Kiev, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has launched a massive airstrike on Ukraine ahead of the third time in four days On Thursday, missiles and dozens of drones were fired again, most of which were intercepted, the Ukrainian air force said.
Russian forces fired five missiles and 74 Shahed drones at Ukrainian targets, an air force statement said. Air defenses stopped two missiles and 60 drones, and 14 other drones likely fell before reaching their targets, the report said.
According to authorities in the capital Kiev, debris from destroyed drones fell in three districts of the city, causing minor damage to civilian infrastructure but no injuries.
Russia’s ruthless and nerve-wracking long-range attacks on civilian areas have been a hallmark of warfare since the beginning of World War II. invaded his neighbor in February 2022.
Ukrainian officials have recently become more vocal in their long-standing insistence that Western countries that support their war efforts cease their war efforts. limits on what Ukraine is allowed to attack inside Russia with the long-range weapons supplied by them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his call on Western allies to exercise their authority in deciding on attacks on Russian soil.
“All of our partners should be more active — much more active — in fighting Russian terror,” Zelenskyy said Wednesday night. “We continue to insist that their determination now — lifting the restrictions on long-range strikes on Ukraine now — will help us end the war as soon as possible in a way that is fair to Ukraine and the world as a whole.”
The European Union’s top diplomat on Thursday supported Zelenskyy’s attempt that international investors end their restrictions.
Ukraine has used domestically produced drones to attack Russia.
The Russian military said on Thursday it had foiled an overnight attack on Crimea. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had killed three Ukrainian sea drones aimed at the Black Sea Peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Russian-installed Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev added that four Ukrainian air and three sea drones were destroyed “a significant distance” from the peninsula’s coast.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army’s general staff acknowledged on Thursday that Ukraine was involved in attacks on oil storage facilities deep inside Russia this week, where fires broke out.
The attacks in the Rostov and Kirov regions were part of Ukraine’s efforts to disrupt the logistical infrastructure supporting the Russian war machine.
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