A shower of Russian missiles fell on Ukraine on Monday, October 10. These bombardments, on a scale unequaled for months, notably affected, at sunrise, the capital kyiv for the first time since June, Lviv, Ternopil and Dnipro.
These cities, usually spared by the Russian army, were targeted by dozens of missiles. Half a dozen explosions were heard in kyiv, with strikes in several neighborhoods including the city center, which notably pulverized a children’s playground. The Ukrainian emergency services reported a provisional toll of eleven dead and 89 injured across the country, but Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations (UN), spoke of fourteen civilians killed and 97 injured.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chmyhal said eleven major infrastructures were damaged in eight regions, in addition to the capital. Ukraine has announced that it will stop its electricity exports to Europe following these strikes, while power cuts affected many regions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that Russia has launched this campaign “massive” shelling of Ukraine in response to the attack “terrorist” of the Crimean Bridge suffered two days earlier. kyiv has never confirmed or denied its involvement in this explosion which killed three people.
Mr. Putin promised retorts “severe” in case of new Ukrainian attacks against Russia. The strikes “achieved their goal”, added the Russian Ministry of Defense. They are one “first episode”then promised Dmitry Medvedev, number two of the Security Council of Russia, while the Russian army has had a series of setbacks since the beginning of September in Ukraine, losing ground in the south as well as in the northeast of the country.
“terrorist state”
“Russia has once again proven that it is a terrorist state that must be deterred in the strongest possible way”, hammered, before the UN, Mr. Kyslytsya. In response, his Russian counterpart Vassily Nebenzia compared the kyiv regime to the “most outrageous of terrorist organizations”referring to the attack on the Crimean Bridge.
Before the general assembly, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, “deeply shocked”denounced the Russian bombardments: “A new unacceptable escalation of the war” including civilians “pay the highest price”.
US President Joe Biden has spoken out against the “absolute brutality” of his Russian counterpart, and promised in a telephone interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ” to continue to provide Ukraine with what it needs to defend itself, including advanced systems” anti-aircraft defense.
“Of the 84 Russian missiles fired against Ukraine, 43 were shot down. Of the 24 Russian drones, 13 were shot down”specified the Ukrainian president, Monday, at the end of the day.
“Extreme concern” for Emmanuel Macron
For the European Union, these strikes against civilians are similar to “war crimes” whose managers should ” realize “. NATO has condemned “horrific and indiscriminate attacks” civil infrastructure. Germany announced a virtual emergency meeting of G7 leaders and Mr Zelensky for Tuesday, as Emmanuel Macron told the latter of his “extreme concern” and promised to increase France’s military aid to Ukraine.
The French president held an emergency defense council on Ukraine on Monday evening, but no statement was made at the end of this meeting, which was attended in particular by the ministers of foreign affairs, Catherine Colonna, and armies Sébastien Lecornu.. These “deliberate strikes by Russia on the whole of Ukrainian territory and against civilians, this is a profound change in the nature of this war”said Mr. Macron during the day during a trip to Mayenne.
All the countries of the United Nations met on Monday afternoon in an emergency general assembly to discuss a condemnation of the annexation of Ukrainian regions by Moscow. With this resolution, which could be put to the vote on Wednesday, Westerners hope to show that President Vladimir Putin’s Russia is isolated on the international scene.