The flurry of Russian attacks in Kiev and elsewhere comes as Ukraine says it shot down a Mi-8 helicopter for the first time with a naval drone.
Russia launched a heavy air strike in Ukraine, hitting the capital, Kiev, and other regions with a barrage of missiles and drones.
Ukraine’s air force said on Tuesday it shot down six of 21 missiles fired by Russia overnight. Russia used 40 drones to attack the country, the air force said on Telegram. Air defense units shot down 16 and another 24 missed the targets.
Ukraine’s air force reported a ballistic missile threat at 3 a.m. (0100 GMT) with at least two explosions heard in Kiev minutes later, amid a number of attacks across the country.
Another missile alert in Kiev was sounded at 8am (0600 GMT), followed by at least one explosion in the city. Missile debris fell in the capital’s Darnytskyi district, with no reports of casualties or damage.
Meanwhile, authorities in the northeastern Sumy region reported attacks near the town of Shostka, where Mayor Mykola Noha said 12 residential buildings were damaged as well as two educational facilities.
Noha said that several “social infrastructure facilities” were destroyed, without giving further details. Ukraine’s air force also reported that missiles and drones had targeted several other regions.
The attacks come as the nearly three-year-old conflict continues, but its course is uncertain with US President-elect Donald Trump soon to take office. Trump has promised to end the war and has questioned whether vital US military support for Kiev will continue.
Kiev retaliates
Ukrainian military intelligence also said on Tuesday one of its naval drones – the Magura V5 naval drone – destroyed a Russian Mi-8 helicopter and damaged another in the Black Sea.
Ukraine’s GUR spy agency said it was the first time a Ukrainian naval drone shot down an aerial target.
While there was no comment from Russia, Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol in Crimea, said on Telegram that two naval drones were destroyed near the coast overnight and Russian defenses shot down four unmanned aerial vehicles attacking the city.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said air systems shot down 68 Ukrainian drones overall in several regions of the country.
On Monday, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. will send an additional $2.5 billion in weapons to Ukraine as his administration works quickly to spend all the money it has available to help Kiev fight Russia before Trump takes over. the task.
The war broke out in February 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. About half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has since been destroyed, with Kiev’s Western allies providing air defense systems to help it protect critical infrastructure.
But Russia has sought to overwhelm its air defenses with combined attacks involving large numbers of missiles and drones in a series of slow but steady offensives.
Russian forces advanced 3,985 square km (1,539 square miles) into Ukraine in 2024, seven times more than in 2023, according to an analysis of data by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The advance by 30 December was boosted by an increase in Russian troop movements in the autumn, advancing 610 sq km (235 sq mi) in October and 725 sq km (280 sq mi) in November.
November and October were also the two months when they captured the most territory since March 2022, the first weeks of the conflict.
