2024-03-03 05:06:39
After the deaths of two children in a Russian drone attack in Odessa on the Black Sea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again called for Western help with anti-aircraft defense. “Delays in the delivery of weapons to Ukraine and in air defense to protect our population unfortunately lead to such losses,” Zelensky said on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday evening.
Russian terror must be stopped. “And when people die while our partners get lost in political games or discussions that limit our defense, that is incomprehensible and unimaginable.”
The world has enough air defense systems against drones and missiles to respond to Russian terror, said Zelensky. It was his second appeal after the drone attack in Odessa, in which a nine-story house was badly hit and damaged on Saturday night. At least seven people died and eight were injured.
Among the dead were two boys aged four months and three years, said Zelensky. The number of children killed in Russian attacks since the start of the war a good two years ago has continued to rise. “Ukraine has never asked for more than what is necessary to save lives,” Zelensky said in his video message released in Kiev.
After the drone attack, emergency services continued to search for those buried in the rubble. According to authorities, at least 18 apartments were destroyed.
The authorities also reported new drone attacks in Russia. Several people were injured in an explosion at a residential building in the Russian metropolis of St. Petersburg on Saturday. Local media reported that a drone detonated. Governor Alexander Beglov promised help to residents of the damaged apartments.
Authorities said six people sought medical help. A 92-year-old woman was taken to hospital. The explosion shattered windows on the five-story residential building. Residents were accommodated in a kindergarten. Psychologists are also on duty to look after those affected, it said. Videos were circulated on social networks in which a massive explosion could be seen and heard. The authenticity of the recordings could not initially be verified.
The St. Petersburg news portal “Fontanka” reported that the drone may have targeted an oil storage facility nearby. Drone defense is also in use there. St. Petersburg has so far hardly been hit by missiles in response to the Russian war of aggression. However, Ukraine had announced that the range of its drones was increasing.
On Saturday evening, the governor of the Leningrad region bordering St. Petersburg, Alexander Drozdenko, also informed about the use of anti-aircraft defenses in the Gulf of Finland. He released a video showing an explosion. The clip is intended to show the shooting down of a drone by an anti-aircraft missile. There were no injuries or damage. It was said that for a short time no aircraft were allowed to land at Pulkovo Airport. The Defense Ministry in Moscow confirmed this and another drone shoot down in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine.
In its defensive battle against the invaders, Ukraine repeatedly attacks targets in the Russian hinterland. For example, supplies for Russian troops are to be disrupted. The Russian border regions are particularly affected by the Ukrainian counterattacks. But targets deeper inland were also hit. The damage is incomparable to the consequences of the daily Russian attacks on Ukraine, which are bringing death and destruction to the country.
The new commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, Olexander Syrskyj, announced further changes at lower command levels. There are brigade commanders whose actions endanger the lives and health of soldiers, Syrskyj said. He didn’t give any details. In addition to the lack of ammunition and personnel, the Ukrainian armed forces are also struggling with leadership and motivation problems. Kiev’s military leadership has repeatedly described the situation at the front as difficult.
The commander-in-chief has a free hand to make personnel changes in the military, said Zelensky in his evening video message broadcast in Kiev. “All Ukrainian commanders must know the front, feel the front – the real needs,” Zelensky said. He expects a detailed situation report and suggestions for changes to achieve Ukrainian goals at the beginning of the week after Syrskyj’s return from the front.
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