All the latest developments from the war in Ukraine.
Russia unleashes biggest-ever barrage on Ukraine
ADVERTISEMENTRussia launched 122 missiles and 36 drones against Ukrainian targets on Friday, according to officials.
At least 30 civilians were killed in the attacks, as of Saturday morning.
A Ukrainian airforce official said it was the biggest aerial barrage of the 22-month war, involving Iranian-made Sheed drones.
Most of the incoming missiles and drones were shot down - but at least 144 people were reported injured. An unknown number were buried under the rubble of hit buildings.
Zelenskyy said the Kremlin’s forces used a wide variety of weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles.
Broken glass and mangled metal littered city streets in Kyiv. Air raid and emergency service sirens wailed throughout Friday, as plumes of smoke drifted into a bright blue sky.
Kateryna Ivanivna, a 72-year-old living in the Ukrainian capital, said she threw herself to the ground when a missile struck.
“There was an explosion, then flames,” she said. “I covered my head and got down in the street. Then I ran into the subway station.”
Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on his official Telegram channel: “The most massive aerial attack” since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the previous biggest assault was in November 2022 when Russia launched 96 missiles against Ukraine.
The biggest this year was 81 missiles on 9 March, Air Force records show.
The roughly 18-hour onslaught began on Thursday and continued through the night. It hit six cities, including the capital Kyiv, and other areas from east to west Ukraine, according to authorities.
This new wave of strikes shows that the country needs “more help” from the international community, reacted Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In June, Dr Jade McGlynn, Research Fellow in War Studies at King's College London, told Euronews Moscow was deliberately "terror bombing" Ukrainian civilians.
"The ultimate intention is to break the will of the population so that they will at some point give in and accept Russia," she explained.
"Putin believes the West will give up and Ukrainians will just be grateful for an end to the terror."
Europe reacts
The EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, reacted to Russia's overnight strikes on social media platform X on Friday, describing it as a "cowardly and indiscriminate targeting of schools, a metro station and a hospital."
"The EU stands with Ukraine, for as long as it takes," Borrell added.
ADVERTISEMENTEU leaders will attempt to approve a multi-billion long-term package of financial support to Ukraine when they meet on February 1, after failing to secure the backing of Hungary's Viktor Orban earlier this month.
The Netherlands' caretaker prime minister Mark Rutte also reacted to the strikes on X. "Once again, Russia has killed and injured a large number of civilians. Russia is not stopping," he said.
"The only appropriate response to this is to continue to support Ukraine financially and militarily so it can defend itself against Russia’s ongoing aggression," Rutte added.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas also joined calls for continued support to Ukraine.
"Not letting aggression pay off is crucial for European and global security," Kallas said on social media platform X.
ADVERTISEMENT'Huge' Russian losses in Ukraine
Russia is suffering "enormous" losses in men and equipment in its war in Ukraine, a senior German army official said in an interview published on Friday.
“According to figures from Western intelligence services, 300,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or so seriously injured that they can no longer be mobilised in the war,” General Christian Freuding told the daily Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Concerning equipment, he added: "We think that they [the Russians] lost a number of tanks and armoured units numbering in the thousands and at the high end of the range."
At the same time, "the Russians still manage to recruit personnel, among other things by bringing in detainees" to the front, said the General.
"We are of course observing massive investments in the arms industry," he continued.
ADVERTISEMENTFighting along the front line is largely bogged down by winter weather after Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive failed to make a significant breakthrough.