Ukraine is preparing for a wave of Russian attacks that could strike as early as Friday or Saturday night, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday.
The strike could come as early as Friday or Saturday night, Zelenskyy told CBS News in an interview with “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” Ukrainian intelligence suggests it would involve drones along with cruise and ballistic missiles. Children, he said, should be in bomb shelters. The timing, though, isn’t certain.
“Nobody knows 100%,” Zelenskyy said, “but there is a high percent.”
He thanked the United States and European partners for passing along intelligence on Russia’s plans. But he said Ukraine still needs more defensive weapons to intercept incoming Russian missiles.
In a letter dated Tuesday to Congress and President Trump, Zelenskyy pressed for more Patriot missile systems, pointing to a Russian attack Sunday that he called especially cruel. That strike killed two people and wounded 83.
CBS News reported that Russia launched 600 drones and dozens of cruise and ballistic missiles in that bombardment, including a nuclear-capable intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile. The report described it as the most significant aerial assault on Kyiv since the war began in 2022.
The damage reached past the capital. A drone crossed into Romanian airspace and hit an apartment building, the country’s defense ministry said. Another struck a Turkish-owned cargo ship in the Black Sea and wounded two crew members, according to Ukraine’s Navy. Both nations belong to NATO.
Several NATO countries have blamed Russia, though the United States has not. Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine and said the drone’s origin cannot be confirmed until investigators examine the wreckage, according to the report.
NATO called the behavior reckless and pledged to defend Allied territory. Zelenskyy said he believes the attacks are meant to pressure Ukraine’s neighbors and test NATO’s air defenses.
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