The assault, which began Thursday night, included 22 cruise missiles, 13 ballistic missiles, and one intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), according to the Air Force
Russia launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine, deploying 242 drones and 36 missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force reported Friday morning.
The assault, which began Thursday night, included 22 cruise missiles, 13 ballistic missiles, and one intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), according to the Air Force.
Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted or neutralized 226 drones, 10 cruise missiles, and 8 ballistic missiles. Nevertheless, 18 missiles and 16 drones struck 19 locations across the country, the Air Force said.
Kyiv was among the hardest-hit areas, with 40 facilities damaged, including 20 residential buildings. At least four people were killed and 25 injured, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported, adding that rescue operations were ongoing. Other targeted regions included Lviv, Kirovohrad, and Cherkasy.
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the Oreshnik intermediate-range ground missile system was used in the strike against what it called Ukraine’s “critical facilities.”
Moscow said the attack was in retaliation for a supposed Ukrainian drone attack on President Vladimir Putin’s state residence in the Novgorod region last month, a claim Ukraine has denied.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia deployed the IRBM in the Lviv region, close to EU and NATO borders.
“Such a strike is a grave threat to European security and a test for the transatlantic community.
We demand strong responses to Russia’s reckless actions,” Sybiha wrote on X. “We are informing the United States, European partners, and all international organizations about the details of this dangerous strike through diplomatic channels.”
Sybiha described Moscow’s justification as “absurd,” calling the strike a response to a “fake attack on Putin’s residence that never happened.”
“Another proof that Moscow does not need real reasons for its terror and war,” he said. “Putin uses an IRBM near EU and NATO borders based on his own hallucinations. This is a global threat that demands a global response.”
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