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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.

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An explosion of a missile is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 29, 2023. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
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Ukraine’s capital Kyiv was among the cities targeted

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.

An explosion of a missile is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 29, 2023. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

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.

Ukrainian airstrikes map

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.

Firefighters stand at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 29, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
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The aftermath of an attack in Kyiv

Pic: AP
Apartment buildings are seen damaged after a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Artem Perfilov)
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Apartment buildings damaged in Odesa. Pic: AP Photo/Artem Perfilov

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.

A firefighter works at a site of a warehouse heavily damaged during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 29, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
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A firefighter battling a blaze in Kyiv

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.

Smoke rises from a building at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 29, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
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Hypersonic, cruise and ballistic missiles were reportedly used in the bombings

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.

A firefighter works at a site of a warehouse heavily damaged during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 29, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
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A warehouse went up in flames in Kyiv

A view shows a maternity hospital destroyed during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine December 29, 2023. REUTERS/Mykola Synelnykov
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A car outside a maternity hospital in Dnipro was destroyed in the airstrikes

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.”

Elderly man saved after being buried beneath rubble following Russian aerial barrage
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Emergency crews pulling a man to safety from rubble

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.”

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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.”

Pic: AP
Rescuers work on a site of an apartment building damaged after a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Artem Perfilov)
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Emergency crews in Odesa. Pic: AP Photo/Artem Perfilov

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.”

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Ukraine’s anti-aircraft units trying to down Russian drones in Sumy as record numbers hit

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Ukraine's anti-aircraft units trying to down Russian drones in Sumy as record numbers hit

Headlights illuminate a group of soldiers smoking and drinking steaming cups of coffee on the side of a road in northeastern Ukraine.

A fine sleet on another freezing night falls on the silhouetted barrel of a Soviet-era anti-aircraft gun mounted on an ancient, battered lorry.

These are the men of a mobile air defence unit, preparing for another night of tracking and attempting to shoot out of the skies the Russian drones heading for cities and power plants across Ukraine.

We joined the units over 48 hours in the southern sector of the city of Sumy, near the border with Russia.

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Captain Serhii, of the 117th Brigade, is a commander in charge of 160 of these men in eight mobile units protecting this area of northeastern Ukraine.

Commander Serhii looking for drones on his scanner
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Commander Serhii looking for drones on his scanner

We met up with him in an empty car park next to a high-rise apartment block in Sumy.

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Sitting in his 4×4 he squinted in concentration as his scanner showed a handful of drones on a flight path heading towards us from Russia.

Air raid sirens blared in the background.

He signalled for us to follow, and he sped off into the night weaving through checkpoints along empty, darkened country roads.

He had said the drone was near, but we were confused when he suddenly pulled off the road and jumped out of his cab.

Within moments the skies were lit up by mobile anti-aircraft batteries firing into the sky.

Tracers from the bullets flew over our heads and above us we could hear the monotonous sound of the drone as it passed overhead.

Searchlights reflected off a dank, dense fog that had enveloped the countryside criss-crossed in the sky as the units tried to spot the drone.

They didn’t spot or hit the drone, and slowly the sound of its motors grew dimmer and dimmer until there was silence.

“You can see the current weather conditions, it’s foggy, so we’re basically working off sound alone, as thermal imaging and other devices can’t pick them up,” Captain Serhii told me.

“A spotlight is completely pointless, the speed of these drones isn’t particularly high, so technically, we could hit them, but the weather makes it impossible,” he added.

Every night across Ukraine the tarpaulin covers are pulled off these Soviet-era anti-aircraft guns and prepared for action.

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On battered trucks they rumble into the night to take up defensive positions.

These old guns are the country’s main defence against an increasing number of drone attacks from Russia.

The units here say they mostly encounter two types of drones which are usually deployed at the same time: Gerberas and Shaheds.

Gerberas do not carry an explosive payload but instead are designed to confuse Ukraine’s air defence, while the Iranian-supplied Shahed drones carry explosives with pre-programmed targets.

