Ukraine condemned the attack by Putin's forces, which resulted in at least four deaths: "Russia's terror must end."
"No one on the planet wants this conflict to continue, except Russia," declared Foreign Minister Andri Sibiga.
On Saturday, the Ukrainian government condemned the Russian nighttime assault that resulted in at least four deaths and 17 injuries in various areas of the country. This attack on key facilities, including the electrical grid, the railway system, and residences in cities such as Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Sumy, renewed the Ukrainian authorities' call to the international community to intensify sanctions against Russia and increase military assistance to Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Andri Sibiga stated in his X profile that "terrorism emanating from Russia can and must be stopped" and emphasized the urgency of "joint action" and "increased sanctioning pressure" on Moscow.
Ukraine's top diplomat demanded an increase in energy assistance and the capital's defensive capabilities, stressing that "there is no one on the planet who wants this war to continue, except Russia."
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the attack, which occurred Friday night and Saturday, involved the use of twelve drones and five ballistic missiles at a single location in the country. In Kyiv, local police reported that two people were killed and thirteen injured by the impact of the ballistic missiles. The capital's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, warned of the explosions on Telegram and confirmed that the city was under attack. In addition, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported fires in non-residential buildings and damage to windows in nearby buildings due to falling debris from intercepted missiles.
Zelensky reiterated his request for weapons for longer-range offensives from his allies (REUTERS/Yves Herman)
In Dnipropetrovsk, acting governor Vladyslav Haivanenko reported two deaths and seven injuries, in addition to damage to multiple buildings and private homes.
Ukrainian air force officials said Russia fired nine missiles and 62 unmanned aerial vehicles, of which the defenses managed to stop four of the missiles and 50 of the drones.
Ukrainian authorities have renewed their request to their Western allies for Patriot air defense systems and long-range weapons. President Volodymyr Zelensky, through the X network, stressed that incidents like the recent one underscore the critical need for these systems to secure cities in Ukraine.
"It's because of incidents like this that we're putting a particular focus on Patriot systems," the president declared, calling on the United States, Europe, and the G7 nations to implement recently discussed actions to prevent these attacks from continuing to endanger lives.
Internationally, Zelensky called on the United States to expand sanctions targeting the Russian oil sector and to provide long-range missiles like the Tomahawk to counter the attacks. In a meeting in London with European leaders, the Ukrainian president sought to strengthen Western military support to defend Ukraine against the possibility of a ceasefire that would end the war, which has raged for more than three years. The meeting, convened by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, focused on intensifying pressure on Vladimir Putin and coordinating new sanctions that would impact Russia's energy revenues.
Firefighters are working in the area where food warehouses were damaged by a Russian missile attack last night during Russia's offensive against Ukraine, in kyiv (REUTERS/Yan Dobronosov).
From Moscow, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that its air defense systems managed to intercept 121 Ukrainian drones on Russian territory during the same night. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov publicly reaffirmed the Kremlin's stance against an immediate ceasefire. Meanwhile, Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's representative for investment and economic cooperation, told CNN that Russia, the United States, and Ukraine were "quite close to reaching a diplomatic solution" to end the conflict, although he admitted that a scheduled summit between Donald Trump and Putin in Budapest was postponed and a new date has not yet been set.
The context of the attacks is situated in an increase in the Russian offensive targeting Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure, especially with the arrival of the winter season. The kyiv authorities stress that the strengthening of air defenses and the supply of