December 29, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Kathleen Magramo, Eliza Mackintosh, Leinz Vales, Adrienne Vogt and Matt Meyer, CNN

Updated 1:42 a.m. ET, December 30, 2022
12 Posts
Sort byDropdown arrow
3:05 a.m. ET, December 29, 2022

90% of Lviv without power after Russian strikes, mayor says

From CNN's Olga Voitovych

Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said 90% of the western city is without power and also warned of water disruptions as a result of Russian attacks Thursday.

“90% of the city is without electricity. We are waiting for more information from the power engineers. Trams and trolleybuses are not running in the city. There may be interruptions in water supply. We are switching to diesel generators at critical infrastructure facilities,” Sadovyi said on Telegram. 

In the capital Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Kitschko earlier warned residents of possible power and water outages after the Russian strikes.

Air defense systems were activated across Ukraine Thursday morning after Russia fired more than 120 missiles at a number of cities, according to Ukrainian officials.

3:54 a.m. ET, December 29, 2022

Industrial facility and homes damaged by missile fragments, Kyiv officials say

From CNN's Olga Voitovych

Rescuers work at houses heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on December 29.
Rescuers work at houses heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on December 29. (Kyrylo Tymoshenko/Telegram/Reuters)

Russia's attack on Ukraine's capital Thursday damaged homes, an industrial facility and a playground, according to the Kyiv city military administration.

“Two private houses in Darnytskyi district were damaged by the fragments of the downed missiles. An industrial enterprise in Holosiivskyi district and a playground in Pecherskyi district were also damaged,” the administration said on Telegram.

Air defenses are still working and authorities were working to clarify information on casualties, the administration said.

2:58 a.m. ET, December 29, 2022

More than 120 missiles fired at Ukraine, Zelensky adviser says

From CNN's Olga Voitovych

Russia fired more than 120 missiles at cities across Ukraine on Thursday, according to Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak. 

“29.12.22. 120+ missiles over Ukraine launched by the 'evil Russian world' to destroy critical infrastructure & kill civilians en masse,” he said on Twitter. 

Air raid sirens sounded around Ukraine Thursday morning as officials reported missile strikes and air defense systems being activated in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zhytomyr and Poltava among other cities.

3:21 a.m. ET, December 29, 2022

Kyiv mayor warns of power and water outages after Russian attacks

From CNN's Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

Ukrainian air defence system intercepts a rocket launched by Russian forces in Kyiv, Ukraine, on December 29.
Ukrainian air defence system intercepts a rocket launched by Russian forces in Kyiv, Ukraine, on December 29. (Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Kitschko warned residents of possible power and water outages after Russian missile attacks against the Ukrainian capital on Thursday. 

“There may be power outages in Kyiv. Charge your phones and other devices. Make a supply of water,” he said in a post on Telegram. 

Ukraine was hit with a new round of Russian missile attacks on Thursday, with blasts heard by CNN's team in Kyiv.

Air raid sirens have also sounded in several cities as officials reported missile strikes and air defense systems being activated, including Kharkiv in the northeast, Mykolaiv in the south, as well as Zhytomyr and Poltava in central Ukraine.

2:58 a.m. ET, December 29, 2022

Russia carries out "massive missile attack" on Ukraine, Odesa official says

From CNN’s Olga Voitovych and Victoria Butenko

Russia has carried out a “massive missile attack” on Ukraine Thursday morning, according to a statement by the head of Odesa’s regional state administration Maksym Marchenko on Telegram.

“Air defense is working over the region now,” Marchenko said, calling on residents to stay in shelters. 

Emergency power outages were further introduced in Odesa, Ukraine's largest energy group DTEK said in a statement on Telegram.

“They are introduced due to the threat of missile attacks to avoid significant damage if the enemy manages to hit energy facilities,” the statement said.

2:58 a.m. ET, December 29, 2022

Explosions heard in Kyiv as air raid sirens sound across Ukraine

From CNN's Irene Nasser

Explosions were heard Kyiv Thursday, according to CNN's team on the ground, while air defense systems have been activated in the capital region, said Oleksii Kuleba, head of the Kyiv regional military administration.

"After the night attack of self-exploding drones, the enemy is attacking Ukraine from various directions with air and sea-based cruise missiles from strategic aircrafts and ships," the Ukrainian Air Force said. 
Oleksii Kuleba meets the press in Kyiv on April 16.
Oleksii Kuleba meets the press in Kyiv on April 16. (Hennadii Minchenko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto/AP)

Air raid sirens have also sounded in several cities as officials reported missile strikes and air defense systems being activated. 

