President Zelensky Expects Allied Support For Ukraine The Same As Israel Receives

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

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky again called for increased aid from the West, as Russian weapons hit Ukrainian territory again.

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

President Zelensky said the attack, the latest in a series of long attacks in the city, underscores the need for more help from supporters of Ukraine from the West.

He pointed to Iran's attack on Israel as an example of cooperation carried out by the Allies.

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

"Every leader knows exactly what needs to be done. It is important to take a firm stance," President Zelensky said in a post on the messaging app Telegram.

In his evening video address, President Zelensky referred to the assistance the United States and other partners gave Israel to fend off attacks.

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

President Zelensky also issued the latest calls from a series of calls for more assistance to be approved at this month's meeting in Germany aimed at providing military assistance to Ukraine. US President Joe Biden is scheduled to attend the meeting.

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

"Several floors have been destroyed. An apartment after apartment search is being carried out. People may be under the rubble," Governor Syniehubov said in an online video.

Images posted online showed cars burning outside apartment blocks and firefighters walking through smoke debris to enter the building.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, said the number of injured victims reached 10 people, including a three-year-old child. He said the guided bomb had hit two city districts.

Located 30 km (18 miles) from the Russian border, Kharkiv has often been targeted by Russian troops during the war that has lasted more than 2.5 years.

In Kyiv, the capital's military chief of administration said fragments of a Russian drone that crashed damaged an apartment building in one of the capital's eastern districts. There is no indication of any casualties.

Separately, Russia denies targeting civilians, but regularly attacks cities behind the front lines.