A Russian missile attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city, left at least one person dead and several embassies damaged in the early hours of Friday. According to Ukraine’s Air Force Command, Russia fired five ballistic missiles at Kyiv at around 7 a.m., but all were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.
The attack also hit several other areas of the city, causing damage and injuries. Five cars caught fire in one district, while another fire broke out at a building under construction. Embassies from Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal, and Montenegro were damaged in the same area.
In response to Russia’s missile attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Western nations to provide more air defense systems. He also expressed support for those affected by Russian aggression.
The attack came a day after Putin challenged Ukraine to a “duel” during his end-of-year conference. The Ukrainian president responded with a derogatory term for Putin, which further escalated tensions between the two leaders.
Separately, the city of Kherson was targeted in a shelling attack by Russian forces, killing two people and injuring 10 others. This marks another day of intense fighting in Ukraine, with multiple sides suffering casualties and infrastructure damage.
Ukraine’s defense ministry stated that it launched its own strike against Russian military targets in response to the previous week’s attack on a chemical plant in Russia’s Rostov region. The situation remains volatile, with both sides accusing each other of aggression and provocation.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/20/europe/one-killed-russian-missile-attack-kyiv-intl/index.html