Russia hits multiple targets in Ukraine

KIEV

Local residents take shelter in a metro station during an air strike alarm in Kiev on Dec. 31, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia launched an aerial attack on Ukraine Tuesday, striking the capital and other regions with multiple missiles and drones.

Ukraine’s air force reported a ballistic missile threat at 3 a.m., with at least two explosions heard in Kiev minutes later. Another missile alert was issued at 8 a.m. followed by at least one explosion in the city. Missile debris fell in the Darnytskyi district of the capital with no reports of casualties or damage, the local administration said.

Authorities in the northeastern Sumy region reported strikes near the city of Shostka, where the mayor, Mykola Noha, said 12 residential buildings had been damaged as well as two educational facilities. He said some “social infrastructure objects” were destroyed, without providing detail.

The air force also reported missiles and drones targeting several other regions of Ukraine.

Around half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed during the war, and rolling electricity blackouts are common and widespread.

Kiev’s Western allies have provided air defense systems to help Ukraine protect critical infrastructure, but Russia has sought to overwhelm its air defenses with combined strikes involving large numbers of missiles and drones.

On Dec. 30, President Joe Biden announced that the United States will send an additional $2.5 billion in weapons to Ukraine as his administration works quickly to spend all the money it has available to help Kiev fight off Russia before Donald Trump takes office.