Moscow’s growing use of drones is undermining Ukraine’s air defenses and “terrorizing civilians”, a senior Ukrainian official said.
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Russia targeted kyiv with dozens of drones overnight Wednesday through Thursday in an attack that lasted eight hours, Ukrainian authorities reported, continuing its relentless assault on the country nearly 1,000 days after its invasion on a large scale.
kyiv authorities said the Russian military launched a combination of drones in single formation and swarms into Ukrainian airspace from different directions and at various altitudes.
Although Ukrainian air defenses “neutralized” three dozen drones, the falling debris damaged a hospital as well as apartment and office buildings in the capital. A fire reportedly broke out on the 33rd floor of an apartment building.
At least 4 dead and 18 injured
During the day on Thursday, Russia launched five attacks with missiles and glide bombs on the city of Zaporizhia, in the south of the country, killing at least 4 people and injuring 18 people, including a one-year-old child. , according to the press service of the regional military administration. The attacks also damaged residential buildings and a hospital.
Less precision, more terror
Moscow authorities have recently stepped up attacks on the Ukrainian capital, with strikes almost daily, while nightly explosions and the constant drone of drones keep the city on alert.
Andriy Kovalenko, director of the Ukrainian government’s Center for Combating Disinformation, said Russia was increasingly using drones to ” save the missiles it stores in strategic airfields ».
On Thursday, on Telegram, Mr. Kovalenko accused Russia of deploying drones because they are “a cheaper tool […] to terrorize civilians,” suggesting that they only hit about 10% of their intended targets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Russia has significantly expanded its drone operations in Ukraine, saying that Moscow “ deploys around ten times more Iranian-made Shahed drones than this time last year ».
Ukrainian forces are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with the might of the larger and better-funded Russian military, and Western support remains essential for Ukraine to maintain its forces in what has become , in certain regions, a war of attrition.
The European Union says it has provided nearly 125 billion euros in financial, military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine to date. At the start of the year, its members committed to paying an additional 50 billion euros by 2027.
American uncertainty
However, the latest drone barrage comes just a day after Americans voted decisively to return Donald Trump to the White House. President-elect Trump and his vice president-elect, JD Vance, have long criticized U.S. aid to Ukraine, which is a source of concern for kyiv, Brussels and other European capitals.
According to official figures, the United States has been the largest contributor to Ukraine’s efforts so far, having provided more than 160 billion euros to the struggling country since Russia’s all-out invasion.
