Recap
At least 11 people are reported to have been killed and scores more injured after Russia launched a massive wave of strikes targeting cities across Ukraine. Many of the locations hit by cruise missiles and kamikaze drones in the midst of the morning rush hour appeared to be solely civilian sites or key pieces of infrastructure, including the country’s electric grid, apparently chosen to terrorise Ukrainians. Six people were killed and 51 more were injured in Monday’s strikes on Kyiv, according to city officials.
President Vladimir Putin said the wave of strikes on Ukraine was a response to an attack on the Kerch bridge linking Russia and Crimea. The Russian leader warned of even more “severe retaliation” in the event of further Ukrainian attacks. “Let there be no doubt,” Putin said in televised comments addressed to his security council, “if attempts at terrorist attacks continue, the response from Russia will be severe.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country was “dealing with terrorists” and accused Russia of targeting power facilities and civilians following the missile attacks. “They deliberately chose such a time, such goals, in order to cause as much harm as possible,” the Ukrainian leader said.
President Joe Biden said the US “strongly condemns” Russian missile strikes on cities across Ukraine, which demonstrate Vladimir Putin’s “utter brutality” against the Ukrainian people. In a separate statement, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said the international community “has a responsibility” to make clear that Putin’s actions are “completely unacceptable”. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy was pictured holding talks with the US ambassador to Kyiv, Bridget Brink, in Kyiv just hours after Russian missiles struck the centre of the capital.
The UN’s secretary general, António Guterres, said he was “deeply shocked” by the Russian air strikes. This morning’s attacks “constitute another unacceptable escalation of the war and, as always, civilians are paying the highest price,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, condemned the “horrific and indiscriminate” missile attacks by Russia on civilian targets in Ukraine. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was “shocked and appalled” by the Russian attack on Ukraine. Her European Council counterpart, Charles Michel, unequivocally labelled today’s actions by Russia as war crimes.
Members of the Group of Seven and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, will hold emergency talks on the situation in Ukraine on Tuesday, a German government spokesperson has confirmed. President Zelenskiy confirmed he would address G7 leaders, adding that he had spoken with Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, about increasing pressure on Russia as well as aid for Ukraine.
In an emergency meeting of the UN general assembly, Ukraine’s ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said Russia was a “terrorist state” and that its annexation of Ukrainian regions are an “existential threat” to the UN charter“Russia has proven once again, that this is a terrorist state that must be deterred in the strongest possible ways,” Kyslytsya said
The Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, said Belarus and Russia would deploy a joint military task force on the country’s western borders in response to what he called an aggravation of tension. The two countries had started pulling forces together two days ago, apparently after the explosion on Russia’s bridge to Crimea, Lukashenko was quoted as saying. Poland has released guidance advising its citizens in Belarus to leave the country.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed its teams have paused their field work in Ukraine for security reasons. The Norwegian Refugee Council have also said that it has paused its aid operations in Ukraine until it is safe to resume. “Our aid workers are hiding from a barrage of bombs and in fear of repeated attacks,” it said.
The president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, will visit Moscow tomorrow to meet Vladimir Putin, UAE state media reported. Mohamed “will discuss with President Putin the friendly relations between the UAE and Russia along with a number of regional and international issues and developments of common interest”, the UAE’s state-owned news agency WAM said.
Vladimir Putin may meet Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, at a summit in Kazakhstan this week, the Kremlin said. The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters it was “possible” the pair could discuss a Turkish proposal to host talks between Russia and the west on Ukraine.
President Zelenskiy said Ukraine “counts on Britain’s leadership” after a phone call with the UK prime minister, Liz Truss, on Monday. Zelenskiy’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said he also spoke with his UK counterpart, James Cleverly, who assured him of Britain’s unwavering support of Ukraine.
The European Union has announced it will extend a bloc-wide protection scheme for Ukrainian refugees into 2024. Ukrainians in the EU who choose to return to their country will still be able to maintain their refugee status, as long as they notify the relevant EU country of their move, according to the EU’s home affairs commissioner, Ylva Johansson.
Websites for more than a dozen US airports were temporarily brought offline by cyberattacks on Monday morning, with Russian-speaking hackers claiming responsibility for the disruption. About 14 public-facing websites for a number of sizable airports, including LaGuardia airport in New York City, were targeted and inaccessible to the public. Most have since been brought back online.
– Léonie Chao-Fong, Gloria Oladipo, Maanvi Singh
Updated
The US secretary of state Antony Blinken spoke with Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, reiterating that the US “will continue to provide vital economic, humanitarian, and security assistance so Ukraine can defend itself and take care of its people”, a state department spokesperson said.
“The secretary commended Ukraine for not allowing President Putin to break Ukraine’s spirit,” said spokesperson Ned Price. “The secretary reaffirmed the steadfast support of the United States for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
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