President Zelensky Expects Allies to Support Ukraine Similar to Israel's

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Source: President.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky has again called for increased Western aid, as Russian weapons again hit Ukrainian territory.

A Russian-guided bomb struck a five-story apartment block in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on Wednesday night, setting fires and injuring at least 10 people, local officials said.

President Zelensky said the attack, the latest in a long series of attacks in the city, underscored the need for more help from Ukraine's Western backers.

He pointed to Iran's attacks on Israel as an example of the cooperation that allies have shown.

President Zelensky said that to stop the Russian attack, "Ukraine must receive the necessary, and most importantly, sufficient, help from the world, from our partners.

"Every leader knows exactly what needs to be done. "It is important to be firm," Zelensky said in a post on the Telegram messaging app, Reuters reported on October 3.

In a video address later in the evening, Zelensky referred to the assistance the United States and other partners have provided to Israel to fend off attacks.

"Every time in the Middle East, during criminal Iranian attacks, we see how the international coalition acts together," he said, echoing comments he made during Iran's attacks on Israel in April.

Zelensky also made the latest in a series of calls for more aid to be approved at a meeting this month in Germany aimed at providing military aid to Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to attend the meeting.

Meanwhile, Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said the bomb hit between the third and fourth floors of the building in the city's Saltivka district.

"Several floors have been destroyed. Apartment-by-apartment searches are underway. People may be under the rubble," Governor Syniehubov said in a video posted online.

Images posted online showed cars burning outside apartment blocks and firefighters wading through smoking rubble to get inside buildings.

Meanwhile, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov put the number of injured at 10, including a three-year-old child. He said guided bombs had hit two districts of the city.

Situated 30 km (18 miles) from the Russian border, Kharkiv has been a frequent target of Russian forces during the war that has lasted more than 2.5 years.

In Kyiv, the head of the capital's military administration said debris from a downed Russian drone damaged an apartment building in one of the capital's eastern districts. There was no indication of casualties.

Separately, Russia denies targeting civilians, but regularly attacks towns behind the front line.