Day 678 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Another Massive Russian Attack Against Civilians, Casualties Reported

Ukraine | January 2, 2024, Tuesday // 12:28|  views

@novinite.com

Day 678 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

  • New record: Ukrainian Air Defense shot down 10 out of 10 Kinzhal missiles fired by the Russians
  • Moscow admitted: A Russian village was mistakenly bombed by the Russian Air Force
  • At least 4 victims and dozens injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine
  • Russian missile attack on Kyiv and Kharkiv, there are injured civilians
  • Zelensky to the "Economist": A successful operation in Crimea would have a great effect in Russia
  • Christo Grozev: Zelensky is expected to reshuffle the government


New record: Ukrainian Air Defense shot down 10 out of 10 Kinzhal missiles fired by the Russians

On the night of January 2, 2024, the Russians repeated the massive attack using various types of air assault means, as they did on December 29, 2023, said the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

"Civil and critical infrastructure, industrial and military facilities were attacked. The main direction of the strike is the capital of Ukraine," he wrote on his official Telegram channel.

It is noted that in the first wave, the occupiers attacked with "Shahed" drones launched from the southeast, which were aimed at different regions of Ukraine. All 35 Shahed-136/131 attack drones were destroyed by air defense.

This morning the Russians used strategic aviation - Tu-95MS bombers. Around 6:00 a.m., 16 aircraft entered the launch lines and fired at least 70 X-101/X-555/X-55 air-launched cruise missiles. At 07:30, ten X-47M2 "Kinzhal" aeroballistic missiles were launched from MiG-31K fighters.

The Russians also attacked from the sea with three "Kalibr" cruise missiles, and from the north - with 12 missiles that flew along a ballistic trajectory of the "Iskander-M/S-300/S-400" type. Four Kh-31P anti-radar missiles were used from the Su-35 tactical aircraft.

"According to the preliminary results, the enemy used 99 means of air attack - missiles of various types," noted Zaluzhnyi.

According to the Commander-in-Chief, the forces and means of the Air Force in cooperation with the units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces have destroyed 72 air targets:

10 of a total of 10 Kh-47M2 "Kinzhal" aeroballistic missiles;

59 out of a total of 70 X-101 / X-555 cruise missiles;

3 out of a total of 3 Kalibr cruise missiles.

Zaluzhnyi thanked the air defense fighters for their work.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that according to the latest information, as a result of the Russian massive missile attack, 4 people were killed and 92 were injured. According to Zelensky, the absolute majority of the rockets were aimed at civilian objects.

As a result of the attack, an overhead power line in Kyiv was damaged, a number of substations remained without voltage - 259 thousand subscribers were disconnected from the network.

US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink responded to the Russian missile attack by calling for support for Ukraine.

Moscow admitted: A Russian village was mistakenly bombed by the Russian Air Force

The Russian Ministry of Defense admitted today that the bombing of a Russian village in the western part of the country, near the border with Ukraine, was a mistake. The announcement said there were no casualties among the population.

The incident took place in the village of Petropavlovka in the Voronezh Region. It is located 150 kilometers from Ukraine. Russia's defense ministry said in a statement sent to the media about an "accidental explosion of a munition" transported by an air force plane around 9 a.m. local time. As a result, the village was rocked by explosions.

No injuries were reported, but destruction was found in seven buildings, the inhabitants of which were evacuated and sheltered in centers for temporary accommodation, the regional governor of the Voronezh region, Alexander Gusev, reported on "Telegram".

Videos on social media, the authenticity of which cannot be confirmed, show what appears to be severe damage to several houses in the village.

Regional Governor Gusev mentions the "accidental launch" of the rocket, without specifying what kind of ammunition it is.

At least 4 victims and dozens injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine

Ukraine reported four dead and dozens injured in successive Russian missile attacks on Kyiv, Kharkiv and other cities. A dozen powerful explosions were heard this morning in the center of Kyiv, reported AFP.

The Ukrainian capital's military administration said debris from downed missiles had fallen in various neighborhoods, including residential areas. Three were the victims of the attacks in Kyiv and the region, one died in the eastern city of Kharkiv.

According to journalists from AFP, there were more than ten powerful explosions in the Ukrainian capital after the warning sirens went off, with buildings shaking from the force of the blows.

According to the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaly Klitschko, an elderly woman died of her wounds in an ambulance on the way to the hospital, according to information from the regional authorities, a couple died in the Kyiv region, with the one who died in Kharkiv bringing the number of victims to four.

Shortly before the strikes, the Air Force of Ukraine also warned the population with a message on the Telegram social network about the expected attack.

According to Ukrenergo, as a result of the strikes, the power transmission network in the Kyiv region was severely damaged, and more than 250,000 people were without electricity.

