Zelensky again asks for weapons after 7 people killed in Russian attack in Zaporozhye region

CNN
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At least seven people, including children, were killed and at least 31 injured after Russia launched a missile strike on the city of Vilnyansk in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said.

“[Today] “It is a day of mourning in the Zaporizhzhia region for the victims of the enemy attack on Vilnyansk,” Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, said on Sunday. “The pain is indescribable. »

Three children were among those killed and eight children were among the injured, Fedorov said.

The attack damaged critical infrastructure, as well as a retail store and residential buildings, he said Saturday. Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said commercial pavilions, homes and vehicles also caught fire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered his condolences to those who lost loved ones in the attack and called for more long-range weapons, saying Ukraine must “strike with a real long-range strike capability and increase the number of advanced air defense systems in Ukraine.”

“I am grateful to all the partners who help me. And the decisions we need must be accelerated. Any delay in decisions in this war means the loss of human lives,” he wrote on Telegram.

Recent developments on the battlefield have allowed Russia to make slow but steady tactical progress on several fronts in Ukraine. Russia also launched a surprise cross-border attack in May.

In the Donetsk region, Russia has advanced towards Chasiv Yar as it attempts to capture the strategic hilltop town.

During its offensive, Russia exploited Ukraine's weaknesses, including labor shortages and delays in Western supplies.

As Zelensky reiterates his calls for more long-range weapons, these developments have once again highlighted Ukraine's dependence on munitions and weapons from the United States and other allies.

Concerns have been raised about how long US aid will continue if former US President Donald Trump is re-elected in November.

Thursday's debate saw US President Joe Biden struggle, while Trump questioned continued funding for Ukraine's fight against Russia.

Ukrainian politician Oleksiy Goncharenko told CNN that Trump's comments about the war in Ukraine were “worrying.”

“We are very concerned because we more or less understand what this means for Ukraine, [a] The Biden presidency, and we really don't know what that means for Ukraine, a Trump presidency. It can be very good, it can be very bad. We just don't know. And that’s really concerning,” Goncharenko said.