Ukraine War
Russian Military Strikes Ukraine Once Again With Major Missiles
(CTN NEWS) – KYIV – On Friday, Russian invasion forces launched dozens of missiles across the nation, causing severe power outages and one of the war’s largest attacks on the capital of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials.
The onslaught, which hit important infrastructure in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, and Zaporhizhzhia, was accompanied by gunfire from air defense systems, thudding explosions, and the cry of air-raid sirens.
BREAKING: Explosions in at least three Ukrainian cities, as authorities there say Russia has launched a massive missile attack. https://t.co/BbeSRJSk3W
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 16, 2022
The commander of the Ukrainian armed forces claimed that 60 of the 76 missiles launched were intercepted.
“My lovely sunlight, “What will I do without you?” In the arms of Red Cross employees, Svytlana Andreychuk sobbed
A woman cries in front of the building which was destroyed by a Russian attack in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022(AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Three individuals were killed when a missile struck a four-story apartment complex in Kryvyi Rih, including her sister Olha.
“She had a wonderful outlook on life. She was stunning. She was helpful to everyone. She offered guidance to everyone. How I adore you,” Andreychuk exclaimed.
60% of Kyiv citizens were without power, and 70% were without water as of Friday evening, said to city councilwoman Ksenia Semenova. She stated that the subway system was not in use and would not likely resume service on Saturday.
Since mid-October, periodic Russian attacks on the water and electrical infrastructure have made life more difficult for the populace as winter draws near.
People rest in the subway station, being used as a bomb shelter during a rocket attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
The Ukrainian military, however, has claimed a rise in its ability to shoot down approaching rockets and explosive drones.
The attacks on Friday happened after the US sent Ukraine a Patriot missile battery last week to strengthen its defense.
The advanced system and any operators that may be with it would be a valid target for the Russian military, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned on Thursday.
"#Ukraine has every right to plan and conduct military operations in #Crimea, as the peninsula remains Ukrainian territory," White House spokesman John Kirby said.#UkraineRussiaWar #CrimeaIsUkraine pic.twitter.com/xHEpoc1Bfy
— Feher_Junior (@Feher_Junior) December 16, 2022
Additionally, the United States promised to deliver $53 million in energy-related equipment to Ukraine last month to help it fend against attacks on its infrastructure.
According to John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, the first batch of that aid has arrived in the nation.
More than half of the missiles fired by Russia on Friday were aimed at the Ukrainian capital.
Ukrainian State Emergency Service firefighters work to extinguish a fire at the building which was destroyed by a Russian attack in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Since Russia invaded Ukraine about ten months ago, the city administration stated Kyiv has seen “one of the greatest rocket attacks” it has ever experienced.
It added that one person was hurt, and 37 of the roughly 40 missiles that tried to penetrate the city’s airspace were shot down by Ukrainian air defense.
According to Ukraine’s air force, Russian forces launched cruise missiles from the Admiral Makarov ship in the Black Sea.
And tactical aircraft fired guided missiles and long-range Kh-22 cruise missiles from Tu-22M3 bombers over the Sea of Azov.
The apartment building targeted by the rocket in Kryvyi Rih, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown in central Ukraine, has a huge hole in its top levels.
According to Igor Karelin, deputy director of the city’s emergency services, at least 13 individuals were admitted to the hospital in addition to the three fatalities.
A woman cries in front of the building which was destroyed by a Russian attack in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A missing mother and her 18-month-old child were sought by rescue workers using sniffer dogs who combed amid the rubble.
The missile strikes at Kryvyi Rih also trapped over 600 miners underground, but they were later evacuated, according to mayor Oleksandr Vilkul, who appeared on state television.
According to him, numerous energy infrastructure facilities “were devastated.”
Missile impacts in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih confirmed by the head of the city military administration Oleksandr Vilkul. pic.twitter.com/GNM72jFThl
— Status-6 (@Archer83Able) December 16, 2022
The ninth wave of missile strikes on energy facilities, according to state-owned grid operator Ukrenergo, occurred on Friday.
As a result of the repeated damage, “the restoration of power supplies may take longer than before,” the company posted on Facebook.
According to analysts, Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are an effort to subdue the country after Russian soldiers suffered defeat on the battlefield.
Ukrainian Territorial Defence Force members chat as one of them holds remains of a rocket that was allegedly shot down after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
According to experts, this has made Ukrainians more determined to oppose the Russian invasion as Moscow tries to buy time for a potential onslaught in the months following the current stalemate on the battlefield.
Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor of Kharkiv, reported three attacks on the city’s crucial infrastructure on Friday. By evening, electricity had been restored to around 55% of the city.
According to Anatoly Kurtev, secretary of the municipal council, 21 rockets were fired at the southeasterly city of Zaporizhzhia and the area around it. No injuries were initially reported.
https://twitter.com/EndGameWW3/status/1603663231444287489
Also, at least four areas in Kyiv saw explosions, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Numerous locals took refuge deep beneath in subway tunnels.
Military leaders at the scene of one attempted attack in Kyiv told The Associated Press that a cruise missile had been shot down with a machine gun by the city’s territorial defense mobile group.
It wasn’t immediately obvious if further Ukrainian fire may have helped bring the rocket down.
The remains of a rocket that was allegedly shot down after a Russian attack lay on the side of a road in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022(AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
Despite being nearly impossible, a commander who wished to only be known by the call sign “Hera” for security reasons could target a missile with a machine gun.
The national railroad company, Ukrzaliznytsia, reported that several stations in the eastern and central Kharkiv, Kirovohrad, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk districts lacked power.
Вдячна за роботу протиповітряної оборони України на тлі посилення нападів Росії на цивільну інфраструктуру в Києві та по всій країні сьогодні вранці. Перший американський вантаж аварійно-ремонтного обладнання вже надійшов – Україна переможе.
— Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) December 16, 2022
However, trains continued to run after switching from electric power to a backup steam engine.
The state-owned energy firm in Moldova, a neighboring country, reported issues with its electricity network and issued a “high risk” of power outages alert.
The recent Russian attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has already caused two significant blackouts in Moldova, whose systems from the Soviet era are still linked to Ukraine.
On December 5, Russia conducted a similar round of widespread airstrikes over Ukraine.
The U.S. ambassador in Kyiv, Bridget Brink, posted on Twitter, “Grateful for the efforts of Ukraine’s air defense amid more escalating Russian assaults this morning on civilian infrastructure in Kyiv and around the country.”
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