Kyiv expressed disgust at the targeting of civilians following a barrage of Russian missiles on Ukrainian cities, marking the first such attacks in weeks. The Ukrainian military vowed to endure and resist while its forces continued to defend the city of Bakhmut in the east against Russian penetration attempts. On Friday, the Ukrainian army reported that its soldiers repelled more than a hundred attacks over the last 24 hours in Bakhmut, which has been a focal point of the Russian assault since August.
The missile barrage just before dawn on Thursday resulted in the deaths of at least nine civilians and caused power outages in several cities. However, there was a general sense of relief as the risk of a nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia reactor diminished after power was restored following a brief disconnection from the Ukrainian electricity grid. Ukraine asserted that its defenses shot down numerous drones and missiles, but Russia also launched six hypersonic missiles from its Kinzhal system, which they could not intercept.
Moscow confirmed that these missiles were used in the attack. The missile strikes, widely utilized on targets far from the front lines, represent the first wave of this kind since mid-February and end a period of calm in the airstrike campaign targeting Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, which Russia had initiated five months ago. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented, stating, "The occupiers can only terrorize civilians. That’s all they can do... but that won't help them. They will not escape responsibility for what they have done."
Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed it carried out a "massive retaliatory strike" in response to a cross-border raid last week, asserting it destroyed drone launch bases, disrupted railways, and damaged weapons production and repair facilities. Moscow views such strikes as aimed at reducing Ukraine's combat capability. Kyiv argues that the airstrikes serve no military purpose and are intended solely to harm and intimidate civilians, constituting a war crime.
The White House described the rocket strikes as "appalling" and stated that Washington would continue to provide Ukraine with air defense capabilities. On the battlefield, a noticeable shift occurred this week as Ukraine decided to continue fighting in Bakhmut, a city that has borne the brunt of Russia's winter offensive in one of the war’s bloodiest battles. Moscow claims Bakhmut is significant as it is seen as a step toward securing the surrounding Donbas region, a primary war objective.
The West maintains that the now-destroyed city holds little strategic value, noting that Russian forces are sacrificing lives to deliver Putin his only victory since he deployed hundreds of thousands of reservists to battle since the end of last year. Ukrainian military analyst Oleg Zhdanov stated that defenders of Bakhmut have thwarted Russian attempts to completely encircle it from the west. The southern front held for several days, but Russia managed to make some advances in villages north of the city.
