Russia is bombarding Ukrainian cities with one of the biggest attacks in months

Russia launched a major missile attack on several Ukrainian cities on Friday morning, killing several people, wounding many others and damaging infrastructure as part of a new winter air campaign that Ukrainian officials had long warned about and The Ukrainians had waited with fear.

In one of the largest nationwide attacks in months, rockets and debris hit warehouses, hospitals and schools in cities across Ukraine, from Lviv in the west to Kharkiv in the east. At least twelve people were killed and dozens of others were injured, Ihor Klymenko, The Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs said this.

In Kiev, the capital, huge plumes of black smoke rose from several areas, cutting through the blue morning sky. A large warehouse was hit in the center of the city and firefighters were working to extinguish a fire that raged among piles of broken brick walls and windows. Just a few miles away, columns of black and white smoke poured from a warehouse. Workers at the warehouse said they saw a rocket hit shortly before 8 a.m

The attacks followed months of warnings from Ukrainian authorities that Russia would likely storm Ukrainian cities and attack their infrastructure as the cold weather took hold. last year’s winter campaign against civilian targets and the country’s energy network, that has plunged many areas into cold and darkness.

Since then, Ukraine’s Western allies have provided the country’s military with powerful air defense systems that have repelled many Russian attacks. But while the level of destruction across the country was not clear Friday, the scale of the Russian attacks appeared to have overwhelmed Ukrainian air defenses. The Ukrainian military said Russia launched 122 missiles and 36 drones in one night, and Ukraine shot down only 114.

Despite Ukraine being replenished with modern Western weapons, its stock of surface-to-air missiles – essential munitions needed to shoot down incoming Russian missiles – is in short supply. And with a front line more than 900 kilometers long, air defenses must be evenly distributed to protect Ukrainian troops from Russian attack helicopters and fighter planes.

This has put Kiev’s armed forces in a difficult position when juggling resources between the front line and cities such as Kiev, Kharkov, Dnipro and Lviv.

Volodymyr Maliukhnenko, a 53-year-old worker at the affected warehouse in Kiev, said he had started his day shift when the attack occurred. He said the blast threw him about five meters and he temporarily lost consciousness. As he spoke, the employees around him discussed which stocks could still be saved.

In Lviv, where rocket attacks are rare, the distant thud of explosions prompted residents to pause their morning commute and stare at the horizon before rushing out. Emergency services sirens echoed through the city.

Thomas Gibbons-Neff contributed reporting from Lviv, Ukraine.