Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile attack against Ukraine in the early hours of Tuesday, targeting Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, and Kharkiv, local officials reported.
The missile attack on Tuesday came after Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged retribution for Ukraine’s strike on the Russian city of Belgorod, which killed 24 people.
Attacks on Kyiv, Kharkiv
Russia launched an air attack with 99 missiles against Kyiv, the surrounding region, and Kharkiv, followed by a wave of 35 Shahed drones.
As of 8 p.m. last night, the attack killed five people and injured 130 others, the State Emergency Service reported. According to previous reports, children are among the injured.
Ukrainian crucial infrastructure, as well as industrial, civilian, and military facilities, were targeted. Several high-rise residential structures in Kyiv and Kharkiv suffered severe damage.
The capital was attacked first by about 15 Shahed “kamikaze” drones, all of which were reportedly shot down, authorities confirmed. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that 27 people were hospitalised in Kyiv after a fire broke out in a multi-story building damaged by the Russian missile attack.
2 days after the New Year, Russia launched a massive attack on #Ukraine, with missiles and drones
— MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) January 2, 2024
Civilian objects were damaged in 🇺🇦 cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Kropyvnytskyi & other
We call on states & intl organizations to take decisive action, #ArmUkraineNow pic.twitter.com/1aOg9YgTD4
According to the head of Kharkiv’s military administration, Oleh Syniehubov, one person was killed, and nearly 40 were injured in multiple strikes that damaged buildings and civilian infrastructure. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov indicated the city was under a “massive missile attack.”
Klitschko claimed the air raids caused severe damage to residential buildings, resulting in power outages and water supply issues.
Reportedly, Russia increased missile and drone strikes on 29 December when it launched the war’s largest air raid, killing at least 39 people and wounding nearly 160 people countrywide, Ukrainian officials said.
Zelensky Condemns Russian Air Attacks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement, “Almost a hundred missiles of various types have been launched, and the enemy has planned their trajectories to cause as much damage as possible. This is an utterly premeditated terror.”
“In just a few days between December 29th and now, Russia has used about 300 missiles and over 200 “Shahed” drones against Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote on social media.
He also discussed advanced air defence systems provided to Ukraine by NATO members or other allies, claiming that “Patriot, IRIS-T, and NASAMS — each of these systems has already saved hundreds of lives.”
“Russia will be held accountable for every life lost,” Zelensky asserted.
⚡️Zelensky: Russia has launched at least 500 missiles, drones at Ukraine over past 5 days.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) January 2, 2024
Russia has attacked Ukraine with at least 500 missiles and drones in the past five days, President Volodymyr Zelensky told U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. https://t.co/1Efjh6glTo
Meanwhile, Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister (FM), asserted that Russia’s “terror” against Ukraine was continuing, with strikes on civilians and crucial infrastructure.
“Putin escalates terror against Ukraine. Today was already the second mass missile strike in just four days. Civilian infrastructure has been damaged; people, including children, have been injured and killed,” Kuleba said.
The FM urged the international community to take several steps in response, including expediting air defence deliveries to Ukraine, providing Kyiv with “all types” of drones, supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles, authorising the use of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine, and isolating “Russian diplomats in relevant capitals and international organisations.”
International Response
On Tuesday, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the EU released statements denouncing Russia’s current wave of air attacks against Ukraine.
The EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, condemned the attacks in a post on X. “Russia started the new year by shooting over a hundred missiles and drones at Kyiv, Kharkiv, and other cities, targeting civilians, destroying residential neighbourhoods and life-supporting infrastructure,” he said.
In a statement, OSCE officials Malta Ian Borg and Helga Maria Schmid also condemned the attacks. “We deplore in the strongest possible terms these ongoing attacks and urgently call for an immediate end to the unrelenting violence that does nothing but propagate a vicious cycle of misery and suffering,” their statement read.