'War won't end with political statements': Zelensky slams Russia’s overnight strike on Zaporizhzhia, demands real action from US

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday (Aug 30) confirmed that a "massive" overnight Russian attack on a residential building in central and southeastern Ukraine has killed at least one person. The attack in Zaporizhzhia, as per the Ukrainian president, has resulted in at least one casualty and has injured dozens as the five-story building was struck. Authorities also reported that homes and businesses in multiple Ukrainian cities were affected by Russian strikes.

'Ordinary residential building'

Slamming Russia for attacking "once again, an ordinary residential building", Zelensky said that across Ukraine, multiple areas were affected - Volyn, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Rivne, Sumy, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, and Chernihiv oblasts. Posting pictures that show rescue workers battling infernos, he said that the strike resulted in multiple fires and civilian infrastructure, including houses and enterprises, were "primarily affected".

"The Russians launched nearly 540 drones, 8 ballistic missiles, and 37 missiles of other types against ordinary life," alleged Zelensky.

Meanwhile, regional military administration chief Ivan Fedorov confirmed that at least one person was killed and sixteen others, including two children, were wounded. "Russian strikes destroyed private houses, damaged many facilities, including cafes, service stations, and industrial enterprises," he said.

Zelensky urges international action against Putin and Russian allies

In a post on X, Zelensky noted that "Russia once again shows that it couldn't care less about words." He said that at a time like this, Ukraine was "counting on real actions".

"It is clear that the time allocated for preparing a leaders' level meeting was used by Moscow to prepare new massive strikes," he alleged. Pushing for tougher sanctions on "everyone fuelling the Russian army with money," and against Moscow, the president of the war-torn nation suggested that this was the only way to open "the window of opportunity" for diplomacy. He further insisted that this “war will not end with political statements—real steps are needed.” "We are waiting for actions from America, Europe, and the entire world," he added.