Ukraine: At least 30 killed as Russia hits cities with huge aerial barrage

Published

2 years ago

December 29, 2023

admin

Russia has launched one of its biggest aerial barrages on Ukraine since the start of the invasion, killing at least 30 people and wounding 144 others.

Several cities were struck overnight as Russia launched more than 100 missiles and dozens of drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, with most of them being shot down.

Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk suggested the strike was Russia’s largest aerial attack since the war began in February 2022, describing it on Telegram messenger as “the most massive attack from the air”.

Army chief General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said the attack targeted critical infrastructure and industrial and military facilities.

Read more: Ukraine-Russia war latest

The Western military alliance says it is “monitoring the situation” in Poland after a suspected Russian missile entered its airspace briefly during the bombings.

The missile is thought to have flown over Polish territory for three minutes before moving back into Ukrainian airspace. Polish President Andrzej Duda has since convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council.

Poland is a NATO member and would expect to be backed by other countries including the US and UK if it is attacked.

“I spoke with President Andrzej Duda about the missile incident in Poland,” said NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg.

“NATO stands in solidarity with our valued ally, is monitoring the situation and we will remain in contact as the facts are established. NATO remains vigilant.”

Damage was reported at a maternity hospital in the central city of Dnipro and buildings in the western city of Lviv, the southeastern port of Odesa and city of Zaporizhzhia, and the eastern city of Kharkiv.

At least three people were killed in the capital Kyiv, with 10 people trapped under rubble at a warehouse damaged by falling debris, said the city’s mayor Vitali Klitschko.

In Boyarka, a city near Kyiv, the debris of a shot-down drone fell on a home and started a fire.

Andrii Korobka, 47, said his mother was sleeping next to the room where the wreckage landed and was taken to hospital suffering from shock.

“The war goes on, and it can happen to any house, even if you think yours will never be affected,” Mr Korobka said.

At least three other people were killed in the Black Sea port city of Odesa and at least 15 were injured, including two children, as missiles hit residential buildings, the regional governor for the area said.

At least five people were killed in Dnipro, where missiles hit a shopping centre, a privately-held home and a six-storey residential building, and at least two were also killed in Kharkiv and Lviv.

Three schools and a kindergarten were also damaged in Lviv, the city’s mayor Andrii Sadovyi said.

Missiles also hit several infrastructure facilities in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, where at least one person was killed, the interior minister said.

“Today, millions of Ukrainians awoke to the loud sound of explosions. I wish those sounds of explosions in Ukraine could be heard all around the world,” foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said, calling for Kyiv’s allies to step up their support.

Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat claimed Russia used hypersonic, cruise and ballistic missiles, including X-22 type, which are extremely hard to intercept.

“Russia attacked with everything it has in its arsenal,” President Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

The president initially reported that around 110 missiles were fired, “most of which were shot down”.

Ukraine later claimed Russia had launched 122 missiles and 36 drones, with the military managing to down 27 drones and 87 cruise missiles.

It comes days after Ukraine downed 32 of 46 Iranian-made drones deployed by Russia in an overnight air strike.

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s military said most of the rest of the drones hit the frontline, mainly in the Kherson region.

According to the Ukrainian air force, the previous biggest assault on the country was in November 2022, when Russia launched 96 missiles against Ukraine. This year, the biggest was 81 missiles on 9 March, air force records show.

Ukraine has been warning for weeks that Russia could be stockpiling missiles to launch a major air campaign targeting the energy system.

Last year, millions of people were plunged into darkness when Russian strikes pounded the power grid.

The energy ministry reported power outages in four regions after the air attack.

In the Lviv region, which borders Poland, impacts were confirmed at a critical infrastructure facility, the president’s office said, declining to say which one.

“The enemy targeted social and critical infrastructure,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

The attack comes days after Ukraine struck a Russian warship in the occupied Crimean port of Feodosia.

It also follows a $250m (£196m) military aid package to Ukraine from the US, which included air defence ammunition.

General Sir Richard Barrons, former commander of Joint Forces Command, told Sky News the massive overnight assault was “relatively unusual”.