One of the soldiers, Volodymyr, tracks the drones on a handheld tablet. All the men wait, watch the screen, and listen.

“They generally fly between 200-300m up to 3km,” Volodymyr tells me.

“If they’re flying lower than 300m above sea level, the radar won’t pick them up.”

The men start to gather around their anti-air battery unit as a drone flies closer towards our location.

Stuart Ramsay and Volodymyr
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Stuart Ramsay and Volodymyr

The gunner then jumps onto the truck and searches for the target on a radar attached to his weapon.

He will fire when it’s within a 10km range of his position.

The night-time silence in the middle of the field is suddenly shattered by the deafening sound of firing as the gunner goes for the drone.

Then in the fields all around us other units join the attack – it’s so dark we had no idea they were even there.

It’s absolutely relentless.

Captain Serhii tells me their critical job would be made easier with more sophisticated weapons like the American-made Patriot system.

“We need a stronger, more automated air defence system that operates independently of human involvement,” he said.

“Winter is approaching, and our guys who are on duty 24/7 will face incredibly tough conditions, they aren’t made of steel, so having an automated system would be ideal.”

Anti-air unit firing at drones from their truck
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Anti-aircraft unit firing at drones from their truck

He believes any political negotiations with Russia will just end badly for Ukraine.

“A frozen conflict is typically just a temporary pause, and you can’t trust [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, because any agreement made will likely work in Russia’s favour,” he told me.

“They’ll stockpile resources, more Shaheds, rockets, soldiers, even North Koreans, and then they’ll return, and they’ll come back stronger than they did in 2022.”

Read more:
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We join another mobile unit, this time by the side of an empty road as they track another Iranian Shahed drone.

It’s flying in our direction and they’re waiting to see if it will come into range.

It does, and they too attack – firing powerful rounds at their target.

The red, orange, and yellow flashes of colour as the weapon fires light up an otherwise pitch-black sky.

In the 48-hour period we spent with the anti-aircraft units in this part of the Sumy region, Russia deployed a record number of drones into Ukraine.

Ukraine, for its part, deployed a record number of drones against Russia too, but the number is dwarfed by the Russian assault.

Night after freezing night these Ukrainian defenders, hundreds of them around this city, will man these guns.

The last line of defence – not good, but better than nothing.

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Pakistan: Satellite images show smog over Punjab visible from space – as record levels of air pollution recorded

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Pakistan: Satellite images show smog over Punjab visible from space - as record levels of air pollution recorded

Satellite images show that smog in Pakistan can be seen from space, as the country battles record levels of air pollution.

Images from NASA Worldview show the east of the country cloaked in a toxic haze, with smog also reaching into India’s northern regions and New Dehli.

Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s Punjab region and home to 14 million people, had an air quality index of more than 400 on Tuesday morning, according to IQAir, which tracks global air quality.

Any reading above 300 is considered hazardous – anything between 0 to 50 is considered good.

Earlier in November, parts of Lahore had a reading above 1,900, marking a record high.

A satellite view of Pakistan on 10 October 2024.
Pic: NASA Worldview
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No smog was seen in Punjab region on 10 October 2024.
Pic: NASA Worldview

IQAir also reported on Tuesday that the concentration of PM2.5 – microparticles that enter the bloodstream through the lungs and can cause cancer – in Lahore was more than 50 times above recommended guidelines.

The city in eastern Pakistan is often ranked as one of the worst places in the world for air pollution.

People ride on motorbikes amid smog on a road in Multan, Pakistan November 12, 2024. REUTERS/Quratulain Asim
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More than 40,000 people have been treated for respiratory ailments due to the smog.
Pic: Reuters

Regional authorities have banned most outdoor activities, ordered shops to close early, and closed schools and public spaces until 17 November in response to the air pollution.

Health officials said more than 40,000 people have already been treated for respiratory ailments, while hospitals in the region have reported an unprecedented rise in patients with eye and throat irritation and pink eye disease.

