Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ordering a response following mass Russian attacks overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
In the attacks, Ukraine intercepted 94% of the drones and 73% of the missiles Russia launched, Zelensky said on Thursday, May 14, after convening a meeting of Ukraine’s military leadership.
According to Zelensky, Russian forces launched 1,567 drones and 56 missiles of various types during waves of attacks carried out on May 13-14.
“The key challenge is ballistic missiles and protecting thousands of rear infrastructure facilities and our cities,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
He described the strikes as a deliberate “terrorist tactic” in which Russia accumulated drones and missiles over time before launching nearly continuous attacks over almost two days to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defense systems.
Zelensky orders response to Russian strikes
Following the meeting, Zelensky said he had instructed Ukraine’s Defense Forces and intelligence agencies to prepare possible responses to the attacks.
“I instructed the Defense Forces of Ukraine and the special services to propose possible formats for our response to this Russian strike,” he said.
The president also said Ukrainian officials discussed increasing supplies of air defense equipment, particularly radar systems and anti-ballistic missile capabilities.
“All must focus on anti-ballistic systems and missiles for them. This is priority number one,” Zelensky said.
According to the president, specific orders were issued to Ukraine’s General Staff, Air Force, and Defense Ministry regarding strengthening air defense capabilities.
Casualties and destruction across Ukraine
Zelensky said Russian strikes hit multiple regions across the country, from Rivne and Ivano-Frankivsk regions to Kyiv and Kharkiv regions.
Search-and-rescue operations were still ongoing in Kyiv after a residential apartment entrance collapsed from the first through the ninth floors following the attack.
At least seven people were confirmed killed and 39 injured in Kyiv alone, the fate of nearly 20 people who may have been inside the building remained unknown, Zelensky said. Later, Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said the death toll from the attack had risen to eight, including a 13-year-old girl.
Emergency workers, police, and medical teams remained deployed at strike sites, according to the president.
Zelensky also said he would speak with Ukrainian diplomats regarding efforts to secure additional air defense missiles from international partners, adding that the effectiveness of Ukrainian diplomacy in May and June would partly depend on progress in strengthening Ukraine’s air shield.