The governor of Ukraine’s Kharkiv region said Tuesday the area was under Russian bombardment all night, while Ukraine’s military said the country’s air defenses shot down 28 of 29 Russian drones launched at multiple Ukrainian regions.
Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said falling debris from destroyed drones damaged several houses and injured at least three people.
Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, said falling drone debris damaged commercial buildings.
The latest attacks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again appealed to allies to better equip Ukraine with air defense systems and new combat aircraft.
“Unfortunately, the free world still lacks efficiency in these two tasks,” Zelenskyy said. “But we still have a perspective and promising work with several partners – and we are doing everything to make sure that the day comes as soon as possible when we can add the power of ‘Patriots’ to our eastern regions, our cities – such as Kharkiv, Sumy and others.”
Russia’s defense ministry said Tuesday its air defenses destroyed a guided missile and two aerial drones over the Belgorod region, and another drone over the Kursk region.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the regional governor of Belgorod, said a Ukrainian drone attack hit a car, killing at least one person.
Defense leaders meet
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and at least 50 other defense leaders from Europe and around the world met Monday to coordinate military support to Ukraine as it battles a renewed onslaught from Russia in the Kharkiv region.
Austin said Monday’s meeting came at “a moment of challenge” and promised to move U.S. weapons to Ukraine “week after week.”
The U.S. Congress and President Joe Biden approved a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine in late April after political gridlock largely stalled shipments to help Ukraine’s military for months.
Russia during that time intensified its invasion of Ukraine, especially with its campaign in Kharkiv.
Austin said Monday the latest U.S. aid package would help Ukraine in Kharkiv and other areas facing Russian pressure.
“We’ve already delivered many of Ukraine’s top-priority requirements, and much more assistance is on the way. That includes additional munitions for NASAMS and Patriot air-defense systems, more HIMARS systems and ammunition, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, and Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems,” Austin said. “This package also includes armored vehicles. And that’s essential for Ukraine’s work to reconstitute its arsenal.”
Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
