One of Russia's biggest attacks on Ukraine - 31 civilians killed, more than 120 wounded: "There is no need to talk about a truce"

Russia today carried out one of the largest missile attacks on Ukraine during the war, killing 31 civilians, injuring more than 120 people and hitting residential buildings in Kiev, in the south and west of the country, officials said, according to Reuters.

The previous balance was 18, and before that 13 died.

Ukraine's foreign ministry said a massive airstrike at the end of the year showed there was "no need to talk about a truce" with the Kremlin at a time when uncertainty hangs over the future of vital Western support for Kiev, according to the British agency.

"Today, millions of Ukrainians woke up to the loud sound of explosions. I wish those sounds of explosions in Ukraine could be heard around the world," said Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, urging allies to continue long-term military aid.

In the capital Kiev, at least three people were reported dead and 22 injured after apartment buildings and another unoccupied property were hit, police and other officials said.

Marija from Kiev told Reuters that she was woken up by a "terrible sound" at home and that she took refuge in her bathroom.

"It was so scary. The projectile was flying and everything was buzzing, buzzing. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to run downstairs to the shelter. When I got into the bathroom, the mirror flew (off the wall)," she said. she.

The air force said it shot down 87 cruise missiles and 27 drones out of a total of 158 aerial "targets" fired by Russia.

The military of NATO member Poland said an unidentified aerial object entered its airspace from neighboring Ukraine and that its air defenses tracked it until its signal disappeared.

Yuriy Ikhnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, neither denied nor confirmed the report, but noted similar incidents in Poland and Romania during past Russian airstrikes.

Army chief General Valery Zaluzhnyi said the attack targeted critical infrastructure and industrial and military facilities.

There was no comment from Russia, which denies targeting civilians.

"Russia attacked with everything it has in its arsenal... About 110 missiles were fired, most of which were shot down," President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram.

Ukraine has warned for weeks that Russia could be stockpiling missiles for a major air attack on the energy system.

Last winter, millions of people were left in the dark when Russian strikes knocked out the power grid.

The Foreign Ministry said Friday's attack was "one of the largest missile attacks on Ukrainian towns and villages" since Russia began its invasion in February 2022.

The Ministry of Energy reported power outages in the regions of southern Odessa, northeastern Kharkiv, central Dnipropetrovsk and areas outside Kyiv.

Damages reported across the country

While rescuers were going through the rubble that resulted from the attack on a house in the southeastern city of Zaporizhia, Viktor Chuhunov (73), told Reuters that he was at home when he suddenly heard a loud explosion.

"A woman died here. I don't know if her son was at home, maybe he was at work," he said.

Rockets also hit several infrastructure facilities in Zaporozhye, the Minister of Internal Affairs said on Telegram.

Five people were killed in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, where missiles hit a shopping mall, a house and a six-story apartment building, police said.

Three people were killed in the Black Sea port city of Odessa and at least 15 were wounded, including two children, the regional governor said, reporting strikes on residential buildings.

In the Lviv region, which borders Poland, rocket attacks on an unnamed critical infrastructure facility were confirmed, the president's office announced.

One person died in a damaged multi-storey residential building in the city of Lviv, the regional governor said.

Three schools and a kindergarten were also damaged, the mayor said.

In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, a rocket strike damaged a warehouse, an industrial facility, a medical facility and a transport depot, the regional governor said.

"One person was killed and 11 were injured," he said.