USA Today
Russia launches ‘largest series of air strikes’ on Ukraine since start of war
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy – March 22, 2024
Russia launched the largest wave of missiles and Iranian–supplied drones against Ukrainian cities since the start of the war two years ago, the White House said Friday.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the attacks, launched overnight, demonstrated how important it is for U.S. to continue providing air defense systems and capabilities to the Ukrainians to fend off Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Mr. Putin is not waiting,” Kirby said. ”He’s not sitting on his hands. He’s making lethal use of every single minute available to him. While our own Congress refuses to act, he’s not wavering.”
President Joe Biden has been urging Congress to pass an emergency national security bill which was approved by the Senate with bipartisan support and includes $60 billion in assistance for Ukraine. The bill has failed to gain traction in the Republican-controlled House.
“The House of Representatives must pass the national security supplemental as soon as possible so that we can provide Ukraine with this vital equipment,” said Kirby. “And as we’ve seen in just the last couple of days, every single day the House delays is another day that the Ukrainians have to pay for it with their own lives.”
The attack left more than one million homes without electricity; the targets included power plants and energy supply lines, a hydroelectric dam, ordinary residential buildings and “even a trolleybus,” according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Russia is at war with people’s everyday lives,” wrote Zelenskyy. “My condolences to the loved ones of those killed by this terror.”
Ukrainian officials say that at least 10 different regions of their country were struck.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House Correspondent for USA TODAY.