Firefighters work to put out fire at the scene of a missile attack in Kyiv. (Photo: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)
Eko Hot Blog reports that deadly missile strikes on Monday hit multiple cities across Ukraine, including strikes on the capital Kyiv for the first time in months.
The attacks came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed a Saturday explosion on the huge bridge connecting Russia to its annexed territory of Crimea on Ukraine. He described the explosion as a “terrorist act” masterminded by Ukrainian special services, although Ukraine has not taken responsibility for it.
Rostyslav Smirnov, an adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, disclosed that at least eight people were killed and 24 were injured in just one of the Kyiv strikes, according to preliminary information.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said explosions were reported in the city’s Shevchenko district, a large area in the centre of Kyiv that includes the historic old town as well as several government offices.
Lesia Vasylenko, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, posted a photo on Twitter showing that at least one explosion occurred near the main building of the Kyiv National University in central Kyiv.
Vasylenko also revealed that the strikes hit a playground in the capital city.
“Next to the playground in center of #Kyiv. #Russia hit in the morning when most people go to work and when parents take the children to school,” she tweeted.
According to the Ukrainian lawmaker, Russia has launched more than 75 missiles on Ukraine, leaving metros overcrowded with people running for safety.
“#Kyiv metros overcrowded with people sheltering from the hits. #russia launched Over 75 missiles on #Ukraine. And the attack continues,” Vasylenko said on Twitter.
The lawmaker added that Ukrainian cities had been left without water and electricity as Russian missiles attacked the energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian media also reported explosions in a number of other locations, including the western city of Lviv that has been a refuge for many people fleeing the fighting in the east, as well as Kharkiv, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr and Kropyvnytskyi.
The multiple strikes came a few hours before Putin was due to hold a meeting with his security council, as the Russian war in Ukraine approaches its eight-month milestone.
Amid the rampage, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram account that Russia is “trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the earth.”
“Please do not leave (bomb) shelters,” he wrote. “Let’s hold on and be strong.”
The attacks follow months of relative calm in Kyiv. The last previous attack on the Ukrainian capital was in June.
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