Ukraine: 31 killed in Russia's 'biggest' air attack, says Kyiv
At least 31 civilians were killed and over 160 injured after Russia launched the "biggest" air strike on Ukraine on Friday (local time), said Kyiv officials. They claimed that Russian forces used 158 missiles and drones for the attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia used everything it had in its arsenal to launch this strike, which was retaliated. Ukraine's air force managed to hit 87 cruise missiles and 27 drones from the total 158 aerial "targets," said reports.
Why does this story matter?
This comes as the Russia-Ukraine crisis is nearing its second anniversary in February 2024, with Russia claiming to have intensified its attack in Ukraine. Earlier this month, Putin signed a decree ordering to boost the Russian forces by 15%, per AFP. On the other hand, Ukraine's war funding is reportedly expected to run out within weeks. Zelenskyy is reportedly seeking support from the West, including the United States (US), to address the urgent funding requirement for war-torn Ukraine.
Eyewitnesses, official accounts of civilian casualties
Eyewitnesses and officials told Reuters that of 31 civilian casualties, eight were reported in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region alone. Six people were also killed when missiles targeted a shopping mall, a house, and a six-story residential structure in the central region of Dnipropetrovsk. According to the Dnipropetrovsk governor, the attack also sparked a fire in a maternity facility. Four people were killed, and at least 22 others were injured in the Black Sea town of Odesa.
Kyiv suffers casualties, Russian attack was retaliated
Zelenskyy said nearly 110 missiles were fired, most of which were shot down. "Russia attacked with everything it has in its arsenal," he said on Telegram messenger. In the capital, Kyiv, nine people were reportedly killed, and 30 were injured as a warehouse, residential buildings, and an uninhabited property were targeted. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov called the assault the "most massive air attack of this war," involving 18 strategic bombers.
Poland claimed Russian missiles violated its airspace
Furthermore, Poland, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member, joined Ukraine, claiming a Russian missile went into its airspace for 40 kilometers before returning to Ukraine about three minutes later. However, Russia's charge d'affaires in Warsaw, Andrei Ordash, refuted the accusations, claiming Poland has no proof of Moscow's missile breaching its airspace. To note, Kyiv has already stated that Moscow may be stockpiling missiles to launch air assaults on Ukraine's energy system during the winter, similar to the 2022 attacks.
US, France, UK condemn attack; Russia denies targeting civilians
Meanwhile, most members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), including the US, France, and the United Kingdom, denounced the Russian assaults at a hastily convened meeting. Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya, on the other hand, said they only targeted military sites, blaming Ukraine's defensive systems for civilian fatalities. Separately, Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry said the attack demonstrated that there should be "no talk of a truce" with the Kremlin at a time when Western backing for Kyiv is uncertain.
