Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted Russia after it launched a barrage of hundreds of drones and missiles targeting Ukraine overnight, stating that their expressed desire to end the war is insincere, as he called on allies to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia launched over 450 strike drones and 30 missiles overnight into Saturday, targeting various areas across Ukraine, killing at least three people and injuring 10 others.
One person was killed in the settlement of Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka in the eastern Donbas region, one of the most active frontlines in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, well into its fourth year.
In the nearby city of Kostiantynivka, two other people were killed in Russian attacks, as the Kremlin pummelled the Donbas with over 17 attacks on various settlements over the past 24-hours. Six people were also injured in strikes targeting Druzhkivka.
The southern port city of Odesa sustained major damage, after a second consecutive night of strikes targeting what officials called civilian areas and infrastructure. The strikes injured at least two civilians, according to Zelenskyy.
The Ukrainian president announced in a post on X on Saturday that many residents across several parts of the city are suffering from water and electricity outages. He did note however that works are underway to restore connectivity.
“All necessary services are currently working to restore electricity and water supply in our communities affected by Russia’s overnight attack. Once again, the main strike targeted our energy sector, the south of the country, and the Odesa region,” wrote Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy says that more than a dozen facilities were damaged across the country in Moscow’s overnight barrage.
“More than a dozen civilian facilities have been damaged across the country. Thousands of families currently remain without electricity after the overnight strikes in the Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Chernihiv regions. Attacks also hit the Dnipro and Cherkasy regions.”
The Ukrainian leader also slammed Moscow, highlighting that these continued daily attacks reflect the Kremlin’s unwillingness to end the war. Moscow has been stalling global peace efforts, led by US President Donald Trump, with its extensive demands, which Kyiv says is unacceptable to them.
“It is important that everyone now sees what Russia is doing – every step they take in terror against our people, all their attacks, for this is clearly not about ending the war. They still aim to destroy our state and inflict maximum pain on our people.”
He also called on allies to continue ramping up pressure on Moscow to force them to the negotiating table to “end the war they started”.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared on Thursday in a press briefing that Trump is “extremely frustrated” with the lack of progress on peace in Ukraine. Kyiv has repeatedly expressed its readiness to actively engage in peace efforts and end the fighting.
Meanwhile, two people were killed in a drone attack in Russia’s southwestern Saratov region following a Ukrainian drone attack, according to regional Governor Roman Busargin.
The drone attack damaged a residential building and several windows were also blown out at a kindergarten and clinic, according to Busargin.
Russia’s defence ministry added that further Ukrainian attacks were recorded and thwarted in the early hours of Sunday. The ministry announced that it had shot down 41 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight, eliminating the threat aerially.