‘The time for decisive action is now’: says Zelenskyy after Russia launches massive drone, missile attack on Ukraine

Kyiv: Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday issued another plea to Western partners to step up their assistance and stated, “The time for decisive action is now,” after Russia launched a “massive” missile and drone attack aimed at energy infrastructure across Ukraine overnight into Monday, CNN reported, citing Ukrainian officials statements.

The massive attack killed at least four people and caused power outages in several cities.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a video on X and described the attack as “one of the largest attacks – a combined strike, involving over a hundred missiles of various types and around a hundred ‘Shaheds.'”

Currently, across the country, efforts are underway to eliminate the consequences of the Russian strike. This was one of the largest attacks – a combined strike, involving over a hundred missiles of various types and around a hundred “Shaheds.” Like most Russian strikes before,… pic.twitter.com/0qNTGR98rR

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 26, 2024

“Across Ukraine, we could do much more to protect lives if the aviation of our European neighbors operated in concert with our F-16s and air defense systems. If such unity has proven effective in the Middle East, it must work in Europe too,” the Ukrainian leader stressed.

“Ukraine cannot be constrained in its long-range capabilities when the terrorists face no such limitations,” he said, adding, “America, Britain, France, and our other partners have the power to help us stop this terror. The time for decisive action is now.”

Further, Zelenskyy also slams Russian President Vladimir Putin and stated, “Putin can only act within the limits the world sets for him.”

According to CNN, Ukraine’s air force said it detected dozens of missiles and drones targeting almost all regions of the country, from the frontline eastern regions of Kharkiv and Dnipro to the southern port city of Odesa, as well as the capital, Kyiv.

“Russian terrorists have once again targeted energy infrastructure,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal wrote Monday on Telegram.

At least 15 regions were targeted by a combination of drones, cruise missiles and hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, he said.

Ukraine’s national energy company, Ukrenergo, has been forced to implement emergency power cuts to stabilise the system, Shmyhal said, as per CNN. Power outages have been recorded in several cities, including Kyiv and Dnipro, according to Serhii Kovalenko, chief executive of the Yasno energy company.

Ukraine had been bracing for a major Russian attack for weeks, in response to Kyiv’s shock incursion into the border region of Kursk – the first foreign invasion of Russia since World War II.

Ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day on August 24, the US Embassy in Kyiv had warned of an increased risk of Russian drone and missile attacks.

The overnight assault came hours after Ukraine’s foreign ministry called on Belarus to withdraw what it described as a “significant” buildup of Belarusian forces and equipment at their shared border.

Kyiv also reported that former Wagner mercenaries were among the troops at the border and urged Minsk “not to make tragic mistakes for their country under Moscow’s pressure.”

Over two-and-a-half years of war, Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, attempting to plunge its citizens into darkness and use freezing winter temperatures as a weapon of war. After Monday’s attack, Ukraine’s Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said “The energy sector is in the crosshairs” and the extent of the damage was being investigated.

Deaths have been reported in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Volyn, and Zhytomyr regions, according to Ukrainian authorities. At least five people were injured in the central Poltava region when an industrial facility was hit, according to its regional military chief. CNN teams in Kyiv and Dnipro heard several explosions overnight.