Russian forces launched a massive, combined overnight air attack on cities across Ukraine and on the country’s energy infrastructure.
In response to the strikes, sanctions on Russia must be strengthened, including special economic measures targeting its nuclear energy sector, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on his official Telegram channel.
He said that on November 8, Russia struck Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure using more than 450 drones and 45 missiles of various types, deliberately targeting infrastructure, including energy facilities, as well as residential buildings.
Zelensky argued that tightening sanctions is key to stopping Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said Europe should authorize the use of frozen Russian assets, impose broader sanctions on Russia’s energy sector and increase pressure on Russian oil. He also called on the West to fully cut Russia off from Western microelectronics.
The Ukrainian leader emphasized that sanctions must also target Russia’s nuclear energy industry, something Western countries have not yet done.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force Command, overnight on November 8 Russian forces attacked Ukrainian territory with 458 drones of various types and 45 missiles, including 32 ballistic missiles. Ukrainian air defenses shot down and suppressed 415 aerial targets, including nine missiles. There were confirmed impacts from 26 missiles and 52 attack drones across 25 locations, and debris from downed drones fell in four locations.
The city of Dnipro suffered one of the heaviest overnight strikes. A drone hit a nine-story residential building, killing two people and injuring 11. The Kyiv region also came under heavy fire, sparking blazes at infrastructure sites.
Another axis of the large-scale air assault was the Poltava region, where, according to the State Emergency Service, fires broke out in several locations.
