UK announces new air defense aid package for Ukraine after Russia’s mass attack

The U.K. will send Ukraine “hundreds of air defense missiles" to restock air defense systems provided by London earlier, U.K. Defense Minister Grant Shapps announced on Dec. 29 after Russia launched a mass air attack against Ukraine.

Early in the morning, Russian forces targeted Ukraine with 158 attack drones and missiles, 114 of which were shot down, according to the Ukrainian military.

According to the latest update by Ukraine's Interior Ministry published at 7:30 p.m. local time, the attack killed at least 30 people and wounded over 160 others across the country.

Casualties and large-scale damage to civilian and military sites were reported in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhia.

“Putin is testing Ukraine’s defenses and the West’s resolve, hoping that he can clutch victory from the jaws of defeat. But he is wrong. Ukraine’s degradation of the Russian Black Sea Fleet has proven it is still in this fight to win,” Shapps said on X.

“And today’s air defense package sends an undeniable message, in the face of Russian barbarity, that the U.K. remains absolutely committed to supporting Ukraine.”

Russia launches largest air attack on Ukraine since start of full-scale war

Local authorities have reported civilian casualties in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Odesa after Russia unleashed a barrage of attack drones and missiles overnight, targeting regions across Ukraine on Dec. 29.

The Kyiv IndependentElsa Court