Russia Resumes Cruise Missile Attacks on Ukraine

Russia launched a series of cruise missiles at Ukrainian targets on Friday, breaking an 80-day ceasefire. Ukrainian officials reported that the air raid in Kyiv lasted nearly two hours, but all missiles targeting the capital were successfully intercepted and destroyed by air defenses, according to Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration.

"Kyiv experienced damage to several homes due to falling debris from 'downed enemy targets,'" reported the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. Meanwhile, a missile strike in the central Dnipropetrovsk region's city of Pavlohrad resulted in one fatality and four injuries, according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

Several people were injured and one person was killed in overnight strikes in the eastern Kharkiv region, according to Klymenko. The city of Kharkiv suffered damage to at least seven apartment buildings and over 20 cars, while a five-story residential building in Kupiansk district was also affected. The head of Kharkiv regions military administration, Oleh Syniehubov, reported that Russia had struck Kharkiv with six S-300 missiles. The Ukrainian Prosecutor Generals office has initiated an investigation into the strike.

The onslaught of 19 missiles throughout Ukraine marked the initial assault of its kind in over two months, amid Western intelligence evaluations cautioning that Russia is expected to escalate its targeting of civilian infrastructure during the winter.

Emergency service teams respond to damage in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, December 8, 2023.

Sergey Kozlov/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force Command, reported that out of the 19 missiles fired, 14 were destroyed in the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Popko wrote on Telegram Friday that after a 79-day pause, the enemy resumed attacks with cruise missiles launched by Tu-95MS strategic aircraft. Preliminarily, approximately 10 bomber missile carriers fired cruise missiles of the Kh-101/555/55 type from the Engels city area, Saratov region.

According to information from the official Telegram account of the Air Force Commands, the most recent significant cruise missile strike on Ukraine occurred on September 21, with a total of 43 missiles deployed, of which 36 were successfully intercepted.

Ukrainian soldiers in Avdiivka, Ukraine continue to fire at Russian targets as the war between Russia and Ukraine rages on. The deployment of Ukrainian tank troops in the Avdiivka direction has been crucial in maintaining the defense line amidst heavy clashes and intensified Russian attacks. Despite the challenging weather conditions, tracked combat vehicles like tanks are able to maneuver through the muddy region. (Photo by Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Western unity on Ukraine is crumbling, giving Putin the opportunity to achieve a gradual victory. According to Ukrainian officials, Russia carried out its largest drone attack since the full-scale invasion began on November 25, using 75 Iranian-made Shahed drones to target Ukraine.

48 Shaheds were launched on Wednesday, as reported by the Air Force Command data. In November, Vadym Skibitsky, the deputy chief of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, stated that Russia is expected to use a combination of missiles and drones to target Ukrainian infrastructure during the winter.

Ukrainian air defenses were limited last year, allowing Russia to target Ukraine's energy grid and inflict punishing blackouts in an attempt to weaken Ukrainian resilience. Defense and energy officials now state that Ukraine is better prepared for such attacks this winter. However, Skibitsky cautioned that Russia's strikes this year will be more advanced than the primitive attacks of last year.