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29 December 2023 Russian strikes on Ukraine

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29 December 2023 Russian strikes on Ukraine
Part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Aftermath of a missile strike on a shopping mall in Dnipro
LocationRegions across
Ukraine Ukraine
Date29 December 2023
Early morning
Attack type
Airstrikes
Deaths58
Injured>160[1]
Perpetrators Russian Armed Forces

In the early morning hours of 29 December 2023, Russia launched what was seen to be the largest wave of missiles and drones yet seen in the Russo-Ukrainian War, with hundreds of missiles and drones hitting the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other cities across the country. At least 58 people were reported to have been killed in the attacks, while 160 others were injured.[2]

Attack

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Overview

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According to Ukrainian officials at least 122 cruise and ballistic missiles and 36 drones were launched, killing at least 58 people and injuring more than 160[1] in an overnight nationwide attack[3][4] that lasted up to 18 hours.[5] The Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have intercepted 87 missiles and 27 drones. No Kh-22s were intercepted.[6] Eighteen strategic bombers,[7] including nine Tu-95MS aircraft from Olenya airbase in Murmansk Oblast were also believed to have been used in carrying out the attacks, while some of the missiles were believed to have been launched from Kursk Oblast.[8] During the attack Kh-101s were seen deploying decoy flares.[9]

The attack targeted cities across Ukraine, including Dnipro, Kharkiv, Konotop, Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhia, in what was possibly the largest aerial attack of the Russian invasion thus far.[10][11] Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said that[11] "we have never seen so many targets on our monitors at once." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attacks destroyed or damaged over 100 private houses, along with 45 multi-story buildings, schools, two churches, hospitals, maternity wards, and numerous commercial and warehouse establishments.[3]

The Economist reported that a source in Ukraine's defence industry indicated Russia had mainly targeted defence facilities, including those for missile and drone production, saying "The attacks had strategic meaning for the enemy, with the aim of reducing our capacity to strike ... It's a battle to see who can destroy more of the enemy's long-range weapons."[12]

A spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Defence said that "all the designated military targets have been hit".[13] At the United Nations Security Council, Russian ambassador Vasily Nebenzya attributed Ukrainian casualties to Ukrainian air defenses.[7]

By region

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Burning warehouse in Kyiv

At least 33 people were reported to have died in Kyiv[14] while at least 35 others were injured.[15] At least ten people were trapped under a warehouse in the Podilskyi District.[16] Several apartment buildings, warehouses, an office building and a house were also struck.[3] The building of the Lukianivska station of the Kyiv Metro, which also serves as an air-raid shelter, was also damaged in an airstrike, but remained operational during the attack.[17] The station lies across the street from a factory belonging to the Artem company, which produces missile components. There was no information on the factory's condition. In Boyarka, debris from an intercepted drone set fire to a house.[5] At least 30 projectiles were shot down over the capital region.[18]

Destroyed maternity hospital in Dnipro

In Dnipro, a shopping center and a maternity hospital were attacked. Seven people, including a child and a police officer, died in the city[19][20] while 30 others were injured.[3] A house, eight administrative buildings and 24 high-rise buildings were also destroyed or damaged.[18]

Damaged residential building in Odesa

In Odesa, falling drone debris caused a fire at a residential building, killing two people and injuring 15, including two children.[5] A total of five people died in the city.[21] while 27 others were injured. 21 residential buildings were also damaged.[3]

In Lviv, one person was killed and 30 others were injured, while three schools and a kindergarten were damaged by drones.[5] Thirteen residential buildings were also damaged.[22] The fatality was later identified as basketball player Viktor Kobzystyi [uk], who played for the national team in the 2001 and 2005 European Basketball Championships and coached several basketball teams including WBC Dynamo Kyiv.[23]

In Kharkiv, three people were killed[2] and 13 others were injured[24] in three waves of missile attacks[5] that damaged a warehouse, an industrial facility, a medical facility and a transport depot.[7]

