The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has strongly condemned the recent Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine, describing it as a “dangerous escalation” with a growing number of civilian casualties.
The attack, which is believed to be the largest such assault in the three-year war, disrupted the power supply to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, highlighting ongoing risks to nuclear safety. “The secretary-general is alarmed by this dangerous escalation and the growing number of civilian casualties,” a spokesperson for Guterres said.
The attack, which occurred overnight into Friday, saw Moscow fire more than 500 drones and 11 missiles at the capital Kyiv, killing one person and injuring at least 23 others. Ukrainian officials described the attack as “deliberately massive and cynical”. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned of a possible new Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region, a part of northeastern Ukraine that has seen heavy fighting since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Russia has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities as US-led efforts to reach a ceasefire have stalled. In response, Ukraine has ramped up its retaliatory strikes in Russia, with the Ministry of Defence reporting that it shot down 94 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday, along with 45 further drones in the morning and early afternoon. Ukrainian special forces also struck Russia’s Borisoglebsk military airfield in the Voronezh region, hitting a glide bomb store and a trainer aircraft.
The attacks come as Ukraine’s Zelenskyy said he had a “very important and fruitful” phone conversation with US President Donald Trump, discussing efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences.
Trump also spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but expressed disappointment with the conversation, saying he didn’t think Putin was looking to stop the conflict. “I’m very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don’t think he’s there, and I’m very disappointed,” Trump said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it was “preferable” to achieve the goals of Russia’s invasion through political and diplomatic means, but added that as long as that was not possible, Russia would continue its special operation. The conflict continues to escalate, with both sides trading blame and accusations, and the international community calling for a peaceful resolution.