Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelensky has alleged that the US’s “silence” after recent Russian attacks is encouraging President Vladimir Putin, following Moscow’s largest aerial attack yet.
The overnight attack saw Russia launch the highest number of drones and missiles in a single night since the war began.
At least 12 people, including three children, were killed and dozens more were injured in widespread strikes across Ukraine. The attack came a day after one of the heaviest assaults on the capital Kyiv since the start of the war.
Zelensky warned that Russia’s “brutality cannot be stopped” without “strong pressure on the Russian leadership.”
Despite mounting international calls, Moscow has continued to intensify its aerial campaign, showing no sign of halting its offensive and ignoring calls for a ceasefire.
In a pointed message to US President Donald Trump – who has previously claimed that Putin is interested in ending the war – Zelensky said: “The world may go on vacation, but the war continues, despite weekends and weekdays.
“This cannot be ignored. America’s silence, and the silence of others in the world, only encourages Putin.”
Ukraine’s Air Force said that since 20:40 on Saturday local time (17:40 GMT), Russia had carried out strikes using 367 missiles of various types, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones.
The air force said it had shot down 45 cruise missiles and destroyed 266 UAVs, with most regions in Ukraine affected and hits recorded in 22 locations. Rescuers were working in more than 30 cities and villages, Zelensky said.
Of the people killed, three in the Zhytomyr region were children – all siblings, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Mariana Betsa. In a statement on X, she identified them as eight-year-old Stanislav, Tamara, 12, and Roman, 17.
Two women, aged 85 and 56, were killed after a house in Kupiansk was hit, according to Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional office.
In the Kyiv region, four people were killed and 16 injured, including three children, DSNS said.
Russia’s defence ministry said it had inflicted damage on targets including military airfields, ammunition depots and electric warfare stations, claiming damage across 142 areas.
According to Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko, 13 regions were attacked, with more than 60 people injured, 80 residential buildings damaged, and 27 fires recorded. Deaths were reported in several regions.
Klymenko called it a “combined, ruthless strike aimed at civilians”.
