Russia conducted what local authorities called “one of the most massive” drone attacks at Zaporizhzhia overnight on Friday, as it continued its attacks on Ukraine’s civilian and energy infrastructure in its all-out war, now nearing its four-year mark.
At least nine Russian drones struck the city, damaging dozens of residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure, head of the regional administration, Ivan Fedorov, wrote on Telegram on Friday. There were no casualties, the official said.
Overall, Russia fired 116 long-range drones at Ukraine last night, according to Ukraine’s Air Force, which said that 86 drones were intercepted, while 27 more have reached their targets.
The day before, on New Year’s Day, the Kremlin launched more than 200 drone attacks to “bring the war into the New Year”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as he called for further support to ensure his country is equipped to continue defending itself and its people.
“The killings must be stopped – there can be no pauses in protecting human life. If the strikes do not stop even during the New Year holidays, then air defence deliveries cannot be delayed. Our allies have the necessary scarce equipment.”
Zelenskyy announced on Friday that a series of meetings, including top-level “Coalition of the Willing” talks, are set to take place over the next several days, as Europe seeks to bolster Ukraine’s defences against Russian attacks and to discuss strategy in ongoing peace talks.
“On 6 January, a meeting at the leaders’ level will take place – European leaders and the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing,” the Ukrainian president said.
“We are preparing now to ensure that the meeting is productive, that support increases, and that there is greater political confidence both in the security guarantees and in the peace agreement. I thank everyone who is helping us.”
Moscow’s accusations continue
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army said Friday it only hit “military targets”, a day after Russia accused Kyiv of allegedly firing drones at a hotel and cafe in Ukraine’s occupied south, killing 27 people.
In comments to AFP, Ukrainian army spokesperson Dmytro Lykhoviy accused Russia of repeatedly resorting to “disinformation and false statements”.
“Ukraine’s Defence Forces adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law and strike exclusively at enemy military targets,” he said.
Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service said in a statement earlier Friday that Russia was preparing to orchestrate a “large-scale provocation with human casualties,” without providing immediate evidence.
The accusations also came right after Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other Kremlin officials stated that Moscow’s position would harden following Ukraine’s alleged drone attack on Putin’s residence overnight on Monday.
Russia first rejected providing additional evidence, but then released a video claiming it showed one of the drones that targeted Putin’s dacha.
However, no proof was provided to confirm that the alleged drone attack took place near Putin’s residence. Euronews could not independently verify the authenticity of the footage or the location where it was filmed.
Kyiv has rejected the claims as fabricated and warned that they are a part of Moscow’s attempts to derail US-led efforts to reach a peace deal in recent weeks.
Top EU and US officials have echoed this, with the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas accusing Russia of promoting “unfounded claims,” branding the allegation as a “deliberate distraction.”
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker also cast doubt on Russia’s allegations, stating he would want to see US intelligence instead.
“It is unclear whether it actually happened,” Whitaker said in an interview for Fox Business.
The CIA has also assessed that Ukraine did not target the Russian president’s residence in a report it delivered to US President Donald Trump, officials told US media outlets.