Russian Missile Barrage Strikes Across Ukraine, Marking Largest Attack In Weeks

Russia released a swarm of attacks across Ukraine overnight and Thursday morning, targeting power stations and other critical infrastructure hundreds of miles away from the eastern Ukrainian frontlines.

Ukraine's military said Russia combined the use of missiles and Iranian-made kamikaze drones throughout the war-torn country. Russia reportedly used 69 rockets in the latest round of attacks, and the Ukrainian military reports it destroyed 54 of them.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Russia had launched more than 120 missiles that destroyed Ukraine's critical infrastructure and killed civilians.

Russia has targeted critical Ukrainian infrastructure for nearly three months, launching waves of cruise missiles at power and water supplies almost weekly. As Russia's ground forces struggle to hold ground and advance, many have come to believe the decline in frequency could be an effort to ration its missile supply.

Thursday morning's attacks saw at least three people injured, including a 14-year-old and two people who were pulled from a damaged home, said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on the messaging app Telegram.

Klitschko, a former heavyweight boxing champion, also warned of power outages in the capital, asking residents to stockpile water and charge their electronic devices.

"Power engineers are currently working on restoring the power supply," Klitschko posted on Telegram.

After more than 10 months of fighting, Russia and Ukraine have entered into a brutal war of attrition. As Ukrainian forces push back the Russian advance on its eastern front, Russia continues to strike deep within the border of its neighbor, battering military and civilian posts alike as frigid winter temperatures make infrastructure all the more important.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called the attacks "senseless barbarism."

"These are the only words that come to mind seeing Russia launch another missile barrage at peaceful Ukrainian cities ahead of New Year," wrote Kuleba on Twitter. "There can be no 'neutrality' in the face of such mass war crimes. Pretending to be 'neutral' equals taking Russia's side."

The U.S. said this month that it would send Ukraine highly coveted Patriot air defense battery and precision-guided munitions, enhancing Ukraine's capability to defend itself from Russian airstrikes.

On Dec. 20, the U.S. Congress proposed more than $44 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine.