Zelenskyy Calls for Joint European Air Defence After Russian Missile Attacks on Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged European countries to create a comprehensive air defence umbrella to secure the continent after Russian soldiers fired rockets at the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia overnight, injuring 13 people, including two children, according to officials on Tuesday.

According to AP, there has been no respite from Russian attacks on civilian regions of Ukraine and its army's advance on the approximately 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line since Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour more than three and a half years ago.

Despite months of U.S.-led peace efforts, a peace settlement doesn't seem to be any closer.  The deadlines and demands made by U.S. President Donald Trump for Putin to present ideas to halt the conflict have passed with no discernible repercussions.

Zelenskyy claimed on Telegram that Russia had fired about 200 missiles, more than 2,500 potent glide bombs, and more than 3,500 drones at sites within Ukraine in the last two weeks.

Ukrainian defences face significant challenges from Russian drone swarms and glide bombs, which are often launched by jets at high altitude and far behind the front line.  Despite their poor accuracy, glide bombs generate large craters, and Ukraine lacks a reliable defence.

As tensions with Moscow increased, NATO strengthened its European air defences after Russian drones recently touched down in Poland.

“Now is the time to implement the joint protection of our European skies with a multilayered air defence system. All the technologies for this are available,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram. “We need investments and desire, we need strong actions and decisions from all our partners.”

AP reported that in Zaporizhzhia, the Russian barrage struck more than 20 apartment buildings, starting fires, regional head Ivan Fedorov said on national television.

“We hadn’t yet recovered from enemy strikes on Aug. 30. We are currently repairing those buildings, those windows, but now the enemy has added more work for our municipal workers,” Fedorov said.

In retaliation, Ukraine created its own long-range drones, which have struck deep within Russia and destroyed infrastructure essential to Russia's war effort.

Reportedly, oil refineries, depots, and ports have all been the target of recent strikes.  Although Russia is still the second-largest oil exporter in the world, recent weeks have seen gasoline shortages due to a seasonal increase in demand and ongoing Ukrainian drone strikes.

The military attacked an oil refinery in the Saratov region of western Russia during the night, according to a statement released by Ukraine's General Staff on Tuesday.  The General Staff stated on Facebook that reports had been received of explosions and a fire at the site.