Ukraine’s KYIV (AP) According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia launched a large aerial attack against Ukraine on Friday, firing about 200 drones and 93 missiles. He described the attack as one of the most intense bombardments of the country’s energy sector since Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly three years ago.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian defenses destroyed 81 missiles, including 11 cruise missiles that were intercepted earlier this year by F-16 jets supplied by Western allies.
He reiterated his call for international solidarity against Russian President Vladimir Putin on his Telegram channel, saying that Russia is frightening millions of people with these attacks.
The globe must respond forcefully—with a huge strike and a huge uproar. According to Zelenskyy, this is the only way to put an end to terror.
However, it’s unclear how the fight will play out next year. Donald Trump, the president-elect who will take office next month, has pledged to put an end to the conflict and raised questions about whether crucial U.S. military assistance for Kyiv will continue.
According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, the Russian military targeted vital fuel and energy facilities in Ukraine that support the military industrial complex with long-range precision missiles and drones.
According to the statement, the operation was a response to the Ukrainian attack on a Russian air base on Wednesday that used Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMs, that the United States had delivered.
The attack on Friday also targeted transportation networks and other vital infrastructure, according to the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv.
According to DTEK, the largest private energy provider in Ukraine, the strike caused significant damage to its thermal power reactors.
In an attempt to undermine Ukrainian defense industry and to break the spirit of citizens left without heating or running water, Russia has made many attempts to bring down Ukraine’s electrical system.
Herman Halushchenko, the minister of energy for Ukraine, stated that energy workers were taking all necessary steps to reduce any negative effects on the energy system and promised to provide additional information on damages as soon as the security situation permitted.
Swarms of cruise missiles were seen in Ukraine’s airspace after several strike drones were launched against the country overnight, according to the air force of Ukraine. It claimed that Russia also attacked the western parts of Ukraine with ballistic Kinzhal missiles fired from the air.
About 200 missiles and drones were used in a similar major strike on Nov. 28, which left over a million people without electricity until emergency personnel were able to restore supply.
Russia is storing ballistic and cruise missiles for future attacks, Ukrainian officials have warned.
For the first time, on November 21, Russia struck an industrial facility in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro with an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile. Putin said the Oreshnik missile attack was a response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory using Western weaponry with a longer range.
U.S. authorities cautioned Wednesday that the Oreshnik could be used again in the days ahead, and he said that other strikes with the new weapon might come. In Friday’s attack, there was no apparent indication that one had been launched.
The conflict has destroyed around half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and rolling blackouts of electricity are frequent and pervasive.
Ukraine has received air defense systems from Kyiv’s Western partners to assist safeguard vital infrastructure, but Russia has attempted to overwhelm the defenses with coordinated attacks using swarms of missiles and drones.
This year, Russia has taken the lead as its forces have been systematically destroying Ukrainian positions in the east through a series of gradual offensives.
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