Kiev [Ukraine], May 26: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched some 300 drone attacks and some 70 strikes with missiles and cruise missiles on Ukraine during the night.
Those figures would make it the worst drone attacks since the war began in 2022. Authorities said at least 12 people were killed in different parts of the country and dozens more were injured. Rescue workers are on duty in more than 30 Ukrainian cities and villages, Zelensky said in his post on X. Children are among the dead, he added.
The air force reported 298 drone attacks. The previous highest number, reported in Ukrainian media, was 289 aerial objects on May 18.
"Each such terrorist Russian strike is a sufficient reason for new sanctions against Russia. Russia is dragging out this war and continues to kill every day," Zelensky said.
"The world may go on a weekend break, but the war continues, regardless of weekends and weekdays. This cannot be ignored. Silence of America, silence of others around the world only encourage [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," he wrote.
"The war can be stopped, but only through the necessary force of pressure on Russia. Putin must be forced to think not about launching missiles, but about ending the war," Zelensky said.
When Zelensky refers to "American silence", he likely means the further sanctions Washington has so far resisted imposing on Moscow for its continued invasion.
His argument is that Russia's war machine is not being starved sufficiently, and that the Kremlin is not being incentivised enough to meaningfully engage in ceasefire talks.
Trump has said he wants to use more of a carrot than stick when it comes to convincing Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, but, aside from direct Ukraine-Russia talks and further prisoner of war exchanges, there has been little to no progress on bringing a pause in fighting closer, despite the US president's growing impatience.
Despite Kiev's European allies preparing further sanctions for Russia, the US has said it will either continue trying to broker these peace talks, or "walk away" if progress does not follow.
Russia's defence ministry said it had inflicted damage on targets including military airfields, ammunition depots and electric warfare stations, claiming damage across 142 areas.
According to Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, 13 regions were attacked, with more than 60 people injured, 80 residential buildings damaged, and 27 fires recorded.
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine have each released a further 303 people in their largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war, the Russian Defence Ministry and Zelensky said on Sunday.
This was the third part of an exchange agreed in Istanbul on May 16 during direct talks between the two sides. In total, each have released 1,000 prisoners since Friday. The exchange began with the release of 390 prisoners, followed by 307 the next day. Zelensky has reiterated he is determined to secure the release of all Ukrainians being held in Russia.
Source: Qatar Tribune
