In the early morning of December 29, Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, was woken up by the sounds of fresh aerial attacks from Russia. The attacks were not limited to Kyiv and were later confirmed to have taken place in other cities as well. These attacks have been claimed by Ukraine to be the biggest until now.
Ukranian officials have reported that more than 30 people have been killed and more than 150 people have been injured. Reports stating a huge loss to the infrastructure in the country have also been confirmed.
Details of the aerial attack on Ukraine:
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Kyiv has reported that overnight, Russia launched about 122 missiles and 36 drones against Ukraine. An air force official from Ukraine has described this attack as the biggest aerial attack by Russia in this ongoing 22-month-long war.
Ukrainian officials have said that a huge number of people were injured in this attack, and several were buried under rubble while this 18-hour-long onslaught was going on. It has been reported that in Kyiv itself, this attack has killed at least 18 civilians and injured at least 130 people.
What is Ukraine saying about this aerial attack?
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In a statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that among the buildings that have been reported to be damaged are a shopping mall, a parking lot, a commercial storage place, private homes, along with a maternity hospital, and several educational facilities. He also said that other than Kyiv, cities such as Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, and Kharkiv have also been affected. Zelensky added that for this assault, Russia used nearly every type of weapon it could have found in its arsenal. He further said that Ukraine would surely respond to these Russian terrorist strikes.
Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk has also confirmed that this was “the most massive aerial attack” that Russia has launched on their country since February 2022. According to the reports of the Ukrainian Air Force, the previous biggest assault on Ukraine was in November 2022, when Russia launched about 96 missiles on them. This year’s biggest attack till now had been on March 9, when 81 missiles were launched by Russia. Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat has said that Russia has apparently launched everything they had in this attack except for their submarine-launched missiles.
Ukraine’s military chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has said that the Ukrainian air force intercepted about 87 of the Russian missiles and 27 of the Shahed-type drones in this overnight attack. The Russian aerial attack is said to have begun on Thursday and continued through the night, during which six cities were hit, including the capital, Kyiv.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry has released a statement saying that the latest attacks proved that Russia is not considering any other scenarios than completely destructing Ukraine. After this attack, Ukrainian officials have started urging their country’s Western allies to help them by providing them with more air defence weaponry to protect their country from any further aerial attacks like this.
What is Russia saying about this aerial attack?
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Russia’s army has said that its latest attacks on Ukraine were aimed only to destroy Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, industry, and military facilities. It is believed these attacks were a response by Russia to Ukraine for having destroyed one of their warships in the Black Sea a few days ago.
Reactions from other countries to this aerial attack on Ukraine by Russia:
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The US ambassador to Kyiv has said that these latest strikes have proved that Ukraine needs funding at this moment more than ever. For the last few days, the White House has been trying to push for more military aid despite opposition in Congress against it.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also commented on this latest Russian assault on Ukraine. He has said that the latest missile strikes have proved that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not stop until his aim of “eradicating freedom and democracy” is fulfilled. He has assured that Britain will continue to stand with Ukraine and will not let Putin win.
US President Joe Biden has described this attack as a reminder to the world that, nearly two years after this ongoing, devastating war, Russian President Putin’s objective remains the same. Biden added that Putin is looking forward to obliterating Ukraine and subjugating its people, and that he must be stopped at all costs.
