Zelenskiy urges strong Western response to Russia’s relentless drone strikes
- 29 March, 10:58
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday he expected a strong response from Western partners to Russia’s nearly daily drone attacks on his country. “Our partners should clearly understand: These strikes are not just attacks on Ukrainian civilians, but also on all international efforts - on the very diplomacy we are trying to use to end this war," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on March 29.
"Russia is striking against everyone who seeks to end the war. It is impossible to ignore hundreds of Shaheds [Iranian kamikaze drones] every night. We expect a response, a serious response. We are working to ensure there is a strong reaction, especially from America, Europe and all those in the world who rely on diplomacy," Zelenskiy went on saying.
Noting that 172 drones had been directed at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian leader said 94 of them had been downed. Commenting on the operational situation along the 1,000-km front line, Zelenskiy noted that Ukraine was maintaining active measures that prevent Russians from advancing into Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
Within an hour of Zelenskiy’s comments, Russia struck Ukraine’s second-largest Kharkiv city, targeting a military hospital, a shopping center and killing two people. Russian drones also hit Drones hit the southeastern city of Dnipro overnight, killing four people, and the central city of Kryvyi Rih, where nine others were injured.
In Moscow, the Russian Defence Ministry accused Ukraine of striking energy grids in border Belgorod region despite last month’s moratorium on attacks on energy infrastructure. The Ministry said around 9,000 local residents lost electricity because of the Ukrainian air strikes. Belgorod, along with Kursk region, is frequently attacked by Ukrainian troops, with Kyiv claiming Russia is using the region to launch strikes on its Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Sumy regions across the border.
The fresh exchange of air strikes came amid US efforts to negotiate the peace deal to end the war that is stretching to the fourth year. So far, the US-brokered talks have been unsuccessful in ending the hostilities.
