Russian warplane accidentally bombed its own side during a massive missile attack on Ukraine

• Russian forces launched a massive missile and drone attack against Ukraine on Tuesday.
• During the barrage, Russia accidentally bombed one of its own villages near its border with Ukraine.
• Moscow said no one was killed but acknowledged the incident damaged several homes.

Russia said Tuesday that one of its warplanes accidentally bombed a Russian village during a massive attack on Ukraine.

In a statement carried by state media, the Russian defense ministry said that an "emergency aircraft munition release" occurred around 9 a.m. local time, when "an aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces was conducting a flight over the Petropavlovka settlement in the Voronezh Region."

"There were no casualties," the statement said, noting, however, that six buildings were damaged and that an investigation into the incident is underway.

Petropavlovka is located in western Russia's Voronezh region, a little under 100 miles east of the border with Ukraine.

Aleksander Gusev, the regional governor, said on Telegram that several of the village's residents are being relocated to temporary housing facilities, and local authorities are reviewing financial compensation and looking into building new homes.

The incident came amid a massive aerial attack against Ukraine early Tuesday morning local time, which saw the Russian military fire more than 130 missiles and drones at military and civilian targets — including critical infrastructure and industrial facilities — across the country.

Ukraine's air force said the military shot down all 35 Shahed one-way attack drones, as well as more than 70 cruise and ballistic missiles — a majority of which were intercepted around Kyiv. Russia fired the munitions from a combination of strategic bombers, fighter jets, and warships at sea.

The widespread attack has killed at least five people and injured over 120 others, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who praised the work of Western-provided air-defense systems for preventing greater destruction and saving lives.

Zelenskyy said the country's air-defense network has done "an incredible job" over the past three days, during which Russia has fired hundreds of missiles and drones, mainly targeting civilian infrastructure.

"I am grateful to all of our partners who are helping us strengthen our air shield. Every day and night, this helps save hundreds of lives that would have been lost if we didn't have 'Patriots' and other defense systems," Zelenskyy said, referring to the US-made MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system.

"This year, we will continue to work with everyone around the world who values life to bolster our air shield and hold Russia accountable for everything it has done. The terrorist state must feel the repercussions of its actions," the Ukrainian president added.

Tuesday's barrage came just four days after Russia unleashed the largest strike on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Moscow's forces on Friday fired nearly 160 missiles and drones at targets across the country, damaging and destroying scores of private homes, residential buildings, hospitals, schools, and commercial facilities. At least 30 people were killed and 150 more left injured, according to officials.

After the attack, President Joe Biden hailed Ukraine's air-defense systems for successfully stopping many of the missiles and drones but expressed his concern over the future of US security assistance for Kyiv as additional funding remains held up by Republican lawmakers. Other leaders in the West have also voiced their unease at the situation in recent weeks.

"Unless Congress takes urgent action in the new year, we will not be able to continue sending the weapons and vital air-defense systems Ukraine needs to protect its people," Biden said in a statement. "Congress must step up and act without any further delay. The stakes of this fight extend far beyond Ukraine."

Meanwhile, as the war inches closer to the two-year anniversary, the sprawling front line remains largely static, with neither Russia nor Ukraine able to make any overly significant breakthroughs. Casualties on both sides, however, continue to mount.