NATO-Ukraine emergency summit: responding to Russia's intensive attacks

An urgent meeting at the ambassadorial level is scheduled for January 10, following the decision of Jens Stoltenberg, the head of the NATO Alliance. The request for this meeting came from Kyiv and is a response to the sustained, massive, and intense attacks by the Russian Federation on civilian infrastructure facilities in Ukraine.

The announcement of the Secretary-General's decision was made by NATO's spokesperson, Dylan White, on social media. The meeting, requested by the Ukrainian side, is scheduled for January 10.

This development is a response to the alarming escalation of attacks involving Russian drones and missiles, targeting various parts of the country in recent days. The urgency of the meeting underscores the severity of the situation.

Urgent meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council

On January 2, it was reported that Russia carried out 72 air strikes, and launched 48 missiles from jet systems. These attacks targeted residential buildings and civilian and industrial infrastructure in regions including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Odesa. The result of these attacks was 92 people injured and four fatalities.

A significant air attack occurred on December 29 when Russia shelled the capital and other cities, resulting in the largest number of casualties since the beginning of the war. In this attack, 32 people lost their lives in Kyiv, and a total of 55 casualties were reported throughout the country.

Subsequent attacks, including those on Wednesday evening, targeted Kharkiv in the east, resulting in the destruction of apartment buildings in the city center. Kherson experienced attacks on residential districts, industrial areas, and a school, leading to two casualties. In the Mykolaiv Oblast, four people were injured, houses were damaged, and a fire was reported in one of the companies. Avdiivka also reported three casualties due to Russian shelling.

Extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council

The attacks continued on Thursday, with Russian missiles hitting the central part of Ukraine. In the city of Kropyvnytskyi, one person was killed, and eight were injured, with victims identified as industrial plant workers. According to Ukrinform, shell fragments fell on the unit of the electricity operator Ukrenergo.

Ukrainian media, citing a report by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, described the situation as follows: over the last 24 hours, the Russian Federation has been attacking with mortars, artillery, drones, MLRS rocket launchers, and planes. A total of 138 towns were attacked, with almost 90 infrastructure facilities being targeted.