Overnight, Russia carried out a combined strike on Kyiv and Kyiv Region. There are fatalities and dozens of people injured, and people are being evacuated from under the rubble, Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.
Strikes on civilian infrastructure have been recorded. In Kyiv, more than 10 residential buildings have been damaged in different districts of the city. Rescuers are promptly extinguishing fires and clearing debris. Police and the State Emergency Service evacuated 68 people from a geriatric care home in the Darnytskyi district. There is information that a person may be trapped under the rubble in Kyiv’s Dniprovskyi district, and search operations are ongoing.
At present, one person is known to have been killed and more than 20 injured in Kyiv. In the region, strikes were recorded on around a dozen civilian facilities. One person was killed in Bila Tserkva.
According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, 28 people were injured in the capital, 13 of whom were hospitalised, and buildings were damaged in many parts of the city. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, after a UAV hit a five-storey building, the fourth and fifth floors were destroyed. There was no fire. Rescuers are evacuating residents of the building.
Emergency power outage schedules have been introduced in Kyiv. As a result of damage to the energy system, 4,000 residential buildings in the capital have been left without heating. Water pressure has been reduced on both the right and left banks of the city.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that since the night, during the massive strike on Ukraine, around 500 drones and 40 missiles have been recorded.
“Another Russian strike is still ongoing — since the night, nearly 500 drones, a significant number of ‘Shaheds’, as well as 40 missiles, including ‘Kinzhal’ missiles. The main target is Kyiv: energy facilities and civilian infrastructure. Unfortunately, there are hits and damaged ordinary residential buildings. Rescuers are searching for a person under the rubble of one of them. In some districts of the capital and the region there is no electricity or heating. Firefighting is ongoing. Repair teams have already started work at some energy facilities, while at others personnel are in shelters — rescuers and repair crews will begin work immediately after air raid alerts are lifted,” he said.
“There have been many questions these days. Where is the Russian response to the proposals to end the war that were put forward by the United States and the world? Russian representatives conduct long talks, but in reality it is ‘Kinzhal’ missiles and ‘Shaheds’ that speak for them. This is the real attitude of Putin and his entourage. They do not want to end the war and are trying to use every opportunity to inflict more pain on Ukraine and increase their pressure on others in the world. And this means that there is not enough pressure in response. If Russia turns even the Christmas and New Year period into a time of destroyed homes and burned apartments, destroyed power plants, then this sick activity can only be answered with truly strong steps. America has this capability, Europe has this capability, many of our partners have this capability. The main thing is to use it,” Zelenskyy added.
He stressed the importance of continued support for Ukraine’s defence.
“Supplies for air defence must be sufficient and timely, especially now, when we need them so much. There must be no delays in protecting lives. And I thank every leader and every country that is helping with this. Of course, we will not reduce our diplomatic activity. But diplomacy will not work without security. Security must be ensured by the powerful of this world, and we will speak about this in particular today and tomorrow with European leaders, with the Prime Minister of Canada and with the President of the United States. Thank you to everyone who stands with Ukraine,” he wrote.
