Zelenskyy on massive Russian strike: 100 drones and 90 missiles target Ukraine
Source: Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation on social media after Russia unleashed a devastating massive assault on the country’s energy sector in the morning of November 28.
Ukraine’s Air Force confirmed that Russia used a staggering 188 airborne weapons in total. “The target is our energy sector,” Zelensky emphasized. “Overall, around 100 attack drones and more than 90 missiles of various types were launched.”
Zelenskyy called out Russia over the use of deadly Kalibr missiles loaded with cluster munitions, which struck civilian infrastructure in several regions. “These cluster components make it significantly harder for our rescue workers and energy crews to eliminate the consequences of the strikes. This marks a vile escalation in Russia’s terrorist tactics,” he explained.
Across affected regions, emergency crews and energy workers have been mobilized to restore power and aid civilians. “Resilience [help] centers are being set up where needed to support those affected,” Zelenskyy added.
Zelenskyy once again stresses Ukraine is in dire need of enhanced air defense systems. “Every attack proves that air defense systems are vital here, where they save lives, not sitting unused in storage. This is especially critical during winter when our infrastructure is under targeted Russian attacks,” he said.
Ukraine continues to work with its international partners, pushing for faster delivery and fulfillment of agreements, particularly regarding air defense systems. “Timely supply and full implementation of these agreements are what we need most,” Zelensky concluded.
In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.
During the GLOBSEC Defence Forum 2026 in Prague, representatives of “Steel Front”, an initiative by Rinat Akhmetov, discussed with NATO delegations, military officials, and representatives of the European defense industry the lessons learned from Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
After the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine witnessed an unprecedented wave of private support for the army. Citizens, big businesses, charitable foundations, and international philanthropists began financing the country’s defense alongside state assistance provided by international partners. Estimates of total private contributions range from tens to hundreds of billions of hryvnias. However, determining the exact amount remains difficult. In many cases, companies combine military aid, humanitarian programs, tax payments, social spending, and employee support in their reporting.
Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.