Tu95MS bombers. For the president’s advisor, Andriy Yemark, these strikes are a sign that Ukraine “needs more support”, in particular to “strengthen air defense”.
On Thursday, Russian strikes left three dead and nine injured in two villages in the Zaporizhia region, in southern Ukraine, according to local authorities.
VIDEO. The AQ-400 Scythe, Ukraine’s low-cost kamikaze drone made from kitchen furniture
The attacks come after Russia confirmed on Tuesday that one of its ships had been damaged in an attack on kyiv in annexed Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed by his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of “damage” suffered by the large landing ship Novocherkassk. The Ukrainian army, for its part, assured that it had “destroyed” this ship, which it claimed was carrying Shahed drones, using cruise missiles. Furthermore, the Russian Defense Ministry says it has destroyed a Ukrainian drone above the Kursk region, north of the Ukrainian border.
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