Zelensky calls for long-range weapons after overnight drone attack on Kyiv
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Russia launched its fifth drone attack on Kyiv in two weeks overnight, said Ukraine's military.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KYIV – Ukraine needs long-range weapons to protect its cities and troops on the front line from Russian bombs and drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 21 after a massive overnight drone and missile attack.
Russia launched its fifth drone attack on Kyiv
Ukraine’s air force said on Telegram that its air defence systems destroyed 35 of the 39 drones and two cruise missiles that Russia had launched overnight. The weapons, the air force said, targeted 10 of Ukraine’s regions.
It was not immediately clear how many drones were launched at Kyiv. There were no casualties and no significant damage reported, said Mr Serhiy Popko, head of the Ukrainian capital’s military administration, on Telegram.
“During last night alone, the Russian army used almost 40 ‘Shaheds’ against Ukraine. Importantly, most of them were shot down by our defenders of the sky,” Mr Zelensky said on Telegram, referring to the drones.
He said it was necessary to destroy Russian bombers at Russian air bases to protect Ukraine from air raids.
“Our sufficient long-range capabilities should be a fair response to Russian terror. Everyone who supports us in this supports the defence against terror,” Mr Zelensky said.
On July 19 in London, the Ukrainian President renewed his call for Western allies to allow long-range strikes on Russia, saying Britain should try to convince its partners to remove the limits on the weapons’ use.
Nato members have taken different approaches to how Ukraine can use the weapons they donate. Some have made clear that Kyiv can use them to strike targets inside Russia, while the United States has taken a narrower approach, allowing its weapons to be used only just inside Russia’s border against targets supporting Russian military operations in Ukraine.
Russia launched three Iskander ballistic missiles, Ukraine’s air force said, without saying what happened to them.
The military administration of the Sumy region in Ukraine’s north-east bordering Russia said on Telegram that a Russian missile damaged critical infrastructure in the Shostkynskyi district of the region.
The administration did not provide details on what infrastructure was hit.
There was no immediate comment from Russia about the attacks. Moscow says it does not attack civilian targets in Ukraine.
Mr Popko said: “These systematic attacks... with drones, once again prove that the invader is actively looking for an opportunity to strike Kyiv.
“They’re testing new tactics, looking for new approach routes to the capital, trying to expose the location of our air defence.” REUTERS
