Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Russia launched its largest-ever drone and missile attack on Ukraine overnight on Friday just hours after a telephone call between the US and Russian presidents ended without any breakthrough. AFP journalists in Kyiv heard drones buzzing over the capital and explosions ringing out throughout the night as Ukrainian air defence systems fended off the attack. US President Donald Trump said he had made no progress in discussions with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on ending the war. The Kremlin said Russia would pursue the aims of its invasion, now dragging through its fourth year.
Tymur, a Kyiv resident who said he had experienced previous Russian attacks, told AFP that the assault in the early hours of Friday was different. “Nothing like this attack had ever happened before. There have never been so many explosions,” he said, adding: “Peaceful people live here. That’s all.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said air alerts had begun echoing out across the country as reports of the presidents’ call emerged. “Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror,” Zelensky said on social media. “All of this is clear evidence that without truly large-scale pressure, Russia will not change its dumb, destructive behaviour.” He urged the United States in particular to increase pressure on Moscow.
A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that Trump and Zelensky were planning to speak by telephone later on Friday. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said an embassy building had been damaged in the attack but that staff were unharmed. “President Trump: Putin is mocking your peace efforts,” he added in the social media post. Germany’s foreign ministry meanwhile said that the timing of the attack, just after the call between Putin and Trump, showed that Moscow “continues to rely on brute force.” “Ukraine needs more to defend itself, not less,” the ministry said on social media.
Zelensky said 23 people were wounded in the barrage, which the air force said comprised 539 drones and 11 missiles. A representative of Ukraine’s air force told Ukrainian media that the attack was the largest of the Russian invasion, launched in February 2022.
Overnight Russia attacks have escalated over recent weeks. An AFP tally found Moscow launched a record number of drones and missiles at Ukraine in June, when direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow appeared to stall. “Putin clearly shows his complete disregard for the United States and everyone who has called for an end to the war,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on social media after the attack.
In Kyiv, AFP journalists saw dozens of residents of the capital taking shelter in a metro station. Yuliia Golovnina, who said she shelters at the metro regularly, described to AFP the worry that comes with hearing an explosion during an attack. “Will there be another one? Will something collapse on you?” the 47-year-old said. “So in those seconds, you just hold your breath and wait to see what happens next,” she added.
Russian attacks have escalated as concerns mount in Kyiv over whether the US will continue delivering military aid, which is key to Ukraine’s ability to fend off the drone and missile barrages. The US announced this week it was reducing some of its aid deliveries. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this was a clear signal that the 27-nation European Union needed to “step up.”
Trump’s view of the call with Putin was unusually bleak. After most of his previous five calls with Putin since returning to power in January, he has given optimistic reports of progress towards a deal. But he has shown increasing frustration with Putin after an early pivot towards the Russian leader. Ukraine has also ramped up its drone strikes in Russia, where a woman was killed when a Ukrainian drone crashed into an apartment building, the acting regional governor in Rostov said.
© 2024 AFP
