Russia launches overnight aerial barrage across Ukraine

Russia unleashed a wave of nighttime drone and missile attacks across 10 of Ukraine's 24 regions, Ukrainian authorities said Friday, as they prepare for another winter of infrastructure bombardment by the Kremlin's forces.

Ukraine's air force said it intercepted 24 of 38 Shahed drones and one Kh-59 cruise missile launched by Russia.

The attacks caused fires in homes and public buildings, especially in the southern Kherson region, which Moscow has increasingly targeted in recent weeks, emergency services said. Authorities reported that two people were injured.

"We understand that as winter approaches, Russian terrorists will attempt to cause more harm," Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram after the attacks, employing his usual choice of words for the enemy's forces.

Last winter, Russia took aim at Ukraine's power grid in an effort to deny civilians light and heating and chip away at the country's appetite for war. Ukrainian officials accused the Kremlin of weaponizing winter.

The Russian strikes are inflicting "unimaginable levels of suffering" on Ukrainian civilians, according to Ramesh Rajasingham, co-ordination director in the United Nationshumanitarian office.

Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, said Russia had expanded the number of drones it uses in its routine nighttime attacks as winter approaches.

"The battle for the sky is what awaits us," Yermak said on Telegram.

Winter likely to complicate battlefield tactics

Laser-guided munitions designed to take out drones are expected to be part of a $425 million US package of new U.S. military aid to Ukraine, according to U.S. officials.

The coming wet, muddy and cold weather will likely frustrate both sides' efforts to advance on the battlefield, compelling a change in military tempo.

Russia and Ukraine will be building up ammunition stockpiles for offensives in 2024, analysts say. Ukraine is relying heavily on its Western allies and plans to ramp up its own weapons manufacturing while Russia buys from North Korea, Iran and Belarus.

Both armies are struggling to make major progress along the 1,500-kilometrefront line in what is largely an artillery war. Ukraine's commander-in-chief, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said in published remarks this week that artillery, missile and rocket fire account for up to 80 per centof all military tasks.

Ukraine's forces can now wear down Russian logistics and command centres behind the front line using U.S. long-range ballistic missiles, known as ATACMS, and long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles from the U.K.

The planned delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in the first part of next year will also improve Kyiv's military might. Its months-long counteroffensive to push back Russian troops has taken place without air cover.

A wartime election?

Also Friday, Ukraine's foreign minister said Zelenskyyis weighing the pros and cons of a spring 2024 presidential vote,though there are major concerns over how to organize a free and fair vote during war with Russia.

WATCH | Helping children cope during wartime:

Planting the seeds of hope for kids in Ukraine

11 months ago

Duration 1:00

Flowers4School is a charity working to help Ukrainian children tackle and recover from the mental toll of the prolonged war with Russia. Through the organization, kids plant flower beds with tulip bulbs to give them hope for the future, and to allow them to participate in the birth of new life amid a conflict that has seen many casualties.

After Russia invaded in February 2022, Ukraine declared martial law which prohibits elections.

But there have been some calls, including from U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, for votes to proceed even if the war does not end, as evidence of democratic health.

"We are not closing this page. The president of Ukraine is considering and weighing the different pros and cons," said Dmytro Kuleba, adding that elections would bring unprecedented challenges.

Ukraine was scheduled to hold a parliamentary election in October and a presidential vote in March 2024.

Kuleba made his comment during an online appearance at the World Policy Conference in the United Arab Emirates when asked whether Ukraine would hold a presidential election in spring.

He pointed to problems of security risks and how to ensure votes for hundreds of thousands of soldiers, millions of Ukrainians abroad and those living under Russian occupation.