Air-raid sirens sounded in Kyiv early on December 30, a day after Moscow unleashed one of its largest airstrikes since it invaded its neighbor more than ten months ago, as another wave of drones Moscow had fired at Ukraine's capital and other towns were intercepted.
According to Ukrainian sources, the 16 Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russian troops launched toward Kyiv and other locations were "all" destroyed by military air defenses.
The adversary launched a kamikaze drone strike on December 29 and 30 throughout the night, according to a statement from the Ukrainian Air Force.
According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv was the target of seven drone attacks, of which two were shot down "on approach to the capital" and five were intercepted above the city.
No one was hurt, he said, but falling debris broke the windows of two buildings in the southwest of the city. According to military officials, a portion of an administrative building in Kyiv's Holosiiv neighborhood was damaged.
The operations were conducted a day after Russian soldiers shelled Ukrainian towns, claiming at least three lives.
The hardest fights are still going on in the Donbas area, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke on the situation along the front line on December 30.
He claims that the Ukrainian military is maintaining its positions and even making progress in certain regions.
In his nightly video message, he claimed that Bakhmut, Soledar, and Kreminna were the scenes of the bloodiest fights. In general, he said, "we keep our positions, and there are also regions where we are moving gradually.
In recent months, Russian attacks have targeted civilian infrastructure, leaving millions of Ukrainians without access to power, heating, and water while Ukraine suffers from a brutal winter.
On December 29, Zelenskiy said that there had been little change at the front lines and that combat in the eastern Donetsk area was still highly severe.
"The enemy persisted in their insane plan to seize the Donetsk area. They are now establishing a goal for the next year "said he.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged alliance nations to provide Ukraine additional weaponry in an interview with the German news agency DPA, saying it was "in all our security interests to make sure Ukraine succeeds."
"Although it may seem paradoxical, aiding Ukraine militarily is the surest path to peace. We are aware that most conflicts are resolved by negotiation, and that is likely the case with this war as well, but we also recognize that the military situation has a direct bearing on the results that Ukraine may accomplish in these talks "Added he.
According to Stoltenberg, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not indicated that his overarching goal in the conflict—"to rule Ukraine"—has changed, necessitating the need to "prepare for the long term and also for additional Russian offensives."
He remarked, "We shouldn't undervalue Russia.
Early on December 30, the General Staff of Ukraine said that during the previous 24 hours, Russian troops had carried out 85 missile attacks, 35 air strikes, and 63 strikes using multiple rocket launchers.
It was unable to independently verify the statistics.
