Ukraine faces new attacks from Russian drones, as reported by officials. This follows a period of two days marked by intense aerial assaults from both parties.
Explosions have been reported in Kyiv and Kharkiv, where the mayor reports residential buildings ablaze.
In response to Ukrainian strikes on a Russian border city of Belgorod on Saturday that resulted in at least 20 deaths, Moscow is retaliating.
Russia launched strikes throughout Ukraine on Friday. The attacks, resulting in 39 fatalities, have been characterized by Kyiv as the most extensive missile offensive by Russia in the conflict to date.
Ukraine’s air defense systems near Kyiv were activated late Saturday to counter a Russian drone strike, as stated by the military administration in the region on Telegram.
Kharkiv’s north-eastern city experienced drone attacks, as announced by mayor Ihor Terekhov on Telegram.
“These are not military facilities, but cafes, residential buildings and offices,” he said.
“On the eve of the New Year, the Russians want to intimidate our city, but we are not scared – we are unbreakable and invincible.”
The full extent of the damage is still unknown, with no reported casualties so far. Earlier Saturday, Russian strikes injured 19 people in Kharkiv, as per the local government.
The recent attacks add to a series of deadly events in Ukraine and Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelensky reports that Russia’s extensive bombardment on Friday resulted in 39 deaths and nearly 160 injuries across several Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitchsko, noted that with at least 16 fatalities in the city, Friday was the deadliest day for Kyiv’s civilians. This was followed by Ukrainian strikes on Russia.
Moscow alleges deadly Ukrainian air strikes in the country’s southwest, with 20 fatalities and over 100 injuries in Belgorod, close to the border.
The regional governor disclosed that three children were among those killed in Belgorod, marking it as one of Russia’s most fatal attacks since its invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow has consistently accused Ukraine of conducting drone strikes in recent months, with Kyiv rarely acknowledging such cross-border attacks, though it has conducted similar strikes previously.
