Russia launches more than 120 missiles by air and sea against energy infrastructure and civilian targets in Ukraine

For all Ukraine Air raid alerts have sounded, amid a new wave of Russian missiles launched against the main cities of that country.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak reported that shots were fired more than 120 missiles against the population and civilian infrastructure.

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At least three people – including a 14-year-old girl – were admitted to hospitals after shells hit the capital Kyiv, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said.

Explosions were also heard in the cities of Kharkiv, Odessa, Lviv and Zhytomyr.

The regional leader of the southern Odessa province, Maksym Marchenko, spoke of a “massive missile attack against Ukraine.”

The Ukrainian Air Force claimed that Russia was attacking the country from “various directions with air and sea cruise missiles.” He added that several kamikaze drones were also used.

air defense

Air raid alarms sounded in all regions of the country Thursday morning. Another presidential adviser, Oleksiy Arestovych, urged the civilian population to seek refuge, adding that the country’s anti-aircraft defenses were in operation.

In Kyiv, two houses were damaged by debris from intercepted missiles, according to the city’s military administration, while Klitschko said “several explosions” had been reported.

Missile trails are seen in the sky over kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, on December 29, 2022 amid the Russian invasion. (SERGEI SUPINSKY / AFP).

In the southern Mykolaiv region, Governor Vitaly Kim wrote that five missiles were intercepted by anti-aircraft defenses.

For his part, Marchenko commented that 21 missiles had been shot down in the Odesa region. He added that fragments had fallen on a residential building, but no injuries had been reported.

And in the western city of Lviv, Mayor Andriy Sadovy also mentioned that several explosions had been reported.

Mykhailo Podolyak accused Moscow of trying to “destroy critical infrastructure and kill civilians en masse”.

blackouts

Russia has hit Ukraine with dozens of attacks in recent weeks, causing power outages across the country. The mayor of Lviv said that 90% of his city was without power on Thursday, while his counterpart Klitschko warned that there could be new blackouts and water cuts in the capital.

Kyiv and other cities cut power supply as a strategy to prevent attacks on their power facilities. (GETTY IMAGES).

Blackouts have already been reported in Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk. “They have been implemented due to the threat of missile attacks, to avoid damage in case the enemy manages to hit the power facilities,” wrote power company DTEK.

Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Military Administration in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, said the missiles aimed at his city had been launched from “(Russian) ships and planes in the Black Sea.” The city’s power had been cut as a “precaution”he added.

Ukraine’s southern command had already issued an alert that Russian forces were preparing to launch up to 20 missiles from positions in the Black Sea.

In a bombing raid earlier this month, Ukraine shot down 60 of the more than 70 missiles fired by Russian forces.

Moscow has repeatedly denied that the targets of its missile attacks are civilians.. President Vladimir Putin recently acknowledged that Russian troops have been attacking critical energy facilities in Ukraine.

The statement followed accusations by some international leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, that attacking energy facilities would amount to a war crime.

The government in Kyiv has implored Western countries to provide it with additional anti-aircraft defences, and US President Joe Biden recently agreed to send it his sophisticated Patriot system.

Source: Elcomercio