Russia resumed the use of strategic bombers for attacks on Ukraine on December 8 as it launched an air attack that killed one person and wounded several others in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian military said Russia launched 20 cruise missiles and an Iskander-M ballistic missile during the attack, revising an earlier assessment that 19 cruise missiles had been fired. It said 14 of the missiles were destroyed by Ukraine's air defenses.
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The Russian military also used S-300 missiles to hit Kharkiv six times, injuring two people, the General Staff said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his evening video address that the barrage that set off air alerts across most of Ukraine showed that Russia "repeats the evil it has already done but tries to make each strike more painful."
With winter approaching, he said Ukraine's task is to "show strength and not let the enemy seize the initiative, not let them fortify" their positions.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russian forces deployed a total of seven Tu-95MS aircraft from the Saratov region to carry out the attacks.
"After a long break of 79 days the enemy has resumed air strikes with cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic air force aircraft," Dnipropetrovsk regional Governor Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram.
The Ukrainian military said earlier that the attacks caused substantial damage to civilian and energy infrastructure.
One missile hit the city of Pavlohrad in Dnipropetrovsk region, killing one resident and wounding eight others, two of them seriously, Lysak said.
"More than 20 residential buildings, nine commercial buildings, and a school were damaged in the strike. Power lines were also affected," Lysak said.
Five drones were also shot down above the Pavlohrad and Synelnyk districts of Dnipropetrovsk, he added.
The air defense separately reported that seven Iranian-made drones targeted the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov said on Telegram that the S-300 missile attack on Kharkiv wounded two people and caused damage to residential infrastructure, including a school.
SEE ALSO: Who Was Illya Kyva? Ukrainian 'Traitor' Gunned Down Near MoscowIn Kharkiv's Kupyansk district, three people were wounded and one apartment building was damaged by Russian shelling, Synyehubov said.
Ukraine has been bracing for a second long winter of war with Russia amid intense fighting in the east, especially around the industrial city of Avdiyivka in Donetsk region.
The General Staff said early on December 8 that Ukrainian defenders repelled 30 Russian assaults in the Avdiyivka area over the previous 24 hours.
Russian forces have been attempting for several weeks to encircle Avdiyivka, which has become the latest symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
Avdiyivka has remained in Ukrainian hands even after Russia in 2014 seized large portions of the Donetsk region, including Donetsk city, located just 10 kilometers to the south.
On December 8, Germany delivered a new package of military aid to Ukraine that includes shells, drones, and vehicles.
The German government said in a statement that the new package included 10 Vector reconnaissance drones, 1,750 artillery shells, 70 grenade launchers, six patrol cars, and eight trucks, as well as 100,000 military first-aid kits.
Germany is second only to the United States in terms of military aid provided to Kyiv.
Last month, Germany pledged a further 1.3 billion euros ($1.42 billion) in military aid for Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.