KYIV, Ukraine (AP) \u2014 Russia hammered civilian areas of Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in an attack that stretched for hours from daytime into the night, killing at least 16 people and wounding more than 100 others as terrified residents cowered in their homes, officials said Thursday.<\/p>\n
Russia launched nearly 700 drones and dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles, primarily targeting civilians, in its biggest aerial barrage in almost two weeks, authorities said. <\/p>\n
Tetiana Sokol, a 54-year-old resident of Kyiv, said two missiles hit near her home and she took cover with her dog in the hallway as flashes lit up the night and windows shattered from the blast wave.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the third attack everything broke, everything flew, we were shocked, we didn\u2019t know where to run. I grabbed whatever came to hand and ran away with the dog,\u201d she told The Associated Press. \u201cI still can\u2019t find the cats in the house, they climbed out somewhere, I don\u2019t even know. No windows, nothing, the dog is still walking around in stress.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moscow\u2019s forces have hit civilian areas almost daily<\/a> since its all-out invasion<\/a> of its neighbor more than four years ago, with the regular assaults occasionally punctuated by massive attacks. More than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians<\/a> have died in the strikes, the United Nations says.<\/p>\n The Russian Defense Ministry said the operation was launched \u201cin retaliation\u201d for Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia, where long-range drones and missiles have hit Russian oil refineries and war-related manufacturing plants. The Russian barrage was aimed at facilities associated with the Ukrainian armed forces, the Defense Ministry claimed.<\/p>\n European Council President Ant\u00f3nio Costa described it as \u201cyet another horrendous attack\u201d while people slept in their homes.<\/p>\n Zelenskyy on a mission to improve air defenses <\/p>\n The latest bombardment came in the wake of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy\u2019s 48-hour trip<\/a> this week to Germany, Norway and Italy in an urgent search for more air defense systems that can stop Russian missiles. <\/p>\n Ukraine has developed a significant domestic arms industry<\/a>, especially in the production of drones and missiles, but it can\u2019t yet match the sophistication of U.S. Patriot air defense systems. Ukraine\u2019s top diplomatic priority is securing allies\u2019 help to buy and build more and better air defenses, Zelenskyy said this week.<\/p>\n Yuriy Ihnat, the head of communications for the Ukrainian air force, said the Russian attack made extensive use of ballistic missiles, which only Patriot systems can reliably shoot down.<\/p>\n \u201cWe desperately need more missiles for the Patriot systems,\u201d Ihnat told Ukraine\u2019s private TV channel 1+1.<\/p>\n Cash-strapped Ukraine also needs the speedy disbursement of a promised loan from the European Union of 90 billion euros ($106 billion) that has been blocked by Hungary.<\/p>\n