Putin wreaks revenge with huge air attack across Ukraine

UKRAINE suffered a night of terror as Vladimir Putin launched the heaviest aerial bombardment of the war.

- Mark Reynolds

Some 158 missiles and drones were fired at targets across the country, bringing widespread death and destruction.

Among the cities hit were the capital Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Odesa.

An initial assessment by Ukraine found at least 28 people had been killed and more than 140 injured in the strikes, with the death toll still rising last night.

The massive assault was seen as revenge for Ukraine's Boxing Day destruction of the Russian warship the Novocherkassk, in which at least 33 are suspected to have died and dozens wounded.

The bombardment overnight on Thursday also came hours after the US approved a new military aid package for Ukraine.

As missiles rained down well into the morning rush hour yesterday, Ukraine's air force said it had never seen so many locations targeted simultaneously.

Respond

During the wave of attacks, Putin's forces employed Kinzhal, Iskander, S-300, Kh-22 and Kh-32 missiles, with 18 strategic bombers deployed as well as Iraniansupplied Shahed drones, according to Ukrainian sources.

Some reports suggested that Kalibr missiles were also used. "We have never seen so many targets on our monitor at the same time," said Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat.

Andriy Yermak, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, said: "There are dead people who were killed by Russian missiles today, which launched at civilian objects and residential buildings. The enemy's attack continues."