Ukraine war: Russia launches fresh drone assault on Kyiv and Kharkiv, officials say
BBC NewsJan 03
Ukraine: Russia Launched One of its Biggest Aerial Attacks Yet
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The Facts
Over a reported 18-hour period, Russia launched what a Ukrainian Air Force official said was its biggest airstrike attack of the war. According to officials on Friday, Moscow fired 122 missiles and dozens of drones into Ukraine, killing at least 30 civilians, wounding 144, and leaving an unknown number of others under the wreckage.
Officials reportedly said that residential buildings, a train station, and a business center were hit in Kyiv in the early morning, killing at least seven and injuring 30. In the second-largest Ukrainian city, the northeastern city of Kharkiv, 20 missiles were reportedly launched, damaging warehouses, a medical facility, and a transport depot, as well as killing three and injuring 13, according to the city's mayor.
The Spin
Pro-Ukraine narrative
Russian war crimes — which obviously include bombing hospitals and residential areas — are nothing new, but this latest aerial bombardment shows Moscow is growing less inclined to protect civilians. As Western countries debate whether they can afford to lend a hand to Kyiv, Ukrainian civilians are facing bombings every day. There's no time to waste when innocent men, women, and children are under constant threat of murder.
Pro-Russia narrative
There are likely very few people in either Ukraine or Russia who wished for this tragic war to happen — unfortunately for the region, the US and its Western allies had different goals in mind. According to Ukrainian diplomat Aleksandr Chaly, a senior member of Ukraine's delegation during peace talks at the start of the war, Vladimir Putin "tried to do everything possible" to end hostilities, but the US and EU leveraged Kyiv's desire to join NATO and the EU to impede any progress.