Destroyed houses in Zaporizhzhia

Nine people were killed in Zaporizhzhia[2] while 13 others were injured.[24] Several industrial facilities were targeted, while a house was destroyed and several multi-story buildings were damaged.[25]

In Cherkasy Oblast, nine people, including a child were injured after a missile struck a residential area in Smila, damaging 51 houses.[26] In Sumy Oblast, three people were injured while an apartment building and a vehicle service station were damaged[27] after a missile struck Konotop.[24]

Incursion into Poland

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According to General Wiesław Kukuła, Chief of General Staff of the Polish Army and the Polish Army's Operational Command, one of the missiles entered Polish airspace from Ukraine near Zamość for approximately three minutes before it "turned back" for Ukrainian airspace, adding that it had travelled about 40 kilometers over the country.[28][3] The governor of Lublin Voivodeship said that the projectile appeared on radars near Hrubieszów, which hosts a border crossing with Ukraine.[29] Ordash later said that Russia would not provide an explanation over the incident until it received "concrete evidence" that the missile was theirs.[30]

About 200 police officers were deployed to the area where the missile flew over to retrieve possible debris.[28] while four Polish and American F-16 fighter jets, as well as an air tanker were scrambled from Polish airbases due to activities of long-range Russian aircraft. The Polish foreign ministry also summoned the Russian charge d'affaires Andrei Ordash over the incident.[31]

Aftermath

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See also: 30 December 2023 Belgorod shelling and 2 January 2024 Russian strikes on Ukraine

In his address that evening, Zelenskyy praised the country's air defenses for their efforts to stop the attacks and pledged to strengthen them.[3]

Days of mourning were declared in Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Odesa for 30 December, while the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaly Klitschko, said that a day of mourning would be held in the city on 1 January 2024.[2]

In response to the entry of the Russian missile, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk met with president Andrzej Duda and the country's defense and military leadership. Duda later said that there was “no threat at the moment” and nothing to suggest that ”anything bad” could happen in relation to the incident. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with the head of the Polish National Security Bureau Jacek Siewiera, to express Washington’s “solidarity with Poland”.[29]

An estimate by Ekonomichna Pravda put the cost of the Russian attack at $1.273 billion.[32]

Reactions

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Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the attacks were a wake-up call for those debating on continuing support for the country.[5]

At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, assistant secretary-general Mohammad Khiari called the attacks "appalling". UN Secretary-General António Guterres also said he condemned Russia’s attacks “in the strongest terms” and called on them to end.[5]

U.S. president Joe Biden said that the attacks highlighted the need to stop Russian president Vladimir Putin and urged the United States Congress to pass a proposed military aid package to Ukraine that had been stalled in the legislature. UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said that the attacks underscored Putin's aims to "eradicate freedom and democracy", and urged continued support for Ukraine "for as long as it takes".[5] The UK government said it was sending 200 air defence missiles to protect civilians and infrastructure.[33]

