At least 53 people were injured in a Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv. Meanwhile US President Joe Biden has said Russian President Vladimir Putin is "banking" on US aid lapse.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced outrage and defiance after Russian forces launched 10 ballistic missiles toward the Ukrainian capital early on Wednesday morning, with an updated toll saying at least 53 people were injured by falling debris.
"Russia has proven once again that it is a heinous country that fires missiles at night, trying to hit residential areas, kindergartens, and energy facilities during the winter," he wrote on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
"There will be a response. Certainly," he added.
Zelenskyy also stressed the importance of military assistance from abroad, his words coming as uncertainty grows over ongoing US support.
"We keep working to enhance our capabilities, and we have powerful new agreements. We are working to expedite their implementation. (US) President J(oe) Biden and I just agreed to work on increasing the number of air defense systems in Ukraine, and the terrorist state demonstrated how critical this decision is," he wrote.
"Each additional system and missile is vital for Ukraine, our cities, and our people. They are saving lives," he added.
Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, also highlighted how vital Western assistance was, saying the interception of the missiles by air defenses showed that "the effectiveness of Western weapons in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers cannot be doubted."
Elsewhere in Ukraine, 10 Russian drones were shot down overnight, most of them in the Odesa region, the Ukrainian air force said.
Source: Dw
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