Heavy wave of Russian missile attacks pounds areas across Ukraine, killing at least 4 civilians

Russia fired 51 missiles of various types, as well as eight Shahed drones, at a string of urban areas across Ukraine on Monday, injuring at least 30

Late on Monday the governor of the Belgorod region in western Russia which borders Ukraine said the city of the same name came under attack

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A rescuer with a dog works at the site of a Russian missile strike in the town of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:45am, 9 Jan 2024

Russia launched its latest barrage of hypersonic and cruise missiles against Ukrainian targets early on Monday, striking near the front lines of fighting in the east as well as in central and western parts of the country, officials said. At least four civilians were reported killed and at least 30 injured.

Western officials and analysts had previously warned that Russia was stockpiling its cruise missiles in preparation for a strategy of winter bombardment, as bad weather keeps the 1,500-km (930-mile) front line largely static after 22 months of war.

Unlike last winter, when the Kremlin’s forces targeted Ukraine’s power grid, Russia is now aiming at Kyiv’s defence industry, they say. But the almost daily barrages have repeatedly hit civilian areas.

A man is rescued from rubble in the aftermath of a Russian missile strike in a location given as Zmiiv in Kharkiv region, Ukraine on Monday, in this still image obtained from video. Photo: Ihor Klymenko via Telegram / Handout via Reuters

Monday’s attacks struck a string of urban areas, including housing and a shopping centre, across Ukraine.

Russia fired 51 missiles of various types, as well as eight Shahed drones, at Ukraine, Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhny said.

The Ukrainian Air Force intercepted 18 of the cruise missiles and all the drones, he said.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces used precision sea-launched and air-launched long-range missiles, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, to strike what it called “facilities of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex”.

In the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, a woman died in a missile attack outside the city of Kryvyi Rih and 24 people were injured in a strike on the town of Novomoskovsk.