Russia has today unleashed the latest in a series of devastating missile salvoes against Ukraine, knocking out key infrastructure and burying civilians under rubble.
Virtually every major city was targeted in Friday’s strike with explosions reported in the capital Kyiv, second city Kharkiv, and Kryvyi Rih – in the centre of the country – where an apartment building was hit with people feared buried in rubble.
Vinnytsia, in west-central Ukraine, the central city of Poltava, the southern port hub of Odesa, and the northern Sumy region were also targeted – with blackouts of both energy and internet reported.
Russia has for weeks been targeting Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure after failing to win victory on the battlefield, which amounts to war crimes. The aim is to break the will of Ukrainians to continue the war, and spark a fresh refugee crisis.
Russia has today unleashed another salvo of missiles against Ukraine, targeting virtually every major city and its key infrastructure (pictured, people shelter in Kyiv)
Civilians take shelter inside a metro station during air raid alert in the centre of Kyiv, as Russian unloads dozens of missiles at Ukraine’s critical infrastructure
Andrii Osadchuk, a Ukrainian MP, said around 70 missiles were fired in Friday’s strikes – of which around 30 are thought to have been shot down, though reports are still filtering through.
Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian air forces, said Russian TU-95 nuclear-capable bombers launched Kh-101 and Kh-555 cruise missiles from over Russian territory at Ukraine’s cities.
Kalibre missiles were also launched from warships and submarines in the Black Sea, and Tu-22 bombers and Su-35 jets fired Kh-59 cruise missiles.
S-300 rockets, which are traditionally used for air defence but can also attack ground targets, also took part in the attack, he said.
‘They want to destroy us, and make us slaves. But we will not surrender. We will endure,’ said Lidiya Vasilieva, 53, as she headed for shelter at a Kyiv railway station.
‘I want the war over and soon. But I am ready to wait as long as needed,’ she said.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president’s office, said a residential building had been hit in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, and that there could be people trapped under the rubble.
There was no immediate word of casualties and it was not clear exactly what critical infrastructure had been hit.
‘Do not ignore air raid alerts, remain in shelters,’ Tymoshenko wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Women follow news on their mobile phones while civilians take shelter inside a metro station during an air raid alert in the centre of Kyiv
People shelter inside a metro station during massive Russia’s missile attacks in Kyiv, Ukraine
People rest in the subway station being used as a bomb shelter during a rocket attack in Kyiv
A police officer inspects part of a Russian cruise missile that was shot down over the capital of Kyiv on Friday, amid fresh attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure
Officials in the Zaporizhzhia region in southeastern Ukraine warned residents to expect more power cuts as engineers try to repair damage caused by the Russian attacks.
‘We know of 15 impacts by Russian missiles (in the region),’ Oleksandr Starukh, Zaporizhzhia’s regional governor, wrote on Telegram. ‘We ask citizens to prepare for possible temporary restrictions during restoration of damaged infrastructure.’
Energy company DTEK said it was already enforcing electricity shutdowns in Kyiv to enable repairs.
Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February, has been attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure since October, causing repeated power outages across the country at the start of winter.
Moscow says the attacks on basic infrastructure are militarily legitimate. Ukraine says attacks intended to cause civilian misery are a war crime.
Kyiv has been pleading with its Western allies to send better air defence systems to help it repulse the attacks, which have been taking place on a near-weekly basis starting back in October.
Joe Biden is thought to be close to signing off on sending Patriot missile defences to Ukraine, in addition to NASAMS and Iris-T systems that have already been sent.
Patriots are some of the most-effective missile defence batteries in use today, but they are difficult to operate and require a highly-trained crew of around a dozen.
People rest in a subway station, being used as a bomb shelter during a rocket attack in Kyiv
A local resident leaves his home after Russian shelling destroyed an apartment house in Bakhmut, Donetsk region (file image)
Police and investigators inspect a crater at a site of an industrial area destroyed by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine
America also does not have many of them. There is currently only one Patriot battalion in Europe, and it is tasked with defending Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Other Western allies are facing similar issues, and – even if they can supply the weapon systems themselves – do not have large stockpiles of ammunition for them.
But failing to find a way for Ukraine to defend both its civilians and key infrastructure risks Putin being able to bomb the country into submission.
The hope in Moscow seems to be that breaking the will of Ukrainians to fight, or the West to continue its support, is now the quickest way to achieve a peace deal favourable to Russia.
Any deal, experts fear, will be used by Moscow as a way to pause the war long enough to re-arm, reinforce, and renew the attack.
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