Zelenskiy Pleads With Allies For 'Decisive Action' After Massive Russian Attack

Local residents embrace each other at the site of a Russian missile strike in the Odesa region on August 26.

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service 

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Ukraine's global allies to take "decisive action" after Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on Kyiv and other cities across the country that damaged vital utilities.

The Russian strikes targeted several Ukrainian cities early on August 26, killing at least seven people and wounding 47 others, according to Ukrainian officials.

Firefighters extinguished 22 fires as 740 rescuers and 176 pieces of equipment were deployed across the country to respond to the consequences of shelling, the Ukraine's Emergency Service said on Telegram.

Late on August 26, another strike hit the city of Kryviy Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk region. A missile hit a hotel where many civilians were staying, according to Ukrainian media. Local politician Oleksandr Vilkul was quoted as saying "the news is bad."

Zelenskiy, in a video message posted on X, said the "vile" attacks, involving more than 100 missiles and around 100 drones, showed the West's restrictions keeping Ukraine from using long-range weapons to strike deep inside Russian territory must be lifted.

"Ukraine cannot be constrained in its long-range capabilities when the terrorists face no such limitations," Zelenskiy said.

"Weakness and inadequate responses fuel terror.... Every leader, every one of our partners, knows the decisive actions required to end this war justly," he added, while calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a "sick creature."

The United States also voiced outrage over the major Russian assault.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia's continued war against Ukraine and its efforts to plunge the Ukrainian people into darkness as the fall sets upon us," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, calling the assault "outrageous."

NATO also strongly condemned attacks against Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure, noting that Poland said an "object," most likely a drone, entered its airspace and possibly landed on Polish territory.

"Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian drone fragments and missiles have been found on allied territory on several occasions," NATO spokeswoman Farah Dakhlallah said. "While we have no information indicating an intentional attack by Russia against allies, these acts are irresponsible and potentially dangerous."

The aerial attack was the largest in weeks from Moscow and comes as Ukrainian forces are advancing as they mount a major offensive into the Kursk region of Russia.

Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said water and power supplies in parts of the capital had been disrupted as Russia launched its large-scale attack during the morning rush hour.

Zelenskiy said there was "a lot of damage in the energy sector," and Ukraine’s state-run energy authority Ukrenerho said that it was introducing emergency power outages.

One person was reportedly killed and a residential building was damaged in the northwestern city of Lutsk, according to the city’s mayor, Ihor Polischuk.

Two people who were killed in the Zaporizhzhya and Dnipropetrovsk regions were among the seven killed, according to local authorities.

In the Poltava region, five people were wounded after an industrial facility was struck. Three explosions were reported in the Vinnytsia region.

WATCH: One person was killed as a missile hit a cottage area on the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro early on August 26. It was a day when Ukraine woke up to a barrage of Russian air attacks.

Ukraine’s Air Force Command had warned citizens not to ignore air raid alerts after it had detected 11 Russian Tu-95MS bombers taking off.

The Air Force Command added that it had detected drone movements in Chernihiv, Sumy, Cherkasy, Mykolayiv, Kharkiv and Kyiv.

Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschukv said Ukraine shot down 201 "air targets" -- 102 missiles and 99 attack drones. This was out of 236 missiles and drones fired. The assault included three Kinzhal missiles, six Iskander missiles, and 28 Kalibr cruise missiles launched from Russian ships in the Black Sea, Oleschukv said.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that 20 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed overnight.

The governor of Russia’s Saratov region, Roman Busargin, said drones had targeted the cities of Saratov and Engels and damaged two residential buildings.

He said the damage was caused by falling debris after air defenses shot down the drones.

Russian news agencies said four women were injured in Saratov, with one woman hospitalized. No casualties were reported in Engels.

Engels and Saratov are located on the opposite banks of the Volga River, with a strategic bomber military base located around 12 kilometers from where the drones were intercepted. Saratov is around 900 km from the Ukrainian border.

Quoting the airport’s press office, news agencies said flights were restricted at the regional Saratov airport.

RFE/RL could not independently verify the reports.

Ukraine and Russia insist that they do not target civilians in their attacks but infrastructure critical to war efforts.

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