Russia launched a heavy aerial attack on Ukraine hitting the capital, Kyiv, and other regions with a volley of missiles and drones.
Ukraine’s air force said Tuesday it had shot down six of 21 missiles brought through Russia overnight. Russia used 40 drones to attack the country, the air force said on Telegram. Air defense teams shot down 16 and 24 failed to hit their targets. .
The Ukrainian Air Force reported a ballistic missile risk at 03:00 (01:00 GMT) and at least two explosions were heard in Kyiv minutes later, amid a series of attacks across the country.
Another missile alert issued in kyiv at 0800 (0600 GMT) followed at least one explosion in the city. Remnants of missiles fell in the Darnytskyi district of the capital, causing no casualties or damage.
Meanwhile, the government of the northeastern region of Sumy reported attacks near the town of Shostka, where Mayor Mykola Noha said 12 residential buildings and two educational establishments were damaged.
Noha said some “social infrastructure objects” had been destroyed and offered additional details. The Ukrainian Air Force also reported that missiles and drones had targeted several other regions.
These measures occur when the confrontation has been going on for almost three years, but its evolution is doubtful given the imminent arrival of the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump. Trump vowed to end the war and cast doubt on the continuation of a significant US military in kyiv.
Ukrainian military intelligence also said Tuesday that one of its naval drones, the Magura V5 maritime drone, destroyed a Russian Mi-8 helicopter and crashed in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian spy firm GUR said it was the first time a Ukrainian naval drone had shot down an aerial target.
Although there was no comment from Russia, Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol in Crimea, said on Telegram that two maritime drones were destroyed near the coast overnight and that Russian defenses had shot down four UAVs attacking the city.
The Russian Defense Ministry said aerial systems shot down a set of Ukrainian drones in several regions of the country.
On Monday, President Joe Biden announced that the United States would send another $2. 5 billion in weapons to Ukraine, as his administration works to temporarily spend whatever cash it has in kyiv to combat Russia before Trump takes office.
The war broke out in February 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. About half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed since, with Kyiv’s Western allies providing air defence systems to help it protect critical infrastructure.
But Russia has sought to overwhelm its air defenses with combined moves involving numerous missiles and drones in a series of slow but steady offensives.
Russian forces will advance 3,985 kilometers (1,539 miles) toward Ukraine in 2024, seven times more than in 2023, according to a study by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The advance through December 30 was driven by a slight build-up of Russian troop movements in the fall, advancing through 610 square kilometers (235 sq mi) in October and 725 square kilometers (280 sq mi) in November.
November and October were also the two months in which they conquered the most territory since March 2022, the first weeks of the conflict.