AGENCIES
Russia pummelled Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles early yesterday, killing at least 18 people, after having threatened a large-scale attack and warning foreign citizens to leave Kyiv.
Authorities in the Ukrainian capital had been sounding the alarm that Russia was preparing another massive barrage, the latest in a string of deadly strikes that have escalated the four-year war and dented already slim hopes for peace.
AFP journalists in the capital heard air raid sirens wailing over the city before a series of loud explosions that lasted throughout the night sent residents with bags and blankets rushing to shelter in crowded metro stations.
Ukraine’s foreign minister said the latest Russian attack was a sign of Russian desperation, that President Vladimir Putin was bombing civilians since his forces were struggling on the battlefield.
“Putin is a war criminal and loser who has no cards except terror. Moscow is losing on the battlefield. No number of missiles can change this,” Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said in a statement on social media.
The Russian Defence Ministry said yesterday that its massive overnight strike on Ukraine was a response to what it called “terrorist acts” against targets inside Russia and said it had struck a range of Ukrainian military targets, reports Reuters.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the latest attack showed Europe needed to develop its own air defence systems and that support from the United States remained crucial.
“Europe needs its own anti-ballistic defence so that this war can finally be brought to an end. And assistance from the United States in supplying missiles for Patriot systems is absolutely necessary,” Zelensky wrote on social media.
His Prime Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, meanwhile said that “every delay” in supporting Ukraine’s air defence system “costs lives”. The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 73 missiles and 656 drones, adding it had downed 602 of the drones and 40 of the missiles.
Moscow has bombarded Ukraine almost daily since launching its invasion in February 2022.