According to military information from Kyiv, Russia is again covering Ukraine with large rocket attacks.
Air alerts went off across the country on Thursday morning.
Several heavy explosions could also be heard in the center of the capital Kyiv, as a reporter from the German Press Agency reported on site.
According to reports, the Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense was deployed to repel the attacks.
It was initially unclear whether there were rocket hits.
The detonations are also mainly when the Russian missiles or drones are shot down.
Nationwide, Russia is said to have attacked with more than 120 missiles.
They were shot down by the "evil Russian world" in order to destroy important infrastructure and kill masses of civilians, wrote the adviser in the presidential office, Mykhailo Podoliak, on Twitter.
There have been reports of missile strikes and explosions from authorities in several parts of Ukraine to the south and west.
These were the heaviest missile attacks since December 16, when Russia launched massive aerial bombardments and warships in the Black Sea.
It was the tenth such wave since October.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had been warning of the threat of new attacks for days.
The new wave was expected before the end of the year.
There had already been drone attacks during the night.
The Ukrainian military said in the morning that after the night drone strikes, the enemy is now attacking from different directions with missiles launched by air bombers and warships.
There is a "high level of activity" by the occupiers, it said.
Authorities urged people to seek shelter in bunkers as a matter of urgency.
Zelenskyj appeal to humanity
"No matter what happens and what's on your mind, support each other, absolutely," Selenskyj asked in his daily video speech on Wednesday evening.
"Please take the time to say kind words to those close to you." He called on Ukrainians to help each other in times of need.
"If you know that someone is expecting a son or daughter from the war, please pay attention: say hello, listen, help," said the Ukrainian leader.
"Hug your family more often." Kind words to colleagues or friends are also appropriate.
It is also important not to lose contact with friends and family.
At the end of his speech, Zelenskyj got a bit political: "Protect Ukraine, respect each other and do everything to help our soldiers."
Russia's foreign minister expects supplies to Kyiv to be disrupted
According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the supply routes for weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian army from abroad will soon be interrupted.
"We are observing that Ukraine is getting more and better Western weapons," Lavrov said on Russian television.
Therefore, there are calls among military experts to interrupt these delivery routes.
"Railway lines, bridges and tunnels" are being considered, said Lavrov.
"I expect they'll make professional decisions about how to make those deliveries more difficult or, ideally, stop them altogether."
Attacks against the Ukrainian infrastructure are already being worked on in part.
If the energy grid is interrupted, the delivery of new weapons will already be made more difficult.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian war of aggression for more than a decade.
Merz demands from Scholz yes to the delivery of tanks to Ukraine
Union faction leader Friedrich Merz insists on the delivery of modern Leopard II battle tanks to Ukraine.
"Supporting Ukraine with infantry fighting vehicles and battle tanks would not prolong this war, it would shorten it," said the CDU chairman of the German Press Agency in Berlin.
"Germany and other European countries should have supplied Ukraine with infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks of Western design long ago."
Ukrainian Ambassador: "Peace does not fall from the sky"
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, reiterated his country's demands for further support in the war against Russia.
“Peace does not fall from the sky.
It has to be fought for.
And we Ukrainians do that on behalf of all Europeans,” Makeiev told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Thursday).
The Ukrainians wished for “more courage and determination from our allies and partners”.
As goals for 2023, Makeiev named the "complete liberation of our country from Russian occupiers, the restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, the return of our compatriots home, the reconstruction of our country and further progress in integration into the EU and NATO “.
Habeck: Russia is heading for defeat in Ukraine
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck sees Russia on the way to military defeat.
"Nobody would have thought that the year 2022 would end like this," said the Green politician of the German Press Agency in Berlin.
"Putin is losing this war on the battlefield," he said.
This is because the Ukrainian army receives weapons from Europe, NATO countries and the USA and uses these weapons "skillfully and strategically, wisely and heroically".
"I am in favor of Germany, together with the allies, supporting Ukraine in such a way that it can win this war."
What can be important on Thursday
In Ukraine, the bitter battle for the front-line town of Bakhmut in the east of the country continues.