Massive Russian Air Strikes hit Ukraine

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Kyiv:Russia launched one of its most expansive aerial assaults of the new year overnight, deploying a massive wave of nearly 300 drones and dozens of missiles to systematically dismantle Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The strikes killed at least four people and left millions without heat or electricity as temperatures plummeted to -13°C (9°F). President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed that the barrage targeted energy-generation facilities and substations across eight regions, utilizing 18 ballistic missiles and seven cruise missiles alongside the drone swarm.

While Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercepted 247 drones and seven missiles, the Energy Ministry reported that 24 sites sustained damage, forcing emergency power cuts in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and several other major regions.
The human toll was felt most acutely in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, where regional governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that four people were killed and over 30 wounded when a postal terminal was struck. In the south, at least five people were injured in Odesa after fires broke out at a fitness center and a vocational school, while strikes in Kryvyi Rih damaged civilian homes and gas pipelines.

DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy provider, reported "heavy damage" to a thermal power plant, exacerbating fears that this fourth winter of the war will be the most brutal yet. As cumulative damage to the grid mounts and the weather remains dangerously cold, Zelenskiy reiterated an urgent plea to Western allies for air defense interceptors, warning that "support for Ukraine cannot be stopped" while the Kremlin continues its campaign to break the national will through civilian suffering.

Photo Credit:AFP