After Russia had launched multiple airstrikes on Zaporizhzhia overnight, killing 12 and wounding at least 49 civilians, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine "urgently needs more modern air and missile defense systems to save innocent lives."
"Russia continues its missile terror against civilians in Zaporizhzhia. I urge partners to speed up deliveries," Kuleba said.
According to preliminary official data, on Oct. 9, Russia launched 12 airstrikes on Zaporizhzhia. Most rockets hit apartment buildings and private houses.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the Russian attack on civilians an "absolute evil," adding that Russians are "savages and terrorists."
Russia has intensified attacks on Zaporizhzhia after claiming to have annexed Zaporizhzhia Oblast, along with three other partially occupied Ukrainian regions. Zaporizhzhia is the only regional capital claimed to have been annexed that remains under Ukrainian control.