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EU defense commissioner takes shelter in Kyiv amid massive Russian aerial strike

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EU defense commissioner takes shelter in Kyiv amid massive Russian aerial strike
EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova (L) and EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 13, 2024. (Katarina Mathernova/X)

Andrius Kubilius, the newly appointed European defense commissioner, spent the morning of Dec. 13 in a shelter in Kyiv during a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova said on X.

Russia targeted Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, launching at least 93 ballistic and cruise missiles and over 200 drones, Mathernova said.

Ukrainian defenses shot down 81 out of 94 missiles and 80 out of the 193 drones launched by Russia, the Air Force reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described it as "one of the largest strikes on our energy grid."

Eighty-one missiles were intercepted, including 11 shot down by Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets. Zelensky noted that some of the missiles used in the attack were reportedly supplied by North Korea.

The strikes, which focused on energy and transportation networks, mark another escalation in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine's infrastructure.

Ukraine downs 161 of 287 Russian missiles, drones in mass aerial attack
Moscow deployed four Kinzhal air-launched missiles, two Iskander-M ballistic missiles, one Kh-23 North Korean ballistic missile, 55 Kh-101 and Kh-55SM cruise missiles launched from Tu-95MS bomber planes, 24 sea-launched Kalibr missiles, seven Iskander-K cruise missiles, and one Kh-59/69 missile, the…
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Tim Zadorozhnyy

News Editor

Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.

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U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks come after the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing undisclosed sources, that he asked President Volodymyr Zelensky whether Kyiv could strike Moscow or St. Petersburg if provided with long-range U.S. weapons.

"The stolen data includes confidential questionnaires of the company's employees, and most importantly, full technical documentation on the production of drones, which was handed over to the relevant specialists of the Ukrainian Defense Forces," a source in Ukraine's military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent.

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