Zelensky demands action against Moscow’s ‘aerial terror’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Sunday on the international community to act, following a week of more than 4,000 Russian air attacks.

“Moscow allows itself to escalate its strikes, openly exploiting the fact that the world is focused on ensuring peace in the Middle East,” Zelensky wrote on the social media platform X.

“That is precisely why no weakening of pressure can be allowed. Sanctions, tariffs, and joint actions against the buyers of Russian oil – those who finance this war – must all remain on the table,” he said.

This approach could pave the way to lasting peace for Europe, he said. “The world can guarantee this in parallel with the peace process in the Middle East,” the Ukrainian president added.

Ukraine has long been calling for sanctions, including against China and India, which are among Russia’s most important oil customers.

Zelensky said Russia had intensified its “aerial terror against our cities and communities, intensifying strikes on our energy infrastructure.” In the past week alone, he said Russia had used more than 3,100 drones, 92 missiles and about 1,360 glide bombs against Ukraine.

“Yesterday in Kostiantynivka, a child was killed in a church by an aerial bomb,” Zelensky wrote.

Authorities reported a total of four dead in Donetsk region, including two in Kostyantynivka, and two in Kherson region.

Throughout the week Russia had blanketed the regions of Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk with terror, according to a video likewise published online by Zelensky that depicted fires and destruction.