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Death toll in Russia's air attack rises: 5 more bodies recovered in Kyiv, making it deadliest attack (UPDATED)

by The Kyiv Independent news desk December 30, 2023 12:21 PM 3 min read
The State Emergency Service is carrying out work to extinguish a fire at a warehouse on Dec. 29, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

The death toll of Russia's Dec. 29 nationwide missile attack has risen to 39 as new deaths were reported in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.

The bodies of another five people were found under the rubble of a warehouse in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on Dec. 30. According to Klitschko, 16 civilians have been killed and 32 have been injured in Kyiv, 17 of whom had to be hospitalized.

"The Dec. 29 attack has been the deadliest for Kyiv in terms of civilian casualties," Klitschko said on Dec. 30, announcing that the death toll rose to 16 people.

The Kyiv City Administration earlier reported that 10 people had been trapped under the rubble.

Several apartment buildings, warehouses, an office center, a residential house, and a metro station were damaged in different neighborhoods of the capital.

The latest reports push the total death toll of the Dec. 29 attack to 39 people: 16 in Kyiv, nine in Zaporizhzhia, six in Dnipro, four in Odesa, three in Kharkiv, one in Lviv.

At least 160 people have been reported wounded.

‘Hit the Kremlin’: Kyivans don’t hold back after Russia’s mass attack kills 9, wounds 30 in the capital
Thick columns of smoke were rising in Kyiv after several sites were hit by Russia early on Dec. 29. In Kyiv, Russia hit three locations, according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. Local authorities reported nine people killed and 30 injured. Russia unleashed a barrage of 158 attack drones and m…

Local authorities in Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Odesa declared Dec. 30 a day of mourning for the victims of Russia's deadly nationwide attack.

Kyiv will hold its day of mourning on Jan. 1, according to Klitschko.

Russia unleashed its largest air attack on Ukraine on Dec. 29, targeting multiple Ukrainian regions with 158 missiles and drones.

Ukraine war latest: Russia’s largest air attack on Ukraine kills 30, injures over 160
Russia unleashed its largest air attack on Ukraine on Dec. 29, targeting multiple Ukrainian regions with 158 missiles and drones. The attack killed 30 people and injured over 160 as of 7:30 p.m., according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was "the most massive attack."

Ukraine downed 114 of 158 Russian missiles and drones, according to the Air Force. Among the downed targets were 27 Russian Shahed attack drones and 87 cruise missiles.

In total, Russia launched 36 drones, at least 90 Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 cruise missiles, eight Kh-22/Kh-32 cruise missiles, 14 S-300/S-400/Iskander ballistic missiles, as well as five Kinzhal ballistic missiles, four anti-radar missiles, and one Kh-59 cruise missile.

"Russia was fighting with almost everything it has in its arsenal," Zelensky wrote on Telegram in the morning following the attack.

Zelensky said the attack destroyed or damaged over 100 private houses, along with 45 multi-story buildings, schools, two churches, hospitals, maternity wards, and numerous commercial and warehouse premises across Ukraine. "Targets are already familiar for Russia," he said.

Western leaders condemn Russia’s mass attack on Ukraine, Zelensky urges world to respond
Western leaders condemned Russia’s Dec. 29 mass attack on Ukraine that killed at least 30 people and wounded over 160 as President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the world to react to Russia’s “latest act of terror.”
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