60 Russian cruise missiles, including air-launched Kh-101 and Kh-555 and sea-based Kalibr missiles were shot down in Russia's seventh mass missile attack on Ukraine on Dec. 16, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.
A total of 76 missiles were fired at Ukraine, according to the Air Force, bringing the rate of missiles shot down to 79%.
According to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the President’s Office, the Russian missiles struck energy facilities in several Ukrainian oblasts. Due to that, the authorities are imposing emergency blackouts, Tymoshenko said.
Local authorities in Kharkiv reported that the northern city was left without power, while two people were killed and five wounded when a missile hit a residential building in Kryvyi Rih, according to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Valentyn Reznichenko.
While Ukraine's air defense network has shown consistent improvement in its ability to shoot down Russian missiles and Iranian drones thanks to the delivery of modern systems from Western partners, the country's leaders stress the need for more systems to better protect Ukrainian critical infrastructure.
As reported by CNN on Dec. 13, the United States was preparing to supply high-end Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine in the near future.
