Russia fired 40 missiles, drones into Ukraine overnight – President Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday accused Russia of firing over 40 missiles and 40 drones at Ukraine overnight.

Zelensky said the missiles and drones shot into the city of Kharkiv targeted “critical infrastructure” throughout the country.

Posting on X, Zelensky wrote: “Overnight, Russia fired more than 40 missiles and 40 drones at Ukraine.

“Some missiles and ‘Shahed’ drones were successfully shot down. Unfortunately, only a part of them.

“There was another vile missile attack on Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region.”

Zelensky said infrastructure facilities were also targeted in Kyiv, the cities of Zaporizhzhia and Odesa in the south, and the western city of Lviv, near the Polish border.

“Russian terrorists once again targeted critical infrastructure,” he said.

Moscow has heavily attacked Ukraine’s energy facilities over recent months, launching some of its biggest aerial strikes of the two-year war.

Zelensky called on Ukraine’s Western partners not to “turn a blind eye” and to provide more air defence systems.

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said hundreds of rescuers had been deployed at sites across the country after “massive shelling”.

“For several hours, the Russian military attacked five regions of Ukraine, hitting critical infrastructure,” he said.