The Russian Invasion|The Battles

Ukraine makes new demands on the West: "Act now, not later"

Ukraine makes new demands on its allies in the West after Russia's robot and drone attacks on several cities last night. According to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, there are two things that the allies can help with to "end Russia's terror sooner."

First, accepting Ukraine's attacks on legitimate military targets on Russian territory and second, agreeing to allow other neighboring countries to use their air defenses to shoot down robots and drones near their airspace, Kuleba writes on X.

"None of these decisions are escalating," he writes, and believes that it would rather deter Russia. “Act now, not later. Help us save lives”.

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200 projectiles against Ukraine: "Putin is a sick creature"

Russia attacked Ukraine with over 100 robots and around 100 drones on Monday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram. The attacks targeted important infrastructure and some people were killed and injured as well, he writes.

"Putin is the same, he is a sick creature - it has long been obvious to everyone. But it is also clear that he can only do what the world allows him to do," writes the president.

Zelenskyy is now demanding "strong decisions" from allies such as the US, UK and France. All restrictions on which weapons Ukraine is allowed to use and where these weapons are used must be abolished, he writes - because "the terrorists have no such restrictions".

He also calls on Europe's neighboring countries to help shoot down Russian robots and drones, writes AFP.

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Massive attack on Ukraine - robots against many cities

Explosions were heard in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhya, Dnipro and several other Ukrainian cities on Monday morning. The Kyiv Independent describes it as a "massive" Russian attack with robots and drones.

At least four people have been killed. Air raid alarms sound over large parts of the country and people take shelter.

In Kyiv, AFP journalists have heard at least seven explosions. The electricity is supposed to have been knocked out in several districts of the capital, according to the mayor Vitalij Klytjko. The water supply is also affected. Pictures and videos on social media show people taking shelter in the subway.

Russia claims it has attacked key energy infrastructure used to support the Ukrainian military.

Ukrainians have assumed that a larger Russian attack has been underway, writes Reuters. Last week, the US embassy warned of an increased risk around Ukraine's Independence Day, which was celebrated on Saturday.