Five die, dozens hurt in strikes unleashed in retaliation

The bombardment of mainly Kyiv and Kharkiv came after Vladimir Putin vowed to retaliate for an attack on a Russian city.

Fire and burnt-out cars after a missile strike in Kyiv on Tuesday. Picture: AFP

Deadly strikes hit residential buildings in Ukraine and a Russian border region on Tuesday as an escalation of aerial attacks also wounded dozens and prompted Kyiv to urge speedier Western weapons shipments.

The bombardment of mainly Kyiv and northeastern Kharkiv came less than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to step up strikes following an unprecedented Ukrainian attack on the Russian city of Belgorod.

In total, five people were killed and 130 wounded, authorities said. “The enemy has planned their trajectories to cause as much damage as possible. This is an utterly premeditated terror,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.

Since December 29, Russia has launched nearly 300 missiles and more than 200 drones against Ukraine, he said.

Meanwhile, a new Ukrainian strike on Russia’s Belgorod border region killed at least one person on Tuesday and wounded five, the local governor said.

Moscow claimed to have struck only military installations, but Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said Russia was deliberately hitting critical infrastructure and residential neighbourhoods.

Kyiv urged Western allies to respond to the bombardment by speeding up the delivery of air defence equipment, combat drones and long-range missiles at a time when allied backing has wavered.

Mr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said he had discussed the attacks with White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

“We agreed on the importance of strengthening Ukrainian air defence,” he said.

Kyiv said Moscow fired 99 missiles on Tuesday but 72 were downed, while Russia said it had shot down nine Ukrainian missiles over the Belgorod region.

In Kyiv, a building near the centre of the city was partly destroyed. Two people were killed and 49 injured in the capital, Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said.

“It’s a residential building. They hit a residential building,” said Violetta Solovyova, 56.

Ukraine Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said two people were killed in the Kyiv region.

A 91-year-old woman was killed and 52 people were injured as at least four strikes hit the northeastern city of Kharkiv, said the head of the city’s military administration, Oleg Sinegubov.

The cities of Orikhiv and Nikopol were also targeted by strikes that left three people wounded, authorities said.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk called for an immediate de-escalation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine as his office voiced alarm at the intensification of attacks.

“International humanitarian law prohibits indiscriminate attacks and attacks against civilian objects,” the UN Human Rights Office said on X.

In a sign of growing concern, Poland on Tuesday scrambled four F-16 fighter jets to its border with Ukraine to protect its airspace. During the last wave of deadly attacks on Ukraine on Friday, Poland said a Russian missile had passed through its airspace.

Tuesday’s attacks came after an escalation of the war in recent days, with Russia on December 29 launching a wave of strikes across Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, that killed 39 people.

Moscow also hit Ukrainian cities on New Year’s Eve, with Kyiv saying it had foiled a “record” number of drones launched by Russia.

Ukraine is seeking assurances from its backers that military aid will continue as a new budget for US support is stalled in Washington.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock accused Moscow of seeking to “annihilate” Ukraine after residential buildings were hit on Tuesday.

Germany will “stand by the people in Ukraine for as long as they need us”, she wrote on X.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also said his country would “continue to stand steadfastly by Ukraine as they fight aggression and occupation”, in a phone call with Mr Zelensky.

AFP