Russian bombings sweep Ukraine, killing one person and injuring dozens – Firstpost

At least one person was killed and more than three dozen injured after Russian forces intensified their bombardment of Ukrainian cities overnight, authorities said Friday.

“Throughout the evening and night, terrorists attacked our cities and communities. Missiles, drones and glide bombs were used against the Odessa, Kharkov and Kiev regions,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media.

“It is important to act together and decisively at the international level whenever Russia tries to destroy our lives,” he said, calling on allies for more military assistance.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched a sweeping nighttime attack, firing five missiles, 92 drones and hover bombs over multiple regions. The air force intercepted four missiles and 62 drones, while another 26 drones were electronically jammed. However, the glide bombs, against which Ukraine currently has no effective defense, hit targets with devastating consequences.

In Odesa, a Russian drone strike killed one person and injured nine, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov. In Kiev, four people were injured by debris from intercepted rockets, regional governor Ruslan Kravchenko said. The attacks caused extensive damage, underscoring the escalating intensity of Russia’s air campaign.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country needs more help to fight back against Russia’s military might, even as uncertainty grows about what Western aid to Ukraine can expect after Donald Trump was elected the next US president this week .

“It is important to act jointly and decisively at the international level whenever Russia tries to destroy our lives,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “This is the only way to achieve a just peace and stop the deaths of our people.”

Russia launched about 2,000 drones at Ukraine in October, about a third more than the previous month. This is the third month in a row that there has been a significant increase, the British Ministry of Defense said on Friday.

Russia’s fire rates have risen since the middle of the year, the report said, adding that the latest high monthly figures are likely to become the norm.

Fear of American aid

Four people were injured near Kiev, which has been targeted almost daily for the past month and where AFP journalists heard airstrike sirens and at least one explosion over the capital.

In the historic Black Sea city of Odesa, one person was killed and nine others injured in an attack that damaged residential buildings, authorities said.

Later, authorities in the southern Kherson region, which is also partially occupied, said a 74-year-old man had been killed by Russian shelling.

The latest night of deadly attacks comes at a critical moment in the war – launched by the Kremlin almost three years ago.

Ukrainian forces are losing ground in the east of the country and concerns are mounting in Kiev about the future of foreign military aid following Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.

The city of Zaporizhia, where authorities say more than 40 people were injured in Thursday’s attack, has also seen increasing Russian aerial bombardments in recent weeks.

Six people were killed earlier this week in an attack on an industrial sector of the city.

In late 2022, the Kremlin claimed to have annexed the wider Zaporizhia region, alongside the Donetsk region, where Russian forces were rapidly advancing despite not having full military control over it.

Russian officials in occupied Ukrainian territory in Donetsk, meanwhile, said Ukrainian drones had killed two utility company employees.

With input from authorities.