Veteran war correspondent John Sweeney has said that "war crime, after war crime, after war crime" is being committed in the Ukraine. His description of the aftermath of Monday's missile attack on the capital Kyiv is chilling as he talked about seeing rush hour commuters killed in their cars as they waited at a set of traffic lights.
And he detailed how one missile had landed right next to a children's playground, in a park where old men play chess.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, he also held up a piece of shrapnel that he had taken from the scene of one of the attacks and described the bombing as "barbaric".
Read more: Terrifying moment BBC reporter in Kyiv ducks for cover as missile flies over his head
The Russian attack on Monday, which left at least 11 dead and 64 injured, was launched by Moscow in retaliation for what Vladimir Putin claimed was a terrorist act carried out by Ukrainian special services on a bridge linking Russia with Crimea. International outcry was swift in the wake of the latest Russian assault, labelled by some as a sign of President Putin's growing desperation in the face of staunch Ukrainian resistance. Journalist Sweeney said that for the first time in Kyiv he "smelt war".
In a moving description of what he saw on Monday, he said: "What happened yesterday was barbaric. The moment I realised the city had been hit, I got on an e-scooter, and as I zoomed along you could see people, you could see fear scribbled in muscle on their faces. You could see their shock.
"And for the first time in the centre, I smelt war, which is strange smell of burning buildings, diesel and some extra thing of fear. And then you get to this junction on a busy road, similar to where Hyde Park Corner meets Piccadilly. It is 8am in the morning, the height of morning rush hour, essentially there is a huddle of cars that was waiting for the lights to change, the missile hits, and essentially everyone in those cars is dead."
He showed viewers a piece of shrapnel that he picked up from the scene of one of the missile attacks.
"If it hits you on your arm, you lose your arm. If it hits you in the chest - you are dead. The whole road was littered with this shrapnel. Around the corner in Taras Shevchenko Park, a little park, but very, very beautiful park in the heart of Kyiv where old men play chess, and kids play in the playground.
"Just next to the playground was an enormous crater, where the second missile hit. The third missile hit an office block. I was standing looking up at the building, and then I looked down and realised I was stepping in someone's blood. None of these places are military targets. T his was war crime, after war crime, after war crime."
Liz Truss will urge G7 leaders to remain steadfast in support of Ukraine during crisis talks on Tuesday following Russian strikes on Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities. In a sign of how seriously Western leaders are taking the Russian bombardment, Ms Truss and her G7 counterparts will hold a virtual meeting later on Tuesday, with the Prime Minister also expected to call for a full meeting of Nato leaders in the coming days.
The video call will also be attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke to Ms Truss and other world leaders on Monday. Ukraine on Monday called for Western allies to provide anti-air and anti-missile systems in response to the attacks.
Kyiv was targeted for the first time in months, while Russia also hit civilian areas and energy infrastructure across the country, from Kharkiv in the east to Lviv near the Polish border. Mr Putin confirmed the strikes were a retaliation for what he called Ukraine's attack on the Kerch Bridge, a crossing between Russia and the annexed Crimea region that has strategic and symbolic importance.
He said if Ukraine continues to mount "terrorist attacks" on Russia, the Kremlin's response will be "tough and proportionate to the level of threats".
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