December 13th 2024.
On Friday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that Russia had launched a massive aerial attack against their country. It was a devastating onslaught, involving 93 cruise and ballistic missiles as well as almost 200 drones. Zelenskyy described it as one of the most intense bombardments of their energy sector since Russia's full-scale invasion almost three years ago.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian defenses were able to shoot down 81 missiles, including 11 cruise missiles that were intercepted by F-16 warplanes provided by Western allies earlier this year. He expressed his gratitude for the support of their allies and emphasized the importance of international unity in standing against Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions.
Zelenskyy stated on his Telegram channel, "Russia is terrorizing millions of people with these attacks. We need a strong reaction from the world - a massive strike, a massive reaction. This is the only way to stop this terror."
However, there is uncertainty about what the future holds for the ongoing war. With President-elect Donald Trump set to take office next month, there are doubts about whether the vital US military support for Ukraine will continue.
Meanwhile, in Moscow, the Defense Ministry claimed that their attack was in response to Ukraine's use of the US-supplied Army Tactical Missile System on a Russian air base just two days prior. They stated that they targeted critically important fuel and energy facilities that support their military industrial complex.
President Trump, in an interview with TIME magazine, expressed his opposition to allowing Ukraine to use US-provided weapons to strike targets on Russian soil. The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, commended Trump's stance, saying, "In this case, we share the same view on the causes of escalation, and that is positive. Clearly, Trump realizes what will escalate the conflict."
The US Embassy in Kyiv reported that Friday's attack also targeted transportation networks and other key facilities. One of Ukraine's largest private energy companies, DTEK, confirmed that their thermal power plants had suffered serious damage.
Russia has repeatedly attempted to cripple Ukraine's electricity system in an effort to break the will of the civilians left without power, water, or heating. This also serves to disrupt Ukraine's defense manufacturing capabilities.
Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko assured that energy workers were doing everything in their power to minimize the negative consequences for the energy system. He promised to provide more details on the damages once the security situation allowed.
Ukraine's air force reported multiple strike drones launched overnight, followed by swarms of cruise missiles in their airspace. They also stated that Russia had used air-launched ballistic Kinzhal missiles against western regions of Ukraine.
This was not the first time such a massive attack had taken place. A similar one on November 28 involved around 200 missiles and drones and left over a million households without power until emergency teams were able to restore supplies.
Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia is stockpiling cruise and ballistic missiles for further attacks. In fact, on November 21, Russia used an intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile for the first time to strike an industrial plant in eastern Ukraine. Putin called it a retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory using longer-range Western weapons. He also warned that there could be more attacks with the new weapon in the future. US officials have also cautioned that the Oreshnik missile could be used again in the coming days, although there was no sign of it being launched in Friday's attack.
Unfortunately, the ongoing war has already destroyed about half of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, resulting in frequent and widespread electricity blackouts. In response, Kyiv's Western allies have provided them with air defense systems to protect their critical infrastructure. However, Russia has deployed combined strikes involving large numbers of missiles and drones in an attempt to overwhelm these defenses.
This year, Russia has taken the lead in the war, slowly but steadily pushing through Ukrainian defenses in a series of offensives. As the situation remains tense, it is essential to stay informed by downloading the 9NEWS app for the latest updates on breaking news, sports, politics, and weather, with notifications sent straight to your smartphone. The app is available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
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