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Russia targets Ukrainian infrastructure with massive attack by cruise missiles, drones

Russia targets Ukrainian infrastructure with massive attack by cruise missiles, drones


In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters work on the site of a damaged building after a Russian drone attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, early Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP Photo)

Russia targets Ukrainian infrastructure with massive attack by cruise missiles, drones

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine on Friday, firing 93 cruise and ballistic missiles and almost 200 drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, describing it as one of the heaviest bombardments of the country's energy sector since Russia's full-scale invasion almost three years ago.

Ukrainian defenses shot down 81 missiles, including 11 cruise missiles that were intercepted by F-16 warplanes provided by Western allies earlier this year, Zelenskyy said.

Russia is "terrorizing millions of people" with such assaults, he said on his Telegram channel, renewing his plea for international unity against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"A strong reaction from the world is needed: a massive strike – a massive reaction. This is the only way to stop terror," Zelenskyy said.

But uncertainty surrounds how the war might unfold next year. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office next month, has vowed to end the war and has thrown into doubt whether vital U.S. military support for Kyiv will continue.

In Moscow, the Defense Ministry said the Russian military used long-range precision missiles and drones on "critically important fuel and energy facilities in Ukraine that ensure the functioning of the military industrial complex."

The strike was in retaliation for Wednesday's Ukrainian attack using the U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMs, on a Russian air base, it said.

Trump said in an interview published in TIME magazine on Thursday that he was against allowing Ukraine to hit targets on Russian soil using U.S.-provided weapons.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Trump's stance "conforms to our position."

"In this case, we have a shared vision of causes of escalation and that is positive. Obviously, Trump realizes what escalates the conflict," Peskov told reporters.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said Friday's attack also targeted transport networks and other key facilities.

Ukraine's biggest private energy company, DTEK, said the attack "seriously damaged" its thermal power plants.