Hunter T. Carter

Emergency services are still providing assistance in dozens of our cities and communities. Repair crews and rescuers are working to deal with the aftermath of Russian attacks. For practically all of yesterday and throughout last night, a massive “shahed” attack was underway. The drones kept coming in waves, and there was not a single hour when our skies were clear of them. From midnight yesterday through 9 a.m. today, there had already been more than 850 “shaheds” – and this comes precisely at a time when the speed of our defensive capabilities is being artificially restricted. We managed to shoot down some of the “shaheds.” But unfortunately, there were also dozens of hits. One of the largest attacks was carried out against our Kirovohrad region. There were also strikes in Kyiv and the surrounding region, the Dnipro, Odesa, Rivne, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Poltava, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. Three people were killed in Kropyvnytskyi and three more in the Dnipro region. My condolences to their families and loved ones. It is obvious that Russia deliberately chose to escalate its attacks after receiving sanctions relief and seeing attempts to pressure Ukraine. Russia exploits every such opportunity and must be held accountable for what it does. Strong decisions are needed to end this war. Ukraine needs steady support, above all in defending our skies. We need HONESTY from our partners about this war: It is important that everyone in America stand not with the aggressor, but with our efforts to protect lives, end this war, and guarantee security.