Editor
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy referred to as on Ukraine’s international allies to take “decisive motion” after Russia launched a large drone and missile assault on Kyiv and different cities throughout the nation that broken very important utilities.
Live Briefing: Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL’s Live Briefing offers you all the newest developments on Russia’s full-scale invasion, Kyiv’s counteroffensive, Western navy support, international response, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL’s protection of the struggle in Ukraine, click on right here.
The Russian strikes focused a number of Ukrainian cities early on August 26, killing not less than seven individuals and wounding 47 others, in keeping with Ukrainian officers.
Firefighters extinguished 22 fires as 740 rescuers and 176 items of apparatus have been deployed throughout the nation to reply to the results of shelling, the Ukraine’s Emergency Service mentioned on Telegram.
Late on August 26, one other strike hit the town of Kryviy Rih within the Dnipropetrovsk area. A missile hit a lodge the place many civilians have been staying, in keeping with Ukrainian media. Local politician Oleksandr Vilkul was quoted as saying “the information is unhealthy.”
Zelenskiy, in a video message posted on X, mentioned the “vile” assaults, involving greater than 100 missiles and round 100 drones, confirmed the West’s restrictions preserving Ukraine from utilizing long-range weapons to strike deep inside Russian territory have to be lifted.
“Ukraine can’t be constrained in its long-range capabilities when the terrorists face no such limitations,” Zelenskiy mentioned.
“Weakness and insufficient responses gas terror…. Every chief, each certainly one of our companions, is aware of the decisive actions required to finish this struggle justly,” he added, whereas calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “sick creature.”
The United States additionally voiced outrage over the foremost Russian assault.
“We condemn within the strongest doable phrases Russia’s continued struggle towards Ukraine and its efforts to plunge the Ukrainian individuals into darkness as the autumn units upon us,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby instructed reporters, calling the assault “outrageous.”
NATO additionally strongly condemned assaults towards Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure, noting that Poland mentioned an “object,” most definitely a drone, entered its airspace and probably landed on Polish territory.
“Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian drone fragments and missiles have been discovered on allied territory on a number of events,” NATO spokeswoman Farah Dakhlallah mentioned. “While we have now no data indicating an intentional assault by Russia towards allies, these acts are irresponsible and doubtlessly harmful.”
The aerial assault was the most important in weeks from Moscow and comes as Ukrainian forces are advancing as they mount a significant offensive into the Kursk area of Russia.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, mentioned water and energy provides in elements of the capital had been disrupted as Russia launched its large-scale assault through the morning rush hour.
Zelenskiy mentioned there was “a whole lot of injury within the power sector,” and Ukraine’s state-run power authority Ukrenerho mentioned that it was introducing emergency energy outages.
One individual was reportedly killed and a residential constructing was broken within the northwestern metropolis of Lutsk, in keeping with the town’s mayor, Ihor Polischuk.
Two individuals who have been killed within the Zaporizhzhya and Dnipropetrovsk areas have been among the many seven killed, in keeping with native authorities.
In the Poltava area, 5 individuals have been wounded after an industrial facility was struck. Three explosions have been reported within the Vinnytsia area.
WATCH: One individual was killed as a missile hit a cottage space on the outskirts of the jap Ukrainian metropolis of Dnipro early on August 26. It was a day when Ukraine woke as much as a barrage of Russian air assaults.
Ukraine’s Air Force Command had warned residents to not ignore air raid alerts after it had detected 11 Russian Tu-95MS bombers taking off.
The Air Force Command added that it had detected drone actions in Chernihiv, Sumy, Cherkasy, Mykolayiv, Kharkiv and Kyiv.
Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschukv mentioned Ukraine shot down 201 “air targets” — 102 missiles and 99 assault drones. This was out of 236 missiles and drones fired. The assault included three Kinzhal missiles, six Iskander missiles, and 28 Kalibr cruise missiles launched from Russian ships within the Black Sea, Oleschukv mentioned.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that 20 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed in a single day.
The governor of Russia’s Saratov area, Roman Busargin, mentioned drones had focused the cities of Saratov and Engels and broken two residential buildings.
He mentioned the injury was attributable to falling particles after air defenses shot down the drones.
Russian information businesses mentioned 4 girls have been injured in Saratov, with one lady hospitalized. No casualties have been reported in Engels.
Engels and Saratov are situated on the alternative banks of the Volga River, with a strategic bomber navy base situated round 12 kilometers from the place the drones have been intercepted. Saratov is round 900 km from the Ukrainian border.
Quoting the airport’s press workplace, information businesses mentioned flights have been restricted on the regional Saratov airport.
RFE/RL couldn’t independently confirm the reviews.
Ukraine and Russia insist that they don’t goal civilians of their assaults however infrastructure crucial to struggle efforts.
