Russia-Ukraine war: Zelenskiy says west must do more after 14 killed in Russian strike on Chernihiv – as it happened
Zelenskiy condemns lack of air defense equipment following Chernihiv attack and urges greater support from the west
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, attributed the attack in Chernihiv to Russia, while also asserting that western countries should provide more assistance in defending Ukraine’s airspace, according to reports from Agence France-Presse (AFP).
In a social media post, Zelenskiy stated, “This would not have occurred if Ukraine had received adequate air defense equipment and if the global determination to counter Russian terrorism had been sufficient.”
He further stated, “Ukraine’s determination is sufficient. There must be an equally strong determination from our allies and, consequently, adequate support,” reiterating the need for greater assistance from western partners.
Chernihiv. A rescue operation is underway following a Russian missile strike. There are people under the rubble. As of now, 20 people are reported to have been injured and ten killed. My condolences to their close ones.
Unfortunately, the death toll may still rise. This would… pic.twitter.com/0t7QybrNk6
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 17, 2024
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba echoed Zelenskiy’s sentiments in a separate social media post, proposing that Ukraine should have the same protection against aerial attacks as Israel.
“In the Middle East, we witnessed what effective protection of human lives from missiles entails,” Kuleba stated, referring to the interception of Iran’s drone and missile onslaught on Israel by western and Israeli forces.
Russian terrorists launched missiles into the center of Chernihiv, killing at least 11 and injuring at least 22 people as of now. The toll may still rise.
These innocent people would not have been killed or injured if Ukraine had sufficient air defense capabilities. Three days… pic.twitter.com/5cSlzQ0BIP
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) April 17, 2024
Additionally, Kuleba expressed gratitude towards Germany for agreeing to provide Ukraine with an additional Patriot air defense system. He also announced plans to approach other countries at a G7 meeting scheduled for this week to request further weaponry.
These statements join a growing chorus in Ukraine calling on allied nations to supply more advanced air defense weapons to counter the regular Russian attacks on critical infrastructure.
The mayor confirmed that an infrastructure facility had been directly targeted, but it was not related to energy production.
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