KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a large aerial assault in opposition to Ukraine on Friday, firing 93 missiles and nearly 200 drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned, describing it as one of many heaviest bombardments of the nation’s power sector since Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly three years in the past.

Ukrainian defenses shot down 81 missiles, together with 11 cruise missiles that had been intercepted by F-16 warplanes offered by Western allies earlier this 12 months, Zelenskyy mentioned.

Russia is “terrorizing thousands and thousands of individuals” with such assaults, he mentioned on his Telegram channel, renewing his plea for worldwide unity in opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“A powerful response from the world is required: a large strike – a large response. That is the one technique to cease terror,” Zelenskyy mentioned.

However uncertainty surrounds how the battle would possibly unfold subsequent 12 months. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes workplace subsequent month, has vowed to finish the battle and has thrown into doubt whether or not very important U.S. army assist for Kyiv will proceed.

AP Photograph/Efrem Lukatsky

In Moscow, the Protection Ministry mentioned the Russian army used long-range precision missiles and drones on “critically necessary gas and power services in Ukraine that make sure the functioning of the army industrial complicated.”

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv mentioned Friday’s assault additionally focused transport networks and different key services.

Ukraine’s largest personal power firm, DTEK, mentioned the assault “severely broken” its thermal energy vegetation.

Russia has repeatedly tried to cripple Ukraine’s electrical energy system in an effort to interrupt the need of civilians left at midnight with no operating water or heating and to disrupt Ukrainian protection manufacturing.

Ukrainian Vitality Minister Herman Halushchenko mentioned power staff had been doing the whole lot essential to “reduce unfavorable penalties for the power system,” promising to launch extra particulars on damages as soon as the safety scenario allowed it.

Ukraine’s air pressure reported a number of strike drones launched at Ukraine in a single day adopted by swarms of cruise missiles within the nation’s air house. It mentioned Russia additionally used air-launched ballistic Kinzhal missiles in opposition to Ukraine’s western areas.

An analogous huge assault on Nov. 28 concerned about 200 missiles and drones and left greater than 1,000,000 households with out energy till emergency groups restored provides.

Ukrainian officers have warned that Russia is stockpiling cruise and ballistic missiles for extra assaults.

On Nov. 21, Russia for the primary time used an intermediate vary hypersonic ballistic missile to strike an industrial plant within the metropolis of Dnipro, in jap Ukraine. Putin described the assault with the Oreshnik missile as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with longer-range Western weapons.

He declared that extra assaults with the brand new weapon may observe, and U.S. officers warned Wednesday that the Oreshnik might be used once more in coming days. There was no rapid signal one was launched in Friday’s assault.

Round half of Ukraine’s power infrastructure has been destroyed in the course of the battle, and rolling electrical energy blackouts are widespread and widespread.

Kyiv’s Western allies have offered Ukraine with air protection programs to assist it shield crucial infrastructure, however Russia has sought to overwhelm the air defenses with mixed strikes involving giant numbers of missiles and drones known as “swarms.”

Russia has held the initiative this 12 months as its army has steadily rammed via Ukrainian defenses within the east in a collection of sluggish however regular offensives.

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