Ukraine on Friday said that Russia had launched a major new wave of aerial attacks, as US President Joe Biden announced he would mark one year since the invasion by visiting Kyiv’s neighbor, Poland.
Strikes were reported from the eastern region of Kharkiv to the western region of Ivano-Frankivsk, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy traveled to Brussels to lobby EU leaders for long-range weapons and jets.
Zelenskiy said Russian missiles had crossed over Moldova and NATO member Romania while heading to Ukraine, although Bucharest denied the claim.
Photo: Reuters
The Romanian Ministry of Defense said it detected an “aerial target launched from the Black Sea from a Russian Federation ship,” but “at no point did it intersect with Romania’s airspace.”
The Moldovan Ministry of Defense confirmed that Russian missiles had crossed its airspace, adding that it would summon Russia’s ambassador.
With the conflict approaching its one-year anniversary, the White House said Biden is scheduled to visit NATO ally Poland from Feb. 20 to 22.
Biden plans to make a speech to mark “Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, addressing how the United States has rallied the world to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and democracy,” the White House said.
Russia targeted Ukraine with a mass strike late last month, days after Western allies agreed to deliver heavy tanks to Kyiv.
Zelenskiy called the new attacks “a challenge to NATO,” saying that “this is terror that can and must be stopped.”
Kyiv residents on Friday rushed to shelters as Russia battered the country with missiles and drones.
“Russian terrorists today again launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia targeted cities and critical infrastructure, adding that Iranian-made explosive drones were launched from the Sea of Azov and Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea.
Russia also carried out a “massive” attack with “up to 35 anti-aircraft guided missiles” targeting the eastern region of Kharkiv and the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, it added.
Ten missiles were shot down over Kyiv, officials said.
After defeats on the ground, Russia has in the past few months targeted Ukraine’s energy facilities, leading to power shortages that have left millions in the cold and dark.
Ukrainian energy operator Ukrenergo said that “power plants and high voltage network facilities” had been affected in the east, west and south, with the “most difficult situation” in the region of Kharkiv, near the border with Russia.
Electrical grid instability caused by the shelling also led to the shuttering of one of the reactor units at the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
“Despite this terror, the vast majority of Ukrainians remain with heating, water and electricity,” Shmyhal said.
Friday’s wave of attacks follows Zelenskiy’s visit to Europe, where he urged allies to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles and fighters as Kyiv braces for a renewed Russian push in the east.
Zelenskiy said that Ukraine needs military supplies faster than Russia can prepare what he said could be a dangerous new offensive.
He said he received “positive signals,” but some EU leaders were wary, fearing it could drag the West closer to direct conflict with Russia.
The situation is becoming more pressing on the ground, where months-long fighting for control of Bakhmut, a key town in the eastern region of Donetsk, has left many casualties on both sides.
About half of Russia’s main tanks have likely been destroyed or captured by Ukraine, a senior US defense official said.
Numerous foreign leaders have visited Kyiv since the war began, but Biden is considered unlikely to do so during his trip to the region due to security concerns.
Addressing a virtual summit of sports ministers chaired from London, Zelenskiy said that Russian athletes should not be allowed to take part in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“The mere presence of representatives of the terrorist state is a manifestation of violence and lawlessness,” he said. “If the Olympic sports were killings and missile strikes, then you know which national team would occupy the first place.”
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