Zelenskyy slammed the attacks as Russian terror and intimidation and called for further pressure to force the Kremlin to the negotiating table to end its ongoing war, now well into its fourth year.
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Russian forces fired a barrage of hundreds of drones and missiles against Ukraine overnight on Thursday, targeting several cities and striking civilian targets and energy infrastructure.
The city of Nizhyn in the northern Chernihiv region came under intense shelling in the late hours of Wednesday. Local officials say a few settlements were struck by a wave of Russian drones, beginning at 7 pm local time.
Two people were injured and taken to hospital as a result of those strikes. Two residential buildings and several vehicles were also damaged.
Emergency response units say the roof of one of the targeted buildings partially collapsed, compromising its structural integrity and making the building a hazard to its residents.
Regional head of the Chernihiv Military Administration, Viacheslav Chaus, said the attack was deliberately targeting civilian areas. He added that Russian drones also targeted logistics centres that supply the region with water, power and resources, in a bid to intimidate residents.
In Sumy, four people were injured after Russia bombarded the city with more than 135 strikes on over three dozen different settlements across the region.
Police say an apartment building, six residences, a business and several vehicles were damaged in the strikes. Local authorities also say critical and industrial infrastructure facilities were struck in the attacks.
The settlement of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk in the eastern Donbas region was also struck overnight into Thursday.
It has been one of the main strike zones for Russia in recent weeks, as the Kremlin looks to advance its foothold in the Donbas, one of the most active frontlines since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukrainian officials are continuing to organise evacuations for the city’s trapped residents, though it’s been difficult due to the constant ongoing fighting and shelling.
On Thursday, Ukrainian officials said several families had been successfully evacuated, including children aged 8 and 13.
'Double terror' strategy
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed the Kremlin for the strikes, calling the new wave of attacks a strategy of “double terror”.
“There is confirmation that the Russians are using double terror – attacking with 'Shaheds' carrying cluster munitions and launching repeated strikes to injure firefighters and energy workers who are restoring damaged facilities," the Ukrainian president said in a post on X.
Zelenskyy said over 300 drones and more than 37 missiles of different types, including ballistic missiles, were launched in the attack.
He also called for further pressure on the Kremlin to end its almost four-year invasion, noting that it is the “only language” that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin responds to.
“Putin has turned a deaf ear to everything the world says, so the only language that can still get through to him is the language of pressure – pressure through sanctions and pressure through long-range capabilities," Zelenskyy stated.
He also urged European and Western lawmakers to make "strong decisions” to establish a peace momentum in Europe, similar to that struck in the Middle East in recent days.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has struck the Kremlin’s energy sector deep inside Russian territory, as Kyiv announced on Thursday it had hit an oil refinery in Russia’s western Saratov region.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) confirmed the strike, saying it dealt a major blow to the refinery, which it also struck exactly a month ago on 16 September.
"The Saratov Refinery is one of the oldest Russian oil refining enterprises, formerly known as the Cracking Plant, and is part of the Rosneft oil company," the SSO said in a social media post.
"The volume of oil processing as of 2020 is 7.2 million tonnes, and in 2023 it is 4.8 million tonnes,” it added.