Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday condemned Iran’s drone attacks on Israel, saying Russia and Iran’s “obvious cooperation” in “spreading terror” must be met with “a resolute and united response from the world.”

“Iran’s actions threaten the entire region and the world, just as Russia’s actions threaten a larger conflict,” Zelensky wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Zelensky linked the situation in Israel to Ukraine, saying that Ukraine, like Israel, had also been attacked by Iranian-made Shahd drones and missiles.

“We Ukrainians know all too well the horror of similar attacks by Russia, using the same ‘Shahed’ drones and Russian missiles, and the same massive air strike tactics,” he wrote.

The West’s coordinated response intercepted most of the 300 drones and missiles Iran fired at Israel on Saturday, prompting many Ukrainians to criticize Western allies for not showing as decisive and broad support for Ukraine as they have for Israel.

Zelensky said only “tangible aid” could protect Ukraine from missile and drone attacks and urged the release of U.S. war aid to Ukraine that has long been blocked by Congress.

“At this critical time, it is critical that the U.S. Congress make the necessary decisions to strengthen America’s allies,” he said.

The Washington-based Institute for War Research warned that further delays in U.S. military aid would increasingly undermine Ukraine’s ability to repel a Russian offensive.

Patriot air defense system, military training

As Kyiv awaits urgently needed aid from the U.S. Congress, Germany announced on Saturday that it would provide Ukraine with Patriot air defense systems, its third system so far, citing “large-scale Russian air strikes.”

Zelensky thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his “real support for Ukraine at this critical moment for us.”

The German chancellor posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he discussed Russia’s “massive” air strikes on civilian energy infrastructure with Zelensky on Saturday and that Berlin would “stand firmly with Ukraine.”

Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Alexander Silsky noted that Ukraine’s military is also hampered by a lack of adequate training needed to improve its ability to operate “military equipment and Western weapons.”

Ukraine’s European allies are training Kiev’s troops.

Ukrainian fighter pilots who may one day fly U.S. F-16 aircraft are undergoing preliminary training in southern France, French Defense Minister Sebastien Le Cornou said on Friday.

Other countries, including Denmark, the Netherlands and Romania, are helping Ukraine train pilots.

According to military sources, some Ukrainians are currently undergoing “advanced training” at an undisclosed location to learn how to fly fighter jets after initial training in the UK.

on the ground

At least five people were killed across Ukraine on Sunday in Russian and Ukrainian attacks. A man was killed when a Russian drone hit his truck in the Sumy region, the local prosecutor’s office said. In Kharkiv, officials recovered the bodies of a 61-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man killed in a Russian attack on Saturday.

Two civilians were killed in the Russian-occupied Kherson region on Sunday, according to Moscow-appointed leader Vladimir Sardo. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian drones were also reported in Russia’s Krasnodar and Belgorod regions and over the Black Sea.

Russian troops are making significant gains in eastern Ukraine near the Russian-occupied industrial town of Avdievka, Silsky said on the Telegram channel on Saturday.

“The situation on the eastern front has deteriorated significantly in recent days,” he said, adding that Russian troops had intensified their offensive in several sections of the 1,000-kilometer front after Russia’s presidential election last month.
Warm, dry weather is also a factor in Russia’s aggressive offensive, allowing its heavy vehicles to move quickly over dry terrain.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that its forces had “liberated” the village of Pervomaiske in the Donetsk region, about 11 kilometers west of the heavily destroyed town of Avdievka, which Russia captured in mid-February.

Ukraine has not confirmed Pervomaiske’s disappearance and its army claimed on Friday that it had repelled an attack on the village.

In a Cable update on Saturday, the Russian military said Moscow’s troops had also captured Bokhdanivka, another eastern village near the city of Bakhmut, which was damaged by a bloody siege nine months ago and its subsequent capture by Russian troops. known for its occupation.

Soon after, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry denied that Bokhdanivka had been captured and said “heavy fighting” was ongoing there.

Ukraine also said the situation around the eastern frontline city of Chasiv Yar, west of Bakhmut, remained “difficult and tense” with “continued fighting” in the area.

Silsky admitted that Russian troops have been “actively attacking” Ukrainian positions in three regions of Leman, Bakhmut and Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region. He said Ukraine was planning to “strengthen the most problematic areas of defense through electronic warfare and air defense.”

Russia has advantages in firepower and personnel over Ukraine, which is short of ammunition, and can intensify its attacks on eastern Ukraine. Additionally, Russian forces are increasingly using satellite-guided glide bombs, allowing aircraft to drop bombs from a safe distance and overwhelm Ukrainian forces.

Information for this report was provided in part by Reuters, The Associated Press and AFP.