Russia’s Fresh Attack on Ukraine Triggers Massive Reactions

Following the incessant strikes, the United Nations Security Council met yesterday to address Russia’s “most massive aerial attack” across Ukraine since the beginning of the war in February 2022, launching 122 missiles and dozens of drones, according to Ukrainian officials.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said earlier on the social media platform X that Ukraine and three dozen other U.N. member states requested the Security Council meeting after the attacks, “which resulted in multiple civilian casualties and heavy destruction of civilian infrastructure.”

A teacher inspects her classroom that was damaged after a missile attack in Lviv, western Ukraine, Dec. 29, 2023. Russia’s drone and missile strikes across Ukraine that day killed at least 12 people.

Russia’s missile and drone strikes killed at least 31 civilians and injured more than 160 people. Authorities believe others are buried under the rubble and say the death toll will likely rise.

“Today, Russia used nearly every type of weapon in its arsenal: ‘Kindzhals,’ S-300s, cruise missiles, and drones … with the majority of them being shot down,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X.

He said a maternity hospital was among the targets hit by Russia’s strikes.

The blasts were officially reported in Kyiv, the northeastern city of Kharkiv, the western city of Lviv, the eastern cities of Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, and the southeastern port city of Odesa.

The scale of the attack surpassed previous large assaults: Russia launched 96 missiles in November 2022 and 81 missiles on March 9, according to Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk.

Meanwhile, Russia said one person was killed and four more hurt by Ukrainian missiles and drones fired on the Belgorod region along the border. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it shot down 13 rockets and six drones fired by Ukraine.

U.N. Security Council members including the United States, France, and Britain condemned the attacks, calling them “a desperate and futile attempt by Russia to regain momentum” in its war with Ukraine.

British Ambassador to the U.N. Barbara Woodward told the council, “They will not succeed.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the Russian attacks, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

“Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law, are unacceptable, and must end immediately,” Dujarric said.

Biden, Sunak call to continue aiding Ukraine

In a statement earlier Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden said the attack was “a stark reminder to the world that, after nearly two years of this devastating war, Putin’s objective remains unchanged,” seeking to obliterate Ukraine and subjugate its people. Biden added that Putin “must be stopped.”

The U.S. president said that although the United States has aided Ukraine’s war effort so far, Congress must step up its efforts and approve more aid “without any further delay” or “we will not be able to continue sending the weapons and vital air defense systems Ukraine needs to protect its people.”

Biden said “The stakes of this fight extend far beyond Ukraine. They affect the entirety of the NATO alliance, the security of Europe, and the future of the Transatlantic relationship,” adding that the United States has rallied a coalition of more than 50 countries to support the defense of Ukraine.

“We cannot let our allies and partners down. We cannot let Ukraine down,” he said.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak echoed Biden’s warnings, saying the attack should spur the world to further action in support of Ukraine.

“We must continue to stand with Ukraine — for as long as it takes,” Sunak said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

The missile may have entered Polish airspace

Elsewhere, Poland’s deputy foreign minister summoned Russian charge d’affaires Andrei Ordash early Friday morning, the ministry said in a statement.

Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski demanded that the Russian diplomat explain an incident involving the violation of Poland’s airspace by a missile and an immediate halt to such activities, the ministry wrote.

Ordash called the claim “unsubstantiated,” according to RIA Novosti news agency.

“No proof was presented. My request for documented proof of what was in the note was refused,” he said.

Polish defense forces said an unknown object entered about 40 kilometers (24 miles) into their airspace Friday morning from the direction of Ukraine and then disappeared from radar after less than 3 minutes.

“Everything indicates that a Russian missile intruded into Poland’s airspace. It was monitored by us on radars and left the airspace. We have confirmation of this on radars and from allies” in NATO, said Poland’s defense chief, General Wieslaw Kukula.

The defense forces said both its radar and NATO radar confirmed that the object left Polish airspace. Kukula said steps were being taken to verify those findings and eliminate the possibility of a technical error.

There were no immediate reports of any explosion or casualties.

Chief of Poland’s armed forces, General Wieslaw Kukula, tells reporters, “Everything indicates that a Russian missile intruded in Poland’s airspace,” following a national security meeting over the incident in Warsaw, Poland, on Dec. 29, 2023.
Chief of Poland’s armed forces, General Wieslaw Kukula, tells reporters, “Everything indicates that a Russian missile intruded in Poland’s airspace,” following a national security meeting over the incident in Warsaw, Poland, on Dec. 29, 2023.
Poland’s border with Ukraine is also the European Union and NATO’s border with Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on X that he had spoken with Poland’s president about the “missile incident” and added that NATO was vigilant and monitoring the situation “as the facts are established.”

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke Friday with the head of Poland’s National Security Bureau, Jacek Siewiera. Sullivan expressed U.S. solidarity with Poland, “our close NATO ally,” as it deals with the incident.

Sullivan also pledged technical assistance as needed and assured his Polish counterpart that the president is following this issue closely. Siewiera expressed appreciation for U.S. support and said their governments will remain in close contact, according to a White House statement.
Some material for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters.