Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has again called on the West to provide modern air defense systems. Since the Russian invasion in February, Ukrainian cities have been hit by more than 2,600 enemy missiles, Zelensky said in his daily video speech on Sunday. “These are lives that could have been saved, tragedies that could have been avoided – if Ukraine had been heard.”
The country asked for modern air defense systems before the war that could have been delivered years ago, Zelensky said.
In the troubled areas of eastern Ukraine, Russian troops continued to try to advance towards cities such as Bakhmut, Sloviansk and Lysychansk, Zelensky said. In the strategically important city of Severodonetsk, “every meter is literally being fought over”. According to reports from Saturday, Ukrainian troops controlled about a third of the city at the time.