War in Ukraine: Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities reach new lethal levels.

More than 160 people were injured in Russian attacks on the cities of Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Lviv on Friday morning. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia attacked homes and maternity hospitals and used almost every type of weapon in its arsenal.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it had never seen so many missiles launched simultaneously. Kyiv's air defenses have improved dramatically in recent months but were out of whack on Friday.

According to an Air Force spokesman, Russia used hypersonic, cruise, and ballistic missiles, including the hard-to-intercept Kh-22. "I have never seen so many targets hit at the same time," he added.

The Air Force reported that 114 of 158 missiles and drones were shot down. Black smoke rose from several explosion sites. We went to a 200 m warehouse owned by a construction company in the Podlsky district of Kyiv. The blow destroyed him.

It can only be destroyed by a direct missile attack. Months of falling debris have caused damage and loss of life that most Ukrainians fear. Now the great danger has returned. A second impact blew glass off the side of a skyscraper several miles away. Smoke darkened the sky. It was the first car I drove through Kyiv since the start of the major offensive.

Nine people died in Kyiv. The subway station that had been evacuated due to the air raid was also damaged.

Again, Kyiv is not the only one picking up the pieces. Authorities said more than a dozen Shahid drones and 15 Iranian-made missiles targeted the western city of Lviv, which had largely escaped an invasion.

The rockets also hit the town of Konotop in the Sumy region, located near the northern border. Officials in Odesa said the building caught fire after it was hit by a drone. In this accident, four people, including two children aged 6 and 8, died and 22 were injured. The northeastern city of Kharkiv is no stranger to rocket attacks but was one of less than 20 cities to feel it on Friday morning. A series of attacks in Kharkiv left three dead and 13 injured after damaging hospitals and residential buildings, according to Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terehov. The governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region said it was a "sad morning for the region" and said six people had been killed and 28 wounded. Sergei Lysak said a shopping center and a maternity hospital were targeted in the regional capital Dnipro. The attack on infrastructure in Zaporizhia left eight people dead and 13 injured.

A Russian missile briefly entered Polish airspace while targeting a Ukrainian target. Dennis Brown, the UN humanitarian representative in Ukraine, said the attack "left a trail of destruction, death and human suffering" and was "another example of the terrible reality facing the Ukrainian people".

Why did Russia do this now? Missile shipments aren't what they used to be, but Moscow has shown that it still wants to continue its pressure tactics on the Ukrainian people, hoping that if they don't feel safe, their willingness to fight in this war will decrease.

It's also been a week since Ukraine destroyed a large Russian amphibious assault ship in Crimea, and the United States delivered its last $250 million military package to Ukraine. But that's a relatively small change compared to the $50 billion bailout currently blocked by political divisions in the US Congress.

US President Joe Biden said of the Russian bombing: "It is a stark reminder to the world that nearly two years after this devastating war, President Putin's purpose remains unchanged." He wants to destroy Ukraine and subjugate its people. It has to stop.”

Perhaps the new missile strike was retaliation or some other explanation? A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said simply: "All the intended military targets were hit."

All of Ukraine has always been attacked by Russia. The country has been able to defend itself against most of the aggressors' drone and missile attacks.

However, it is unclear whether this will continue.