Russian forces carried out overnight drone attacks on Kyiv, officials said on Thursday, continuing a month-long campaign of air strikes against the Ukrainian capital.
Military chiefs said Kyiv’s air defenses destroyed all 36 drones during the three-hour airstrike, the 12th this month.
Serhiy Popko, head of the city’s military administration, said in a Telegram message that Russia “again attacked Kyiv from the air.”
“The attack was massive,” the statement added. “The enemy continues to use attack tactics in multiple waves, with intervals between drone attack groups.”
He added that “all detected air targets moving in the direction of Kyiv were destroyed” by Ukraine’s air defense systems.
The attacks were carried out using Iranian-made Shahed drones, the statement added, citing preliminary information.
In his nightly video address on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the Iranians to reconsider supplying Russia with lethal drones to stop their slide into “darkness.” part of history.”
“The simple question is this: what is your interest in being an accomplice to Russian terrorism?” Zelenskyy said in his address.
“What is the benefit of Iran in such a cynical murder? By the hands of Russia, but with your weapons,” he added. “Your Shahed, terrorizing Ukraine every night, only means that the people of Iran are being driven deeper and deeper into the dark side of history.”
Iranian-made Shahed drones supplied by Moscow have played a major role in Russia’s attacks on cities and infrastructure, although Zelenskyy said Kyiv’s air defenses are already adept at taking them down. He said about 900 of the 1,160 drones aimed at Ukrainian targets were shot down.
Russia has strengthened its military cooperation with Iran since the invasion of its neighbor in February 2022. Iran initially refused to supply Shahed drones to Russia but later said it provided a small number before the start of the conflict.
Here are some of the other developments regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine on Thursday, May 25:
Six drones were shot down in Crimea, no casualties
Six drones were downed or intercepted overnight in Russian-occupied Crimea, the region’s Moscow-appointed governor said.
“Last night, six drones were shot down or intercepted … in different parts of Crimea,” Sergei Aksyonov wrote on Telegram, adding “there were no victims or injuries.”
The incident occurred after Moscow used jets and artillery against an armed group that allegedly crossed into Russia’s Belgorod region from Ukraine. It was the worst attack on its soil since the start of the war.
Earlier this month, Russian authorities admitted that they had thwarted missile and drone attacks in Crimea.
South Korean ammunition is heading to Ukraine via the US – report
Hundreds of thousands of South Korean artillery rounds are headed to Ukraine via the United States, after Seoul’s initial resistance to arming Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Citing unnamed sources, the publication said Seoul had reached a “confidential arrangement” with Washington to transfer the shells to the United States for delivery to Ukraine, after Washington asked its Asian ally last year for artillery support.
Jeon Ha-kyu, a spokesman for South Korea’s Defense Ministry, said Thursday that it had spoken to the Pentagon about exporting the ammunition but that there were “inaccurate parts” in the WSJ report, which declined to provide details. details.
A US ally and major producer of artillery munitions, South Korea has so far refused to send lethal aid to Ukraine, citing business ties with Russia and Moscow’s influence over North Korea, despite rising pressure from Washington and Europe to supply weapons.
The US has approved a $285 million sale of air defense systems to Ukraine
The United States has announced a $285 million (€265 million) sale of a NASAMS air defense system and related equipment to Ukraine as Kyiv seeks to boost protection against Russian strikes.
“Ukraine has an urgent need to increase its capabilities to defend against Russian missile and aircraft strikes,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement. “Acquiring and effectively deploying this capability will enhance Ukraine’s ability to protect its people and protect critical national infrastructure.”
The agency also said the sale would support U.S. national security foreign policy by “enhancing the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic development in Europe.”
The sale will not require any additional US government employees or contractors to be assigned to Ukraine, the statement added. The State Department approved the sale, and the DSCA on Wednesday gave the necessary notification to Congress, which still needs to sign off on the transaction.
Countries including the US that support Ukraine in its fight against invading Russian forces have donated tens of billions of dollars worth of military equipment to Kyiv, but this transfer is a sale.
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dh/nm (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)