Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on November 24 his country "needs more air-defense systems" to protect its people as Russia continues to target Ukraine with aerial bombs, combat drones, and missiles.
"Strengthening the protection of our skies is absolutely critical," Zelenskiy wrote on social media, adding that Kyiv was "actively working" with its partners on improving the country’s air defenses.
Russia has launched more than 800 guided aerial bombs, around 460 strike drones, and over 20 missiles of various types against Ukraine over the past week, according to Zelenskiy.
Both Ukraine and Russia on November 24 reported repelling dozens of drones from the other side overnight.
SEE ALSO: The Life, And Nail-Biting Work, Of A Ukrainian SapperUkrainian military said early in the morning that its air defenses shot down 50 of 73 Russian drones, with more than 10 of the intercepted drones targeting the capital, Kyiv. The Ukrainian Air Force added that it lost track of 19 drones and four more were still in the air.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said the air-raid alert lasted for more than three hours as the drones "were flying from different directions" toward the city.
Russia's Defense Ministry reported its air-defense systems destroyed 34 drones overnight, including 27 over the Kursk region bordering Ukraine. The ministry did not provide information about any damage or casualties caused by the strikes.
Ukrainian forces swept into the Kursk region in a surprise offensive in August, seizing nearly 1,400 square kilometers of Russian territory. But Kyiv has since lost about 40 percent of the territory it captured in Kursk, according to a source in Ukraine’s General Staff.
SEE ALSO: Ukraine Live Briefing: Russia Targets Ukrainian Energy Sector Again"At most, we controlled about 1,376 square kilometers, now of course this territory is smaller. The enemy is increasing its counterattacks," the source was quoted by news agencies as saying.
The source said Kyiv now controls approximately 800 square kilometer in Kursk and "will hold this territory for as long as is militarily appropriate."
The United States and the United Kingdom reportedly gave permission to Ukraine recently to strike inside Russia with ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles, respectively. The missiles are precision tactical weapons designed to hit command-and-control centers, logistics, and arms depots near the front.
Ukraine has already used the missiles to strike in Kursk and the neighboring region of Belgorod.
France also joined the United States and Britain in signaling to Ukraine that it is allowed use long-range weapons against targets on Russian territory.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in an interview with the BBC that Ukraine could fire French long-range missiles into Russia "in the logics of self-defense.” But he would not confirm if French weapons had already been used.