numerous others.
CNN will bring you more
information as we get it.
>>> All right, turning now to
the sound and the furure of
Russian rockets echoing across
Ukraine today.
Smoke hanging in the Kyiv air.
Evidence of a massive missile
barrage that triggered sirens
throughout the country.
The aerial assault mixed cruise
missiles and drones pointed at
infrastructure nearly 70
projectiles in the sky, fresh
signs that Ukraine's defenses
held and interrepresented of a
Russian missile caught on
camera.
The military claims it shut down
the bulk of the Russian barrage.
And yet what alluded Ukraine air
defenses shattered ordinary life
again.
Mangling cars and pulverizing
buildings.
Let's get straight to Kyiv and
Ben wedeman.
Moscow wants to keep Ukraine in
the dark especially during this
holiday season.
>> It looks like -- Ben, can you
hear me?
It looks like we lost Ben there.
We'll try to get him back.
Let's talk more about this and
some critical perspective from
our long time Moscow bureau
chief Jill Dougherty.
As we try to get Ben wedeman
back up.
Tell us more about the
significance of this huge
barrage of missiles that have
been fired into the Ukraine sky,
but of course, much of them were
thwarted, how significant is
this latest barrage?
>> You know, unfortunately,
Amara, this is happening on a
regular basis now.
And I've been watching Ben's
excellent reporting.
And I was thinking back to the
many times that I've been to
Kyiv and other cities in
Ukraine.
But Kyiv is a beautiful city and
it is a beautiful city this time
of the year.
So the new year in that entire
area, Russia and Ukraine, all
parts of the former soviet
union, new year was a big, big
celebration.
It was huge.
And not to mention of course
Christmas.
So, I think the -- in addition
to the absolute destruction that
the Russian missiles are trying
to carry out, you also have this
psychological effect of bringing
as much devastation to
Ukrainians at this particular
point in the calendar.
And then also look at the
question of, you know, peace.
The Russians right now, the
foreign minister lavrov saying
this is dissolutional, the ideas
that zelenskyy is bringing
forth.
So I'm hoping we could get Ben
up on the air.
>> We do have him.
We want to get more analysis.
But let's go to Ben because we
do have him back up.
And beb, just describe what is
happening on the ground and the
destruction but also the
psychological warfare that Jill
Dougherty was mentioning during
this holiday season heading into
new years.
>> This is expected.
That the Russians would strike
just before the new year which
as Jill was saying, here it is
considered one of the biggest
holidays of the year.
Now, this morning at around
9:00, we heard several
explosions here in central Kyiv
and according to the mayor of
Kyiv, there were 16 Russian
missiles fired in the direction
of the capitol.
All of them were intercepted.
But debris fell to the ground
and we went to two separate
locations where homes were
severely damaged, if not
destroyed.
At one location there were two
men living in the house, one an
elderly father and his adult
son.
And their house was destroyed.
They escaped with scratches but
their car was exploded and
burned.
At another location where we
believe debris fell, there was
widespread destruction in one
home, a 14-year-old girl was
wounded as well as her mother
and a man nearby.
But by enlarge the capital did
escape what could have been a
far more serious attack because
of the success of the air
defenses which did not
unfortunately work everywhere.
In the eastern city of kharkiv,
two people were killed.
And in the western city of lviv,
which is far away from the
danger of this war, 90% of the
power has been knocked out.
Amara?
>> Ben wedeman, live on the
ground in Kyiv.
Now back to you, Jill.
Now last week in Washington, we
heard from president volodymyr
zelenskyy and he told congress
that the air defense systems
were not enough to deter attacks
so how loud do you think the
call for other anti-aircraft
defense systems will get now
following this attack and I'd
imagine more are expected during
this holiday season.
>> Well, obviously, you know,
Ukraine wants as much as it
could get.
Because if this is a regular
thing which it already has
begun, they will need defenses
to protect from some of the
drones used in the attacks as
well.
And the issue when could this
end, could there ever be a peace
agreement, president zelenskyy
did bring forth a plan with ten
points of it and some of them
are Russians pulling out their
troops and reparations to
Ukraine for the destruction that
has been carried out by Russia,
et cetera.
And now, today, and you could
see the organized answer, the
foreign minister, the
spokesperson for the foreign
ministry was saying this is an
illusion that this is going to
happen.
Russia will never go for it.
And also blaming the united
States, always -- I think at
this particular point it is
Ukraine that immediately becomes
the United States.
The United States is supposedly
orchestrating all of this.
>> Also Putin has been unusually
quiet right.
I mean, he's been relatively out
of public view.
He didn't give his usual year
end press conference and the war
seems to be at a stalemate right
now.
What is Putin up to?
>> Well, today, the latest that
I noticed is that he's signed a
law that would have life
imprisonment for sabotage.
So you're seeing more and more
really serious laws coming on
the books for what obviously is
some type of reaction, people
who are opposed to this
sabotage, criticism, et cetera.
So I think he's toughening up
the laws.
And also on a human basis,
you've been watching the media
and their weaponizing Christmas
and new year's and the Santa
clause is running around in a
armored personnel carrier an the
Russians have their Z, for the
war, but it is the special
military operation as president
Putin calls it.
And so there are these sim bombs
that used to be a peaceful
celebration for Christmas have
been weaponize and it is all
over the country.
>> And look, I know that you're
quite in touch with what is
happening in Moscow and what
people are feeling, I know you
also keep track of what is being
broadcast on the news there.
How do you feel like how the
Russias are feeling regarding
this drawn out war right now?
>> It is so hard, because there
is a little bit of polling that
we've been saying this over and
over again, in the circumstances
of a war, it is very difficult
to carry out any time of polling
that makes sense.
And especially in the time of
severe repression for anyone who
doesn't agree with the war.
So that said, it appears, and it
is my impression, is that people
are tired of it, want it to end,
but they kind of give up and
say, I can't change it, it is my