Kyiv and cities throughout Ukraine fell under renewed Russian aerial bombardment today, with the death toll reaching 11 people and dozens more injured. Targets from Moscow’s so-called ‘high-precision’ weaponry aimed at apparently ‘critical military infrastructure’ included children’s playgrounds, pedestrian bridges and parks.
The main focus of the attack was the capital Kyiv, targeted for the first time in weeks, but other cities hit included Kharkiv in the north, Lviv and Ternopil in the west, and Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro in the south.
It comes as retaliation for Saturday’s attack on Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia with Crimea, illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. That explosion, which partially destroyed the bridge, was a major embarrassment for Putin. The bridge, Europe’s longest which provides sole land access to Crimea from Russia, has been used by Putin to move troops and weaponry to the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Condemnation has of course been swift. Jens Stoltenberg, Nato Secretary General, called the bombings “horrific and indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine”. Britain’s Security Minister Tom Tugendhat branded the strikes “war crimes”. Standing outside in the middle of Kyiv, President Zelensky recorded a video in which he warned that Russia was trying to “wipe us off the face of the earth”.
The reality is that this is Putin’s playbook. Widespread attacks on non-military targets serve no purpose other than to terrorise civilians and remind the international community – were such things necessary – that he is capable of indiscriminate cruelty.
These attacks are also a message to the west. Ukraine has made dramatic gains in recent weeks across multiple fronts. These victories are dependent not only on Ukrainian manpower and bravery, but on largely American money and equipment. In addition to nuclear sabre-rattling, these bombings are a further message from Putin to his enemies that he is prepared to ratchet up not only the death count, but the stakes.
Elsewhere in the paper, Kwasi Kwarteng has bowed to pressure and brought forward his debt-cutting plan, OBR forecast and all, to October 31. Get your Halloween puns in early. Spooking the market is too obvious, but trickle-down or treat must be a strong contender.
In the comment pages, Stephen King warns it’s time to face the bitter truth that we must cut our energy use now. While Tanya Gold says the film Mrs Harris Goes to Paris makes a mockery of real working-class life.
And finally, Londoners do the least exercise of any region in the UK according to Nuffield Health. Which seems impossible when you can accidentally smash your 10k steps target simply by getting off at the wrong end of an Elizabeth line platform.
