Russian forces launched more than 300 drones and more than 30 missiles and cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging platform on Saturday.
Zelensky posted photos showing damage to an apartment building in the Black Sea city of Odessa, where one person was killed and six others were injured, according to official reports.
The regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia were hit, Zelensky said.
In Sumy region, vital infrastructure was destroyed, with thousands of households without electricity.
“The drones are still in the air,” Zelensky said.
He added that Ukrainian air defenses were destroying them and that emergency services had been activated.
Pavlohrad in Dnipropetrovsk region was hit hard, with a residential building and vital infrastructure damaged, Zelensky said.
Regional military commander Serhiy Lisak spoke of a “hell of a night” and said it was the worst attack on the city east of the Dnieper River.
“One explosion after another. Russian terrorists attacked with missiles and drones,” he posted on Telegram.
The number of attacks was significantly higher than in recent days, and Moscow appears unfazed by the latest package of sanctions adopted by the European Union on Friday.
Zelensky repeated his call for Ukraine’s allies to strengthen air defenses.
Ukraine needs facilities for joint weapons production, investment in drone production and air defense systems, he said.
“All this will save lives, and Ukraine needs it, especially now,” he said.
Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
