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Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday called the air force's performance in some parts of the country "unsatisfactory" and said that measures are being taken to improve the response to large-scale bombings of Russian drones in civilian areas.
The repeated Russian air attacks have focused in recent months on Ukraine's electrical grid, causing blackouts and interrupting the supply of heating and water to families during an extremely cold winter. With the war about to reach its fifth year at the end of this month, following Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor, there are no signs of progress in the US-led peace efforts after this week's latest talks. New meetings between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, mediated by the United States, are planned "soon, probably in the United States," said Zelensky.We recommend reading: Zelenskyy reiterates his refusal to cede territory to Russia while seeking support in Europe
Zelensky said on Friday that he had discussed with his defense minister and the Air Force commander the new air defense measures that Ukraine needs to counter Russian bombings. He did not give further details on the measures that would be taken. Russia fired 328 drones and seven missiles at Ukraine overnight and early morning, the air force reported, stating that air defenses shot down 297 drones. A person died and two others were injured in a nighttime Russian attack with drones and powerful glide bombs in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, according to the head of the regional military administration, Oleksandr Hanzha. A Russian air strike in the southern Zaporizhzhia region during the early hours of the day injured eight people and damaged 18 apartment blocks, according to the head of the regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov. A dog shelter in the regional capital was also attacked and 13 dogs died, said the secretary of the Zaporizhzhia City Council, Rehina Kharchenko. Some dogs were rushed to a veterinary clinic, but could not be saved, she said. Seven other animals were injured and are receiving treatment. In the midst of freezing conditions in Kyiv, more than 1,200 residential buildings in various districts of the capital have been without heating for days due to the Russian bombing of the electrical grid, according to Zelenskyy.You can also read: Summit in Paris analyzes Ukraine's security in the face of a possible ceasefire
The UK Ministry of Defence said on Friday that Ukraine's electricity grid "is experiencing its most acute crisis of the winter." Mykola Tromza, an 81-year-old retiree from Kyiv, said that his electricity had been restored, but that he was recently without heating or water at home for a week. "I touched my nose and, by God!, it was like an icicle," said Tromza. He said he was running back and forth to warm up. The Russian Defense Ministry said that air defenses shot down 38 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 26 over the Bryansk region. The governor of Bryansk, Alexander Bogomaz, said that the attack briefly left several villages in the region without electricity. Another overnight attack in Ukraine damaged electrical facilities in the Russian city of Belgorod, disrupting the distribution of electricity, said Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. Local reports said that Ukrainian missiles hit a power plant and an electrical substation, cutting off the electricity supply to parts of the city. Despite the freezing temperatures, fighting has also continued on the front line.
