Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said on Friday, April 17, that Russia is preparing to carry out up to seven large-scale attacks per month, citing Ukrainian intelligence.
Sybiha said such attacks could involve at least 400 drones combined with 20 or more missiles while speaking at a public discussion during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, according to Interfax Ukraine.
“In our reality, a massive attack means at least 400 drones combined with at least 20 missiles,” Sybiha said.
“According to intelligence data, they are preparing to attack us seven times a month,” he added.
Sybiha also said Ukraine’s air defense systems are currently intercepting up to 90% of incoming aerial targets during such attacks.
Earlier on Friday, Russian drone strikes hit multiple regions of Ukraine, with Dnipro among the hardest hit. The attack damaged infrastructure and residential buildings, injuring several people, according to regional authorities.
The latest strikes follow a large-scale Russian attack overnight into Thursday that led to major casualties across multiple cities.
In central Ukraine’s Dnipro, 5 people were killed and 26 were injured. In southern Ukraine’s Odesa, 8 people were killed and 22 were injured. In Kyiv, 4 people were killed, including a 12-year-old boy, while 45 people were injured, with 26 hospitalized. In southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, 1 person was killed and 10 were injured, including a 16-year-old boy, according to emergency services.
Russian forces continued attacks on the capital later that morning.