Toll in deadliest Russian strike on Kiev rises to 32

KIEV

A  missile strike killed 32 people in Kiev on Dec. 29, authorities said Thursday, raising the toll of the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital since the war began.

Russia has in recent days intensified aerial attacks against Ukraine, which says it has enough munition to withstand a few powerful assaults but would soon need more aid.

"The total number of dead as a result of the enemy missile attack on Dec. 29 is 32 people," said the head of the Kiev military administration Sergiy Popko.

Thirty people were wounded, he added.

All the 32 killed were in a warehouse, Ukrainian authorities said. Russia says it only targets military infrastructure.

Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko had said on Saturday that the Dec. 29 strike was "the largest in terms of civilian casualties."

Russia had on that day launched 158 missiles and drones over Ukraine, the air force said, in an attempt to overwhelm air defences.

The attack killed at least 55 people and wounded 170.

Ukraine has retaliated and the Russian border region of Belgorod faced a wave of attacks over the weekend, with 25 people killed — an unprecedented toll since the beginning of the offensive almost two years ago.

Ambassadors from NATO and Ukraine will hold a special meeting next week as Kiev urges faster deliveries of air defences after mounting Russian strikes, the alliance said Thursday.