Twelve civilians die in Russian missile attack on Ukraine, targeting residential buildings and energy infrastructure.
At least 12 people have been killed after Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine that targeted residential buildings as well as energy infrastructure.
On Saturday, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 123 drones and more than 40 missiles. It managed to shoot down 56 of the drones and redirected 61, it said, without providing figures on how many missiles were intercepted.
Ukraine’s Emergency Services said a missile struck a residential building in the central city of Poltava, about 120km (75 miles) from the border, killing eight people, including a child, and injuring 17.
About 18 buildings, a kindergarten and energy infrastructure were damaged.
In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, the mayor said a woman was killed and four people were wounded in a drone attack.
Sumy regional officials also said three police officers were killed as they patrolled a town during the attacks.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said damage was caused in six regions – Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy and Zaporizhia.
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“Last night Russia attacked our cities using various types of weapons: missiles, attack drones, and aerial bombs,” he wrote on the Telegram app. “Each such terrorist attack proves that we need more support in defending ourselves against Russian terror. Every air defence system, every anti-missile weapon, saves lives.”
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces launched attacks aimed at Ukraine’s gas and other energy infrastructure and had shot down 108 Ukrainian drones in the last 24 hours.
Fighting in the nearly three-year war has shown no signs of de-escalating, despite US President Donald Trump’s promise to enact a ceasefire within “24 hours” of taking office on January 20.
Both Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have said they are ready for talks on ending the war, but neither side has said when or how.
Trump has been critical of the billions Washington has spent arming Ukraine, while threatening to impose additional sanctions on Russia if Putin does not reach a “deal” to end the war.
Since March 2024, Russia has launched multiple missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s power sector and other energy infrastructure, knocking out about half of the country’s available generating capacity and forcing rolling blackouts.
