Ukraine needs better air defences, Zelenskyy says after Russian drone attack

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday Ukraine needs to strengthen its defences to protect people after its air defence units shot down 50 of 73 Russian drones launched overnight over many regions.

“An air alert has been sounded almost daily across Ukraine this week,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram messenger.

Over the past week Russia used more than 800 guided aerial bombs, about 460 attack drones, and more than 20 missiles of various types, Zelenskyy said.

“Ukraine is not a testing ground for weapons. Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state. But Russia still continues its efforts to kill our people, spread fear and panic, and weaken us,” he added.

The Ukrainian military said earlier on Sunday that air defence units had destroyed more than 10 Russian drones that were targeting Kyiv in an overnight attack.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the attack, Kyiv’s military administration posted on Telegram.

Reuters witnesses heard explosions in Kyiv in what sounded like air defense units in operation.

“The UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) were flying in different directions towards Kyiv,” Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said.

“The air raid alert in the city lasted for more than three hours.”

There was no immediate comment from Russia about the attack, though the governor of the region that borders Ukraine said on Sunday two Ukrainian missiles and 27 drones were destroyed over Russia’s Kursk region.

It was not immediately clear what missiles were destroyed and Kursk regional governor Alexei Smirnov did not provide further details in a post on his Telegram channel.

The Ukrainian military later said on Telegram that its forces had destroyed a Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile system in Kursk.

Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

Air defences have been a key request of the Ukrainians for years, and NATO allies have stepped up their deliveries of those systems, although they have been slow to arrive.

Canada announced on Friday an air defence missile system it purchased through U.S. manufacturers was finally on the ground in Ukraine, nearly two years after it was first ordered.

Ukrainian troops stormed across Russia’s western border into Kursk on Aug. 6 and seized a chunk of territory.

Moscow launched waves of counter-assaults and has retaken at least 40 per cent of the captured territory since then, but Kyiv still controls about 800 square kilometres in the region, a senior Ukrainian military source said on Sunday.

Kyiv had aimed to stem Russian attacks in eastern and northeastern Ukraine, force Russia to pull back forces gradually advancing in the east and give Kyiv extra leverage in any future peace negotiations.

But Russian forces are still advancing in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

Zelenskyy said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s main objectives were to occupy the entire Donbas, which consists of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and oust Ukrainian troops from the Kursk region.

“For Putin, the most important thing is to push us out of the Kursk region. I am sure that he wants to push us out by January 20,” Zelenskyy told media, referring to when Donald Trump will be inaugurated as U.S. president.

“It is very important for him (Putin) to demonstrate that he is in control of the situation.”

The source at the Ukrainian General Staff source reiterated that about 11,000 North Korean troops had arrived in the Kursk region in support of Russia, but that the bulk of their forces was still finalizing their training.

The Russian Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Reuters could not independently verify the figures or descriptions given.

Moscow, which occupies about a fifth of Ukraine, has not confirmed or denied the presence of North Korean forces in Kursk region.

Kyiv has sought to disrupt Russian logistics and supply chains by hitting Russian weapons and ammunition depots, airfields, and other military targets inside Russia.

After U.S. President Joe Biden allowed Kyiv to fire U.S.-supplied long-range missiles at targets deep inside Russia, Ukraine last week fired U.S. ATACMS and British Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia.

Ukrainian investigators are studying the debris of a new Russian intermediate-range ballistic missile that was fired at the city of Dnipro on Thursday, the first time such a powerful weapon has been used in the war and seen as a response to Biden’s decision.

Reuters and the Associated Press were among a small group of reporters given access to the wreckage of the missile on Sunday. Reporters were asked not disclose the exact location of the site for security reasons.

The scorched and crumbled pieces of debris were laid out in a hanger at a facility which conducts weapons forensics.

Ukrainian experts study such debris to gain insight into Russian military supply chains, production and how to develop counter-measures.

Russia has dubbed the missile the Oreshnik (Hazel Tree) and said it is impossible to intercept it with air defenses. Ukraine has said the weapon reached a top speed of more than 13,000 km/h on its way towards Dnipro on Thursday.

Intermediate-range ballistic missiles have a range of up to 5,500 kilometers.

The U.S. military has said the missile’s design is based on the longer-range RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The new missile was experimental and Russia likely possessed only a handful of them, they have said.

Putin said on Friday Moscow would keep testing the missile in combat and had a stock ready to use.

Much remains unclear for now, including the extent of the damage caused by the missile. Ukraine seldom discloses damage to military targets, fearing such information would help Moscow.

—With additional files from Global News