Volodymyr Zelensky says his forces intercepted and shot down nearly 40 Iranian suicide drones and several cruise missiles in just 12 hours during Monday’s early morning attack on central Kyiv.

“In just 12 hours from 9pm Sunday, 37 Iranian ‘Shaheds’ and several cruise missiles were destroyed,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address.

“The world can and must stop this terror. When we talk about Ukraine’s need for air and missile defence, we are talking about real lives that are being taken by terrorists,” the wartime president.

He also directly addressed Vladimir Putin in a rare move and said that the Russian president has “killed another pregnant woman” in his “terrorist attack”.

“A guy and a six-months pregnant girl... Vladimir Putin can mark another ‘achievement’ – he killed another pregnant woman,” Mr Zelensky said.

This comes as at least 13 were killed in Russia after one of the country’s own fighter planes crashed into a residential building in the southern city of Yeysk shortly after take-off on Monday, reported AFP.

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