Russia fired scores of missiles into Ukraine early on Thursday, targeting Kyiv and other cities including Lviv in the west and Odesa in the southwest, sending people rushing to shelters and knocking out power in one of Moscow`s largest aerial assaults.
"Senseless barbarism. These are the only words that come to mind seeing Russia launch another missile barrage at peaceful Ukrainian cities ahead of New Year," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.
Ukraine`s military said it had shot down 54 missiles out of 69 launched by Russia. Air raid sirens rang out across Ukraine - for five hours in Kyiv.
"The downing of 54 missiles saved the lives of dozens of people & protected key parts of our economic infrastructure," Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in a tweet. "Every day of military success brings our victory closer."
Officials had earlier said more than 120 missiles were fired during the assault.
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