People commute on a smoggy morning in Peshawar, Pakistan, November 11, 2024. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz
Image:
Parts of Lahore had an air quality index above 1,900 earlier in November, marking a record high.
Pic: Reuters

It comes as a UN agency warned the health of 11 million children in the Punjab region is at risk if efforts aren’t made to tackle the toxic smog.

Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF’s representative in the country, said in a statement: “Prior to these record-breaking levels of air pollution, about 12% of deaths in children under five in Pakistan were due to air pollution.

“The impact of this year’s extraordinary smog will take time to assess, but we know that doubling and tripling the amount of pollution in the air will have devastating effects, particularly on children and pregnant women.”

Several South Asian countries are engulfed by smog each winter as cold air traps dust, emissions and smoke from farm fires.

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Parts of India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh were forced to close schools and businesses last November over air pollution.

A month later, artificial rain was used in Lahore to tackle hazardous smog for the first time.

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Zhuhai: Dozens killed after man drives car into people exercising at sports centre

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Zhuhai: Dozens killed after man drives car into people exercising at sports centre

Thirty-five people have been killed and another 43 injured after a motorist deliberately drove his car into people exercising at a sports centre in the Chinese city of Zhuhai, police said.

A 62-year-old man, identified only by his family name of Fan, was detained at the centre late on Monday.

He was discovered in the car with a knife and wounds to his neck that were thought to be self-inflicted, according to a police statement.

Fan was reported to be unconscious and receiving medical care.

A motive has not been confirmed but police said a preliminary investigation found he was unhappy with the split of financial assets in his divorce.

Officers said a “number of” pedestrians were knocked down in the incident which took place on the eve of of an annual People’s Liberation Army exhibition in the southern Chinese city.

China’s president Xi Jinping has called for “all-out efforts” to treat those injured in the disaster, the country’s state media has said.

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Mr Xi also said the perpetrator should be punished in “accordance with the law”.

Meanwhile, one of the four hospitals that took in casualties said it had more than 20 injured, state media reported.

Pic: Kyodo/AP

Security officers stand guard at the gate of a sports center where a man rammed a car into people exercising in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, China, Nov. 11, 2024. More than 10 people died and nearly 100 were injured in the incident, and the driver was detained at the scene. (Kyodo via AP Images) ==Kyodo
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Pic: Kyodo/AP

Video shared on social media showed emergency services performing CPR on people at the scene, as others were told to leave the area.

Some were shared by news blogger and dissident Li Ying, who is better known on X as Teacher Li. His account posts daily news based on user submissions.

The clips showed dozens of people lying on the sports centre’s running track, with a woman in one saying: “My foot is broken.”

Pic: Kyodo/AP

Rescue vehicles rush to a sports center where a man rammed a car into people exercising in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, China, Nov. 11, 2024. More than 10 people died and nearly 100 were injured in the incident, and the driver was detained at the scene. (Kyodo via AP Images) ==Kyodo
Image:
Pic: Kyodo/AP

By Tuesday morning, searches for the incident were heavily censored on Chinese social media platforms.

A search on Weibo for the sports centre only turned up a few posts, with only a couple referring to the fact that something had happened, without pictures or details.

Articles by Chinese media about the incident from Monday night were taken down.

Pic: Kyodo/AP

Security officers stand guard at the gate of a sports center where a man rammed a car into people exercising in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, China, Nov. 11, 2024. More than 10 people died and nearly 100 were injured in the incident, and the driver was detained at the scene. (Kyodo via AP Images) ==Kyodo
Image:
Pic: Kyodo/AP

Chinese internet censors take extra care to check social media ahead of and during major events, such as the meeting of the National People’s Congress, where the government announces its major policy initiatives for the coming year.

The sports centre for the city district of Xiangzhou regularly attracts hundreds of residents, where they can run on the track field, play soccer and take part in social dances. Following the incident, the centre announced that it would be closed until further notice.

China has seen a number of attacks in which suspects appear to target random people such as schoolchildren.

In October, a 50-year-old man was detained after he allegedly used a knife to attack children at a school in Beijing. Five people were injured.

In September, three people were killed in a knife attack in a Shanghai supermarket.

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