Russia Fires 122 Missiles and 36 Drones in What Ukraine Calls the Biggest Aerial Barrage of the War

KYIV — Russia launched 122 missiles and a score of drones against Ukrainian targets, officials said Friday, killing at least 20 civilians across the country in what an air force official said was the biggest aerial barrage of the war.The Ukrainian air force intercepted most of the ballistic and cruise missiles and the Shahed-type drones overnight, said Ukraine’s military chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on his official Telegram channel that it was “the most massive aerial attack” since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.According to the Ukrainian air force, the previous biggest assault was in November 2022 when Russia launched 96 missiles against Ukraine. This year, the biggest was 81 missiles on March 9, air force records show.Western officials and analysts recently warned that Russia had limited its cruise missile strikes in recent months in an apparent effort to build up stockpiles for massive strikes during the winter, hoping to break the Ukrainians’ spirit.Fighting along the front line is largely bogged down by winter weather after Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive failed to make a significant breakthrough along the roughly 620-mile line of contact.Ukrainian officials have urged the country’s Western allies to provide it with more air defenses to protect itself against aerial attacks like Friday’s one. Their appeals have come as signs of war fatigue strain efforts to keep support in place.At least 88 people were injured and an unknown number were buried under rubble during the roughly 18-hour onslaught, Ukrainian officials said. Among the buildings reported to be damaged across Ukraine were a maternity hospital, apartment blocks and schools.President Zelensky said the Kremlin’s forces used a wide variety of weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles. “Today, Russia used nearly every type of weapon in its arsenal,” he said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman, Yurii Ihnat, said Russia “apparently launched everything they have,” except for submarine-launched Kalibr missiles, in the attack.The aerial attack that began Thursday and continued through the night hit six cities, including the capital, Kyiv, and other areas from east to west and north to south Ukraine, according to authorities.Reports of deaths and damage came in from across the country.

Russia Fires 122 Missiles and 36 Drones in What Ukraine Calls the Biggest Aerial Barrage of the War

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