Russia has launched a “massive” drone attack on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, according to officials in the war-hit nation.
Key points:
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia had launched 40 Shahed drones
- Ukraine’s air force says it shot down 24 of the drones as well as a Russian missile
- Concerns are growing Russia will step up strikes in an attempt to cripple Ukraine’s energy infrastructure
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched 40 Shahed drones on Thursday night local time, aiming at 10 regions including Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia near the front lines, and the capital Kyiv.
“Last night there were about 40 Shaheds. More than half of them were shot down,” Mr Zelenskyy said on social media.
Russia has used hundreds of Iranian-made self-detonating Shahed drones to attack targets across Ukraine since the start of the conflict.
Ukraine’s air force says it shot down 24 of the drones as well as a Russian missile.
There were no reported fatalities but local officials reported damage to residential buildings in several regions.
Interior Minister Igor Klymenko called the attack “massive”, while presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak warned Russia was “gradually increasing its air attacks on Ukraine”.
Ukrainian officials had claimed Russia had shelled more than 100 settlements on Wednesday — more than in any single day so far this year.
Fears Russia will expand offensive during winter
Concerns are growing that Russia will step up missile and drone strikes in an attempt to cripple Ukraine’s energy infrastructure through the winter.
“We realise that with the approach of winter, Russian terrorists will try to do more damage,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
“We will respond to the enemy. Powerfully.”
Lviv Governor Maksym Kozytsky said Russian drone strikes hit five critical infrastructure sites on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry said it had shot down two Ukrainian drones over its Belgorod region bordering Ukraine.
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Russian officials also dismissed new US sanctions over the war in Ukraine, saying the US would never defeat Moscow.
The United States targeted Russia’s future energy capabilities, among others measures, in sanctions on hundreds of Russian people and entities.
“This is a continuation of the policy of inflicting, as they call it, a strategic defeat on us,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian state television.
“They will have to wait in vain forever before that happens.”
So far, President Vladimir Putin is girding Russia’s $3.25 trillion economy for a long war, and Western hopes of stoking a swift economic crisis through tough sanctions have not been realised.
AFP/Reuters