More than 30 deaths from the largest “attack in Russia since war began

At least 30 people have been killed, and more than 160 have been injured by Russian bombings in major Ukrainian cities on 28 December and 29 December.

Ukraine has named the Russian missile attack the largest so far in the invading war Moscow launched in February 2022.

The target of the attacks was the capital city Kiev, as well as major cities like Odessa, Dnepropetrovski, Harkivi and Lwin.

Ukraine's Air Force said it had never seen so many rockets launched at once.

Russia's “used almost every kind of weapon in its” arsenal to attack, including homes and hospitals, said Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine's Interior Minister, Ihor Klymenko, said 30 people were killed and more than 160 others were injured.

More than 100 residential houses were destroyed or damaged -- 45 high buildings, schools, two churches, hospitals and a birth hospital were hit, Zelensky said.

“It is important that the world react to this next manifestation of terrorism”, he said, referring to Russian forces as “the bottom line”.

The UN Security Council met in haste to discuss this attack, which UN Deputy Secretary General Khaled Khiari called dire “”.

Tragically, the year 2023 is ending just as it began to be very devastating to the people of Ukraine”, he said.

Ukraine's Armed Forces said Ukraine's military targets were also hit during the attack.

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, said it was the largest <x0 ... air attack on Ukraine since the war of” started and that Russia used fears and rockets, including hypersonic capacity missiles, to hit cities and civil infrastructure across Ukraine.

He added that if Congress does not act immediately, “would not be able to continue sending weapons and vital air protection systems which Ukraine needs to protect its people”.

Biden urged US lawmakers to approve the 61 billion-dollar package proposed by him to help Ukraine. / REL