Ukrainian missile interception claims and summary of damages

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Region City Weapon Intercepted/Total Strikes, Killed/Wounded
Odesa Oblast Odesa Iran Shahed 136 27/36[34] Confirmed to have hit a high-rise building[35]
Lviv Oblast Lviv Confirmed to have hit two critical infrastructure facilities[36]
Ukraine 27 out of 36 drones shot down by air defense
Zaporizhzhia Oblast Zaporizhzhia 5В55/48Н6/9M723 ?/14 Strikes on industrial and residential buildings. Casualties: 7/13[37][38]
Kharkiv Oblast Kharkiv Strikes on industrial and residential buildings, medical facilities. Casualties: 3/13[39][40]
Lviv Oblast Lviv Russia Kh-101/X-101/Kh-47M2 Kinzhal 87/108 Strikes in front of educational institutions and residential buildings. Casualties: 1/15[41][42]
Kyiv Rockets and rocket fragments confirmed to have fallen among residential buildings. Casualties: 32/30[43]
Sumy Oblast Konotop Damaged premises of a service station and residential buildings. Casualties: 0/3[44]
Odesa Oblast Odesa Confirmed to have hit a residential multi-story building and other buildings. Casualties: 2/25[45]
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Dnipro Strikes on a shopping center and maternity hospital. Casualties: 4/10+[46]
Kharkiv Oblast Kharkiv Soviet Union Kh-22 Strike on a civilian building, simultaneously with shelling from S-300/S-400 missiles. Casualties: 3/13[40]
Ukraine Soviet Union Kh-59, Kh-31 87 X-101/X-555/X-55 missiles intercepted by Ukrainian air defense[47]
Ukraine overall (excluding S-300 systems)[47] 114/158 Casualties: 38/160[1]
Claimed total interception rate: 81 %[47]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Масований удар по Україні: Львів, Київ, Дніпро, Харків, Запоріжжя, Сміла - багато загиблих і поранених" [Massive attack on Ukraine: Lviv, Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Smila - many dead and wounded]. BBC News Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 29 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Update: Death toll of Russia's mass air attack on Ukraine rises to 41". The Kyiv Independent. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Shulzhenko, Daria (29 December 2023). "Ukraine war latest: Russia's largest air attack on Ukraine kills 30, injures over 160". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Russia launches the biggest aerial barrage of the war and kills 30 civilians, Ukraine says". AP News. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "Russia launches the biggest aerial barrage of the war and kills 30 civilians, Ukraine says". Associated Press. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Russia's X-22 – the Missile Ukraine Has Yet to Shoot Down". The Kyiv Post. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Russia's biggest air attack of war kills 31 in Ukraine, officials say". Reuters. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Russia unleashes biggest air attack on Ukraine since start of full-scale invasion". CNN. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  9. ^ JOSEPH TREVITHICK (29 December 2023). Russian Kh-101 Cruise Missile Filmed Firing-Off Decoy Flares. The War Zone.
  10. ^ Lyubsyh-Kirdey, Ivan; Dysa, Yuliia; Balmforth, Tom (29 December 2023). "Eighteen dead in one of Russia's biggest missile strikes of war, Kyiv says". Reuters. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  11. ^ a b Sauer, Pjotr; Mazhulin, Artem (29 December 2023). "Russia kills at least 18 in one of biggest attacks on Ukraine since war began". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Russia tries to overwhelm Ukraine with missiles". The Economist. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  13. ^ Waterhouse, James (29 December 2023). "Ukraine war: At least 30 killed in biggest Russian bombardment yet". BBC News. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Official: Death toll of Russia's Dec. 29 attack on Kyiv rises to 33". The Kyiv Independent. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Death toll from Dec. 29 strikes on Kyiv rises to 23 as more bodies pulled from rubble". The Kyiv Independent. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  16. ^ "Update: 1 killed, 21 injured in Russian attack on Kyiv". The Kyiv Independent. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  17. ^ "Kyiv's Lukianivska metro station damaged in Russia's largest missile attack of the war". The New Voice of Ukraine. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  18. ^ a b "Russia launches largest air attack on Ukraine since start of full-scale war". The Kyiv Independent. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Кількість жертв ракетного удару у Дніпрі зросла – влада". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). 31 December 2023.
