President Volodymyr Zelensky has detailed the devastating toll of an intensified, week-long Russian air campaign, confirming that the Kremlin has unleashed more than 4,500 missiles, strike drones, and guided bombs against civilian populations within a seven-day window. In a statement published on his Telegram channel on Sunday, May 17, Zelensky noted that the sheer volume of high-velocity ordnance has overwhelmed localized safety nets, causing extensive casualties and structural ruins across the country.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. A grim toll of civilian casualties According to data compiled by state emergency monitors and confirmed by the president, the continuous aerial assaults have resulted in severe civilian attrition. Fifty-two individuals were killed in their homes or public spaces over the past week. A total of 346 civilians sustained wounds of varying severity, requiring urgent medical or psychological stabilization. Among the wounded were 22 children, many of whom were pulled from the wreckage of collapsed residential zones. “Many hits were on residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure,” Zelensky wrote, extending his condolences to the affected households. “Our people need more protection, and everything that supports Ukrainian air defense ultimately helps save lives”. The evolution of the aerial blitz The massive weekly total reflects a highly calculated escalation by Russia. The strike packages have primarily utilized cheap, high-volume decoy platforms to bleed Ukrainian missile stockpiles before launching highly destructive ballistic and cruise ordnance.