Zelenskyy on large-scale drone attack on Ukraine: Russia does not want to end war, more pressure needed

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the large-scale Russian drone attack on Ukraine which began on the night of 23-24 March and continued during the day on 24 March shows that Russia has no intention of ending the war and that more pressure is needed.

Source: Zelenskyy in his evening address on 24 March

Quote: "Today, for almost the entire day, starting from last night, Russia has been striking Ukraine with Shaheds. There was a massive attack during the night – both missiles and Shaheds – and throughout the day, new waves of drones continued. More than 550 drones of various types were launched just today, a significant number of them specifically Shaheds."

Details: Zelenskyy said the attack covered a wide area and although most of the drones were shot down, there were still strikes in the cities of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr and in Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.

Quote: "Sadly, people have been killed. My condolences to the families and loved ones. As of now, more than 40 people have been reported injured, including five children. All are receiving the necessary assistance."

More details: Zelenskyy said that one of Russia's main targets was the energy sector as it continues its efforts to break Ukraine and its energy system. There have also been strikes on civilians' homes, including attacks on the centres of Ukrainian cities and the historic centre of Lviv. A fire broke out in the buildings of St Andrew's Church in Lviv.

Quote: "The history of this church dates back to the early 17th century. Iranian Shaheds enhanced by Russia hit a church in Lviv – this is utterly perverse, and only the likes of Putin could take pleasure in it. In Ivano-Frankivsk, a maternity hospital was damaged.

The scale of today's attack strongly indicates that Russia has no intention of really ending this war. And if we take into account that Russia is also helping the Iranian regime to carry out strikes across the region, the conclusion becomes self-evident: without additional and strong pressure on Russia, without significant Russian losses, those in Moscow will not develop any desire to back down from the war and somehow come to terms with peace again."

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