Ukraine Air War: Zelenskyy blames US delays after 16-missile strike
The Ukrainian president said 12 people were injured in Kyiv and criticized Washington for slow delivery of interceptor missiles.
By Nadia Khalil ·
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the United States of allowing Russia to expand its aerial campaign against Ukraine due to delayed delivery of air defense components. He made the remarks on social media on Monday, October 27, following a massive overnight attack on the country.
Russian forces launched 16 ballistic missiles and more than 280 drones during the night of October 26 and 27. Zelenskyy identified Kyiv as the primary target, noting that the Pivdennyi Bridge in the capital sustained a direct hit. Strikes also affected the energy sector and urban infrastructure in Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa, Chernihiv, Sumy, Donetsk, Kherson, and Chernivtsi oblasts.
Ukrainian air defense units reported destroying or jamming 257 Russian aerial assets by 09:00 on October 27. This count includes two Iskander-M or S-400 ballistic missiles and 255 drones, of which 56 were jet-powered. The attack also included Parodiya decoy UAVs and Gerbera attack drones.
Zelenskyy stated that 12 people were injured after Russian missiles struck a university campus and surrounding areas on the evening of October 26. Five of the injured were students or university staff. He noted that Russian forces launched additional ballistic missiles while emergency services were still clearing the site of the initial impact.
The president highlighted specific delays in receiving interceptor packages for Patriot and NASAMS systems. He said these delays directly helped Russia achieve its operational goals. On October 26, Zelenskyy announced that Kyiv had waited nearly a month for U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to sign off on these missiles. He instructed his team to reopen discussions with the U.S. side.
Source: Ukrainska Pravda
