Russia carried out its largest aerial attack over a two-day period since the start of its war in Ukraine, pounding the capital Kyiv and other cities with hundreds of drones, Ukrainian officials said yesterday.
Russia had launched 1,567 drones since the start of Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. At least 22 civilians have been killed over the two days, officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that the war, which has killed hundreds of thousands and ravaged swathes of Ukraine over more than four years, was “coming to an end.”
But, as Moscow launched what Ukraine said were more than 670 attack drones and 56 missiles overnight, Zelenskiy did not sound positive.
“These are definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end,” Zelenskiy said.
“It’s important that partners do not remain silent about this strike. And it is equally important to continue supporting the protection of our skies.”
Kyiv was the main target of the overnight strikes, Zelenskiy said.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Services said at least 16 people, including two children, were killed in the capital and Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced a day of mourning.
There was no immediate comment from Moscow.
Reuters TV footage from Kyiv showed emergency workers moving carefully across piles of rubble and cutting through concrete at the site of a strike on a nine-storey residential building where an entire section had been destroyed.
Speaking in his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said that, according to initial analysis, a recently manufactured Russian Kh-101 missile had struck the building.
He called for renewed diplomatic efforts to keep such technology out of Russian hands.
More than 1,500 rescue workers have been deployed across Ukraine to deal with the aftermath of the strikes, including nearly 600 in Kyiv.
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