He said: “Since the invasion began, Russia has used about 11,000 missiles and drones. So, 110 is quite a large number for one night’s work.

“Russia can probably make about 65 cruise missiles a month now and it imports others from places like Iran, so it was a major effort. But then the sinking of the landing ship was a major disaster for the Russian military.”

General Barrons believes the bombings were a message to Ukraine that “Russia can hit anywhere in the country and it will focus on civilian targets”.

He added: “But also a message to Ukraine to keep their air defence around the cities and not on the frontlines.”

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

Sky News’ military analyst Sean Bell said Russia could have launched the attacks to “make life as miserable as possible” for Ukrainians during the harsh winter months.

He added that the airstrikes may also have been in retribution for the landing ship attack.

Mr Bell said: “At the start of 2023 it would have been full of expectation. President Zelenskyy was being offered lots of weapons.

“He’d shown that he could push Russia out of Ukraine, but by the end of the year, frankly, the spring offensive really hasn’t achieved much.

“And at the year’s end, Russia is actually on the front foot at the moment.”

Mr Bell believes Ukraine’s future lies in Western support.

He added: “And bluntly, this last package of aid has just arrived, £200m. Unless the EU and the US unblock the aid that’s spare there, then Russia will become emboldened. President Putin will become much more resilient and robust about his offense.

“But it’s almost certainly not the end to 2023 that President Zelenskyy might have hoped for at the start of the year.”

World

Donald Trump says Volodymyr Zelenskyy ‘could end war with Russia’ if he wanted to – ahead of crucial White House meeting

Published

5 hours ago

August 18, 2025

admin

Donald Trump says Volodymyr Zelenskyy 'could end war with Russia' if he wanted to - ahead of crucial White House meeting

Volodymyr Zelenskyy could “end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to”, Donald Trump has said – ahead of crucial White House talks on the future of Ukraine.

Mr Trump made the comment in a series of social media posts throwing forward to his meeting with the Ukrainian president, who will be supported by Sir Keir Starmer and other European leaders.

The allies are travelling to Washington DC with the aim of protecting Ukraine from having to concede key regions to Russia in exchange for peace, following the US president’s high-profile meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

They will also be keen to avoid a repeat of Mr Zelenskyy‘s last heated visit to the White House in February, which ended with the Ukrainian leader leaving early and later resulted in US aid to Ukraine being temporarily halted.

“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Mr Trump shared on his own network, Truth Social, on Sunday. “Remember how it started,” he added, before highlighting the annexation of Crimea.

Describing today as a “big day” at the White House, he added: “Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honor to host them!!!.”

Sir Keir and six other political heavyweights will present a united front alongside Mr Zelenskyy, who is expecting to face calls to surrender full control of Donetsk and Luhansk – two mineral-rich regions where large areas are currently occupied by Russian troops.

In September 2022, Moscow announced it was officially annexing them, alongside the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, in a move rejected and condemned as illegal by the West.

Mr Putin would reportedly give up other territories held by his troops in exchange and agree to a “NATO-like” security guarantee preventing Ukraine from further incursion.

At today’s Oval Office encounter, Mr Zelenskyy will be joined by France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Alexander Stubb, president of Finland, as well as head of NATO Mark Rutte and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, and Sir Keir.

They are set to arrive at midday (5pm UK time). Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy will hold a bilateral meeting first, before a multilateral meeting with the rest of the European leaders.

In a message on X on Sunday, before Mr Trump’s posts, the Ukrainian president said strong unity from Europe was “essential” to achieve an end to the war, and that it was “impossible” for Ukraine to “give up or trade land”.

He said a ceasefire was necessary for a deal to be worked on, writing: “We have to stop the killings. Putin has many demands but we do not know all of them.

“If there are really as many as we heard, then it will take time to go through them all. It is impossible to do this under the pressure of weapons.”

What is the ‘NATO-like’ security guarantee?

Following the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, the two leaders said they had agreed on some points but did not elaborate further.