A series of explosions were also heard in Kharkiv, the city's mayor Ihor Terekhov said, adding that according to preliminary reports incoming rocket hits were recorded.

"Information on which targets were hit and whether there were any casualties is still being clarified," Terekhov said.

In the Mykolaiv region in the south, five missiles have been intercepted over the sea, the head of the region's military administration Vitaliy Kim said. 

In central Ukraine, missiles have also been recorded in the Zhytomyr region and air defense systems were activated, according to Vitalii Bunechko, head of its regional military administration.

In Poltava region, east of the Dnipro river, explosions have also been heard and air defense systems were activated, Dmytro Lunin, said the head of Poltava regional military administration. 

2:17 a.m. ET, December 29, 2022

Ukraine's Odesa removes monument to imperial Russian empress

From CNN's Mayumi Maruyama and Josh Pennington  

Utility workers dismantle a statue of Russian Empress Catherine II in Odesa on December 28.
Utility workers dismantle a statue of Russian Empress Catherine II in Odesa on December 28. (Nina Liashonok/Ukrinform/Abaca/Sipa/AP)

A statue of Russian Empress Catherine II was removed on Wednesday from a square in Odesa, in what authorities in the Ukrainian port city said was "a truly historic event."

“I am grateful to the residents of Odesa who expressed their position that the Russian imperial heritage has no place in a modern Ukraine that is democratic and follows the rule of law,” the Odesa regional administration said on Telegram. 

Catherine II, more commonly known as Catherine the Great, ruled from 1762 to 1796 and remains a controversial figure in Ukraine for her imperialist views.

The Odesa statue was erected in the 1900s during the Russian empire but was dismantled in 1920 under Soviet rule. It was restored in 2007 by the Odesa city council. 

Last month, the council voted to remove the statue, Reuters reported.

The monument will move to the Odesa Art Museum, according to the council.  

1:34 a.m. ET, December 29, 2022

Russia won't negotiate under terms of Zelensky's peace plan, Lavrov says

From CNN’s Irene Nasser and Josh Pennington

Moscow will not negotiate with Kyiv on the basis of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposed peace formula, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, according to state-media on Thursday.

Lavrov told state-run RIA Novosti that Zelensky's idea of driving Russian troops out from the Donbas, Crimea, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson with help from the West was "an illusion."

He also dismissed the idea that Kyiv would achieve reparations or that Russia would appear in international courts.

“We will not talk to anyone under such conditions," Lavrov said.

Lavrov stressed however, that Russia remains open to diplomatic solutions to end the war. 

Peace plan: Zelensky presented Ukraine’s 10-point peace formula to world leaders at the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November.

The steps includes a path to nuclear safety, food security, a special tribunal for alleged Russian war crimes, and a final peace treaty with Moscow. He also urged G20 leaders to use all their power to “make Russia abandon nuclear threats” and implement a price cap on energy imported from Moscow.

During his speech to the US Congress last week, Zelensky claimed US President Joe Biden had endorsed the plan.

7:46 p.m. ET, December 28, 2022

Zelensky says war has strengthened Europe's unity and continent now "protects itself"

From CNN's Radina Gigova and Yulia Kesaieva

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his annual address Wednesday to the Ukrainian Parliament that the war Russia has waged on his country has strengthened Europe's unity, and that "no one in the West is afraid and will ever be afraid of Russia."

"It was Ukraine that united the European Union. Turned out, it is possible," Zelensky said from the parliament's floor. "And now Europe protects itself. Europe overcomes crises. And this is despite the enormous resources thrown by Russia to wreck our continent.
"For the first time in history, some European countries have reconsidered the notion of staying neutral and are resisting aggression together with us, together with Ukraine.
"We helped Europe and most of the world to feel that to be neutral now is, I'm sorry, but to be immoral."

Zelensky went on to say that countries are no longer interested "in whether Russia will hear them," but rather "what else to expect from Ukraine, what else Ukraine can give to Europe, what else we can give to the world."

Zelensky also thanked Ukrainian servicemen, calling them "heroes" and said the powerful weapons Ukraine has received have strengthened its advantage. 

"And let me remind you — a year ago it seemed impossible that our state would have 'Patriot' air defense systems. But now we do have such an agreement," he said. "This is a special sign of trust to Ukraine. This is a true alliance with the United States of America. We have achieved this."