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Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced his frustration with Donald Trump by calling for “concrete actions” rather than “silence” after Russia launched one of its largest attacks on Kyiv of the war, with seven of the Ukrainian capital’s 10 districts hit overnight.
A total of 316 drones and seven missiles were launched at Ukrainian targets across the country in the early hours of Tuesday, including at Odesa in the south-east, where two people were killed. But it was the capital that was the focus of Russia’s ferocious barrage.
The unrelenting night-time raid stretched over five hours and will be seen as part of a continuing response by the Kremlin to Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb, which struck Russia’s nuclear-capable bombers on Monday last week.
The strikes on Tuesday morning followed a record 419 drones launched at Ukraine the previous night.
Ukraine’s air defence systems shot down seven Russian missiles and 213 attack drones, while 64 drones were said to have disappeared from radars or were intercepted by electronic warfare systems.
In a statement on his Telegram channel, Zelenskyy appeared to criticise the lack of response from the US and others to the recent stepping up of Russia’s attacks. Trump has prevaricated over the question of further economic sanctions on the Kremlin.
Zelenskyy said: “Russian strikes with missiles and Shaheds [drones] are louder than the efforts of the United States and others in the world to force Russia to peace. Every night, instead of a ceasefire, there have been massive strikes with Shaheds, cruise missiles and ballistics. Today was one of the largest strikes on Kyiv. Odesa, the Dnipro region and Chernihiv region were also targeted.”
Zelenskyy said 250 of the drones were Shaheds, and two of the seven missiles were of “North Korean production”.
He added: “Ordinary houses and urban infrastructure were damaged, and even a maternity hospital in Odesa became a Russian target. Thirteen people were injured. Unfortunately, there are fatalities. My condolences to the relatives.
“It is important that the response to this and other similar Russian strikes is not the silence of the world but concrete actions. Actions by America, which has the power to force Russia to peace. The actions of Europe, which has no alternative but to be strong. The actions of others in the world who have called for diplomacy and an end to the war and who have been ignored by Russia. Hard pressure is needed for peace.”
The buzzing of drones followed by explosions could be heard throughout the night in Kyiv, where residents had been told by the local authorities to take shelter in bunkers.
The city smelled of smoke on Tuesday with charred residential buildings and the remains of cars on the streets offering evidence of the impact of the strikes, which are believed to have targeted the city’s energy infrastructure.
Due to the poor air quality caused by the smoke billowing from the locations of the strikes, residents were advised on Tuesday morning to keep their windows closed and to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity.
Timur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military district, said on Telegram: “A difficult night for all of us. Throughout the night, the enemy relentlessly terrorised Kyiv with attack drones. They targeted civilian infrastructure and peaceful residents of the city.”
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, called for tougher sanctions on Russia and for air defences to strengthen Ukraine after the attack.
He said: “Russia rejects any meaningful peace efforts and must face new, devastating sanctions. Already now. There is no more time to wait.”
In Odesa, 10 drone strikes injured nine people as well as killing two, including a 59-year-old man, while a maternity hospital was among the buildings damaged.
The Odesa regional governor, Oleh Kiper, said: “The Russians hit a maternity hospital, an emergency medical ward and residential buildings.”
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, claimed Russia had targeted civilian infrastructure. “Russian attacks on civilian targets continue,” he wrote. “Russia lies every day about wanting peace and every day it targets civilians.”
