Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the international community not to “turn a blind eye” to Russia’s escalating long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure, warning that the absence of a global response is enabling increasingly frequent and brutal strikes.
Zelensky said that over the past week Russia launched more than 3,300 munitions into Ukraine, even as diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war continue.
“Almost every day, they strike energy facilities, logistics infrastructure, and residential buildings. And this is happening even as diplomatic efforts for peace are ongoing,” Zelensky said in a social media post on Sunday.
Heavy use of drones, missiles, and guided bombs
According to Zelensky, Russia fired more than 2,000 attack drones, 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and 116 missiles at Ukrainian targets over the past week.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 101 drones overnight from Saturday into Sunday. Of those, 69 were shot down or electronically suppressed. The remaining 32 drones struck 13 locations across the country.
Power Grid under attack
Russia has continued a winter-long campaign targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Saturday night’s drone assault followed a massive missile and drone strike late Friday that caused significant power outages across most regions of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said the latest attacks damaged:
An industrial facility in Poltava
A residential building in Kramatorsk
An industrial site in Odessa
Several residential buildings in Kherson
Call for air defense and continued pressure on Moscow
Zelensky warned that the lack of international reaction risks emboldening Moscow.
“When there is no global response, the strikes become more frequent and increasingly brutal,” he said early Sunday. “This can be stopped through real support for Ukraine and our defense.”
He reiterated Ukraine’s urgent need for additional military assistance.
“We need missiles for air defense systems and weapons for our warriors, who hold back this aggression every single day,” Zelensky said. “And for diplomacy to work, constant pressure on Russia is essential.”
He added that Ukraine has imposed new sanctions on foreign companies accused of supplying “critical components” used in Russian drones and missiles.
“The price of this war for them must be so high that the war becomes untenable for the Russian Federation,” Zelensky said.
Energy sector declared a “legitimate target”
Later on Sunday, Zelensky said Ukraine considers Russia’s energy sector a legitimate military target, arguing that revenue from oil and energy exports is directly funding the war.
“We do not have to choose whether we strike a military target or energy,” Zelensky said while addressing students at Kyiv’s National Aviation University. “He sells oil, takes the money, invests it in weapons. And with those weapons, he kills Ukrainians.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine faces two strategic options:
“We either build weapons and strike their weapons. Or we strike the source where their money is generated and multiplied. And that source is their energy sector.”
Ukraine continues long-range strikes
Ukraine also carried out its own long-range attacks against Russian targets overnight. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 22 Ukrainian drones late Saturday into Sunday morning.
The exchange underscores the intensifying aerial dimension of the war as both sides expand long-range strike campaigns against infrastructure and military assets.