Russian missile attack on Kyiv and Kharkiv, there are injured civilians

Russia hit Kyiv and Kharkiv with missiles, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the military administration in the capital. The attack comes hours after President Vladimir Putin vowed revenge for the Ukrainian attack on the Russian city of Belgorod. Ukrainian air defenses repelled the drone attack.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reports that falling debris from a downed Russian drone has caused a fire in Kyiv's Desnyansky district.

He added that the loud explosions heard early this morning were caused by air defense systems involved in repelling the attack. The emergency services have arrived at the scene, writes BTA.

The area, located on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, is the most populated in Kyiv.

Emergency services were also dispatched to the capital's Holoseev district, located on the west bank of the Dnieper. There are no reports of casualties or damage yet.

The city of Kharkiv was also under a "large-scale rocket attack", says Mayor Igor Terekhov.

On New Year's Eve, the military of the Russian Federation launched 28 Iranian Shahed drones against Odesa. It came after Russia's largest ever airstrike against Ukraine, which killed at least 39 people.

Zelensky to the "Economist": A successful operation in Crimea would have a great effect in Russia

A successful operation by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the temporarily occupied Crimea would be an "example to the world" and would have a major effect inside Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in an interview with the British magazine Economist, reported Ukrinform, quoted by BTA.

According to the head of state of Ukraine, the loss of a central element in the Kremlin's propaganda will show that "thousands of Russian officers died only because of Putin's ambition".

Ukraine has already achieved stunning victories on the strategically important peninsula, destroying a "significant number" of ships from the Black Sea Fleet. Losing naval bases that Russia has held for the past 240 years would be very embarrassing for Putin, Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president noted that the speed of any success will depend on the military aid Kyiv receives from Western partners. In particular, the Taurus, a German-made long-range stealth cruise missile, could allow Ukraine to destroy the 4 billion dollars worth Kerch bridge, effectively isolating the Crimean peninsula from Russia.

"Russia should know that for us this is a military object," Zelensky emphasized.

Ukraine's president noted that leaks before last summer's counteroffensive helped Russia prepare its defenses. For this reason, Zelensky did not say much about military plans.

Overall, Zelensky's message was that Crimea and the associated Black Sea battle would become the center of gravity of the war. Isolating Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, and degrading Russia's military capabilities there "is extremely important for us, because this is the way to reduce the number of attacks from this region," Zelensky explained.

Christo Grozev: Zelensky is expected to reshuffle the government

Russia's New Year attacks in Ukraine are a special demonstration of psychological pressure. The same thing happened a year ago in the early hours of 2023. The goal is for Putin to show his own population that nothing can stop him. It is important for him to show that the borders have been crossed, which also happened with the internal political repressions. There have been at least three attempts to poison Russian journalists. For Putin, it is important to appear cruel. This is what the journalist Christo Grozev said on the air of Nova TV

According to him, there is a stagnation of military operations after the attack these days. He is of the opinion that it is important for Putin not to create an overly negative attitude towards himself among Russians before the elections. "The population is becoming more and more tired of this war, especially the mothers of the soldiers who will not return," explained Grozev. The Bulgarian journalist added that in the next 2-3 months there will be no escalation on the Russian side, and no movement of the front on the Ukrainian side because of the winter. Grozev specified that after the elections there will be a new wave of military actions.

"The worst choice for Ukraine is the return of Trump. This is unlikely," he commented on the upcoming US presidential elections.

"What is not visible is Ukraine's preparations for an offensive that is much more technological, namely modern weaponry based on drones. This technology was created with the help of the West, and we will see the results by May-June this year," says Christo Grozev.

"Many of the representatives of the economic elite expected that there would be a repeat of Prigozhin's attempt to oust Putin from power. This concern has not been dropped," the journalist pointed out. "Once they think this is real, even my sources say so, there is a chance of an internal coup that would somehow stop the war," Grozev said.

Regarding the case of the poisoning of the wife of the head of Ukraine's intelligence, he explained that they were waiting for new data from the Ukrainian intelligence.

He pointed out that the Ukrainian population is rapidly losing its trust in politicians. "This is not bad, it makes them different from Russia," the journalist believes. According to him, by the end of February, Zelensky can be expected to reshuffle the government, as some people have lost confidence in him.

Regarding the sending of Navalny to a colony and his condition, the journalist pointed out that there is symbolism in the action of the Russian authorities, because it is important for Putin to appear cruel. Grozev believes that the practical goal is to limit Navalny's voice before the elections.

Novinite remains the sole Bulgarian media outlet consistently delivering daily updates and key insights concerning the conflict. Our reporting commenced on the first day, 24th February 2022, and will persist until the conflict's resolution. Despite challenges, our independent journalism remains committed to offering precise, current news to our audience. We appreciate your ongoing support in staying informed! #stayinformed #WarInUkraine

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Tags: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Kharkiv

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