Russia's attack on Kyiv and elsewhere comes as Ukraine says it shot down a Mi-8 fighter jet for the first time with a naval aircraft.
Russia has launched a series of deadly attacks on Ukraine, hitting the capital Kyiv and other areas with missiles and drones.
The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday it shot down six of the 21 missiles fired by Russia overnight. Russia used 40 drones to attack the country, the air force said in the Telegraph. Air defense units fired 16 shots and another 24 missed targets.
Ukraine's military reported a ballistic missile threat at 3am (01:00 GMT) and two explosions were heard in Kyiv minutes later amid several threats across the country.
Another missile alert in Kyiv was issued at 8am (06:00 GMT), followed by one explosion in the city. Missile debris fell in the capital's Darnytskyi district, with no reports of injuries or damage.
Meanwhile, authorities in northeastern Sumy reported an attack near the city of Shostka, where Mayor Mykola Noha said 12 houses were destroyed and two schools were destroyed.
Noha said “some belongings of the group” were damaged, without giving details. Ukraine's military also said missiles and drones had targeted several other areas.
Competitions come as about three years of war It is becoming increasingly common, but the situation is not clear that the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, will take office in the near future. Trump has promised to end the war and questioned whether US military aid to Kyiv would continue.
Kyiv is back
Ukrainian military intelligence also said on Tuesday one of its naval aircraft – a Magura V5 sea drone – shot down a Russian Mi-8 helicopter and destroyed another in the Black Sea.
Ukraine's spy agency GUR said it was the first time a Ukrainian warplane had shot down a target plane.
Although there was no comment from Russia, Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol in Crimea, said on Telegram that two naval drones were destroyed near the coast overnight and that Russian defense forces shot down four unmanned vehicles that were attacking the city.
Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defense system had shot down 68 Ukrainian drones in several parts of the country.
On Monday, President Joe Biden announced the US send an additional $2.5bn in weapons to Ukraine while his administration is working hard to use all the money it has to help Kyiv fight Russia before Trump takes office.
The war started in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. About half of Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been destroyed since then, with Kyiv's Western allies offering countermeasures to help protect the infrastructure.
But Russia wants to disrupt its air defenses with a coordinated attack involving multiple missiles and drones in slow but steady succession.
Russian troops advanced by 3,985sq km (1,539sq miles) into Ukraine in 2024, seven times more than in 2023, according to an analysis of data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The advance until December 30 was boosted by the increase in Russian military forces in the autumn, to 610sq km (235 sq miles) in October and 725sq km (280 sq miles) in November.
November and October were also the two months in which they conquered the most territory since March 2022, the first weeks of the war.