A daytime Russian drone barrage mainly targeting western Ukraine killed at least six people and wounded dozens, the Ukrainian president has said, in what appeared to be a pivot in Moscow’s aerial bombardment strategy.
Russia has been pounding Ukrainian cities for more than four years, but it usually launches large-scale drone and missile attacks at night.
“Since midnight, at least 800 Russian drones have already been launched,” Zelenskyy said on Wednesday, adding that “six people have been killed” and dozens were injured, including children.
AFP journalists in Kiev saw residents sheltering in metro stations and heard air raid sirens ring out as the capital’s mayor said air defence systems were operating against drones.
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Zelenskyy accused Moscow of deliberately striking on the day of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China.
“It certainly cannot be called a coincidence that one of the longest massive Russian attacks against Ukraine takes place precisely at the time when the President of the United States arrived for a visit to China,” he wrote.
“In this difficult geopolitical moment, Russia is clearly trying to disrupt the overall political atmosphere and draw attention to its evil, seeking to do so at the expense of Ukrainian lives and Ukrainian infrastructure.”
