China and Russia Continue Drone Attacks; Zelensky Urges Europe and the US for Air Defense Missile Assistance
Xinhua News Agency, Kyiv/Moscow, November 1 (Reporter Li Dongxu, Geng Huifang) - Ukraine and Russia have recently continued to use drones to strike each other's industrial, energy, and other infrastructure. Ukrainian President Zelensky posted on social media on November 1, once again calling on Europe and the United States to quickly provide Ukraine with air defense support, including "Patriot" missiles.
Zelensky stated that from the evening of October 31 to the early morning of November 1, Russian forces attacked Ukrainian energy facilities in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Vinnytsia Oblast, Zhytomyr Oblast, and Khmelnytskyi Oblast. Damaged facilities included substations, transformers, and power transmission lines, resulting in widespread power outages.
Zelensky mentioned that in the past week, Russian forces launched 1,940 attack drones, over 1,580 precision-guided aerial bombs, and 44 missiles into Ukrainian territory. The Russian military is increasing its airstrikes on Ukraine, taking advantage of Ukraine's shortage of interceptors. He said that Ukraine communicates daily with partners in the United States and Europe, expressing an urgent need for "Patriot" missiles. Although the U.S. and European countries have recently decided to provide new air defense assistance to Ukraine, this assistance cannot be delayed for years, as Russia is destroying Ukraine's energy infrastructure, and Ukraine needs to rely on air defense interceptors to strengthen its defenses and ensure winter energy supplies.
Gleb Nikitin, the governor of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in Russia, stated on November 1 that the region suffered a large-scale drone attack, severely damaging an industrial facility.
On the same day, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation announced that it had opened a criminal case regarding the "terrorist act" of the Ukrainian armed forces attacking industrial facilities and civilian infrastructure in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, and is investigating the types and models of drones used in the attack and the personnel involved from the Ukrainian side.
Ukraine and Russia conducted drone strikes against each other's infrastructure from October 31 to November 1, 2023. Ukrainian President Zelensky urged Western allies to expedite air defense support, citing significant damage to energy facilities in Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, and Khmelnytskyi. Russia launched 1940 drones and 1580 guided bombs during this period, intensifying attacks amid Ukraine's shortage of interceptors. Nizhny Novgorod also suffered from large-scale drone attacks.
- Ukraine and Russia conducted drone strikes against each other's energy infrastructure.
- Zelensky called for urgent air defense support from Western allies.
- Russia launched 1940 drones and 1580 guided bombs in the past week.
- Significant damage occurred to energy facilities in Ukraine.
- Nizhny Novgorod experienced large-scale drone attacks.