A firefighter in front of a blaze started by Russian strikes across Ukraine, December 29, 2023

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Friday’s Coverage: Russia Drone and Missile Strikes Across Country

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1447 GMT:

Russia’s Emergencies Ministry says 14 people, including two children, were killed and 108 injured by strikes on the center of Belgorod near the border with northern Ukraine.

A Russian official claims a multiple rocket launcher firing from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region hit a skating rink on the central Cathedral Square, a shopping center, residential buildings, and a car.

UPDATE 1215 GMT:

Russian outlets have reported that Ukraine’s destruction of Moscow’s large landing ship Novocherkassk on Tuesday killed 74 sailors — but soon deleted the news.

A guided missile struck the Novocherkassk in the port of Feodosia in Russian-occupied Crimea.

The Sevastopol NTS TV channel, citing the press service of Russ
ia’s Black Sea Fleet, and the Sevastopol News website announced that “74 Black Sea sailors were killed during the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ attack on the ship Novocherkassk on December 26, and another 27 were injured”.

They added that the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Adm. Nikolai Evmenov, suggested two days of mourning in the city of Novocherkassk in the Rostov region in southwest Russia.

UPDATE 1146 GMT:

The death toll across Ukraine from Friday’s Russian attacks has risen to 39.

More fatalities were reported this morning in Kyiv, where five people were found under the rubble of a warehouse, and in Zaporizhzhia.

The toll includes 16 killed in Kyiv, nine in Zaporizhzhia, six in Dnipro, four in Odesa, three in Kharkiv, and one in Lviv.

UPDATE 1140 GMT:

Ukraine’s Air Force said air defenses downed 5 of 10 Iran-made Shahed attack drones fired by Russia overnight.

The UAVs were launched from Cape Chauda in occupied Crimea on southern Ukraine, including the Kherson region.

UPDATE 1134 GMT:

The death toll in Kyiv from Friday’s Russian attacks has risen to 13 with the discovery of two bodies in rubble.

UPDATE 1059 GMT:

Russia is trying to fend off reports that one of its missiles entered Polish airspace on Friday, during Moscow’s assault across Ukraine.

Poland’s Defense Minister, Gen. Wiesław Kukuła, said on Friday that it was likely that a Russian missile had entered from the direction of Ukraine, travelling more than 40 km (25 miles) into Polish airspace. It left after three minutes, vanishing off radars.

After being summoned to the Polish Foreign Ministry, Russian chargé d’affaires Andrei Ordash said, “Until hard evidence is provided, we will not give any explanations, because these accusations are unfounded.”

About 480 soldiers of the Polish Territorial Defense Force resumed a search operation on Saturday for part for “possible elements” of the missile near the city of Zamosc in southeastern Poland.

UPDATE 1051 GMT:

Russian officials claim air defenses downed 13 Ukrainian rockets and six drones on Friday.

The Defense Ministry asserted that the rockets were destroyed over the Belgorod region. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a man was killed in his house and four other people were injured.

Gladkov claimed Ttwo children were killed and several people injured. Russian Telegram channels say 40 people were injured and shells fell on a skating rink and a university.

The Ukrainian armed forces posted video of the sky above Belgorod, showing at least one building on fire. Other footage showed damage in the city center.

The governor of the Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomaz, declared that all six drones had been downed. There were no casualties.

UPDATE 0814 GMT:

Defying both Russia’s assault in eastern Ukraine and Friday’s missile and drone strikes, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has visited troops on the frontline in Avdiivka.

The town is about 20 km (12.5 miles) from Donetsk city, the center of Russia’s occupation in the east since 2014. It has been attacked throughout the 22-month invasion, with intense “human wave” assaults — causing hundreds of Russian casualties each day — since October.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Trying to overwhelm air defenses and to overtake Ukraine’s crippling strikes on its military, Russia carried out its largest missile and drone strike of Vladimir Putin’s 22-month invasion on Friday.

At least 30 people were killed and more than 160 wounded across the country, even though defenses downed 87 of 117 missiles and 27 of 36 Iran-made Shahed attack drones. Maternity and oncology hospitals, educational institutions, a kindergarten, a shopping mall, and residential buildings were damaged.

Ukraine, backed by 30 other countries, has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council over the attacks.

A day of mourning has been declared in Odesa and Dnipro, site of many of the casualties.

During Vladimir Putin’s “energy war” last winter which tried — and failed — to break Ukraine’s infrastructure, Russia fired close to 100 missiles on a single day. While the daily attacks have continued, the number of missiles and drones had been far diminished until yesterday, and the large majority have been intercepted by bolstered air defenses.

Friday’s attacks came three days after a Ukraine guided missile destroyed the Russian landing ship Novocherkassk in port in occupied Crimea, the latest successful strike behind frontlines on Russian bases, warships, oil and ammunition depots, and bridges.

See also Ukraine War, Day 672: Another Russian Warship is Destroyed

Ukrainian air defenses also downed five Russian fighter jets in the past week.

“Important to Respond to This Terror”

In his nightly address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gave a situation report. He noted, “It’s important that the world responds to this terror”, and concluded:

Today, our air defense warriors accomplished a lot. We will continue to strengthen our air defense and work to return war back to where it came from—to Russia.

US President Joe Biden said the Russian assault demonstrated the Kremlin’s desire to “obliterate” Ukraine. He called on Congress to “step up” and overcome Republican blackmail on further aid to Kyiv.

Since October, Congressional Republicans have held up the Biden Administration’s request for budget authority of $61.6 billion in financial, economic, and military assistance. The Pentagon has said that it only has about $1 billion of authorized assistance left.

UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, condemning “Putin’s murderous air strikes”, said hundreds of additional air defense systems will be despatched “to ensure Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself from Putin’s barbaric bombardment”.