Ukrainian Air Defences Disrupt Russian Missile Attack on Civilian Targets: Zelensky

In a massive Friday assault, Russia launched over 100 missiles at Ukrainian cities, targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported, emphasizing the effectiveness of Ukraine's air defense systems in mitigating the impact.

The barrage is the largest and most devastating in what had previously been a relatively quiet winter.

President Zelenskyy reported on social media platform 'X' that the Russian military deployed a combination of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. The attack spanned cities such as Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and more. Zelenskyy revealed that Russia utilized a wide range of weapons, including Kinzhals, S-300s, cruise missiles, and strategic bombers launching X-101/X-505 missiles.

However, unlike a year ago, Ukraine's bolstered air defense systems, including the Patriot system provided by Western allies, effectively contained the damage. Ukraine utilizes air defense systems, including U.S.-made Patriots, U.S. and Norwegian-made NASAMS, and German-made IRIS-T, provided to it by the West.

President Zelensky stated that the improved air defense systems successfully shot down the majority of the 110 missiles fired by Russia. “Today, Russia used nearly every type of weapon in its arsenal: “Kinzhals,” S-300s, cruise missiles, and drones. Strategic bombers launched X-101/X-505 missiles. A total of around 110 missiles were fired against Ukraine, with the majority of them being shot down,” Zelenskyy wrote.

Last year, Russia's repeated attacks on Ukraine's power grid resulted in widespread outages. The scale of today’s attack has confirmed fears in Ukraine that Russia was saving its missile stocks for a massive winter offensive.

The Russian onslaught aimed to overwhelm Ukraine's strengthened air defense capabilities. The strikes targeted various locations across the country, from Lviv in the west to Odessa in the south, Kyiv in the center, and Kharkiv and Dnipro in the east. Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat revealed that the number of targets overwhelmed the air defense system, describing the monitors as practically "red."

Of the 158 total missiles and 27 strike drones launched by Russia, Ukraine's Air Force reported that 87 missiles and all 27 drones were successfully shot down. The attacks resulted in at least 12 fatalities and over 75 injuries, with civilian infrastructure such as a shopping mall in Dnipro, a maternity ward, and a factory in Kyiv among the targeted sites.

While the Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed specific targets, reports indicate damage to critical infrastructure, warehouses, hospitals, and schools. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi expressed shock at the misfortune during the festive season, emphasizing the impact on children returning to school after the holidays.

Despite the success of the air defense systems in intercepting the majority of missiles, the falling debris and undetonated explosives still pose risks on the ground, according to Ihnat. The Ukrainian forces now face the challenge of balancing resources between the front line and cities vulnerable to Russian attacks, given the extensive 600-mile front line.