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kyiv, the Ukrainian capital and located in the north of the country, Kharkiv, in the east, and Lviv, in the west, are among the cities hit by the barrage of missiles launched by Russia throughout the nation, this Thursday 29 from December. The fresh burst of shells hit power plants as Ukraine has yet to fully recover from similar assaults in recent weeks that knocked out power, crucial amid sub-zero temperatures.
Massive missile barrage against Ukraine. Aircraft sirens sounded across the country on December 29 as multiple regions were hit by at least 69 Russian cruise shells.
The Ukrainian Air Force pointed out that among the affected cities are kyiv, the capital, Kharkiv, the second largest city in the nation and located in the east; as well as Lviv, in the west and near the border with Poland.
At the moment the authorities have not confirmed fatalities, although at least three people were injured in kyiv, including a child under 14 years of age.
The head of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, indicated that the local army shot down at least 54 of the missiles. However, some hit their targets and caused extensive damage.
Around 90% of Lviv was left without electricity and without public transport service, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi reported. Also “there may be interruptions in the water supply,” he added.
Meanwhile, in kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned of further power outages, prompting residents to charge their mobile phones.
There at least one business, a children’s park and “two private houses in the Darnytskyi district were damaged by the fragments of shot down missiles,” specified the military administration of the capital.
Russia intensifies its new strategy in the war
The attack began with the launch of explosive drones against specific regions during the night, to later expand the bombardments with “cruise missiles launched by sea and air, from planes and strategic ships” in the morning hours of this Wednesday, detailed the Force. Aerial of the invaded nation.
What is considered the largest wave of attacks in weeks targeted power facilities and other crucial infrastructure, further delaying efforts by experts to fully restore power service across the nation after similar assaults.
This type of attack represents a twist in the Russian aggression strategy, which since last October has focused especially on impacting critical civilian infrastructure, thus leaving millions of people without the possibility of using heating when temperatures are close to 0 degrees Celsius.
kyiv and the West accuse Moscow of trying to freeze Ukrainians to death and leave them without water service, which increases the suffering of the population.
Despite the accusations of the international community, the Kremlin maintains that its military intends to weaken the Ukrainian Army and not civilians.
Moscow attacks methodically in an attempt to weaken the resolve of the attacked country and force it to negotiate on Russian terms, but kyiv refuses to hand over its territories and is committed to recovering them.
After more than 10 months of the war ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia and Ukraine remain locked in a bitter battle of attrition.
The Ukrainian military has recaptured swaths of Russian-occupied territory in the northeast and south of the country, and continues to resist persistent Russian attempts to seize the entire Donbass industrial region in the east.
With Reuters and AP
