Kiev/Moscow, Dec 14, (dpa/GNA) – Russian forces launched massive air assaults on Ukraine on Friday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky describing it as “one of the largest attacks on our power grid.”
Zelensky said Russian forces fired 94 missiles primarily at the country’s energy sector, with 81 of the missiles shot down.
Eleven cruise missiles were intercepted by Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets, Zelensky said.
Before the missiles were fired, Russia had deployed around 200 combat drones to Ukraine.
Zelensky stated in his evening video address that steps are necessary to show Kremlin leader, Vladimir Putin, that “his terror will not work.”
He suggested that Ukraine’s Western partners should focus less on stability in Moscow, and more on global security.
Zelensky, who is due in Brussels next week to talk to NATO members, accused the Russian leadership of “cynical terror” against the civilian population, stating they specifically waited for frost conditions to worsen the situation for people.
Kremlin says strikes were retaliation
Russia said the heavy strikes were its response to Kiev’s use of weapons, obtained from Western powers.
Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, highlighted a Ukrainian strike on a Russian military airport in Taganrog on Wednesday as justification, the Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Zelensky renewed his calls for Western allies, to supply more air defence systems to put a stop to the strikes.
The Ukrainian Air Force said the wave of attacks also included MiG-31 combat jets, equipped with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.
The Kinzhal missiles were fired at western Ukrainian targets near the Burshtyn heating plant and the Starokostiantyniv military airbase, military observers said. A number of cruise missiles struck in the Odessa region in southern Ukraine as well, they said.
Four people were injured in the Kharkiv region in the north-east, regional military governor Oleh Syniehubov posted on Telegram. Kharkiv City Mayor Ihor Terekhov, reported that a drone had struck a residential building.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko, posted on Facebook that the energy sector had again come under massive attack.
Precautionary power cuts were introduced in a number of regionsm to prevent grid overload.
GNA