the toll of Russian strikes increases, a day of mourning declared in kyiv on January 1

This wave of attacks is one of the most violent since the start of the war almost two years ago.

Ukraine continues to count its dead on Saturday, December 30, after intense strikes by Russia on Friday on several of its cities, including the capital kyiv. At least 39 people were killed and around 100 others injured, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. The wave of attacks, one of the most violent since the start of the war almost two years ago, targeted buildings, a maternity ward and even a shopping center but also industrial and military infrastructures.

In kyiv, at least 16 people were killed on Friday, according to the local administration. On Saturday, bodies continued to be pulled out of the rubble. This attack was “the most significant in terms of civilian casualties”, said the mayor of kyiv. Vitali Klitschko declared a “day of mourning” for January 1st.

Attacks conclude a difficult year for Ukraine

“Nearly 120 towns and villages were affected,” underlined Volodymyr Zelensky, specifying that search operations continued. The leader launched a new appeal to his allies, assuring that arming Ukraine was “a way to protect lives”. “Every manifestation of Russian terror proves that we cannot wait to provide assistance to those who are fighting”he pleaded.

According to the General Staff, Moscow fired nearly 160 devices, including cruise missiles and Shahed explosive drones. VShe strikes provoked strong international condemnations, including those from the UN Secretary General. Russian authorities, for their part, accused the Ukrainian army on Saturday of strikes that left at least 14 dead in Belgorod, a town near the border.