At least 14 people have died in Ukraine after the latest intensified Russian attacks on the country. The country's second largest city, Kharkiv, has been subjected to particularly heavy attacks, and in one night alone at least 20 drones hit the city, causing damage to residential buildings and offices. According to information from the Ukrainian authorities, Moscow has used Iranian "Shahed” drones, equipped with jet engines, which can cover the short distance from Russia to Kharkiv so quickly that they are difficult to shoot down.
In the Zhytomyr region, west of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, rescue teams had to search for survivors under the rubble of their homes after an entire row of houses was destroyed. In the Kiev region, a drone hit an apartment building and caused a large fire, the BBC reported.
Ukraine: Russia uses "new tactics"
"We see that the enemy is using new routes, increasingly modern drones and new tactics", said the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force (Air Force). The new tactic in question - after the usual heavy midnight attacks on Ukrainian cities, Moscow increasingly continues intensive strikes the next day. The likely goal is to establish a breakthrough in Ukrainian air defense. "The enemy is putting pressure on our people, paralyzing the work of certain institutions, including educational ones", the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force also commented.
The intensity of Russian attacks against Ukraine in recent days has been so great that Poland was also forced to take fighter jets into the air on Friday. Ground-based air defense systems have been put on maximum alert, reports from Warsaw say.
Easter escalation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of escalating attacks on Ukraine just days before Easter. Zelensky also spoke with Pope Leo XIV. "As we speak, the Russians have attacked Ukraine again. They are only intensifying their strikes and turning what should have been calm in the sky into an Easter escalation," the Ukrainian president said.
Zelensky had earlier announced that Kiev was ready to conclude a ceasefire agreement during the Christian holiday, but the Kremlin says it has not received such an offer. The increased attacks also come against the backdrop of a slowdown in US-led talks to end the war in recent weeks. Washington is focused on the war in the Middle East, which has also created concerns in Ukraine about the arms supplies it can count on in the future. Despite the complicated situation, Zelensky said that the American delegation had been invited to Kiev and "will do everything in its power, given the circumstances" to visit the Ukrainian capital.
There is no "serious threat" on the front
Zelensky also said that on the front line, things look "rather positive" for Ukraine. "We don't see a serious threat at the moment," the Ukrainian president said, adding that the country's armed forces had repelled a new Russian offensive over the past month.
Russia currently controls just under 20 percent of Ukraine's territory, much of which has been under Moscow's control for years before a full-scale invasion in 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he wants to establish full control over Donbas as a precondition for any peace talks. However, studies of available open data on the front line show that the Russian army's offensive has slowed significantly in the past year - since January they have managed to capture only 500 sq km.
In recent days, Ukraine has launched a series of strikes deep inside Russia, mainly targeting energy facilities along the country's northern coast. The port of Ust-Luga was hit repeatedly by drones, forcing Russia to suspend exports.
Author: Matt Ford