Zelensky hits out at 'terrorist' Russia in video after missile strikes
Defiant in the face of Putin’s onslaught: Zelensky hits out at ‘terrorist state’ Russia in video filmed from bomb site after missile strikes as he taunts Kremlin for resorting to dirty tactics because ‘you are not capable of opposing us on the battlefield’
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has hit out after Russia launched missile strikes on cities yesterday
- He branded the country a ‘terrorist state’ and said the attack was a sign it could not win ‘on the battlefield’
- At least 11 people are known to have been killed in the strikes, which came as people made their way to work
- There are concerns the conflict could escalate further with suggestions Belarus could be about to join the war
Volodymyr Zelenksy has branded Russia a ‘terrorist state’ and taunted the Kremlin for resorting to dirty tactics after it launched missile strikes on Ukrainian cities yesterday.
The Ukrainian president declared that Russia is ‘not capable of opposing us on the battlefield’ in a defiant video hours after cities including the capital Kyiv were targeted by missiles and drones.
Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed yesterday that the missiles were aimed at military, energy and communications networks, but Ukraine says they actually hit power plants and busy civilian areas.
The barrage was Russia’s single largest since the opening day of the war, and it killed at least 11 people and left scores more wounded.
Ukraine says it managed to intercept more than half the Russian missiles and drones, with Zelensky saying his nation ‘cannot be intimidated’.
The attacks are thought to be retaliation for an attack on the Kerch Bridge on Saturday which linked the annexed region of Crimea to the Russian mainland.
The 12-mile-long bridge was a key part of the Kremlin’s supply chain, and its destruction was a slap in the face for Russian president Vladimir Putin who saw it as a pet project and a symbol of his supremacy in the region.
It came the day before a meeting of the G7 where Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to tell her fellow leaders not to waver in their support of Ukraine following the most recent attacks.
It comes amid concerns that Belarus, the Kremlin’s last-remaining ally in Europe, could be about to join the war to back up Putin after its dictator Alexander Lukashenko announced Russian units would combine with his own and deploy to the Ukraine border.
A defiant Volodymyr Zelensky has branded Russia a ‘terrorist state’ after it launched missile attacks on Ukrainian cities yesterday
The attacks have killed at least 11 people and left scores more injured. Pictured: Burned out cars a result of the strikes in Kyiv yesterday
President Zelensky said the strikes show that Russia cannot match Ukraine on the battlefield. Pictured: A man watches smoke rise after a missile attack in Lviv yesterday
83 Russian missiles were launched at Ukraine this morning in combination with Iranian drones, striking power stations, water supplies and civilians across the country – killing at least 11 and wounding scores more
Truss urges world leaders not to waver after strikes
Liz Truss will urge G7 leaders to remain steadfast in support of Ukraine during crisis talks on Tuesday after Russian strikes on Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities.
The missile and drone barrage 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.
The Russian attacks, which left at least 11 dead and 64 injured, prompted an international outcry.
G7 leaders will hold a virtual meeting on Tuesday, with Ms Truss 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 on Monday.
She is expected to urge fellow G7 leaders to ‘stay the course’ in the battle against President Putin.
‘The overwhelming international support for Ukraine’s struggle stands in stark opposition to the isolation of Russia on the international stage,’ she is expected to say on Tuesday.
‘Their bravery in the face of the most brutal acts of violence has earned the people of Ukraine global admiration.
‘Nobody wants peace more than Ukraine. And for our part, we must not waver one iota in our resolve to help them win it.’
G7 leaders are also likely to discuss the global energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion, amid plans to introduce a global cap on the price of Russian oil to target Mr Putin’s revenues.
Ukraine stepped up calls for western allies to provide anti-air and anti-missile systems in response to Monday’s strikes.
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 retaliation for what he said was Ukraine’s attack on the Kerch Bridge, a crossing between Russia and annexed Crimea that has strategic and symbolic importance.
In an eight-minute long video posted on his social media accounts, president Zelensky vowed to rebuild all that has been destroyed in yesterday’s strikes.
He said: ‘Restoration work is currently underway across the country. We will restore all objects that were damaged by today’s attack by Russian terrorists. It’s only a matter of time.
‘Out of 84 Russian missiles launched against Ukraine, 43 were shot down. Out of 24 Russian drones, 13 were shot down. And even after that, every 10 minutes I receive a message about shooting Iranian ‘Shaheds’ down.
‘Therefore, follow the safety rules and pay attention to the air alarm. The danger is still there. But we are fighting. I am grateful to our Air Forces and Ground Forces units that were involved today!
‘Ukraine cannot be intimidated. We united even more instead. Ukraine cannot be stopped. We are convinced even more that terrorists must be neutralised. Now the occupiers are not capable of opposing us on the battlefield already, that is why they resort to this terror. Well, we’ll make the battlefield even more excruciating for the enemy. And we will restore everything that was destroyed.
‘Believe in yourself, in Ukraine, in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and in our victory! Glory to Ukraine!’
At least 11 people were killed and 60 wounded, Ukraine said, with eight of those deaths and 42 injuries in Kyiv alone. Rockets also hit the German consulate, but the building was empty.
A mixture of missiles and Iranian-made suicide drones were used to strike the cities of Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, northern Kharkiv and Sumy, central Zhytomyr and Vinnytsia, and even far-western Ternopil and Lviv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Some of these cities have not been hit in months.
Putin said he ordered strikes on ‘military, communications, and energy infrastructure’ after what he called ‘terrorist’ attacks by Ukraine – pointing to the Kerch Bridge attack but also accusing Kyiv of bombing one of its own nuclear plants, attacking gas pipes and assassinating officials and journalists.
