Explosions rocked towns and cities in Ukraine on Thursday in what Kyiv has called one of the biggest missile barrages on Moscow since the war began.
The attacks have knocked out power in several regions of Ukraine, with Lviv, Kyiv and Odessa being the hardest hit, authorities said.
This is what you should know regarding what is happening in Ukraine:
“One of the most massive Russian attacks”: Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Russia had launched “one of the most massive missile attacks” since it launched its invasion in February, threatening to plunge the country into darkness as New Year’s festivities approach. .
“But they cannot defeat the Ukrainian people,” he added.
Power outages in Ukraine: The wave of missile attacks left several Ukrainian regions without power. Ukraine’s energy minister said power infrastructure in Lviv, Kyiv and Odessa had been damaged and the regions were experiencing emergency power outages.
Ukraine intercepts most missiles: The Ukrainian military said most of the cruise missiles fired at Ukraine on Thursday were intercepted, with its defense forces shooting down 54 of 69, according to preliminary data.
Russian missile attacks are “senseless barbarism”: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said those were the only words that came to mind as he watched Moscow launch a new wave of attacks on Ukrainian cities ahead of the New Year, adding that there might be “no neutrality” in in the face of such aggression.
Russia will not negotiate under the terms of the Zelensky peace plan: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday that Moscow will not negotiate with Kyiv on the basis of the 10-point peace formula proposed by President Volodymyr Zelensky, which he presented to world leaders in November.
Ukraine’s intelligence chief says the war is at a stalemate: “The situation is stagnant,” Kyrylo Budanov told the BBC in an interview. “It does not move”. Neither Ukraine nor Russia have been able to achieve substantial victories as Kyiv expects more advanced weapons from the Western allies.