Kyiv.- At least two people died and twenty others were injured this Saturday in a new
attack massive Russian against several regions in Ukraine, mainly from the west of the country, such as Chernivtsi, Volhynia and Lviv, authorities reported.
Other provinces such as Kharkiv (east) and Sumy (northeast) were also affected.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia launched 26 cruise missiles and 597 drones, more than half of them Shahed.
While more than 20 missiles and the vast majority of suicide drones were neutralized, there were impacts against civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings.
"So far, we know of two deaths in Chernivtsi," Zelensky noted, who also explained that another 20 people were injured.
Due to the Russian attack in western Ukraine, the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces deployed fighter jets and put ground-based air defense systems and radar reconnaissance on high alert.
Russia looks towards western Ukraine
As Russian air attacks have intensified in recent months, their tactics have changed to now direct an increasing number of missiles and drones against western regions previously considered relatively safe.
In Chernivtsi, near the borders of Romania and Moldova, the head of the Regional Administration Ruslan Zaparniuk, noted that the attack with four drones and a missile against the province caused two deaths due to the fall of fragments from the downed objects: a 26-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man.
Four other people were seriously injured and doctors are fighting for their lives, while 10 others suffered minor injuries.
Several residential buildings, shops, administrative buildings, and cars were damaged in Chernivtsi.
In the western city of Leopolis, Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said that 46 houses and three buildings of the Polytechnic University, the city courts, and more than 20 small and medium-sized businesses were damaged in the attack.
The head of the Regional Military Administration, Maksim Kozitski, indicated that six people sought medical attention, including an 11-year-old child.
In Lutsk, in the Volyn province, the mayor, Igor Polishchuk, pointed out that a private residential building was destroyed and the roofs of several houses were damaged, but fortunately, there were no deaths to report.
In Kharkiv, the mayor, Igor Terekhov, stated that the main strike hit a company that had not been operating for several years and that several warehouse buildings caught fire, while one of the Shahed drones hit a critical infrastructure facility.
The number of injured in this eastern region of Ukraine reaches three.
More air defense
Zelensky stressed in his Telegram message that "the pace of Russian air attacks requires rapid decisions, and can be curbed right now with sanctions."
"Tough secondary sanctions are needed against anyone who helps the Russians produce drones and make money from oil," the president emphasized once again, reiterating that the country needs "more air defense and investment in interceptor drones, which are already yielding good results."
"War can only be stopped by force. We expect from our partners not only signals, but actions that save lives," he stressed.
Zelensky said last night in his speech that the shipments of US military aid to Ukraine, including air defense weaponry, have been restored.