7 Devastating Deaths By Russia Shakes Ukraine

Discover how 7 deadly strikes in Russia’s largest air attack on Ukraine to date caused widespread destruction, casualties, and power outages across the nation.

Russia’s Large-Scale Air Assault on Ukraine

Russia launched one of its most extensive air attacks on Ukraine since the war began, according to Ukraine’s air force chief. At least seven people were killed, and dozens were injured as missiles and drones targeted over half of Ukraine’s regions on Monday. The strikes caused wide blackouts because power infrastructure was hit, setting off air raid alerts throughout the country. Russia contradicted that it had attacked the energy infrastructure of Ukraine, the same long-term strategy, and insisted that all targets were hit as intended.

Casualties and Impact

The overnight-to-monday-morning barrage of missiles and drones was “the most massive aerial attack,” according to Ukraine’s air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk. He said that 127 missiles and 109 drones had been fired, with Ukraine’s defense forces having shot down 102 missiles and 99 drones. Later in the day, one woman was killed and five people went missing when a civilian infrastructure building was hit by a Russian missile in Kryvyi Rih.

NATO’s Response

The attack saw Poland, which is a part of NATO, report that an “object,” believed to be a drone, breached its airspace. Farah Dakhlallah, the spokesperson for NATO, lashed at the attacks and said that incursions into the airspace of NATO by Russia were “irresponsible and potentially dangerous.” Wednesday’s strike with 158 cruise missiles and drones equaled in size the largest so far in December.

Energy Infrastructure and Morale

The first target of the attack from Russia was Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, a priority that has endured since the onset of the invasion in February 2022. But another goal of the attack was to shake Ukrainian morale after the incursion of Ukrainians into Russian territory in the Kursk region in great success. This was to let Ukrainians and Western politicians know that the Kremlin still held a significant level of power in the conflict.

Casualties Across Ukraine

The attack targeted 15 regions across Ukraine and left dozens dead and much destruction. Those killed included two men in Dnipropetrovsk region, one man in Zaporizhzhia, one person in Lutsk, and another man in Izyum. In the Zhytomyr region, there were reports of the death of a woman after missiles hit homes and infrastructure. The strikes resulted in power cuts in a number of cities, including Kyiv, and disrupted water supplies.

Grinding On: Russia’s Offensive and Ukraine’s Response

The Russian attacks indeed seriously crippled the energy infrastructure of Ukraine, and frequent blackouts have resulted. Though Ukraine buys energy from the European Union, it has been forced to implement nationwide blackouts to conserve vital resources. Russia’s defense ministry said it had targeted facilities and sites used to store electricity and gas, as well as housing Western weapons. It claimed the attacks had disrupted rail transport of weapons and ammunition to the front lines.

Struggles and Counterattacks by Ukraine

Despite handicaps in the field, including problems with mobilization and reports of dwindling manpower, the recent incursion into Kursk boosted morale and proved an ability to conduct successful offensives. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western allies to relax limits on how far into Russian territory Ukraine can use their weapons, insisting that cooperation with European air forces could save more lives. On Monday, Ukraine attempted to hit an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, while Russia’s defence ministry said nine drones were shot down over the Saratov region.