Russia initiates extensive assault on Ukraine, causing the death of at least 30 individuals and injuring 160 more.
Happy New Year turns sour as Russia unleashes waves of missiles and drones on Ukraine
As the clock struck midnight on the first day of the year, Ukraine braced for yet another round of attacks. This time, Russia didn't hold back. Over 150 cruising missiles and drones rained down on several urban centers, causing chaos and destruction across the nation.
The assault, which seemed to be the most aggressive in recent months, left 30 people dead and over 160 injured. Hospitals, schools, shopping malls, and residential buildings were among the structures that suffered damage.
Yuri Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, expressed that such an attack was rare "in a long time." Despite Kiev suffering one of the largest drone attacks in recent months in November, bombardments of this scale hadn't been repeated since spring, when Ukraine prepared its counteroffensive on the front.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, labelled the attacks "terrorist" and pointed out that "almost all types of missiles in Russia's arsenal" were used. The majority of the targeted areas were civilian, including a maternity hospital, educational and commercial centers, as well as several residential buildings.
The attacks occurred in densely populated areas such as Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and Odesa. The assault began in the afternoon of Thursday and lasted for 18 hours, intensifying during the early hours of Friday.
Kiev, in particular, experienced several "explosions" and "air defense work." Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kiev, reported that one person died, and 17 were hospitalized, including a child. Later, as rescue efforts began, the death toll rose to three, with 22 injured.
In Lviv (east), the region was attacked by 15 rockets, and ten of them were destroyed. The attack affected several apartment blocks and even a kindergarten, resulting in one death and three injuries. In Dnipro (center), the attack resulted in at least five deaths and more than ten injuries, with a shopping mall and a hospital taking the brunt of the damage. In Kharkiv (northeast), over 20 attacks occurred, with civilian infrastructure like an oncology center taking a hit. The toll was three dead and 13 injured.
Odesa region (south) was also not spared, with three civilians dead and 22 injured, including two minors who were critically injured by missiles that fell on the apartment block where they lived. A day of mourning was declared in the region for the attack.
A complicated context
The attack took place following the sinking of the Russian landing ship Novocherkassk in the port of Feodosia by Ukrainian aerial missiles and amid growing uncertainty surrounding Western aid to Ukraine. Despite the United States releasing a new military aid package of $250 million last Thursday, it's clear that the U.S. Senate is hesitant to continue supporting Ukraine without guarantees.
At the beginning of December, Republican senators blocked a bill that proposed allocating funds worth $110.5 billion. Meanwhile, Hungarian opposition prevented the European Union from passing a military aid agreement of €50 billion on December 15, although it can now be proposed with a value of €20 billion, bypassing the Hungarian veto.
Orbán, Hungary's president, linked lifting the veto on Ukraine aid with Hungary receiving the blocked EU funds. Meanwhile, Russia escalates its missile and drone attacks on various fronts, despite incurring heavy losses, in a context where the effects of economic sanctions on the country and how they could affect its efforts to increase military production by 2024 are debated.
In the meantime, Ukraine announced a new law on December 26 that aims to reduce the age of mobilized citizens from 27 to 25 years, which would result in half a million new recruits. Given the stalemate on the front, and barring any surprising future events in the coming year, the war seems to be heading towards a deadlock where, for now, both Russia and Ukraine continue resisting the option of a negotiated settlement.
- In the face of ongoing war-and-conflicts, the average casualty rate in recent months has risen significantly, with the New Year's attack resulting in over 30 deaths and 160 injuries across several urban centers in Ukraine.
- The assault’s impact on general-news, politics, and crime-and-justice is accentuated by the targeting of civilian structures such as hospitals, schools, shopping malls, and residential buildings during the attack.
- The frequency of incidents like accidents, war-and-conflicts, and political unrest in Ukraine calls for a critical assessment of the effectiveness of Western aid and economic sanctions on both Russia and Ukraine's military capabilities and political negotiations in the near future.
