Ukraine is struggling to cope with Vladimir Putin’s increasing reliance on glide bombs, which Volodymyr Zelensky said have become “practically the main instrument of Russian terror”.
“There can be no alternative. Ukraine needs systems and tactics that will allow us to protect our positions, our cities and our communities from these bombs,” he said.
Putin’s forces used more than 3,200 guided bombs against Ukrainian targets throughout April, along with more than 300 missiles and about 300 Shahed-type drones, Mr Zelensky said, adding that his forces are a long way from effectively countering these munitions.
Russia has used glide bombs – Soviet-era bombs fitting with small wings that allow them to be guided towards targets – to strike schools, museums, universities, hospitals and maternity wards where no soldiers were present, killing thousands of civilians since its February 2022 invasion.
Mr Zelensky’s comments came as Ukrainian forces said they had downed yet another Russian warplane in Donetsk’s Pokrovsk front, the fifth Russian Su-25 jet Ukraine claims to have shot down this month.