29-12-2023 (KYIV) Russia unleashed a barrage of missile strikes across Ukraine early Friday, authorities reported, in the latest wave of attacks following Kyiv’s recent strike on a Russian warship in occupied Crimea.
Explosions rocked cities including the capital Kyiv, northeastern Kharkiv, western Lviv and southern Odesa. At least 10 blasts were heard in Kharkiv around 5 a.m. local time, said regional police, who accused Russia of hitting the peaceful city.
In Odesa, falling debris from a destroyed drone damaged a high-rise building and sparked a fire, according to the mayor. No casualties were immediately reported from the overnight strikes.
The attacks came days after Ukraine’s air force reportedly destroyed the Russian navy’s Novocherkassk landing ship at the occupied Crimean port of Feodosia. Both sides acknowledged the vessel was damaged, with Ukraine’s president joking it had joined Russia’s “underwater fleet.”
Moscow’s defense minister presented Russian President Vladimir Putin with a detailed damage report on the prized warship. The incident marked a major setback for Russia’s Black Sea capabilities.
In response to the military aid enabling Ukraine’s naval victory, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the United States Thursday for releasing the last weapons package available under current authorizations.
With future aid uncertain, Zelenskyy warned shifts in U.S. support could impact the war’s trajectory. He called for continued military assistance to counter ongoing Russian aggression and defend freedom in Ukraine and beyond.
A maternity ward, educational facilities, a shopping mall, multi-story residential buildings and private homes, a commercial storage, and a parking lot. Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and other cities.
Today, Russia used nearly every type of weapon in its… pic.twitter.com/q5q8Q98Njr
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 29, 2023
