Russian forces step up assaults under cover of shelling Ukraine - Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
During the night of April 24, the Russian army attempted to intensify assault operations on the front line while the Defense Forces were occupied repelling a massive missile and drone attack, according to the Telegram channel of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The head of state referred to a report by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi. In the report, the top commander stated that on April 24 alone, the Russian army carried out nearly 150 attacks and more than 4,500 strikes on the positions of the Defense Forces, including with heavy weaponry.
The most intense situation was in the Pokrovsk direction.
"Essentially, the Russian forces attempted to intensify their assault operations under the cover of their massive strike," President Zelenskyy wrote. "While the majority of our forces were focused on defending against missiles and drones, the Russians launched a significant increase in their ground attacks — and were met with a worthy response."
The president gave special recognition to the soldiers of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade and the 59th Separate Assault Brigade of Unmanned Systems, who inflicted significant losses on the Russian army.
He also highlighted the effective actions of the 100th Separate Mechanized Brigade and the 12th Rapid Response Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, noting their resilience and effectiveness on the battlefield.
"In addition," Zelenskyy added, "our investigators, forensic specialists, and experts are inspecting the sites of missile and drone strikes, establishing and verifying the circumstances of the attacks, and conducting analyses of the missile and drone fragments. The goal is to identify the full details of the weapons and critical components — including those supplied to Russia or North Korea from third countries and used in their production."
Massive shelling of Ukraine
In the early hours of April 24, Russian forces launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine using strike drones, ballistic, and cruise missiles. The missile assault targeted Kyiv, Pavlohrad, and Kharkiv.
In total, throughout the night, Russia launched 215 aerial threats — including 70 missiles and 145 drones.
In Kharkiv, 19 strikes were recorded: 7 ballistic missile hits and 12 attacks by Shahed drones.
In Kyiv, the missile strike resulted in 12 deaths and more than 90 injuries.
According to media reports, Russia used a North Korean KN-23 ballistic missile in the attack on the capital.
More details on the massive April 24 strike can be found in the article by RBC-Ukraine.
