Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said a barrage of Russian missiles destroyed the airport in Vinnytsia in central Ukraine.
He again asked foreign countries to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
According to Nexta TV on Twitter, Zelenskyy in a video address claimed that the Havryshovka airport in Vinnytsia had been destroyed in airstrikes by Russian missiles.
Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba on Twitter wrote: “Eight Russian cruise missiles hit Vinnytsia, a large city far from the frontline. Putin continues his cowardly & barbaric missile strikes, air bombardment of civilians. Help us close the sky and save lives! Provide air and missile defense, combat aircraft! Stop Russian terrorism!”
Earlier, Zelenskyy in a video address said that “the world is strong enough to close our skies.” His remarks were a response to NATO’s decision to rule out policing a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
NATO had claimed that establishing a no-fly zone would risk escalating the conflict as foreign militaries would be involved directly. Although the United States and many Western countries have backed Ukraine with weapons shipments, they have sent no troops, India Today reports.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow would consider any third-party declaration of a no-fly zone over Ukraine as a “declaration of war”.