Russian forces have continued to bombard Ukrainian cities, with a recent rocket attack on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia wounding 20 people, including four children. This strike, which hit more than 20 apartment buildings, comes as the war has been grinding on for over three and a half years since Russia’s full-scale invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that just in the past two weeks, Russia has launched more than 3,500 drones, over 2,500 powerful glide bombs, and nearly 200 missiles at targets inside Ukraine. Russian glide bombs, which are dropped from high altitude, are not very accurate but leave large craters and pose a significant challenge for Ukrainian defenses.
The regional head of Zaporizhzhia, Ivan Fedorov, said the city was still recovering from previous strikes. Russia also hit a civilian logistics center in the Kyiv region. In a separate strike, a Russian drone hit the National Pharmaceutical University in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, wounding four people.
Zelenskyy’s Call for a European Air Defense System
In response to the continued attacks, President Zelenskyy urged European leaders to build an ambitious air defense umbrella to make the continent safe. “Now is the time to implement the joint protection of our European skies with a multilayered air defense system. All the technologies for this are available,” Zelenskyy said on social media. He also reiterated his appeal for countries to tighten economic sanctions on Russia, stating that Russia will only engage in genuine diplomacy once it experiences “truly severe losses—above all economic ones.”
The U.S. and Diplomatic Efforts
A settlement to end the war appears no closer, despite months of U.S.-led peace efforts. U.S. President Donald Trump, who was heading to the United Kingdom for a state visit, told reporters that “Zelenskyy is going to have to make a deal” to end the war, without providing further detail. Trump has previously blamed both sides for the conflict. He also repeated his insistence that Europe must stop buying oil from Russia, and has said he believes the war would end if all NATO countries stopped buying Russian crude and placed tariffs on China for its purchases of Russian petroleum.
In response to Russia’s attacks on its cities, Ukraine has developed its own long-range drones that have hit deep inside Russia, damaging installations vital for the war effort. These recent strikes have targeted oil refineries, depots, and terminals, causing gasoline shortages in Russia. Ukraine’s General Staff announced on its Facebook page that its armed forces had struck an oil refinery in the Saratov region of western Russia during the night, with explosions and a fire reported at the facility.
Author’s Opinion
The ongoing conflict has devolved into a strategic stalemate, with both sides trading blows that have little impact on the front line but a devastating effect on civilian infrastructure and morale. The lack of a clear diplomatic path forward, combined with the continued use of long-range, inaccurate weapons, suggests that the human cost will continue to rise. The public statements from both President Zelenskyy and President Trump highlight the fundamental disconnect in their approaches—one focused on a technological solution for defense and the other on a political and economic solution for a cease-fire. The reality on the ground, however, is that both military action and economic pressure have yet to force a definitive end to the fighting.
Featured image credit: Wikimedia Commons
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