Ukraine war: Zelensky calls for long-range weapons after drone attack on Kyiv
- Russia launched its fifth drone attack on Kyiv in two weeks overnight, with Ukraine’s military saying the drones were destroyed before they reached the capital
Ukraine needed long-range weapons to protect its cities and troops on the frontline from Russian bombs and drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday after a massive overnight drone and missile attack.
Russia launched its fifth drone attack on Kyiv in two weeks overnight, with Ukraine’s air defence systems destroying all the air weapons before they reached the capital, Ukraine’s military said.
Ukraine’s air force said on Telegram that its air defence systems destroyed 35 of the 39 drones and two cruise missiles that Russia had launched overnight. The weapons, the air force said, targeted 10 of Ukraine’s regions.
It was not immediately clear how many drones were launched at Kyiv. There were no casualties and no significant damage reported, Serhiy Popko, head of the Ukrainian capital’s military administration, said on Telegram.
“During last night alone, the Russian army used almost 40 ‘Shaheds’ against Ukraine. Importantly, most of them were shot down by our defenders of the sky,” Zelensky said on Telegram, referring to the drones.
He said it was necessary to destroy Russian bombers at Russian airbases to protect Ukraine from air raids.