President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that over the past week, Russia has deployed “about 900 guided aerial bombs, 500 drones, and 30 missiles” against Ukraine.
Only during the one-night attack on 3 November, Russia launched over 96 drones and one missile.
In his Sunday address, Zelenskyy said that these “strikes would have been impossible if Ukraine had sufficient support from the world.”
“We need truly effective sanctions to prevent Russia from importing critical components for drone and missile production,” Zelenskyy said.
President said on 2 November that claimed October attacks involved “over 2,000 drones and missiles” manufactured with “Western components still being used.”
Despite Ukraine’s appeals amid escalated Russian air attacks on Ukrainian cities, Western countries, including the US and the UK, have restricted Ukraine’s use of their long-range weapons like ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles to prevent deep strikes inside Russia, allegedly aiming to avoid escalation.
Long-range weapons allow Ukraine to reach targets beyond the front lines, including supply depots, command centers, airfields, and logistics hubs inside Russian-controlled areas. Striking these targets disrupts Russia’s operational capabilities by hampering resupply and reinforcements, and also decreasing Russian abilities for long-range strikes on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure.
Read also:
- Ukraine downs 50 out of 80 Russian drones overnight
- Ukraine downs over 1,100 Russian drones in October amid intensified attacks
- ISW: Ukraine struck seven Russian air defense installations since Oct. 20
