 "As Russia rains missiles & drones on Ukraine, Zelenskyy urges Europe to join hands in air defence")
After Russia launched one of the largest missile and drone attacks of recent weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday urged European partners to join hands in the defence of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy sought to replicate the Middle East model in Ukraine where Western nations of the United States, France, and the United Kingdom and Arab partners Jordan and Saudi Arabia came together to help Israel defend itself against the Iranian attack in April. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Zelenskyy said that if such an arrangement can work in the Middle East, it should in Europe too.
“Across Ukraine, we could do much more to protect lives if the aviation of our European neighbours operated in concert with our F-16s and air defence systems. If such unity has proven effective in the Middle East, it must work in Europe too. Life holds the same value everywhere,” said Zelenskyy.
Russia hit Ukraine with more than 200 drones and missiles on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, said Zelenskyy, as per AFP.
Zelenskyy said the Russian attack comprised more than 100 missiles of various types and around ‘Shaheds’ — an apparent references to Iranian Shahed suicide drones that Russia has used against Ukraine throughout the ongoing war.
“It was one of the largest strikes — a combined one. More than a hundred missiles of various types and about a hundred ‘Shaheds’,” said Zelensky.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSeparately, media reports indicated that targets of the overnight barrage included critical infrastructure like power stations and a dam.
‘We must unite to shoot down Russian drones & missiles’
Zelenskyy said that the Europe must unite to shoot down Russian drones and missiles.
The appeal is likely to not lead to any immediate change in policy as the United States and European nations have been clear that they will not join the war with Russia even as they help Ukraine with weapons, ammunition, intelligence, training, and military advice.
Zelenskyy said, “It is crucial that our partners uphold the commitments we’ve made together, in particular regarding air defence systems, missiles for them. And beyond that, we must finally unite in our efforts to shoot down Russian missiles and drones.”
Currently, across the country, efforts are underway to eliminate the consequences of the Russian strike. This was one of the largest attacks – a combined strike, involving over a hundred missiles of various types and around a hundred “Shaheds.” Like most Russian strikes before,… pic.twitter.com/0qNTGR98rR
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 26, 2024
Zelenskyy further repeated the call for permission to strike targets inside Russia. So far, Ukraine has only limited permission to hit targets inside Russia.
“Ukraine cannot be constrained in its long-range capabilities when the terrorists face no such limitations. Our defenders cannot be restricted in their weapons when Russia deploys its entire arsenal, including ‘Shaheds’ and ballistic missiles from North Korea. America, Britain, France, and our other partners have the power to help us stop this terror. The time for decisive action is now,” said Zelenskyy.
Russia strikes power stations & dam: Reports
In the overnight attack, Russia struck multiple power stations and at least one dam near Kyiv, according to reports.
Power outages were recorded in several cities, including Kyiv and Dnipro, according to the statement from energy company quoted by CNN.
Separately, The Wall Street Journal’s Yaroslav Trofimov said that a Russian missile had also hit the dam’s reservoir in Kyiv Sea near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Russia targeted the dam of the Kyiv Sea north of the capital, with one missile striking it. If the dam breaks, millions of people downstream can die. https://t.co/lGic3XE4MP pic.twitter.com/YBTUWIZzuC
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) August 26, 2024
Separately, Zelenskyy said that Russia struck targets in a total of five regions: Volyn, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, and Ternopil.
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