Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that there can be &ldquo;no pause&rdquo; in pressure on Russia following a relentless wave of missile and drone strikes across the country last night. His remarks come in the wake of the United States' decision to halt intelligence sharing and suspend military aid to Ukraine, a move widely expected to embolden Moscow&rsquo;s offensive.
The escalation underscores growing fears that Ukraine&rsquo;s air defences will weaken in the coming weeks and months without U.S. intelligence support, which has played a crucial role in countering Russian missile barrages. The decision to freeze aid came after last week&rsquo;s heated Oval Office meeting between Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump, during which the U.S. leader pressed Kyiv to make tangible moves toward a peace deal with Moscow. White House officials have hinted that military support could resume if Ukraine agrees to diplomatic overtures&mdash;something Zelenskyy has firmly resisted, citing Russia&rsquo;s continued aggression.
Russia&rsquo;s Overnight Attack: Widespread Damage, Deadly Toll
Ukraine&rsquo;s Air Force reported that Russia launched&nbsp;112 attack drones and two missiles&nbsp;overnight, targeting key regions across the country. Of those, Ukrainian forces managed to&nbsp;intercept and destroy 68 drones, while&nbsp;43 evaded defences and struck their targets.
The strikes caused&nbsp;widespread destruction&nbsp;in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. In one of the most devastating incidents, a&nbsp;ballistic missile hit a hotel in Kryvyi Rih&mdash;Zelenskyy&rsquo;s hometown&mdash;killing four people and injuring over 30 others.
"A ballistic missile struck an ordinary hotel," Zelenskyy stated on social media, emphasizing that&nbsp;a group of foreign humanitarian volunteers had checked into the hotel just before the attack. Fortunately, none were harmed. Sources told ABC News that among the volunteers were&nbsp;two U.S. citizens&nbsp;working with the&nbsp;Charity Fund Freedom Trust and Ukraine Relief Organization.
Zelenskyy condemned the attack as yet another act of terror by Moscow, reiterating his call for unwavering international pressure on Russia.&nbsp;&ldquo;There must be no pause in the pressure on Russia to stop this war and terror against life,&rdquo;&nbsp;he asserted.
Ukraine&rsquo;s Air Defences Under Threat Amid U.S. Aid Suspension
As Russia intensifies its aerial assaults, Ukraine is becoming increasingly dependent on Western-supplied anti-air weaponry. With U.S. military aid and intelligence sharing on hold, experts warn that Ukraine&rsquo;s ability to&nbsp;pre-emptively detect and intercept incoming Russian projectiles&nbsp;could be severely compromised.
The timing of Russia&rsquo;s latest escalation is no coincidence. Analysts suggest that Moscow is seizing the opportunity created by&nbsp;gaps in Ukraine&rsquo;s air defence network&nbsp;following the U.S. policy shift. The attacks highlight Ukraine&rsquo;s&nbsp;urgent need for sustained Western support&mdash;a plea Zelenskyy has repeatedly made to NATO allies, warning that any wavering will only embolden Russian forces.
A Critical Moment in the War
Russian airstrikes and drone attacks have become a&nbsp;nightly occurrence&nbsp;in Ukraine, keeping civilians on edge and pushing the country&rsquo;s defence systems to their limits. With no immediate resolution in sight, the battlefield momentum is now at a critical turning point.
As Kyiv braces for further strikes,&nbsp;the fate of U.S. military support hangs in the balance, contingent on whether Ukraine bends to Trump&rsquo;s demand for diplomatic negotiations with Russia. Zelenskyy, however, remains resolute: &ldquo;We will not pause. We will not surrender. Ukraine fights on.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Russia's missile and Drone attack on Ukraine (image sources: SESU)

Zelenskyy: "No pause in pressure" as Russia ramps up attacks amid U.S. aid suspension

Russia Strikes Ukraine as U.S. Halts Aid, Zelenskyy Warns

Zelenskyy: "No pause in pressure" as Russia ramps up attacks amid U.S. aid suspension

March 6, 2025 | 22:08 IST