Indian among 12 killed in major Russian air assault across Ukraine: Zelenskyy
Kyiv (Ukraine): An Indian citizen was among 12 people killed in a major Russian aerial assault across Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday.
The overnight attacks involved ballistic missiles, jet-powered drones and guided aerial bombs and hit several cities and regions, damaging residential buildings, businesses and other civilian infrastructure.
“Overall, 12 people were killed, among them an Indian citizen, and dozens more were injured,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
Kyiv, Boryspil and Odesa among areas hit
Kyiv was among the worst-affected areas. Seven people were killed in a strike on a railway depot, according to Zelenskyy.
In Boryspil, a five-storey residential building was damaged and 50 residents were evacuated. Four people were killed and 13 others injured in the city, he said.
Nearly 350 emergency responders were involved in rescue and recovery operations in Kyiv and the surrounding region.
Odesa and the surrounding region also came under continued attacks from guided aerial bombs and drones. Zelenskyy said thousands of families were left without electricity and that efforts were underway to restore power.
A border crossing with Romania and export infrastructure were also damaged in the attacks, he said.
The strikes also affected the Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy and Dnipro regions.
Zelenskyy seeks more air defence support
Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately carrying out attacks capable of causing widespread civilian destruction and called for greater air defence assistance to Ukraine.
He said the number of casualties was closely linked to Ukraine's ability to intercept incoming missiles and drones.
The Ukrainian president thanked countries helping Kyiv obtain anti-ballistic defence capabilities through the Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) and bilateral supplies. He also called for an increase in such deliveries.
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Zelenskyy says Russia wants to continue war
The latest strikes came amid continuing diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Earlier, Zelenskyy said intelligence assessments from Ukraine and its partners indicated that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted the war to continue, despite what he described as support among many Russians for ending the conflict along the current line of contact.
On Monday, Zelenskyy also held talks with US President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The discussions included possible dates for Trump's visit to Ukraine and the situation on the battlefield.
Zelenskyy said Russia's territorial gains had remained limited and had come at the cost of heavy losses.