KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired greater than 100 drones at civilian areas of Ukraine in a single day, authorities mentioned Monday, because the Kremlin dismissed the nation’s transport chief after a weekend of journey chaos when Russian airports grounded lots of of flights because of the menace of Ukrainian drone assaults.
A minimum of 10 civilians have been killed and 38 injured, together with three youngsters, in Russian assaults over the earlier 24 hours, Ukrainian officers mentioned.
Russia lately has intensified its aerial strikes on civilian areas after greater than three years of warfare. Over the previous week, Russia launched some 1,270 drones, 39 missiles and virtually 1,000 highly effective glide bombs at Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned Monday.
Russia’s greater military can be making an attempt arduous to interrupt by way of at some factors alongside the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620 miles) entrance line, the place Ukrainian forces are severely stretched.
The pressure of maintaining Russia’s invasion at bay, and the shortage of progress in direct peace talks, has compelled Ukraine to hunt extra army assist from the U.S. and Europe.
Zelenskyy mentioned on Saturday that Ukraine had inked offers with European allies and a number one U.S. protection firm to step up drone manufacturing, making certain Kyiv receives “lots of of hundreds” extra this 12 months.
“Air protection is the primary factor for safeguarding life,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Monday.
That features creating and manufacturing interceptor drones that may cease Russia’s long-range Shahed drones, he mentioned.
In depth use of drones has additionally helped Ukraine compensate for its troop shortages on the entrance line.
One particular person was killed within the southern metropolis of Odesa, 27 have been injured in northeastern Kharkiv and falling drone particles brought about harm in two districts of Kyiv, the capital, throughout nighttime drone assaults, Ukrainian authorities mentioned.
Russian short-range drones additionally killed two folks and injured two others within the northern Sumy area, officers mentioned. Sumy is likely one of the locations the place Russia has concentrated giant numbers of troops.
Additionally, 9 folks have been injured and 7 killed within the japanese Donetsk area, regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin mentioned. He didn’t specify the kind of weapons used.
In the meantime, Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned Monday that its troops shot down 91 Ukrainian drones in 13 Russian areas in a single day, in addition to over the Black Sea and the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.
The Kremlin dismissed Transport Minister Roman Starovoyt on Monday, an order printed on the Kremlin web site mentioned.
The announcement didn’t give a cause for Starovoyt’s dismissal. Over the weekend, lots of of flights have been canceled or delayed at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo and St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo airports. Different airports in western and central Russia additionally confronted disruptions due to Ukrainian drone assaults.
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Related Press author Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England contributed to this report.
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Observe AP’s protection of the warfare in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
