KABUL: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, said Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack involving nearly 700 drones and 19 cruise missiles targeting Kyiv and other cities.
In a statement posted Thursday, Zelenskyy said the strikes killed several people, including a 12-year-old child, and injured around 100 others.
Citing Ukraine’s air force, he added that 636 drones and a number of missiles were intercepted by Ukrainian defenses.
According to the president, casualties were reported in Odesa, Kyiv, and Dnipro.
Zelenskyy stressed that “no normalization” with Russia is acceptable under current conditions and called for increased pressure on Moscow. He also urged allies to deliver promised assistance to Ukraine on time.
The latest attack comes as Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO, recently said the alliance would help finance Ukraine’s defense efforts against Russia.