Russia hits Ukraine with huge barrage as first Australian tanks arrive
The widespread attack came as Ukraine's ground forces received a long-awaited delivery of the first retired Australian M1A1 Abrams tanks.
Zelenskiy said Russian forces fired some 300 drones and 30 missiles, killing at least one person in the port city of Odesa and damaging critical infrastructure in the northeastern city of Sumy.
Posting a video of flaming buildings to his Telegram account, Zelenskiy wrote that the attacks in Sumy had knocked out power to thousands of homes.
Russia also launched its biggest ever attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad early on Saturday, as part of the large wave of strikes. Pavlohrad is a strategic hub for the Dnipropetrovsk region, where Russian troops have been making advances in recent days.
The Russian Defence Ministry on Saturday said it had successfully downed 87 Ukrainian drones over central, western and southern parts of the country, with 48 of them downed near the Ukrainian border in Bryansk. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin also said that air defences had downed 13 drones headed for the capital.
The large-scale Russian bombardment came soon after Gen Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, flew back to Washington after a six-day visit to Kyiv. The White House announced a large-scale arms package to Ukraine this week, including additional Patriot anti-aircraft systems, to be paid for by European allies.
Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev promised on Friday that Moscow would escalate its aerial attacks in response to the EU's latest sanctions package.
AUSTRALIAN TANKS ARRIVE
Meanwhile, the first of 49 retired Australian M1A1 Abrams tanks have arrived in Ukraine, nine months after Canberra announced they would be provided, according to Australia's ABC broadcaster. The delivery had been delayed by logistical challenges and the need for U.S. approval to transfer the American-made tanks.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said the tanks would make a 'significant contribution' to 'Ukraine's ongoing fight against Russia's illegal and immoral invasion.'
The arrival, however, comes amid some concerns. U.S. officials have privately expressed unease about the tanks being 'difficult to maintain' for Ukrainian forces, while an Australian official previously noted their vulnerability to drone attacks.
Despite this, Ukrainian officials have publicly welcomed the tanks, which they had specifically requested.
'Every day that these tanks do not reach the battlefield, more people are killed,' Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said. He added that Ukraine still needs more military support from Australia, including Hawkei and Bushmaster vehicles.
The 49 tanks, valued at $245n, are part of a total of $1.5bn in Australian aid to Ukraine.
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