They were the heaviest air raids since the beginning of the war, says the Ukrainian military about the wave of Russian attacks shortly before the New Year. EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell described the attacks as “indiscriminate” and “barbaric”.
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They were the heaviest air raids since the beginning of the war, says the Ukrainian military about the wave of Russian attacks shortly before the New Year. More than 20 people were killed and more than 130 others were injured.
As of Friday afternoon, 26 deaths were known; there were deaths in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Odessa, Lviv and the capital Kiev. “Our community school was blown to pieces,” said Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke on X about terror against the civilian population. Russia has fired with almost everything its arsenal has to offer, according to Zelensky, Kinschal, S-300s, cruise missiles and drones. A maternity ward, educational institutions and many private homes were hit.
“Genocide” – Ukraine calls for international reaction
Ukrainian air defenses were able to intercept more than 70 percent of Russian attacks. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spoke of a “genocide” in view of the many civilian victims and called on the international community to respond.
A residential building was hit in Odesa. Three people died and 22 were injured, including two children and a pregnant woman.
In the capital Kiev, the air defense was confronted with a wave of attacks from different directions. A warehouse and a metro station building were damaged. There are 18 injured, including two fatalities.
According to the Ukrainian army, Russia fired 158 rockets against the country. The previous highest number of Russian missiles in a single day was around 90.
Leonid Volkov: “Sadism” and “Madness”
The attack sparked international outrage. The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned the violent airstrikes and blamed Putin directly.
“These comprehensive attacks on Ukrainian cities show that Putin will stop at nothing to achieve his goal of eradicating freedom and democracy,” wrote Sunak on the online service X. “We will not let him win. We must continue to stand by Ukraine stand – as long as it is necessary.”
The Kremlin opponent who fled abroad Leonid Volkov accused the Russian president of “sadism” and “madness.” “Putin has carried out the most massive terrorist attack on Ukrainian cities,” said the confidant of the imprisoned Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny. At the end of the year, this should make the whole world think “how little it did in 2023 to stop one of the most terrible and bloodthirsty lunatics of the 21st century.”
EU-Chefdiplomat Joseph Borrell has condemned Russia’s recent “barbaric” airstrikes on Ukrainian cities. It was “another cowardly and indiscriminate attack on schools, a metro station and a hospital,” wrote Borrell on the X platform
Poland: Flying object in Polish airspace
According to current information from the Polish army, a Russian missile violated the airspace of NATO member Poland for a short time. “Everything indicates that a Russian missile has entered Polish airspace. We tracked it on the radar and left the airspace again,” said Chief of General Staff Wieslaw Kukula on Friday in Warsaw.
According to the information, the rocket was in Polish airspace for about three minutes and flew over 40 kilometers. Russia’s massive airstrikes in recent hours have also targeted the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, which lies near the border with Poland.
2023-12-30 00:39:59
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