Russia pummels Ukraine with airstrikes, killing at least 12 people

Russia on Friday launched one of its worst aerial attacks on Ukraine since the start of the war, killing at least 12 civilians, according to officials.

Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba said around 110 Russian missiles and numerous drones targeted areas across the country, including a maternity ward, schools, hospitals, residential buildings and commercial areas.

In the capital Kyiv, a metro station was damaged and five people were injured. Cities including Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia were also struck.

“Today, Russia used nearly every type of weapon in its arsenal: ‘Kindzhals,’ S-300s, cruise missiles, and drones. Strategic bombers launched X-101/X-505 missiles. A total of around 110 missiles were fired against Ukraine, with the majority of them being shot down,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X.

“We will surely respond to terrorist strikes. And we will continue to fight for the security of our entire country, every city, and every citizen. Russian terror must and will lose,” he added.

At least 12 people have been killed in the strikes, according to a tally of updates from various regional officials.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said in its daily briefing Friday that it had carried out “50 group and one massive strike” between Dec. 23 and Dec. 29 using “precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles.”

It claimed the strikes were against military facilities and storage units, and Ukrainian armed forces units.