Speaking to CNN on Sunday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said: “We were able to win the following concession: that the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO.”

Article 5 is a core principle of the 32-member collective, which states that an armed attack against one or more of its members shall be considered an attack against all. It has only been invoked once, by the US, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Russia has repeatedly insisted that Ukraine cannot be allowed to join NATO and has dismissed the idea that NATO member forces could be peacekeepers under some sort of ceasefire deal.

Mr Witkoff, who has held previous discussions with Mr Putin on ending the war, said Friday’s summit was the first time he had heard the Russian leader agree to the suggestion of NATO-like protection – and called it “game-changing”.

Analysis and explainers:
Alliance against Putin has never been so threatened
How a chaotic 24 hours unfolded ahead of talks
Why Zelenskyy is taking a posse of leaders for talks

In a post on X, Russian envoy Mikhail Ulyanov said Russia agrees a future peace agreement “should provide reliable security assurances or guarantees for Ukraine”.

But Moscow should also get efficient security guarantees, he added. “What the West has to offer? Apparently they haven’t yet started to think about it. It is a mistake, which needs to be corrected.”

He also said efforts now should focus on the “main goal – the need to elaborate quickly an efficient long-term peace accord, not a questionable ceasefire which diverts attention”.

No talk of ceasefire after summit

Despite prior threats of severe sanctions for Russia should a ceasefire not be agreed during the talks in Alaska, there was no mention of this from Mr Trump afterwards. Instead, he said he wanted to focus on a long-term deal for peace.

Mr Putin has long refused to agree to a ceasefire as a precondition for talks to end the war, prompting fears that Russia could continue gaining ground in Ukraine as negotiations take place.

At a news conference on Sunday, Ms von der Leyen said the aim was to “stop the killing”, and suggested a ceasefire and a peace deal would have that same impact.

Mr Trump has previously said today’s meeting with Mr Zelenskyy could potentially pave the way for a three-way meeting with Mr Putin.

World

Putin has agreed Ukraine can have ‘NATO-style’ security guarantee, Trump envoy says

Published

9 hours ago

August 17, 2025

admin

Putin has agreed Ukraine can have 'NATO-style' security guarantee, Trump envoy says

Vladimir Putin has agreed to allow Ukraine’s allies to offer it a NATO-like security guarantee as part of an eventual deal to end the war, according to US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Mr Witkoff said the Russian president agreed to the move when he met with Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday.

Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Mr Witkoff, who was by the US president’s side at the summit, said: “We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO.”

Russia has repeatedly insisted that Ukraine cannot be allowed to join NATO and has dismissed the idea that NATO member forces could be peacekeepers under some sort of ceasefire deal.

Mr Witkoff, who has previously met with Mr Putin to discuss an end to the Ukraine war, said Friday’s summit was the first time he had heard the Russian president agree to the suggestion of NATO-like protection – and called it “game-changing”.

His comments came as Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels.

The Ukrainian president said in a post on X: “This is a historic decision that the United States is ready to take part in security guarantees for Ukraine.

“Security guarantees, as a result of our joint work, must really be very practical, delivering protection on land, in the air, and at sea, and must be developed with Europe’s participation.”

Ms von der Leyen, speaking at a news conference with the Ukrainian president, said the European Union “is ready to do its share”.

EU leaders to join Zelenskyy at White House

Sunday afternoon also saw Ms von der Leyen and Mr Zelenskyy dial in to a meeting with the coalition of the willing, a peacekeeping alliance of European leaders – some of whom will accompany Mr Zelenskyy to meet with Mr Trump tomorrow.

Ms von der Leyen will be at the crunch talks in Washington DC, as will Sir Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni.

Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will also be in attendance, after the US president reportedly extended an invitation to European leaders.

Mr Putin has reportedly made demands to take control of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine during his summit with Mr Trump as a condition for ending the war.

In exchange, Russia would give up other Ukrainian territories held by its troops, according to several news reports citing sources close to the matter.

Russian troops currently occupy large parts of the two regions and, in September 2022, Moscow announced it was officially annexing them, alongside the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, in a move rejected and condemned as illegal by the West.

