Six dead, dozens wounded as Russia strikes Ukraine with missiles, drones
Four people were killed and 17 injured when two glider bombs hit a crowded area in the northern city of Sumy, authorities said. One of the bombs hit a bus stop and photographs showed a destroyed yellow bus with one of its sides torn off.
Two more people were killed and another injured in a missile attack on the southern port city of Odessa earlier in the day; In the eastern city of Kharkiv, seven people were injured when a drone crashed into a civilian business.
Meanwhile, 11 people were injured in a night attack in the capital Kiev, in which ballistic and cruise missiles as well as unmanned aerial vehicles were used.
“Even before the air raid alert was issued, civilian infrastructure was hit,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, referring to attacks on Kiev. “Our defenders managed to hit most of the targets, but not the ballistic ones.”
He reiterated his call for Ukraine’s allies to quickly deliver air defense support packages agreed at this week’s NATO summit.
Ukraine’s air force said in a statement on Saturday morning that Russia launched 6 ballistic missiles, 6 cruise missiles and 121 unmanned aerial vehicles throughout the night, including night attacks on Kiev, before attacks on Odesa, Kharkiv and Sumy took place. It said it shot down at least two cruise missiles and 111 drones.
UKRAINE REQUESTS MATERIALS FROM ITS ALLIES
Ukraine, which is short on ammunition for its Patriot air defense systems, has largely failed to shoot down ballistic missiles traveling at several times the speed of sound over the past month.
He pleaded with his allies for greater supplies of this munition and also pushed Europe to work with Kiev on its own anti-ballistic air defense system.
U.S. President Donald Trump said this week that Ukraine would be given a license to produce its own Patriot interceptor missiles.
After Saturday’s attack, Zelenskiy called for these projects to move forward “as quickly as possible.”
Russia has increased its attacks on the capital in recent weeks. More than 60 people have been killed in attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region so far this month.
Kiev, on the other hand, is putting pressure on Russia’s military logistics in occupied southern Ukraine and trying to deprive Russian forces of fuel and ammunition by attacking trucks and ships deep in the front lines.
Ukraine’s drone force chief Robert Brovdi said his units hit 21 fuel tanker ships in the Sea of Azov overnight, as well as seven other cargo and support ships, bringing the total number of ships hit this week to 76.
Zelenskiy has said the goal of the drone strike campaign is to bring Russia to the negotiating table, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to publicly show any willingness to soften his position.
One person was killed in a drone attack on four ships, including a tanker carrying methanol, in the Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, Russian officials said on Saturday.
On Friday, fire broke out at two fuel depots and the Taganrog sea port following drone attacks.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that its air defense troops shot down a total of 178 Ukrainian UAVs in various regions throughout the night.
