Ukraine activated this Thursday a aerial alert throughout the territory due to missile attacks launched by Russia to various regions of the country. According to the Air Force Ukrainian, the missiles were directed mainly towards Kharkiv in the northeast and Odessa in the south, in addition to eight other regions.
“Air strike alert declared throughout Ukraine due to missile threat“, indicated the Army in its Telegram account. These attacks are part of an escalation of the Russian invasion, which has intensified its offensives in recent weeks.
For his part, Minister German Galushchenko denounced through Facebook that “Once again, the energy sector is under massive enemy attack. Attacks on energy facilities occur throughout Ukraine”, while announcing “emergency power cuts”.
Local authorities urged residents to seek shelter immediately as Ukrainian air defense systems tried to intercept the missiles.
The latest salvo of missiles comes a day after the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trumpwill name the retired general Keith Kellogg as his envoy to Ukraine, charged with ending the Russian invasion.
Furthermore, it coincides with the approval by Washington for Ukraine to use American-made missiles in their attacks against Russian territory. In response, Moscow launched a experimental hypersonic missile.
Air and missile attacks continue to be one of the main methods of aggression used by Russian forces to dismantle defensive capabilities of Ukraine and weaken its morale.
On Tuesday, Russia denounced two new Ukrainian attacks with missiles of this type and stated that it was “preparing a response”. That same day, Ukraine suffered another Russian attack involving 188 dronesa “record” to date.
On the battle front, the situation remains critical. Russian forces continue to advance in eastern Ukraine, while the Ukrainian army faces serious difficulties in maintaining pace due to a shortage of troops.
The outgoing administration of Joe Biden recently urged kyiv to lower the minimum age for military mobilization, from 25 to 18, to address the lack of recruits.
A senior official of the White House He noted that Ukraine faces an “existential crisis” because it is not mobilizing or training enough soldiers to replace casualties and confront Russian forces.
Meanwhile, the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenskyurged NATO to offer a “decisive and timely” response to the escalation of the war in his country, following recent attacks by Russia, which included the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile last week.
In a telephone conversation with the secretary general of the Atlantic Alliance, Mark Rutte, Zelensky highlighted the urgency of strengthening military and defense support to Ukraine to confront the new threats from the Kremlin.
“Ukraine depends on NATO for the transfer of air defense systems capable of intercepting these missiles”declared the Ukrainian president, while emphasizing that this type of weaponry is crucial for the country’s defense.
The call of Zelensky to the I’LL TAKE occurs in a context of increasing pressure on the part of Russiawhich has not ceased its offensive against Ukraine since the start of the invasion in February 2022.
The Ukrainian president expects a clear response from the member countries of the I’LL TAKE during the next meeting of foreign ministers of the Alliancescheduled for next week in Brussels.
(With information from AFP and EFE)
