\n<\/p>\n
A Russian missile slammed into a hotel before dawn on Thursday in the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky in central Ukraine, killing at least four people and injuring more than 30 others, the Ukrainian authorities said.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust before the attack, volunteers from a humanitarian organization \u2014 citizens of Ukraine, the United States and the United Kingdom \u2014 had checked into the hotel,\u201d Mr. Zelensky said in a statement. \u201cThey survived because they managed to get down from their rooms in time. Unfortunately, four people were killed in this attack.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere must be no pause in the pressure on Russia to stop this war and terror against life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As rescue workers raced to pull wounded civilians from the ruined building in Mr. Zelensky\u2019s hometown, Kryvyi Rih, air-defense crews across the country scrambled to defend against bombardments that have become routine during the winter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
In total, the Ukrainian Air Force reported, Russia launched two ballistic missiles and 112 drones \u2014 including some with dummy warheads designed to expose and exhaust air defenses.<\/p>\n
Most of the deadly drones were shot down, the Air Force reported, but it did not say whether either of the missiles had been downed. <\/p>\n
After the United State announced this week that it was suspending both military and intelligence assistance<\/a> to Ukraine, there has been growing concern that the nation\u2019s air-defense capabilities would be among the first elements of its defense to be compromised.<\/p>\n The American-made Patriot system has proved to be Ukraine\u2019s most reliable defense against Russia\u2019s most sophisticated ballistic missiles. The pause in American military assistance could leave Ukrainians short of the sophisticated interceptor missiles that have helped provide a blanket of protection over the capital, Kyiv, and other cities.<\/p>\n At the same time, Ukraine\u2019s air-raid alerts are informed, to some degree, by the early warning data provided by American satellites, which can detect aircraft and missile launches deep in Russian territory. It is not clear if the pause on intelligence sharing included information related to those systems.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Ukrainian authorities sought to reassure the public that they were taking steps to address the fallout from the sudden moves by its primary military ally as Washington increasingly aligns itself with Moscow as it applies pressure to Kyiv ahead of peace negotiations<\/a>.<\/p>\n Even as Kyiv works to persuade Washington that it should be applying pressure to Russia to bring the war to an end rather than taking steps that weaken Ukraine\u2019s ability to defend itself, Ukraine is also appealing directly to the American public.<\/p>\n Ukrainian operators of Patriot systems have followed the lead of F-16 fighter pilots in calling directly on the American people to stand with Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks to your support, we are still alive, and we are able to protect our cities and the civilians who live there,\u201d said one operator in a video released by the military. \u201cThank you to the American people!\u201d<\/p>\n President Trump has maintained that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has sent \u201cstrong signals\u201d that he is ready for peace.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n