Russia yesterday launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine, firing 93 missiles and almost 200 drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, describing it as one of the heaviest bombardments of the country’s energy sector since Russia’s full-scale invasion almost three years ago.
Ukrainian defenses shot down 81 missiles, including 11 cruise missiles that were intercepted by F-16 warplanes provided by Western allies earlier this year, Zelenskiy said.
Russia is “terrorizing millions of people” with such assaults, he said on Telegram, renewing his plea for international unity against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Photo: AFP / Ukrainian Presidential Press Service
“A strong reaction from the world is needed — a massive strike, a massive reaction. This is the only way to stop terror,” Zelenskiy said.
In Moscow, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that the Russian military used long-range precision missiles and drones on “critically important fuel and energy facilities in Ukraine that ensure the functioning of the military industrial complex.”
The strike was in retaliation for Wednesday’s Ukrainian attack using US-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems on a Russian air base, it said.
Uncertainty surrounds how the war might unfold next year.
US president-elect Donald Trump, who takes office next month, has vowed to end the war and has thrown into doubt whether US military support for Kyiv would continue.
The US embassy in Kyiv said that yesterday’s attack also targeted transportation networks and other key facilities.
Russia has repeatedly attempted to cripple Ukraine’s electricity system in an effort to break the will of civilians left in the dark with no running water or heating, and to disrupt Ukrainian defense manufacturing.
Ukrainian Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko said that workers were doing everything necessary to “minimize negative consequences for the energy system,” promising to release more details on damages once the security situation allowed it.
Ukraine’s air force reported multiple strike drones launched at Ukraine overnight followed by swarms of cruise missiles in the country’s airspace.
Russia also used air-launched ballistic Kinzhal missiles against Ukraine’s western regions, it said.
Moscow has said that the aerial attacks are aimed at hobbling Ukraine’s defense industry, thwarting the production of missiles, drones, armored vehicles and artillery, among other weapons.
Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia is stockpiling cruise and ballistic missiles for more attacks.
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