Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had fired about 110 missiles and drones at Ukrainian targets overnight, in what appeared to be one of the biggest strikes of the year, the Guardian reported.
He said most of the missiles and drones fired were shot down, but at least 13 civilians were killed and an unknown number of people buried under rubble. Ukrainian officials said dozens were injured.
Zelensky said Kremlin forces used a wide variety of weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ikhnat said Russia "apparently fired everything at its disposal" at targets across Ukraine.
If the Ukrainian president's words are confirmed, it would be the largest air attack by Kremlin forces since their full-scale invasion in February 2022. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the previous largest attack was in November 2022, when Russia launched 96 missiles against Ukraine
The bombardment comes as frontline fighting has been largely halted by winter weather and after Ukraine's summer counteroffensive failed to make a significant breakthrough along the roughly 1,000km line of contact.
According to authorities, the around 18-hour attack, which began on the night of December 28 and continued into December 29, affected six cities, including the capital Kyiv, and other areas from eastern to western Ukraine./BGNES
