► Volodymyr Zelensky says he went to the Eastern Front
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday, December 29, that he had visited Avdiïvka, a town on the Eastern Front which has for months suffered repeated assaults from Russian forces trying to encircle it.
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“Avdiïvka, I visited the positions of the 110th mechanized brigade”wrote Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram, accompanying his message with a video showing him in front of a sign with the name of the city and handing out decorations to soldiers.
► London announces the sending of 200 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine
The United Kingdom announced on Friday the sending of around 200 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine to strengthen its defenses, after the wave of Russian strikes on several towns in the country, calling on its allies to “redouble your efforts” to support kyiv militarily.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin “tests Ukraine’s defenses and the West’s resolve (…) and today’s dispatch of an air defense package sends an irrefutable message that, in the face of Russian barbarity, the United Kingdom remains absolutely determined to support Ukraine »declared British Defense Minister Grant Shapps, in a press release.
► At least sixteen dead in Russian strikes in Ukraine, according to kyiv
Russian strikes carried out in Ukraine on Friday with drones and missiles left at least 18 dead and 132 injured in six different regions of the country, according to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriï Kostin.
“This morning, the enemy fired more than 150 missiles and attack drones on peaceful Ukrainian towns. We know that there were 16 dead and 97 injured”among the latter including two children aged 6 and 8, declared Andriï Kostine on social networks.
► International reactions after the vast series of Russian strikes in Ukraine
The American ambassador to kyiv said Friday that Ukraine had “need funds now” to face Russian bombings, after the strikes which left at least 16 dead and nearly a hundred injured. “Ukraine needs funds now to continue fighting to free itself from such horror in 2024”indicated Bridget Brink on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
France, for its part, condemned “with the greatest firmness” Friday the “strategy of terror aimed at destroying Ukrainian civilian infrastructure”. Paris “will continue to support Ukraine and provide it with the necessary assistance to enable it to exercise self-defense, in close coordination with its partners”added the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release.
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This massive attack shows that Russian President Vladimir Putin “will stop at nothing”denounced British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, calling for support for kyiv “as long as it takes”. “These widespread attacks on Ukrainian cities show that (Vladimir) Putin will stop at nothing to achieve his goal of eradicating freedom and democracy. We won’t let him win.”said Rishi Sunak on X (ex-Twitter).
The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell condemned one of the “largest attacks” Russian, “striking cities and the population” in Ukraine on Friday, accusing Moscow of targeting civilians. “This is a new series of cowardly and indiscriminate strikes hitting schools, a metro station and a hospital”said Josep Borrell on social networks.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, declared Friday “shocked” by the new wave of Russian strikes in Ukraine, calling on Moscow to put an end ” immediately “ to these attacks.
► Ukraine claims Russia fired “a record number of missiles”
Russia fired on Ukraine “a record number of missiles” in one day, said the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force on Friday, December 29, after the latest wave of strikes left a dozen dead and more than 70 injured.
“This is the most massive missile attack overall”Yuri Ignat said, adding that this count excluded the first days of the war which saw strikes “constant and uninterrupted”.
► “All targets hit” in Russian strikes in Ukraine, according to Moscow
“All targets have been achieved” in Russian strikes targeting Ukraine this week, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
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“All designated targets have been achieved”said the ministry, specifying that Russia carried out more than 50 strikes, including one “major strike” in Ukraine between December 23 and 29 against military infrastructure sites, ammunition depots and places of deployment of Ukrainian soldiers and foreign mercenaries.
► Poland says unidentified flying object entered its airspace from Ukraine
Poland, member of theNATOsaid Friday that an unidentified flying object entered its airspace from Ukraine, an incident that could be linked to the wave of strikes carried out by Russia against its neighbor.
“The object arrived from the border with Ukraine”said Colonel Jacek Goryszewski, spokesperson for the operational command of the armed forces, on the television channel TVN24. “There was intense shelling on Ukrainian territory last night and therefore this incident could be linked to it”.
► The Ukrainian army claims to have destroyed 114 aerial targets out of 158 during the latest Russian strikes
Ukraine said Friday it had destroyed 114 of the 158 missiles and drones launched by Russia during the latest wave of attacks which left at least ten dead and dozens injured.
“The enemy used 158 means of air attack against Ukraine last night: missiles of different types and drones”the Air Force said on the Telegram network, adding that it had destroyed 114 targets.
► An ally of Navalny sentenced to 9 years in prison, according to his supporters
An ally of imprisoned Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, accused of having “created an extremist organization”was sentenced Friday to 9 years in prison in Tomsk in Siberia, her supporters announced, in a context of unprecedented repression in Russia.
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The Sovetsky court in Tomsk “inflicted 9 years in prison on Ksenia Fadeyeva”a former municipal deputy, indicated her support on Telegram, ensuring that her defense “will of course appeal this decision”.
► Russia fired 110 missiles against Ukraine, according to Zelensky
Russia launched around 110 missiles against several cities in Ukraine, Ukrainian president said on Friday Volodymyr Zelenskystrikes which left at least ten dead and around 70 injured.
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“Today, Russia has used almost every type of weapon in its arsenal”declared Volodymyr Zelensky on the social network X (formerly Twitter). “In total, around 110 missiles were fired against Ukraine and the majority of them were shot down”he added.
► Russian strikes show Ukraine needs “more help,” presidential adviser says
The wave of Russian strikes launched Friday on several cities in Ukraine shows that the country needs “more help” of the international community, said Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff.
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“We are doing everything possible to strengthen our air shield. But the world must see that we need more help and means to stop this terror.”wrote Andriy Yermak.
► Explosions in kyiv, air alert across Ukraine
Explosions were heard Friday morning in kyiv, its mayor Vitali Klitschko announced, after strikes targeted several cities across Ukraine, leading to the triggering of a national air alert.
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Half a dozen towns were the subject of Russian strikes, including Kharkiv (north-east), Lviv (west) and Odessa (south), authorities said, and a generalized air alert across the country. was activated around 5 a.m.
► Russian strikes on the cities of Kharkiv and Lviv, according to the mayors of the two cities
The Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv (north-east) and Lviv (west) were the subject of Russian strikes on Friday morning, the mayors of these two cities announced.
In Kharkiv, Mayor Igor Terekhov reported a “massive attack”with “at least six explosions heard”while in Lviv, a city more rarely targeted, his counterpart Andriy Sadovyi mentioned “two strikes”.