Before dawn on Thursday, a Russian missile struck a hotel in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s village in central Ukraine, killing at least four people and leaving over thirty others injured, according to Ukrainian authorities.
“Ukrainian, American, and British citizens who were volunteers for a humanitarian organization had checked into the hotel just prior to the attack,” Mr. Zelensky said in a statement. They were able to escape their rooms in time, which is how they survived. Regretfully, this incident claimed the lives of four persons.
While rescuers hurried to evacuate injured citizens from the destroyed structure in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Mr. Zelensky, air defense troops nationwide rushed to protect against the wintertime bombardments that have become commonplace.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia fired 112 drones and two ballistic missiles in total, some of which included dummy warheads intended to reveal and deplete air defenses.
The Air Force said that the majority of the lethal drones were shot down, but it did not specify if either of the missiles had been shot down.
Concern has grown that Ukraine’s air defense capabilities would be among the first aspects of its security to be jeopardized after the United States declared this week that it was halting both military and intelligence aid to the country.
Ukraine’s most dependable defense against Russia’s most advanced ballistic missiles has been the American-made Patriot system. Ukrainians may not have access to the advanced interceptor missiles that have contributed to the protective shield over the capital, Kyiv, and other cities as a result of the halt in US military aid.
At the same time, American satellites that can identify aircraft and missile launches deep within Russian territory give some early warning information that informs Ukraine’s air-raid alarms. It’s unclear if information about those systems was part of the intelligence sharing freeze.
As Washington increasingly sides with Moscow in its pressure on Kyiv ahead of peace talks, Ukrainian officials attempted to reassure the public that they were taking action to handle the impact from the abrupt actions by its main military partner.
Ukraine is openly appealing to the American public even as Kyiv tries to convince Washington that it should be putting pressure on Russia to terminate the war instead of doing actions that make Ukraine less able to defend itself.
Following in the footsteps of F-16 fighter pilots, Ukrainian operators of Patriot systems have made direct appeals to the American people to support Ukraine.
In a military video, one operator stated, “We are still alive and able to protect our cities and the civilians who live there because of your support.” “The American people deserve our gratitude!”
Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has offered “strong signals” that he is prepared for peace, according to President Trump.
But Russia’s relentless frontal assault on Ukrainian villages, cities, and infrastructure has only become worse since the two men’s February 12 conversation.
Since then, The New York Times has collated publicly accessible information from Ukrainian officials that show more than 70 people have been murdered.
