Russia launched over 200 drones across multiple regions in Ukraine late on Sunday, killing two and injuring dozens others.
In a post on X, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strikes, saying: “Strikes targeted the Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnitsky, and Odesa regions.”
He offered condolences to the families of those killed, and once again called on allies to increase support to Ukraine to counter Russia in its nearly-four-year-old war.
“This week alone, more than 1,300 attack drones, around 1,050 guided aerial bombs and 29 missiles of various types have been launched against Ukraine. That is why Ukraine still needs more protection – above all, more missiles for air defence systems,” Zelenskyy said.
The attack comes at a time when senior Ukrainian officials, including National Security and Defence Council Secretary, Rustem Umerov, are due to meet in Miami, US, to discuss security guarantees and a post-war reconstruction package for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader accused Russia of deliberately undermining ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war and continuing to pound Ukraine.
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure sites have pushed the country’s civilian population to the brink, forcing thousands to flee their homes in the middle of harsh winter conditions.
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Major Ukraine cities, including the capital Kyiv, are experiencing frequent blackouts and disruptions in power due to damage to power units. According to Ukrainian weather officials, temperatures in Kyiv and other parts have fallen to minus 16 degrees Celsius in recent days.
Zelenskyy said on Saturday he had ordered the acceleration of electricity imports and the procurement of additional power equipment in the face blackouts.
In fact, Russia-controlled territories in the south of Ukraine are also facing acute energy shortage, with more than 200,000 homes going without power supply at one time, according to authorities in Moscow.
Yevgeny Balitsky, the Moscow-installed governor of the Russia-occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region, said the attack had cut power to 2,13,000 homes and 386 localities in the region.
On Saturday evening, Vladimir Saldo, governor of neighbouring Kherson region, said that a Ukrainian strike had hit an electrical substation, causing outages in 14 towns and 450 villages.
Russian forces had warned Ukraine of a response after Moscow accused Kyiv of targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in Novgorod with drones earlier this month – claims that Kyiv denies.
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