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Ukrainians have been told to prepare for large-scale missile strikes after Russia launched its largest attack of the war on multiple cities in Ukraine, killing at least 29 people.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustam Umarov said Russian forces had spent months stockpiling missiles and drones to launch large-scale raids aimed at overcoming their air defences.
“It is clear that with such stockpiles of missiles… . Umarov warned on Facebook on Friday that they can and will continue such attacks.
The US Embassy in Kiev warned US citizens in Ukraine of the increased risk of missile and drone attacks over the New Year's weekend.
Ukrainian officials said that Russian forces, in a large-scale raid, on Friday morning, on the capital, Kiev, and several other cities, launched 158 missiles and drones, including Kinzhal (Dagger) ballistic missiles, which are difficult to intercept.
Eight people were killed in Kiev, which is defended by multiple air defense systems. One of the warehouses was destroyed by direct missile strikes, the first to hit the capital in months.
Seven people died in Zaporizhia in southern Ukraine and six others in Dnipro in the east of the country, where a shopping center was set on fire. The maternity hospital was also damaged. At least 130 people were infected across Ukraine.
Russia launched another wave of cruise missiles on Friday afternoon, hitting a residential area in Smila, southeast of Kiev.
Lieutenant-General Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, said Friday's strikes represented the largest air attack in the all-out war so far. Military installations were also targeted.
The attack comes at a time when Ukraine is experiencing the most difficult period of conflict since the large-scale Russian invasion. A long-awaited counteroffensive this fall has stalled after making only minimal territorial gains, with the ground war now largely at a stalemate.
Solidarity on the part of Kiev's Western allies appears to be faltering. The Biden administration's request for $61 billion in aid to Ukraine remains blocked in Congress. Hungary earlier this month objected to a €50 billion EU support package for the next four years, even though the bloc is setting out a €20 billion alternative financing plan for 2024.
One bright spot for Kiev has been its long-range missile and drone strikes against Russia's Black Sea fleet, with another ship destroyed in Crimea earlier this week.
Ukrainian and Western officials had expected Russia to intensify aerial bombardments following its campaign last winter to destroy power and heating plants and other infrastructure in an attempt to disrupt the economy and destroy Ukrainian morale.
General Valery Zalozhny, Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that of the 158 missiles and drones fired by Russia, air defense forces shot down 87 cruise missiles and 27 attack drones. However, it appears that none of the 20 or so ballistic missiles were intercepted.
“Today, Russia struck with almost everything it has in its arsenal: daggers, S-300 missiles, cruise missiles, and drones,” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram. Launched strategic bombers Kh-101/Kh-505. About 110 missiles were launched, most of which were shot down. Unfortunately, as a result of the bombing, there are deaths and injuries.”
An attack with a large number of diverse missiles has a greater chance of overwhelming Ukraine's largely Western-supplied air defense systems.
The Friday morning strike was widespread. Russia launched cruise missiles from 18 Tu-95 “Bear” bombers, ballistic missiles from Tu-22 supersonic aircraft, Kinzhal missiles from MiG-31 fighter jets and ground-launched ballistic missiles for air defense, officials said.
Four people were killed in Odessa on the southern coast and three in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.
“We are doing everything possible to strengthen our air shield,” Andriy Ermak, head of the presidential administration, wrote on Telegram. “But the world needs to see that we need more support and strength to stop this terrorism.”
A suspected Russian missile briefly entered Polish airspace, but was monitored by Polish and allied forces during its three-minute flight across the border with Ukraine, the Polish military said on Friday.
General Wieslaw Kokula, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army, said that although the incident represented a violation of Polish airspace, it was being treated as part of Russia's overall missile strike against Ukraine.
Two people were killed in eastern Poland in November 2022 by a stray missile identified as a Ukrainian S-300 air defense interceptor.
Additional reporting by Rafael Minder