Ukraine battles fallout of major strike as Zelenskyy calls for unity, support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has released a detailed assessment of the situation across the country following a large-scale Russian attack, warning that continued international support remains vital for protecting civilian lives.

In a statement published on his Telegram channel, Zelenskyy said the strikes affected Kyiv and the surrounding region, as well as Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Sumy, and several other regions. Emergency response units, repair crews, and State Emergency Service personnel have been deployed nationwide to address the damage and restore critical infrastructure.

Zelenskyy noted that Russia launched a combination of ballistic and cruise missiles alongside more than 300 attack drones, stating that Ukraine received the necessary missiles a day before this strike, "and this significantly helped" - air defence worked on a significant number of targets.

According to the president, "repair crews, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, all necessary forces are involved everywhere."

“A day before this strike, we finally received the necessary missiles, and this significantly helped. Every support package matters. Missiles for "Patriots", for "NASAMS", for other air defence systems are critically necessary. The direct task of our entire diplomatic system is to work so that Ukraine has enough air defence means. And partners should not let us down with this, missiles for air defence are a real protection of people's lives,” Zelenskyy emphasized.

According to him, "in the format of a special energy selector, we will determine the full details of the consequences of the attack and the necessary resources to restore electricity, heat and water supply to people." "The most difficult situation is currently in Kyiv, a significant number of residential buildings are without heating," the president noted.

"It is important that the world does not remain silent about this. Russia cannot be on an equal footing with other countries while it is only focused on killing and abusing people. Now all Ukrainian officials, everyone responsible for the work of state institutions, regional and local authorities, Ukrainian energy companies - everyone must be in Ukraine, work, help people and try to stabilize the situation. One must be in one's state, in one's cities, with one's communities. Glory to Ukraine!" - Zelenskyy emphasized.

By Vafa Guliyeva