Zelensky urges European air defence umbrella amid attacks on civilians

Russian forces bombarded the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia with rockets overnight, killing a man, injuring at least 18 and triggering a number of fires, officials said on Tuesday, as President Volodymyr Zelensky urged European leaders to make the continent safe by building an ambitious air defence umbrella.

With the war grinding on since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour began in February 2022, there has been no let-up in strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine and Moscow’s army push on the roughly 1,000km (620-mile) front line.

A peace settlement appears to be no closer despite months of US-led peace efforts. US President Donald Trump’s ultimatums and deadlines for Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage with proposals to stop the fighting have passed without obvious consequences.

Just over the past two weeks, Zelensky said on Telegram, Russia has launched more than 3,500 drones, more than 2,500 powerful glide bombs and almost 200 missiles at targets inside Ukraine.

Putin on Ukraine: end war via talks or by force

Putin on Ukraine: end war via talks or by force

Russian glide bombs, usually dropped by jets at high altitude and far behind the front line, and drone swarms are a major challenge for Ukrainian defences. Glide bombs are not very accurate but they leave big craters, and Ukraine has no effective countermeasure against them.