Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 12 people, including four children, as fighting intensifies during a series of offensives into several regions of the war-battered country.

Zelensky warned on Saturday the death toll in the village of Vilniansk – near the regional hub of Zaporizhzhia – may increase.

“Seven people, including two children, have been killed by a Russian missile strike in the Zaporizhzhia region,” Zelensky said on social media, calling for his Western allies to speed up weapons deliveries.

“Any delay in decisions in this war means the loss of human lives.”

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Igor Klimenko stated 18 people – including four children – were also wounded in Vilniansk, 30km (18 miles) from the main city of Zaporizhzhia.

The attack occurred “in broad daylight on a weekend in a place where people were spending their leisure time downtown – without any military infrastructure”, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

Ukrainian officials reported attacks on Saturday killed four people and injured 23 in eastern villages, while rescuers in the central city of Dnipro dug through rubble after an attack ripped through a nine-storey residential building, leaving one dead and 12 wounded.

The heavy attacks on Saturday come as Russia continues to stretch out Ukrainian forces in several areas along the 1,000km (600 mile) front. Moscow has stepped up air raids in a bid to drain Ukraine’s resources, often targeting energy facilities and other vital infrastructure.

Ukraine’s military announced, “The total number of hostile attacks along the entire front line has now risen to 90”.

Eastern Donetsk’s regional Governor Vadym Filashkin announced that Russian forces shelled populated areas 13 times over the past 24 hours.

Zelensky added the Dnipro attack was a reminder to Ukraine’s allies the country needs more air defence systems.

“This is why we constantly remind all of our partners: only a sufficient amount of high-quality air defence systems, only a sufficient amount of determination from the world at large can stop Russian terror.”

Fighting in Ukraine has intensified in several directions after Russia launched offensives from several directions, taking advantage of Ukraine being on the back foot militarily.

Russian officials also reported Ukrainian attacks with a drone attack killing at least five people in Russia’s Kursk region. Two children were among the victims in the village of Gorodishche on the Russian-Ukrainian border, Governor Alexey Smirnov wrote on social media.

Zelensky made the comments at a press conference in Kiev, after meeting Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar on Friday.

“We will also work out all other points of the Peace Formula and prepare a comprehensive plan that will be on the table before our partners,” Zelensky said.

“It is very important for us to show a plan to end the war that will be supported by the majority of the world. This is the diplomatic path we are working on.”

The so-called peace formula is a ten-point document Zelensky unveiled in November 2022, which envisions Russia ceding all formerly Ukrainian territory, withdrawing all of its troops, paying reparations and submitting to war crimes tribunals, among other things. Moscow has dismissed it as unrealistic and “detached from reality”.

Ukraine “must be strong on the battlefield”, Zelensky added, because Russia only respects strength.

“These are two parallel things – to be strong on the battlefield and to develop a plan, a clear plan, a detailed plan. And it will be ready this year,” he told reporters.

Zelensky’s comment came after he signed a long-term security pact with the EU on Thursday, obligating the bloc to years of military and financial aid. The US and several of its allies have signed separate aid pacts with Kiev, also pledging to prop up Kiev “for the long haul”. Western diplomats have openly said that the purpose of such treaties was to protect the Ukraine policy in case Donald Trump wins the November US presidential election.

Speaking in Brussels, Zelensky had argued that Ukraine “does not want to prolong the war” and does not want the conflict to last “for years”.

“We have many wounded and killed on the battlefield. We must put a settlement plan on the table within a few months,” he stated, without offering details.

Kiev has been coy about Ukrainian casualty figures, insisting instead that it has inflicted massive losses on Russian forces. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine lost 35,000 troops in May alone and has lost close to 500,000 since the start of the conflict.

In 2022, Ukraine’s budget received an average of 2.9 billion euros per month from 17 countries and the European Union, with the United States providing the largest disbursement of 11.4 billion euros, the EU 7.6 billion euros and Canada 1.8 billion euros, the data showed.

In 2023, 13 countries and the European Union, which became the largest donor (18.1 billion euros), provided Ukraine with a monthly average of 3 billion euros, the data said. The United States took the second place with 10.1 billion euros, followed by Japan with 3.4 billion euros, the data said.

Austria, Albania, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania and Latvia did not provide any financial assistance to Ukraine last year, the data added.

This year, Kiev received financial support from the European Union, Canada, Japan, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom and the monthly allocations dropped to 1.9 billion euros, the data showed.

Earlier in June, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that Ukraine would receive 1.5 billion euros from profits generated by frozen Russian assets in July. Kiev is also set to receive 1.9 billion euros from the European Union by the end of June for reforms and investment, she stated.

Western voters are gradually getting tired of the Ukrainian crisis and do not want to see their governments sending more aid to Kiev, according to reports.

Western countries have been providing massive military and financial aid to Kiev since the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying it would lead to further escalation of the conflict.