Russia launched a heavy aerial attack on Ukraine hitting the capital, Kyiv, and other regions with a volley of missiles and drones.
Ukraine’s air force said on Tuesday it had shot down six of the 21 missiles introduced through Russia overnight. Russia used 40 drones to attack the country, the Air Force said on Telegram. Air defense teams shot down 16 and 24 failed to hit their targets.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported a ballistic missile risk at 03:00 (01:00 GMT) and at least two explosions were heard in kyiv minutes later, amid a series of attacks across the country.
Another missile alert issued in kyiv at 8:00 a. m. (0600 GMT), followed at least one explosion in the city. The remains of the missiles fell in the Darnytskyi district of the capital, causing no casualties or damage.
Meanwhile, authorities in the northeastern Sumy region reported attacks near the city of Shostka, where Mayor Mykola Noha said 12 residential buildings were damaged as well as two educational facilities.
Noha said some “social infrastructure objects” had been destroyed and offered additional details. The Ukrainian Air Force also reported that missiles and drones had targeted several other regions.
The strikes come as the nearly three-year conflict rages on, but its course is uncertain with United States President-elect Donald Trump to soon take office. Trump has promised to end the war and threw into doubt whether vital US military support for Kyiv would continue.
Ukrainian military intelligence also said on Tuesday one of its naval drones – the Magura V5 maritime drone – destroyed a Russian Mi-8 helicopter and damaged another one in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian spy firm GUR said it was the first time a Ukrainian naval drone had shot down an aerial target.
Although there was no comment from Russia, Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol in Crimea, said on Telegram that two maritime drones were destroyed near the coast overnight and that Russian defenses had shot down 4 attacking unmanned aerial vehicles. the city.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that aerial systems shot down a set of Ukrainian drones in several regions of the country.
On Monday, President Joe Biden announced that the United States would send another $2. 5 billion in weapons to Ukraine, as his administration temporarily prepares to spend whatever cash it has in kyiv to combat Russia before Trump takes office.
The war broke out in February 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. About half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed since, with Kyiv’s Western allies providing air defence systems to help it protect critical infrastructure.
But Russia has sought to overwhelm its air defences with combined strikes involving large numbers of missiles and drones in a series of slow but steady offensives.
Russian forces will move 3,985 kilometers (1,539 miles) into Ukraine in 2024, seven times more than in 2023, according to a study of data from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The advance through December 30 was driven by a slight build-up of Russian troop movements in the fall, advancing through 610 square kilometers (235 sq mi) in October and 725 square kilometers (280 sq mi) in November.
November and October were also the two months in which they conquered the most territory since March 2022, the first weeks of the conflict.