Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called for action to provide military aid to Ukraine, especially air defense systems, after the Ukrainian military said an overnight Russian air strike included 42 missiles and 40 drones.
Zelensky said on social media: “If Russian missiles and ‘Shahed’ drones continue to attack not only Ukraine, but also the resolve of our allies, this will amount to a global license for terrorist activities. ” We need air defense systems and other defense assistance, not just turn a blind eye and have a long discussion.”
Zelensky said the latest attacks targeted the Kharkiv, Kiev, Zaporozhye, Lviv and Odessa regions.
“Russian terrorists have once again attacked critical infrastructure,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian Air Force said the country’s air defense systems shot down 39 of 40 drones and destroyed 18 of 42 missiles.
Ukrainian power grid operator Ukrenergo said Russian attacks damaged its facilities in five different regions.
Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, said 10 missiles struck the city of Kharkiv and that Russian attacks on energy infrastructure left more than 200,000 people without power.
Lviv region governor Maksym Kozytskyi reported that the attack resulted in fires at a gas facility and an electrical substation.
Odessa Governor Ole Kiper also reported that an energy facility caught fire due to debris from a downed drone.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Thursday that it used 12 drones to target multiple areas to thwart attacks in Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it destroyed three drones over Kursk, three over Tambov, two over Belgorod and one over Mol. Two drones were destroyed over Dovia and one drone each over Bryansk and Lipetsk.
Ukraine often attacks areas close to the Ukrainian-Russian border, such as Belgorod and Bryansk. The attacks on Mordovia and Tambov were among the less common, but struck much deeper into Russian territory.
peace conference
Switzerland said on Wednesday it would host a high-level international conference in June aimed at ending Russia’s two-year war in Ukraine, but admitted Russia was unlikely to join the peace process.
The conference, scheduled for June 15-16 at the lakeside resort of Burgenstock near Lucerne, is likely to attract senior officials from dozens of countries. Swiss daily Neue Zürcher reported that U.S. President Joe Biden, Ukraine’s main global backer, may attend, but White House officials said no decision had yet been made on which U.S. officials might attend.
The meeting follows plans developed by Zelensky and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis in recent months. Switzerland’s top diplomat said more than 100 countries would be invited to the meeting.
“After Ukraine, the first country we talk to is of course Russia, because without Russia the peace process cannot happen, even if it will not participate in the first meeting,” Cassis told reporters.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned last week that any talks to end the fighting in Ukraine can only succeed if Moscow’s interests are taken into account. He called the Swiss round of peace talks a Western ruse to gain broader international support for Kiev.
Zelensky said in his daily speech on Wednesday that Ukraine must be able to defend its airspace, lands and waterways as part of a just end to the war. “We have no right to err on these fronts,” he said. “The world needs a clear position on a just end to this war,” the Ukrainian leader said.
Information for this report was provided in part by Reuters, The Associated Press and AFP.
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