Zelensky Angry That Israel Prioritised By West, Says Ukraine Running Out Of Missiles To Defend Airspace
On Wednesday, Russian missiles slammed into the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, killing at least 17 people and wounding scores more, according to local officials. The attack came during a busy time of the day in a downtown district.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, in the wake of the deadly strikes, which involved at least three missiles hitting targets, lashed out at the West for failing to provide more vital anti-air defences and missiles. “This would not have happened if Ukraine had received enough air defence equipment and if the world’s determination to counter Russian terror was also sufficient,” he stated.
The wording of the statement strongly suggested his view that allies’ determination is not sufficient, despite tens of billions already spent by the West. “Terrorists can destroy lives only when they first manage to intimidate those who are able to stop terror and protect life,” he added.
Later in the day, Ukraine emergency authorities reported that over 60 civilians were injured in the attack, in addition to at least 17 dead—a casualty toll that could rise.
In prior statements published Tuesday, Zelensky commented on last week’s Russian attack, which destroyed the largest power-generating plant in the Kyiv region. He described how his military had run out of missiles to mount an adequate defence.
“There were 11 missiles flying. We destroyed the first seven, and the four (remaining) destroyed Trypillia. Why? Because there were zero missiles. We ran out of missiles to defend Trypillia,” he told PBS.
He and his top officials have of late accused the West of turning a “blind eye” at a moment when they are simultaneously focusing on Israel’s defence against Iran. Reuters has said there remains the possibility that at this rate Ukraine could run out of effective anti-air measures altogether:
Reuters was not able to independently verify the account. Zelenskiy has earlier warned that Ukraine has already had to make tough choices about what to protect and said his country could run out of defensive missiles entirely if Russian attacks continued apace.
Destroyed in 11 March strike, Trypilska thermal power plant was the biggest energy facility near Kyiv and was built to have a capacity of 1,800 megawatts, more than the pre-war needs of Ukraine’s biggest city. Other stations and imports have filled the gap for now but residents have been urged to save power.
Ukraine has further in observation of the weekend Iran attack on Israel asked why the US won’t also intercept inbound missiles over Ukraine like it did for Israel.
This has become a talking point also picked up by some European allies. NBC reports:
The United States and its partners helped Israel, so why — Ukraine is asking — won’t they help protect us from Russian attacks?
It “looks extremely strange,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told NBC News in an interview on Tuesday.
“How does the civilian population of Ukraine or the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine differ from the civilian population of Israel from a humanistic point of view?” he asked bluntly.
Zelensky wants to know why Israel, a non NATO member, enjoyed unbridled support for their skies, unlike Ukraine pic.twitter.com/TklHXrmUm9
— The_Real_Fly (@The_Real_Fly) April 15, 2024
Zelensky himself in a Monday night address described, “European skies could have received the same level of protection long ago if Ukraine had received similar full support from its partners in intercepting drones and missiles.”
“We can now see how unity can work,” Zelensky added, while also expressing frustration that the West rushed to directly intervene in Israel’s defense but not Ukraine’s. This big difference of course is that Russia is a known nuclear power, and much more formidable, while Iran is not.
