Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Russia launched a large-scale missile attack against Ukraine on the morning of Jan. 15, launching Kh-101, Kh-22, and Kalibr cruise missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry had previously threatened to retaliate after Ukraine targeted military and industrial sites throughout Russia in a mass attack on Jan. 14.
Ukraine's Air Force issued a nationwide aerial alert in the early hours of Jan. 15, following warnings that a group of Tu-95MS strategic bombers had taken flight from Russia's Olenya airfield in Murmansk Oblast.
Russia also reportedly launched ballistic missiles from Belgorod Oblast.
Explosions were reported in Kharkiv, Khmelnytsky Oblast, and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. In Lviv Oblast, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said Russian forces had "attacked the energy infrastructure of our region and Ukraine."
Later in the morning of Jan. 15, officials Lviv Oblast said critical infrastructure facilities had been hit in two districts of the oblast but added there were no casualties. There was no information on what was hit or the extent of the damage caused.
Svitlana Onyshchuk, head of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Military Administration, said the attacks had targeted "critical infrastructure facilities" in the oblast but had not caused any casualties. No further detials were given.
"It's the middle of winter, and the target for the Russians remains the same: our energy sector," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel later in the morning on Jan. 15.
"More than 40 missiles were involved in this strike, including ballistic missiles. At least 30 were destroyed. There were also more than 70 Russian attack drones overnight," he added.
"We constantly need to strengthen the existing capabilities of the Ukrainian air shield. Our partners at the NATO summit in Washington and in the Ramstein format made promises that have not yet been fully realized."
Shortly after eight in the morning, the all clear was given across much of the country.
Poland scrambled fighter jets due to the Russian missile threat in western Ukraine, according to the Polish Operational Command.
Ukraine's state grid operator, Ukrenergo, imposed emergency blackouts as a preventative measure, Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko announced.
Chris York
