Russia launched a renewed, devastating offensive against Ukraine in the early hours of Friday that killed three and injured as many as 49 people, Ukrainian officials said. The three killed were said to be members of Ukraine’s Emergency Service.
ALSO READ | NATO ignores CRUCIAL Russian peace demand, invites Ukraine to next Summit
This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of Russia’s response to Operation Spider Web, a daring Ukrainian operation that destroyed 15 airplanes located deep inside the country. Putin’s warning had been relayed by Trump in a Truth Social post following his telephone conversation with Putin.
According to an X post from Kyiv’s Ministry of Defence, 407 drones had attacked the nation, in addition to 45 missiles of various types: one of the largest single barrages launched by Moscow since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022.
Kyiv also claimed that their air defence systems had intercepted 199 drones and 36 missiles, and that another 169 drones and 2 missiles had failed to hit their targets.
The strikes targeted the capital Kyiv, as well as other cities in the vicinity, explained Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in an X post on Friday that criticised how Russia chose to take revenge for its destroyed aircraft “by attacking civilians in Ukraine”.
“The difference between Ukraine and Russia is that Ukraine hits legitimate military targets—such as aircraft equipped to bomb our children. Russia targets residential areas, civilians, and critical infrastructure,” he added, calling for stronger sanctions on Moscow.
ALSO READ | After Vladimir Putin’s call with Trump, Kremlin aide says India-Pakistan conflict was stopped with US president’s ‘personal participation’
Russia’s Foreign Ministry, on the other hand, have justified their drone strikes by calling Operation Spider Web—as well as the SBU’s subsequent weakening of the Crimean Bridge with underwater explosions—“terror attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure” on Russian soil.
Deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev had also declared in a Telegram post on Tuesday that retribution was “inevitable”.
Zelenskyy echoed the defence ministry’s statement calling for stronger, consistent pressure on Russia, saying that if someone “is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take lives—that is complicity and accountability”. “We must act decisively,” he added.
