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Russia may exploit Middle East war to escalate Ukraine attacks, Zelenskyy says

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine

14 March 2026 13:00 (UTC +04:00)

Efforts to deal with the aftermath of the massive Russian attack are currently underway in the Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Mykolaiv regions, said Volodymyr Zelenskyy on his X account, APA reports.

According to him, the main target for the Russians was the energy infrastructure of the Kyiv region, but unfortunately, there were also direct hits on and damage to ordinary residential buildings, schools, and civilian businesses.

Zelenskyy stressed that as of now, four people have been reported killed: "Many people have been injured, and some are still seeking medical assistance."

"Over the course of the night, the Russians launched around 430 drones of various types and a significant number of missiles. There were 13 ballistic missiles alone, and the total number of missiles in this attack was 68. According to preliminary data, 58 of them were intercepted by our air defense system," Zelenskyy added.

The Ukrainian leader emphasized that "Russia will try to exploit the war in the Middle East to cause even greater destruction here in Europe, in Ukraine. This is why we must be fully aware of the real level of the threat and prepare accordingly."

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Ukraine Russia Russian attack drone strikes missile attack Kyiv region energy infrastructure air defense Ukraine war Sumy Kharkiv Dnipro Mykolaiv civilian casualties