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London: Ukraine is seeking more air defence systems to counter Russian attacks after its cities were pounded by hundreds of drones and missiles in recent days, putting energy networks at risk with the onset of winter.
Russian forces targeted Ukraine with 450 drones and 45 ballistic missiles on Friday and Saturday after days of heavy attacks, in what analysts have called a “coercive punishment” campaign.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, shown here with Patriot missiles last year, is seeking more air defence systems.Credit: Getty
At least three people were killed and a dozen wounded when a drone struck an apartment building in Dnipro, while electricity systems were hit in Kyiv and Kharkiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is hoping to gain more Patriot missile defence systems from the US under a funding deal with the European Union, but the nightly attacks highlight the challenge of stopping swarms of drones with single missiles.
In Washington DC, meanwhile, President Donald Trump met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – a sharp critic of Zelensky – and publicly canvassed whether Ukraine would be able to win the war.
US President Donald Trump greets Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House on Friday.Credit: AP
The Institute for the Study of War, a non-government group based in Washington DC, said Russian forces had advanced on the Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donbas region, citing geolocated footage to estimate the gains.
Zelensky said he was working with the US to buy more Patriot systems and was counting on the support.
“I am grateful to every leader, to every one of our friends in Europe, in America, in Asia, who is trying to help,” he said.
But he cited the latest missile and drone attacks as proof that Russia would not be deterred unless it suffered greater military and economic consequences.
“Pressure on Russia is still insufficient,” he said in a video address released on X.
“And any weakening within any existing formats of pressure only encourages Putin to prolong the war, inflict more damage on our country, our people and others around the world.
“Weak responses to Russian brazenness spur Russia to continue the war.”
Trump has intensified economic penalties on Putin after the lack of progress at their summit in August and the cancellation of a second summit last month, leading to US sanctions on Russia’s two big oil exporters.
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Trump displayed his friendship with Orban by announcing at their White House meeting that Hungary would have a one-year exemption from the sanctions regime so it could keep importing Russian oil through long-standing pipelines.
The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, a non-profit analyst group, estimates the European Union cut its imports of Russian oil by 88 per cent over two years to 2024, but that Hungary and Slovakia kept buying. Turkey, a NATO member, also buys Russian oil.
Russia fired a total of 458 drones and 45 missiles, including 32 ballistic missiles, according to Ukrainian Air Force estimates reported by the Associated Press. Ukrainian forces stopped 406 drones and nine missiles, the air force said, adding that 25 locations were struck.
A fire broke out and several apartments were destroyed in the nine-story building in Dnipro, the emergency services said. Rescuers recovered the bodies of three people, while two children were among the injured.
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following a Russian rocket attack that hit a multi-storey apartment building in Dnipro.Credit: AP
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces shot down 82 Ukrainian drones during Friday night and the early hours of Saturday, including eight over the Volgograd region. Russian authorities said two people were injured in the neighbouring Saratov region after a Ukrainian drone strike blew out windows in an apartment block.
Orban told Trump in the White House on Friday that it was a “misunderstanding” to think that Ukraine could win the war on the ground.
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“All the other governments prefer to continue the war because many of them think that Ukraine can win on the front line, which is a misunderstanding of the situation. So it’s a complicated issue,” the Hungarian leader said.
Trump asked him: “So you would say that Ukraine cannot win that war?”
Orban replied: “You know, a miracle can happen.”
With AP
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