Zelensky demands Britain to protect Ukraine from Russian missiles

Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded Britain protect Ukraine from Russian drones and missiles in the same way it defended Israel from attack by Iran. The Ukrainian president queried why UK jets shot down Iranian drones earlier this year but let Russia cause huge damage to his country.

It came after Russia launched 200 missiles and drones targeting energy facilities in a bid to cripple Ukraine’s power network. Six people were killed and thousands sheltered underground as the country was put under air raid alert for hours yesterday.

Although many of the North Korean and Iranian-supplied warheads were intercepted by Ukrainian air defence systems, Mr Zelensky admitted ‘a lot of damage’ was done. Speaking on social media after one of the largest Kremlin attacks on his country’s energy supplies, he called for the West to intervene as it does in the Middle East. In April, when Iran fired hundreds of cruise missiles and drones at Israel, the UK and its partners did not stand by.

RAF Typhoons were scrambled from bases in Eastern Europe to form a protective shield around Israeli airspace. Downing Street confirmed British fighter jets shot down ‘a number of drones’ while additional RAF jets were deployed over Iraq and Syria.

Justifying this, then prime minister Rishi Sunak said the fallout from a successful Iranian attack ‘would be hard to overstate’. So, four months later, president Zelensky felt entitled to wonder why Ukraine was not afforded the same protection.

He said: ‘We could do much more to protect lives if the aviation of our European neighbours operated in concert with our F-16s and air defence systems. If such unit has proven effective in the Middle East, it must work in Europe too. Life holds the same value everywhere. We must finally unite to shoot down Russian missiles and drones. America, Britain, France and our other partners have the power to help us stop this terror. The time for decisive action is now.’

Mr Zelensky repeated his call for Western nations to let him destroy targets deeper inside Russia. The United States in particular is continuing to prevent him from using long-range rocket systems, supplied by the US, the UK and others, to full potential.

Donor countries also insist Ukraine’s strikes with the kit must follow international law. Targets in Ukraine including dams, hydropower plants, electricity substations and gas compressor stations were hit, causing power blackouts. Deaths from air strikes were reported in Zaporizhzhia, Lutsk, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr and Dnipropetrovsk.

Mr Zelensky added: ‘Putin can only act within the limits the world sets for him. Weakness and inadequate response fuel terror. Every leader, every one of our partners, knows the decisive actions required to end this war justly. Ukraine cannot be constrained when the terrorists face no limitations.’

The Russian attack appeared intended to degrade Ukraine’s power grid before winter. The Kremlin said its attack was ‘successful’, insisting Ukraine’s energy sector fuelled the conflict. Some 15 Russian missiles and 20 drones were shot down over the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

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