Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned Friday that his country’s intelligence agencies have detected preparations for a significant Russian offensive, according to his announcement on the Telegram messaging platform.
During his evening video briefing, Zelenskiy stated: “We have intelligence information about Russia preparing a new large-scale strike.”
“Our services are responding promptly and are prepared. The Air Force and other defenders of the sky will work 24/7, as they always do,” he added.
Earlier this week on Monday, Russian officials announced plans for “systematic strikes” targeting locations in Kyiv while advising foreign nationals and diplomatic personnel to evacuate the area.
Russian authorities justified this planned action as retaliation for a drone attack that occurred last week at a dormitory facility in Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Luhansk region, resulting in 21 fatalities. Ukrainian officials have rejected responsibility for that incident.
Previous Russian bombardments targeting Kyiv and surrounding Ukrainian territories last Sunday resulted in two deaths and injured multiple civilians.
Through his Telegram message, Zelenskiy urged the international community to impose additional sanctions against Russia and emphasized the urgent need to implement previously agreed-upon air defense partnerships without delay.
