The Russian assault included more than 40 ballistic, cruise, anti-aircraft and guided missiles, officials said. The Ukrainian air force said it had intercepted 21 of them.
At least 20 people were injured in four districts of the capital, kyiv, including a 13-year-old boy, said Mayor Vitalii Klitschko. The authorities indicated that the initial reports that pointed to the death of a civilian in the city were incorrect and clarified that the person was injured and on assisted breathing in a hospital.
In Kharkiv, in the northeast of the country, the offensive left five dead and 48 injured, including four minors, and caused damage to around 30 residential buildings, in addition to breaking the windows of hundreds of apartments in freezing weather, the governor explained. of the region, Oleh Syniehubov.
In this operation, the Kremlin forces used S-300, Kh-32 and hypersonic Iskander missiles, he added.
Thermometers read -7 degrees Celsius (19 degrees Fahrenheit), city mayor Ihor Terekhov said. An entire section of a multi-story residential building was destroyed, trapping an unknown number of people, the councilor added.
Located about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Russian border, Kharkiv is often the main target of Russia’s winter campaign of long-range strikes, which often hits civilian areas.
The attacks keep Ukrainians in suspense while the 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front shows little change. The inability of both sides to strike a decisive blow on the battlefield has taken the war beyond the trenches and artillery. Analysts say Kremlin forces stockpiled missiles over the past year to launch their winter aerial bombing campaign.
There seems little chance of the war ending soon. Russia’s foreign minister defied the United States and other Ukraine allies at a United Nations meeting on Monday, dismissing any peace plan they support.
Sergey Lavrov, the head of Russian diplomacy, stated that Ukrainian forces have been “a complete failure” on the battlefield and noted that they are “incapable” of defeating Russia.
The attacks on Kharkiv and kyiv come two days after Moscow-appointed officials in eastern Ukraine reported that Ukrainian shelling left at least 27 dead outside the city of Donetsk, occupied by Russian troops. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the incident as “a monstrous terrorist act.”
The Ukrainian military, for its part, denied involvement in the attack.
Peskov noted that Tuesday’s attacks should not be seen as Moscow’s response to the attack on Donetsk and repeated the Kremlin’s argument that its forces do not attack civilian areas, although there is ample evidence to the contrary.
The deaths of Ukrainian civilians have served to spark international outrage over Russia’s invasion of its neighboring country, and Ukrainian authorities have resorted to such attacks in their attempts to secure more military aid from their allies.
NATO signed a $1.2 billion contract Tuesday to manufacture tens of thousands of artillery rounds to replenish partners’ dwindling arsenals and supply Ukraine with more ammunition.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk was the latest foreign leader to visit Ukraine and, while in Kiev on Monday, announced a new aid package that includes a loan to buy larger weapons and a commitment to find ways to manufacture them jointly.
kyiv’s allies have sought to reaffirm commitment to its long-term defense amid concerns that Western support could be waning. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, and the Foreign Minister of France have also visited the country so far this year.
But the United States, Ukraine’s main supplier, said it cannot supply it with more ammunition or weapons.
While waiting for Congress to approve a budget and additional funds for the Ukrainian conflict, Washington will turn to its allies to continue bridging the gap with Moscow.
In addition, Russia also fired missiles on Mars at Pavlohrad, in the eastern region of Dnipropetrovsk, where a 43-year-old woman was killed and two schools and eight high-rise buildings were damaged, according to the presidential office.
In Balakliia, in the Kharkiv region, an 88-year-old man and a 78-year-old woman were rescued from the rubble of a house after a Russian bombing.
In southern Ukraine, Russian forces attacked the town of Beryslav with drones, killing a 69-year-old man riding a motorcycle.
Source: With information from AP