  20. ^ "'Hit the Kremlin': Kyivans don't hold back after Russia's mass attack kills 9, wounds 30 in the capital". The Kyiv Independent. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  21. ^ "Update: Death toll of Russian Dec. 29 attack against Odesa rises to 5". The Kyiv Independent. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  22. ^ "Update: Russian attack injures 15 in Lviv". The Kyiv Independent. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  23. ^ "Famous basketball player killed in Lviv by Russian missile attack". Ukrainska Pravda. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  24. ^ a b c "Ukraine war: Russian attack on Ukraine cities hits deadly new level". BBC. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  25. ^ "Governor: 4 killed, 10 injured in Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia". The Kyiv Independent. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  26. ^ "Updated: Russia attacks Cherkasy Oblast, at least 9 injured". The Kyiv Independent. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  27. ^ "Russians attack Konotop with missiles, damaging apartment building and service station, injuring three people". Ukrainska Pravda. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  28. ^ a b "Poland says Russian missile entered airspace then went into Ukraine". BBC. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  29. ^ a b "Poland says 'everything indicates' a Russian missile briefly entered its airspace and left". Associated Press. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  30. ^ "Russian media: Russia won't give explanation over missile in Poland without 'concrete evidence' it's Russian". The Kyiv Independent. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  31. ^ "Poland says Russian rocket entered its airspace, summons diplomat". Reuters. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  32. ^ Dyachkina, Anastasia (29 December 2023). "A massive attack on Ukraine cost Russia at least $1.27 billion". BBC News. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  33. ^ "Poland reports airspace incursion as Russia launches huge strike on Ukraine". The Guardian. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  34. ^ "Наймасованіша атака по Україні: сили ППО збили 114 повітряних цілей" [The most massive attack in Ukraine: air defense forces shot down 114 aerial targets]. armyinform.com.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  35. ^ "Одесу атакують "шахеди", є влучання у багатоповерхівку" [Odesa is attacked by "shahedis", a high-rise building is hit]. Word and Deed (in Ukrainian). 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  36. ^ "Уночі Росія атакувала Львів та область дронами-камікадзе та ракетами" [At night, Russia attacked Lviv and the region with kamikaze drones and missiles]. ZAXID.NET (in Ukrainian). 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  37. ^ "Запоріжжя постраждало від ракет: є загиблі та десяток поранених (фото)" [Zaporozhye was hit by rockets: there are dead and a dozen injured (photo)]. www.unian.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  38. ^ ""Наймасованіша атака з повітря". У ЗСУ уточнили, як РФ атакувала 29 грудня і скільки ракет збили" ["The most massive attack from the air." The Armed Forces clarified how the Russian Federation attacked on December 29 and how many missiles were shot down]. Radio Freedom (in Ukrainian). 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  39. ^ "Росія вдарила по Харкову ракетами С-300: багато руйнувань, є жертви (фото)" [Russia hit Kharkiv with S-300 missiles: a lot of destruction, there are victims (photo)]. www.unian.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  40. ^ a b "Вибухи у Харкові — є загиблі та поранені. Головні новини Харківщини 29 грудня: хроніка" [Explosions in Kharkiv - there are dead and injured. The main news of Kharkiv region on December 29: chronicle] (in Ukrainian).
  41. ^ "Росія атакувала "Шахедами" Львів і запустила багато ракет, вибухи у Харкові" [Russia attacked Lviv with "Shakhed" and launched many rockets, explosions in Kharkiv]. BBC News Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  42. ^ "Ракетний обстріл Львова 29 грудня — прокуратура відкрила кримінальне провадження" [Rocket shelling of Lviv on December 29 — the prosecutor's office opened criminal proceedings] (in Ukrainian).
  43. ^ "Sale a 32 bilancio vittime attacco Kiev 29 dicembre" [Death toll rises to 32 in Kiev attack 29 December]. rainews (in Italian). Rai News. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  44. ^ "У Конотопі поранено двох мирних жителів внаслідок ракетної атаки росіян (фото)" [In Konotop, two civilians were injured as a result of a Russian missile attack (photo)]. www.unian.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  45. ^ "В Одесі ракетами пошкоджено житлові будинки, є загиблі та поранені" [Residential buildings were damaged by rockets in Odesa, and there are dead and wounded]. Word and Deed (in Ukrainian). 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  46. ^ "Удар по Дніпру: є приліт по ТЦ та пологовому будинку, четверо загиблих" [Strike on the Dnipro: there is an attack on a shopping center and a maternity hospital, four dead]. Word and Deed (in Ukrainian). 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  47. ^ a b c "Сили оборони знищили 27 ударних дронів Shahed та 87 крилатих ракет - Залужний" [Defense forces destroyed 27 Shahed attack drones and 87 cruise missiles - Zaluzhnyi]. www.ukrinform.ua (in Ukrainian). 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
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