Ukraine needs long-range weapons to defend cities and frontline troops from Russian bombs and drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday after a massive overnight drone and missile attack, Reuters quoted.
Russia carried out its fifth drone attack on Kiev in the past two weeks overnight, with Ukrainian air defense systems destroying all aerial weapons before they reached the capital, the Ukrainian military said.
Ukraine's air force said on Telegram that its air defense systems destroyed 35 of the 39 drones and two cruise missiles that Russia fired overnight. According to the Air Force, the weapons were aimed at 10 of Ukraine's regions.
It was not immediately clear how many drones were fired at Kiev. No casualties or significant damage were reported, Serhiy Popko, head of the Ukrainian capital's military administration, said in Telegram.
"Last night alone, the Russian army used almost 40 'Shaheda' against Ukraine. The important thing is that most of them were taken down by our sky protectors," Zelensky said in Telegram, referring to drones.
He stressed that it is necessary to destroy Russian bombers at Russian air bases in order to protect Ukraine from air attacks.
"Our sufficient long-range capability must be a fair response to Russian terror. Anyone who supports us in this regard supports the defense against terror," said Zelensky.
Zelensky renewed his call for Western allies to authorize long-range strikes against Russia on Friday in London, saying Britain should try to persuade its partners to lift restrictions on their use.
NATO members have taken different approaches to how Ukraine might use the weapons they donate. Some have made it clear that Kiev can use them to strike targets inside Russia, while the United States has taken a narrower approach, allowing its weapons to be used only close to the Russian border against targets supporting the Russian military operations in Ukraine.
Russia fired three Iskander ballistic missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force said, without specifying what happened to them.
The military administration of the Sumy region in the northeastern part of Ukraine, bordering Russia, reported in Telegram that a Russian missile damaged critical infrastructure in the Shostkin region of the region.
The administration did not provide details on what infrastructure was hit.
There was no immediate comment from Russia on the attacks. Moscow claims it does not attack civilian targets in Ukraine.
"These systematic drone attacks once again prove that the enemy is actively looking for an opportunity to strike Kiev," Popko said. "They are testing new tactics, looking for new avenues of approach to the capital and trying to reveal the location of our air defenses."