Mr Trump is said to be planning to urge Mr Zelenskyy to agree to the conditions as part of a peace deal to end the war.

That’s despite the Ukrainian president previously ruling out formally handing any territory to Moscow, which he says would be impossible under the country’s constitution, and would deprive Ukraine of defensive lines and open the way for Moscow to conduct further offensives.

In coordinated statements following the Alaska summit, European leaders said Mr Zelenskyy must play a greater role in future talks, and that peace cannot be achieved without him.

The US president said the Washington talk with Mr Zelenskyy could potentially pave the way for a three-way meeting with Mr Putin.

On Saturday, Downing Street insisted Sir Keir and other allies stand ready to support the next phase of talks to end the war.

“At the meeting that will take place at the White House tomorrow, the Prime Minister, with other European partners, stands ready to support this next phase of further talks and will reaffirm that his backing for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes,” a statement from No 10 said.

World

Why is Zelenskyy bringing a posse of European leaders to the US for peace talks?

Published

18 hours ago

August 17, 2025

admin

Why is Zelenskyy bringing a posse of European leaders to the US for peace talks?

A posse of European leaders will join the meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she will join the talk “at the request of President Zelenskyy”, adding that she “and other European leaders” will be meeting at the White House on Monday.

Also set to join in are Sir Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Mr Stubb’s friendship with Mr Trump is said to have blossomed since the pair bonded over their love of golf during a tournament at Mar-a-Lago in March.

Follow the latest developments on the Ukraine war

Mr Stubb previously said that Mr Trump is “the only person who can broker a peace” deal, saying the US president was “the only one that Putin is afraid of”.

Bringing a gang of leaders along could be an attempt by Mr Zelenskyy to prevent a repeat of the infamous Oval Office showdown with Mr Trump and the vice-president, JD Vance, in February.

They were set to discuss a potential ceasefire with Russia and a mineral deal between Ukraine and the US, but their meeting descended into chaos when Mr Vance berated Ukraine’s leader for being insufficiently grateful for US help – in front of the media.

He completed his ambush of Mr Zelenskyy by mocking him for not wearing a suit, with Mr Trump adding that the Ukrainian didn’t “have the cards right now with us”.

The disastrous meeting ended with Mr Zelenskyy prematurely leaving the White House. He later said the bust-up was “not good for both sides”.

Analysis: Zelenskyy knows he risks another ambush

At the US-Russia summit on Friday, Mr Trump (quite literally) rolled out the red carpet for Mr Putin and even let the Russian leader take a ride with him in the presidential limousine dubbed The Beast.

Mr Zelenskyy is set for a less warm welcome, with no red carpet or fly past, no round of applause, according to Sky News’ US correspondent Martha Kelner.

The atmosphere may be more businesslike with European leaders like Mr Stubb in Mr Zelenskyy’s corner, and their inclusion as mediators could help prevent a repeat of the Oval Office clash.

Mr Stubb has repeatedly voiced support for Ukraine, and Finland, along with other Nordic countries and the three Baltic states, has been among the country’s staunchest supporters.

The 2022 invasion prompted Finland, which shares a 1,340-km (833-mile) border with Russia, to join NATO two years ago, upending decades of non-alignment.

Two days before the Alaska summit, Mr Zelenskyy, Mr Trump and European leaders, including Mr Stubb, were on a conference call, after which the Finnish leader wrote on X: “Excellent meeting with @Potus and European leaders, including @ZelenskyyUA. Aligned views and unity.

“We are working together for a ceasefire and a sustainable peace. We are there for Ukraine every step of the way. The next few days and weeks can be decisive.”

Whether any other European leaders will accompany Mr Zelenskyy will likely be confirmed late Sunday following a conference call between members of the “coalition of the willing”.

Retired French General Dominique Trinquand, a former head of France’s military mission at the United Nations, said European leaders were “very afraid of the Oval Office scene being repeated and so they want to support Mr Zelenskyy to the hilt”.

“It’s a power struggle and a position of strength that might work with Trump,” he added.