Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the United States to provide additional Patriot missile systems following one of Russia’s largest aerial assaults in recent months, which left at least 22 people dead and more than 100 injured.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia launched 73 missiles and 656 drones of various types overnight, targeting at least six cities, including Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia. Sixteen people were killed in Dnipro, including two children, while six deaths were reported in the Ukrainian capital. In Kyiv, the attacks caused extensive damage to residential buildings, civilian infrastructure, and energy facilities, leaving more than 140,000 residents without electricity.
Ukrainian officials argue that Russia is attempting to offset growing pressure on the battlefield by intensifying its aerial campaign against cities across the country.
Zelenskyy said the strikes primarily targeted civilian and energy infrastructure and reiterated the need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses with Patriot systems, which are considered crucial for intercepting ballistic missiles. His appeal comes at a time when global Patriot inventories are under strain, as demand has increased due to conflicts in the Middle East.
At the same time, Ukraine notes that since Donald Trump returned to the presidency, the United States has not supplied Patriot systems directly to Kyiv. Instead, European countries purchase the systems from the U.S. and subsequently transfer them to Ukraine.
Moscow described the attacks as retaliation for previous Ukrainian strikes and said it would continue what it called “systematic strikes.” Kyiv, meanwhile, believes Russia is seeking to compensate for mounting pressure along the front line by escalating missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities.
Sources: Guardian, BBC
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