KYIV, Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday called on Western countries to quickly deploy more air defence systems after a wave of Russian missiles, drones and artillery fire left at least 11 people dead.
Eight people, including children and infants, have been confirmed dead in an overnight drone attack on the southern port city of Odessa, local officials said.
Three others were killed in separate shelling attacks on the frontline regions of Kharkiv, Kherson and Zaporizhia, Ukrainian officials said.
“Russia continues to hit civilians,” Zelensky said in a post on social media.
“We need more air defences from our partners. We need to strengthen the Ukrainian air shield to add more protection for our people from Russian terror. More air-defence systems and more missiles for air-defence systems save lives,” he said.
Ukraine is currently on the losing side of a two-year war, as a major $60 billion aid package was rejected by the US Congress.
A nine-story building was destroyed as a result of the attack by Russian terrorists, Odessa Interior Minister Igor Klimenko said in a telegram on Saturday.
About 10 people are still missing and about 100 rescuers are expected to continue search and rescue operations through the night.
Footage from the scene shows several floors of houses collapsing and facades being torn off.
The Ukrainian Air Force announced that the remains of the downed Russian drone fell on houses in the cities of Odessa and Kharkiv.
Three others were killed in separate shelling in the front-line regions of Kharkiv in the northeast and Kherson and Zaporizhia in the south, regional leaders said.
The attack came as Russia sought to advance its superiority on the battlefield.
Due to the delay in support, Kiev faced a shortage of ammunition and admitted that they were significantly outnumbered and outgunned.
The Minister of Defence said that half of the ammunition promised by the West will arrive in the country late.
After capturing Avdiyoka last month, Russian forces have advanced westward and captured several small villages in recent days.
Ukraine’s commander Oleksandr Shirsky visited a front-line military site on Saturday and said the situation on the front line remains difficult, but under control.
Kiev also appears to have carried out drone strikes overnight, damaging residential buildings in St Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city.
A video posted on Russian social media shows what appears to be a drone spiraling into the building, causing an explosion that blew out windows and started a small fire.
The city’s National Guard division said in its initial assessment that the damage was caused by a launched drone.
According to Ukrainian media, the drone was brought down by Russian air defence when it was targeting an oil depot within a kilometer of the crash site.
In recent months, Kiev has attacked several Russian oil facilities in retaliation for Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid.
