KYIV, Ukraine—Russia fired a salvo of missiles at Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine on Saturday in what many Ukrainians saw as an attempt to intimidate them on the eve of the new year. 

The barrage of more than 20 missiles was the second this week and came hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses in 2023. The commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, Valeriy Zaluzhny, said 12 of the missiles had been intercepted.