Zelenskyy vows to make battlefield ‘more painful’ for Russian forces after another day of deadly rocket strikes on Ukraine | World News

Volodymyr Zelenskyy defiantly vowed to make the battlefield “more painful” for the Russian military after another deadly day of rockets hit Ukraine.

Ukraine’s president said air defense was “the number one priority” after thousands of people stayed Monday in bomb shelters as explosions erupted in cities across the country.

‘Terrorists must be neutralized’ – Ukraine War Latest Update

At least 14 people were killed and 97 wounded in attacks on Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr and elsewhere.

Vladimir Putin said the attacks were in retaliation for “terrorist acts” against Russian territory – Kerch Strait Bridge attack in Crimea – but Ukraine rejected this “provocative” claim.

“We will do everything to strengthen our armed forces,” President Zelenskyy said in his nightly address. “We will make the battlefield more painful for the enemy.”

“Now the occupiers have no ability to resist us on the battlefield, that’s why they have to resort to this terror,” he said on Telegram.

In a phone call with the Ukrainian leader, Joe Biden reiterated that the US will provide advanced air defense systems.

It comes after the Pentagon said on September 27 that it would begin delivering the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) within the next two months or so.

Former prime minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, told Sky News that “critical infrastructure” was one of the key targets of Russia during Monday’s attacks and Ukraine is expecting some blackouts as a result. , putting hospitals in a “crisis”.

President Putin said that the airstrikes were in retaliation for the attack on the Kerch Strait Bridge, which connects occupied Crimea with Russia.

The Russian leader has attributed the damage to Ukrainian special forces, but Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the explosion.

Who is responsible, the attack is set to further tighten Russia’s supply and logistics lines amid speculation that The Kremlin forces will soon descend to the last fuel supply and unable to transport their troops.

The attack on the bridge comes after months of use by Ukrainian forces HIMARS missile attacks degraded Russia’s logistics system, hitting ammunition depots and transport networks.

Sir Jeremy Fleming, head of GCHQ, is about to give a speech saying Russia is about to run out of weapons for the war against Ukraine and the cost to the Kremlin is “incredible” in terms of troops and equipment lost.

He will say that the Ukrainian armed forces are “turning the tide” on the actual battlefield as well as in cyberspace,