Ukraine war: Russia deploys dozens of drones in two days - Zelensky

President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has launched much than 30 drone attacks connected Ukraine successful conscionable 2 days.

He added that successful total, Moscow had besides carried retired immoderate 4,500 rocket strikes and implicit 8,000 aerial raids.

Speaking from Kyiv and lasting beside what appeared to beryllium a downed Iranian Shahed drone, Mr Zelensky pledged to "clip the wings" of Moscow's aerial power.

Western officials judge Iran has supplied a ample fig of drones to Russia, but Moscow and Tehran contradict it.

It comes arsenic US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Russia's assertive usage of drones "appalling".

The apical US diplomat accused Russian commanders of utilizing the devices to "kill Ukrainian civilians and destruct the infrastructure they trust connected for electricity, for water, for heat" during a sojourn to the Canadian superior Ottawa.

"Canada and the United States volition support moving with our allies and partners to expose, to deter, and to antagonistic Iran's proviso of these weapons," Mr Blinken said.

In caller weeks, Russian attacks person targeted Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, damaging the country's energy and h2o proviso conscionable arsenic temperatures statesman to drop.

Western countries accidental Iran is supplying its domestically developed drones to Moscow and that Iranian subject experts are connected the crushed successful Russian-occupied Crimea to supply method enactment to pilots.

Kyiv has identified the drones utilized successful immoderate attacks connected its infrastructure arsenic Iranian Shahed-136 drones. They are known arsenic "kamikaze" drones due to the fact that they are destroyed successful the onslaught - named aft the Japanese combatant pilots who flew termination missions successful World War Two.

Ukraine says astir 400 drones person already been utilized by Russia, from a full bid of astir 2,000 weapons.

But Tehran has repeatedly denied that it has struck immoderate arms woody with the Kremlin, and Moscow besides denies utilizing Iranian drones.

On Wednesday, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called the accusations "baseless" and urged Ukraine to "present immoderate grounds supporting the accusations".

"If... it becomes wide to america that Russia has utilized Iranian drones successful the warfare against Ukraine, we volition decidedly not beryllium indifferent astir this issue," helium added.

Tehran's determination adversary, Israel, has besides attacked Iran implicit the alleged exports. During a gathering with US President Joe Biden astatine the White House connected Thursday, President Isaac Herzog slammed the regime's activities.

"The information that Iran, pursuing its activities successful sidesplitting its ain citizens, successful moving towards atomic weapons endlessly, endangering the full satellite and the portion — and present sidesplitting guiltless civilians successful Ukraine, intelligibly that gives you a representation of what Iran is each about," Mr Herzog said.

Prior to the visit, helium had pledged to stock "proof" with Mr Biden that Iran was supplying the weapons.

Meanwhile, US officials person said they volition proviso Ukraine with an further $275m (£237m) of subject aid, according to the Associated Press.

The assistance is expected to beryllium utilized to restock ammunition for Ukrainian artillery systems, including the HIMARS launchers that Kyiv's forces person utilized to large effect.

On the ground, warring has slowed successful caller days, with a overmuch anticipated Ukrainian beforehand connected the confederate metropolis of Kherson stalled owed to mediocre weather.