Ukrainian officials reported that Russia had unleashed a staggering 122 missiles and a swarm of drones against Ukrainian targets, resulting in the death of at least 24 civilians nationwide.
This assault was described as the most extensive aerial onslaught of the ongoing conflict by a Ukrainian air force official.
The Ukrainian military, under the leadership of Valerii Zaluzhnyi, managed to intercept the majority of the ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as the Shahed-type drones, during the night. Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk, in a statement on his official Telegram channel, referred to this as "the most massive aerial attack" since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Historically, the previous largest assault occurred in November 2022 when Russia launched 96 missiles against Ukraine. In 2023, the record was set on March 9 with 81 missiles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force records.
Western officials and analysts had recently cautioned that Russia seemed to be limiting its cruise missile strikes in recent months, presumably to amass stockpiles for large-scale strikes during the winter, with the intent of crushing Ukrainian morale.
The front line conflict has largely been stalled by winter weather following Ukraine's unsuccessful summer counteroffensive, which failed to achieve a significant breakthrough along the approximately 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) line of contact.
Ukrainian officials have been imploring their Western allies to provide more air defenses to safeguard against aerial attacks like the one that occurred on Friday. These appeals have been made amidst signs of war fatigue that are testing the endurance of support.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak responded to the massive attack, stating that it should galvanize the world into further action in support of Ukraine. He expressed his sentiments on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, stating, "These widespread attacks on Ukraines cities show (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will stop at nothing to achieve his aim of eradicating freedom and democracy. We must continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba echoed these sentiments, stating that the scale of the attack should serve as a wake-up call to the world about Ukraine's ongoing needs. He wrote on X, Today, millions of Ukrainians awoke to the loud sound of explosions. I wish those sounds of explosions in Ukraine could be heard all around the world. In all major capitals, headquarters, and parliaments, which are currently debating further support for Ukraine.
The approximately 18-hour onslaught resulted in at least 130 injuries, with an unknown number of people buried under rubble, according to Ukrainian officials. The damage was widespread, with reports of a maternity hospital, apartment blocks, and schools being hit across Ukraine.
In Boyarka, a city near Kyiv, a downed drone's debris ignited a fire in a residential building. Andrii Korobka, 47, reported that his mother was sleeping adjacent to the room where the wreckage landed and was hospitalized due to shock.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on X that the Kremlin's forces utilized a broad range of weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles. He said, Today, Russia used nearly every type of weapon in its arsenal.
The aerial attack, which commenced on Thursday and continued through the night, struck six cities, including the capital, Kyiv, and other areas across Ukraine, from east to west and north to south, as per authorities.
Reports of casualties and damage were received from across the country. In the eastern city of Dnipro, five people were killed and 20 injured, with four maternity hospital patients rescued from a fire. In Odesa, on the southern coast, falling drone wreckage ignited a fire at a multi-story residential building, resulting in two deaths and 15 injuries, including two children.
The western city of Lviv reported one death and eight injuries, with three schools and a kindergarten damaged in a drone attack. In the capital, Kyiv, several dozen missiles were launched overnight, with over 30 of them intercepted, according to Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv military administration.
In northeastern Ukraine, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that the city endured at least three waves of aerial attacks overnight, including S-300 and Kh-21 missile launches, resulting in one death and at least nine injuries.
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