Police: 18 civilians killed, 132 injured in Russia's morning attack on Ukraine

As of 1:00 p.m. local time, the morning wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least 18 people and wounded 132 others, Ukraine's National Police reported on Dec. 29.

Russia unleashed a barrage of 158 attack drones and missiles overnight and in the early morning, targeting civilians across Ukraine. Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said on air that an attack of this scale "has not been seen for a long time."

In Dnipro, where Russian strikes hit a shopping center and a maternity hospital, five people were killed, among them a child and a policeman. Another 28 were injured, the National Police said.

Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhii Lysak later updated this number to six people killed.

In Odesa Oblast, two people were killed and 27 were injured following strikes on residential buildings.

Four people were killed in Zaporizhzhia, and 12 were injured, the National Police said. The death toll rose to six people shortly after 2:00 p.m., according to Zaporizhzhia Governor Yurii Malashko.

In Kharkiv, three people were killed, and 13 people were injured, according to the National Police.

One person was killed, and 24 people were injured in Lviv Oblast in western Ukraine, where residential buildings and educational institutions were damaged.

Air Force: Ukraine downed 114 of 158 Russian drones and missiles

Ukraine shot down 114 of the 158 drones and missiles fired by Russia on Dec. 29, the Air Force reported.

The Kyiv IndependentElsa Court

The bodies of another two people were found under the rubble of a warehouse in Kyiv, bringing the death toll from Russia's attack on the capital to three.

Another 22 people were injured in the capital, and one person was injured in Kyiv Oblast.

The search for casualties is ongoing amid "destruction on a massive scale," Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said.

Housing, educational buildings, and hospitals were targeted, and Ukraine has launched criminal proceedings into Russian war crimes, Kostin said.  

"Today, millions of Ukrainians awoke to the loud sound of explosions," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba posted on social media.

"I wish those sounds of explosions in Ukraine could be heard all around the world. In all major capitals, headquarters, and parliaments, which are currently debating further support for Ukraine."

US ambassador: Ukraine urgently needs funding after massive Russian attack

“Ukraine needs funding now to continue to fight for freedom,” U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said in a social media post on Dec. 29, following a massive wave of Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities.

The Kyiv IndependentElsa Court