Live blog: Deadly Ukrainian missile attack on Russian-held village — Moscow

Saturday, December 16, 2023

1439 GMT — A Ukrainian missile attack on a Russian-held village in southern Ukraine has killed two people, Moscow-affiliated authorities in the Kherson region said.

Moscow's forces said the missile hit the village of Nova Mayachka, on the Russian-occupied bank of the Dnipro river and located some 70 kilometres east of the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson.

"Two civilians were killed. Two other (civilians) were wounded," Moscow-appointed official Vladimir Saldo said.

A US-made HIMARS missile hit the village of Nova Mayachka "during the delivery of humanitarian aid", according to Saldo.

Other missiles, which he said were launched by Kiev, had been downed by air defence.

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0902 GMT — Ukraine says shot down 30 drones launched by Moscow

The Ukrainian air force has said that it had repelled a Russian drone attack overnight, shooting down 30 of 31 drones launched by Moscow.

The attack targeted regions including the capital Kiev, the southern region of Kherson as well as the western Khmelnytsky region.

"A total of 31 Shahed-136/131 attack drones were used in the attack, which the occupiers sent to different regions of Ukraine," the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement.

The governor of the Russian region of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported that there had been 41 Ukrainian strikes in the last 24 hours on the territory, which borders Ukraine.

Over a two-hour period, 26 drones were shot down over the Crimea peninsula illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, the defence ministry said in a statement, without saying if there were any victims or damage.

0126 GMT — Ukraine puts head of Russian church on "wanted" list

Ukraine's Interior Ministry has placed the head of Russia's Orthodox Church, a backer of the 21-month-old war, on a wanted list after security services accused him of abetting the conflict.

The measure is purely symbolic, as Patriarch Kirill is in Russia and under no threat of arrest. It was the latest step in Ukraine's campaign to uproot the influence of priests it alleges maintain close links to Russia.

A post on the Ukrainian ministry's wanted list identified Kirill by name, showed him in his clerical robes, and described him as "an individual in hiding from the bodies of pre-trial investigation".

It said he had been "missing" since November 11.

2201 GMT — Ukrainian air defence units engage Russian drones over Kiev: Mayor

Ukrainian air defence units engaged Russian drones over Kiev, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Reuters news agency witnesses said explosions resounded in the capital as anti-aircraft units went into operation.

The witnesses said air raid sirens went off on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, but on the opposite bank, police warned residents of the air raid alert through loudspeakers.

2014 GMT — Russia, Ukraine engage in drone war over Crimea

Russian anti-aircraft units have destroyed 26 Ukrainian drones over the occupied Crimean peninsula, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Telegram.

A ministry statement said the interceptions took place between 8:30 and 10:30 pm on Friday.

Separately, the Russia-backed governor of part of the southern Kherson region held by Moscow, Vladimir Saldo, reported on Telegram that Russian anti-aircraft units had downed at least 15 aerial targets near the town of Henichesk.

Saldo said fragments from the downed objects had fallen to the ground.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties in either instance.

For our live updates from Friday (December 15), click here.