KYIV: Russia launched 28 attack drones and three cruise missile at Ukraine, Ukraine's air force said on Sunday, adding that its air defence systems destroyed 21 of the drones.
The air force said on its Telegram messaging channel that Russia targeted mainly the south and east of Ukraine, and did not say what happened to the three cruise missiles.
"The enemy is shifting the focus of attack to the frontline territories — Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions were attacked by drones," Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told national television.
There was no immediate comment from Russia.
Dnipropetrovsk regional authorities said that 12 people were injured in a drone attack in Dnipro city.
They also said an educational institution and its dormitory, two multi-apartment buildings and one administrative building were damaged.
Ihnat said drones were predominantly destroyed by mobile teams, saving "scarce" air defence missiles.
He said Ukrainian forces used some missiles to repel two recent major Russian attacks and "processes are under way to continue to provide Ukraine with the number of missiles needed to repel air attacks".
Russia deployed almost 300 missiles and more than 200 drones in attacks in the last days of 2023 and the first days of 2024.
Russia's attack on Ukraine can be defeated, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday, adding that the situation on the battlefield at this time remains relatively stable.
"Even Russia can be brought back within the framework of international law. Its aggression can be defeated," Zelenskiy told a conference in Sweden via video link.
The war in Ukraine has shown that Europe must develop joint weapons production to ensure that the continent can "preserve itself" under any global situation that might arise, the Ukrainian president said.
"Two years of this war have proven that Europe needs its own sufficient arsenal for the defence of freedom, its own capabilities to ensure defence," he said.
Meanwhile, foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa pledged Japan's continued support for Ukraine as she visited Kyiv on Sunday in the midst of the country's war with Russia.
"Japan is determined to continue to support Ukraine so that peace can return to Ukraine," Kamikawa said through an interpreter at a joint news conference with Ukrainian minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Ukraine has repeatedly asked its allies to provide it with modern aircraft and air defence systems to repel Russian attacks, targeting both military and civilian infrastructure. — Reuters
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