KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired 122 missiles and 36 drones against Ukrainian targets, officials said Friday, killing at least 13 civilians. An Air Force official said it was the largest aerial bombardment of the 22-month war.
The Ukrainian Air Force intercepted 87 of the missiles and 27 of the Shahed drones overnight, Ukrainian military chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said.
Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on his official Telegram channel: “The most massive airstrike” since the full-scale invasion of Russia in February 2022.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the largest attack to date took place in November 2022, when Russia fired 96 missiles into Ukraine. This year, there were 81 missiles on March 9, according to Air Force records.
Fighting on the front line has largely stalled due to winter weather after Ukraine's summer counteroffensive failed to make a significant breakthrough along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) contact line.
Ukrainian officials have called on the country's Western allies to equip the country with more air defense systems to protect against airstrikes like the one on Friday. Their appeals are a sign that war fatigue is complicating efforts to maintain support.
The roughly 18-hour attack left scores of people injured and an unknown number buried under rubble, Ukrainian officials said. Damaged buildings across Ukraine included a maternity hospital, apartment blocks and schools.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kremlin forces had used a variety of weapons, including ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
“Today, Russia has used almost every type of weapon in its arsenal,” Zelensky said on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said Russia “apparently fired everything it has” in the attack, with the exception of submarine-launched Kalibr missiles.
The airstrike, which began on Thursday and continued throughout the night, hit six cities, including the capital Kiev and other areas in east-west and north-south Ukraine, authorities said.
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