KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched an enormous aerial assault towards Ukraine on Friday, firing 93 missiles and nearly 200 drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned, describing it as one of many heaviest bombardments of the nation’s vitality sector since Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly three years in the past.
Ukrainian defenses shot down 81 missiles, together with 11 cruise missiles that have been intercepted by F-16 warplanes supplied by Western allies earlier this 12 months, Zelenskyy mentioned.
Russia is “terrorizing millions of people” with such assaults, he mentioned on his Telegram channel, renewing his plea for worldwide unity towards Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“A strong reaction from the world is needed: a massive strike – a massive reaction. This is the only way to stop terror,” Zelenskyy mentioned.
However uncertainty surrounds how the battle may unfold subsequent 12 months. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes workplace subsequent month, has vowed to finish the battle and has thrown into doubt whether or not important U.S. army help for Kyiv will proceed.
In Moscow, the Protection Ministry mentioned the Russian army used long-range precision missiles and drones on “critically important fuel and energy facilities in Ukraine that ensure the functioning of the military industrial complex.”
The strike was in retaliation for Wednesday’s Ukrainian assault utilizing U.S.-supplied the Military Tactical Missile System, or ATACMs, on a Russian air base, it mentioned.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv mentioned Friday’s assault additionally focused transport networks and different key amenities.
Ukraine’s largest non-public vitality firm, DTEK, mentioned the assault “seriously damaged” its thermal energy crops.
Russia has repeatedly tried to cripple Ukraine’s electrical energy system in an effort to interrupt the desire of civilians left at the hours of darkness with no working water or heating and to disrupt Ukrainian protection manufacturing.
Ukrainian Vitality Minister Herman Halushchenko mentioned vitality employees have been doing every part essential to “minimize negative consequences for the energy system,” promising to launch extra particulars on damages as soon as the safety scenario allowed it.
Ukraine’s air power reported a number of strike drones launched at Ukraine in a single day adopted by swarms of cruise missiles within the nation’s air house. It mentioned Russia additionally used air-launched ballistic Kinzhal missiles towards Ukraine’s western areas.
The same large assault on Nov. 28 concerned about 200 missiles and drones and left greater than one million households with out energy till emergency groups restored provides.
Ukrainian officers have warned that Russia is stockpiling cruise and ballistic missiles for extra assaults.
On Nov. 21, Russia for the primary time used an intermediate vary hypersonic ballistic missile to strike an industrial plant within the metropolis of Dnipro, in jap Ukraine. Putin described the assault with the Oreshnik missile as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with longer-range Western weapons.
He declared that extra assaults with the brand new weapon might comply with, and U.S. officers warned Wednesday that the Oreshnik might be used once more in coming days. There was no speedy signal one was launched in Friday’s assault.
Round half of Ukraine’s vitality infrastructure has been destroyed throughout the battle, and rolling electrical energy blackouts are widespread and widespread.
Kyiv’s Western allies have supplied Ukraine with air protection programs to assist it shield vital infrastructure, however Russia has sought to overwhelm the air defenses with mixed strikes involving massive numbers of missiles and drones known as “swarms.”
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Russia has held the initiative this 12 months as its army has steadily rammed via Ukrainian defenses within the east in a collection of gradual however regular offensives.
Observe AP’s protection of the battle in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
