Ukraine's military said Thursday that Russian forces attacked last night with 28 drones and five missiles.
The Ukrainian Air Force said the country's air defenses shot down 26 of them, with interceptions taking place in the Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram that the debris from the crashed drone caused fires in several residential buildings and injured two people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Wednesday (27/3) said it was important to strengthen his country's air defense and speed up the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to be used to fight the Russian invasion.
“There is no rational explanation why Patriots, who are quite numerous throughout the world, are still not protecting the skies of Kharkiv and other cities and communities attacked by Russian terrorists,” Zelenskyy said on social media. “Every day, we work to provide better protection for our people and Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy's remarks came after a Russian attack on Kharkiv, a city in Eastern Ukraine, which killed one person and injured 19 others.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the Russian attacks damaged 19 residential buildings.
Russia said Wednesday it had thwarted a Ukrainian rocket attack targeting the Belgorod area, while Ukraine said Russia attacked the previous night with 13 drones.
Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 18 Ukrainian rockets.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on the Telegram app that there was damage to houses in several villages, and at least one person was injured.
Belgorod, located on the border between Russia and Ukraine, has been a frequent target of Ukrainian attacks as Ukraine tries to defeat the Russian invasion that began more than two years ago. (uh/ab)