Moscow launched a massive day time aerial attack with over 800 drones already sent against Ukraine since midnight on Wednesday.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the assault was still ongoing.
"Since midnight, at least 800 Russian drones have already been launched, and the attack is ongoing, with additional drones entering our country’s airspace.”
Ukraine’s president said throughout the entire day Moscow launched its drones “in waves” deliberately targeting regions closest to the borders of NATO countries.
According to Ukrainian officials and rescue services, western regions of Ukraine have been hit as well as the rest of the country.
Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) warned the population of a “prolonged combined attack on Ukraine's critical and civilian infrastructure” as the first air raid sirens went off across the country around 11:00am local time.
According to the HUR statement, after the first wave of drones, Russian forces intend to follow up with a significant number of air- and sea-launched cruise missiles, as well as ballistic missiles.
Zelenskyy said “Russia’s obvious aim is to overload air defence systems and inflict as much grief and pain as possible specifically during these days”.
“It is important that the world does not remain silent about this. It is important that Russia’s true intentions are made clear to leaders and countries. It is important to apply real pressure on the Russian aggressor so that this terror is brought to an end.”
Ukraine’s president also pointed out that Moscow’s massive aerial attack is happening on the day when the US president arrived for a visit to China .
“In this difficult geopolitical moment, Russia is clearly trying to disrupt the overall political atmosphere and draw attention to its evil – seeking to do so at the expense of Ukrainian lives and Ukrainian infrastructure.”
Russia’s new tactic
Until recently, Russia had mainly carried out mass drone and missile strikes at night.
But the tactic seems to have changed in March-April, when Moscow switched to a daytime assault strategy.
According to the US-based Institute for the Study of War, the new Russian tactic — combining a major night time strike with an equally heavy daytime assault — is likely to increase damage to Ukrainian civilians.
This approach lets Russia threaten more areas of Ukraine for longer periods and disproportionately affect civilian districts, the analysts noted.
