Zelensky believes that Russia’s war has become an environmental disaster for Ukraine
Kyiv was again targeted by a wave of Russian drones early on December 14 in the first such attack in weeks, but air defense systems prevented major damage, city officials said, while fierce fighting continued in the east, where Moscow’s forces were close behind. attack on the entire front line with strong artillery and missile strikes.
Two administrative buildings were damaged, mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote in a message on Telegram, after the explosions in the Shevchenko district of the city, where many government institutions and buildings are located.
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Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said that Ukrainian air defense systems were effective.
“The anti-aircraft defense worked well,” he said. “Thirteen (drones) were shot down.”
“Well done, I’m proud,” summed up President Uladzimir Zelensky video messagepraising the anti-aircraft defense systems that he said had shot down all the drones.
The governor of the capital region, Alyaksei Kuleba, also said that most of the drones had been shot down, without giving further details.
In the Zhytomyr and Luhansk regions, the threat of an air raid has been announced.
The governor of the Zhytomyr region, Vitaly Bunechka, wrote in Telegram that “a second wave of drone attacks is possible” and urged people to stay in shelters.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has faced a barrage of Russian airstrikes across the country that have caused significant damage to its energy infrastructure and left millions without electricity, water and heating.
WATCH: Using all their powers of persuasion, Ukrainian volunteers are trying to win over the residents of Bakhmut, a town on the eastern front of the war with Russia, so they can take them to safer places in the west.
Ignat said the total number of Iranian drones launched on Dec. 14 was being verified, but Russia had used about 400 since the first one was shot down by Ukraine in mid-September.
It is not yet clear whether Russia is using a new batch of Iranian drones or has not yet used up its old stockpile, Ignat said.
The latest wave of attacks came after three unnamed US officials told Reuters that an announcement on Washington’s plans to supply Ukraine with the Patriot missile defense system could be made as early as this week.
There was no comment from the Pentagon or the government of Ukraine.
The Patriot is considered one of the most advanced US air defense systems and is routinely in short supply, with allies around the world fighting over it.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned NATO against equipping Kiev with Patriot systems.
On the front line of combat operations, the Ukrainian military over the past day repelled attacks by the Russian armed forces on 14 positions in three regions — Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army reported on the morning of December 14.
Heavy fighting continued in the cities of Bakhmut and Avdeivka, Donetsk.
Russian troops have been fighting for months to capture Bakhmut as part of a tough battle for control of the Donetsk region.
According to the General Staff, Russian troops in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions “launched one air and 11 missile strikes, three of them against civilian infrastructure objects… [and] in the last 24 hours, more than 60 strikes were carried out by rocket launchers.”
On December 14, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Valyantyn Reznichenko, said that Russian troops shelled the cities of Nikopol and Morganets all night.
Back on December 12, Zelensky pressed Western leaders to provide more modern weapons to help Ukraine in its war with Russia.