Putin said: ‘Kyiv’s regime, with its actions, places itself in line with international terrorist organisations. Leaving such crimes without response is impossible. In case of continuing attacks we will respond in [a] harsh manner and in line with [the] level of threats to [the] Russian Federation. Nobody should have any doubt about this.’
In Russia allies of Putin have warned that this is merely the ‘first episode’ of Russia’s revenge for the blast which crippled the Crimean bridge and ‘there will be others’.
Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president himself, said Ukraine poses ‘a constant, direct and clear’ threat and that the Kremlin should aim to ‘completely dismantle the political regime of Ukraine’ which he described as ‘Nazi’.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the bridge attack and blames Russia for strikes on nuclear infrastructure and gas pipes. Zelensky said today’s missile attacks had targeted power networks, water supplies, and civilians in an attempt to ‘sow terror’. ‘Russia is trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the earth,’ he added.
Oleksii Reznikov, the defence minister, said Ukraine’s courage would never be broken and ‘that the only thing they demolish is the future of [Russia] – a future of a globally despised rogue terrorist state.’
Videos and pictures from the Ukrainian capital showed burning cars and bodies in the streets as officials said rockets hit close to a well-known memorial to a famous statesman, near a children’s play area in a park, and a pedestrian bridge. More footage showed an apartment block in Dnipro in flames.
KYIV: A rescuer helps an injured woman at the site of shelling, which Vladimir Putin said he ordered in response to ‘terrorist’ attacks on Russia
KYIV: A dead body lies in the streets after Russian missiles hit the Ukrainian capital for the first time in months, setting cars on fire and blowing up a park in a residential area
KYIV: Firefighters extinguish a burning vehicle as a dead body lies on the street (bottom right) following Russian missile strikes that targeted civilian areas and power stations
KYIV: Cars burn on the streets of the Ukrainian capital this morning after multiple missiles struck the city – the first time in months that it has been hit as Putin exacts revenge for strikes on the Kerch Bridge
DNIPRO: Bodies lie covered in blankets after Russia missiles struck the city in south-central Ukraine as emergency services arrive at the scene
KYIV: A business centre in the Ukrainian capital that includes offices of South Korean technology giant Samsung were partially destroyed in a missile blast this morning
KYIV: An ambulance worker treats a civilian who was cut by flying shrapnel during a missile strike on the Ukrainian capital
A BBC journalist was forced to take cover during a live broadcast this morning as Russian missiles slammed into Kyiv behind him.
Ukraine’s capital was hit by multiple strikes today – amid reports of blasts in several other cities – as Russian president Vladimir Putin’s revenge for an explosion which crippled the Crimea Bridge got under way.
At 8:18am local time, the BBC’s correspondent in Kyiv, Hugo Bachega, was delivering a news report on a roof in front of the city’s iconic golden-domed St. Michael’s Monastery when the sound of a rocket could be heard roaring overhead.
He stopped his report mid-sentence to glance behind him, before an explosion could be heard ringing out in the distance – forcing him to duck down, out of shot of the camera looking over the city.
The footage cut back to the studio, where a concerned-looking news presenter Sally Bundock told viewers that Mr Bachega was ‘for obvious reasons, taking cover at that point’.
The attacks yesterday drew condemnation from across the world, and Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to call for a full meeting of Nato leaders when she attends a meeting of the G7 tomorrow.
Ms Truss is also set to say at the virtual meeting that the G7 must not waver in its support for Ukraine after the strikes.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine counts on the UK’s ‘leadership in consolidating international political and defence support for Ukraine, in particular regarding the protection of our skies’.
He also called on western allies to provide anti-air and anti-missile systems in response to the attacks.
US President Biden condemned the widespread missile attacks in Ukraine, saying they have targeted civilians and served no military purpose.
‘The United States strongly condemns Russia’s missile strikes today across Ukraine, including in Kyiv. These attacks killed and injured civilians and destroyed targets with no military purpose,’ Biden said in a statement.
‘They once again demonstrate the utter brutality of Mr. Putin’s illegal war on the Ukrainian people.’
The United States has provided more than $16.8 billion worth of U.S. security assistance since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 and imposed a wide-ranging array of economic sanctions on Moscow over its actions in Ukraine.
‘These attacks only further reinforce our commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,’ Biden said.
‘Alongside our allies and partners, we will continue to impose costs on Russia for its aggression, hold Putin and Russia accountable for its atrocities and war crimes, and provide the support necessary for Ukrainian forces to defend their country and their freedom.’
However, there are concerns that the war is set to escalate further after Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko, one of Putin’s few remaining foreign allies, appeared to be laying the groundwork to join the war amid yesterday’s attacks.
He announced Russian units would combine with his own and deploy to the Ukraine border, accusing Kyiv of planning to attack with help from allies Poland and Lithuania.
Belarus has acted as a staging ground for Russian attacks on Ukraine, but has not yet been involved in the fighting.
Last night there were reports of large numbers of Russian troops being moved into its ally, with Kyiv Post journalist Jason Jay Smart quoting a source as saying: ‘Russian soldiers are entering Belarus by the trainload. They’re travelling in cattle cars – just a huge quantity. Just waves of trains arriving.’
Belarus has said it does not plan on attacking Ukraine but will provide an ‘immediate and harsh response’ if Zelensky orders attacks on its territory.
Vladimir Putin, speaking at a meeting of his security council today, vowed a ‘severe’ response to any future attacks on Russia as he confirmed firing a massive salvo of missiles at Ukraine
KYIV: Ukrainians injured by flying shrapnel during Russian missile strikes on the capital this morning are patched up by military medics in a park close to where the rockets hit
KYIV: A civilian with blood running down his face has his head bandaged by a medic after he was injured in a Russian missile strike on the capital this morning
KYIV: A fireman helps a woman and her dogs to evacuate an office building in the capital after it was hit by Russian missiles
LVIV: Smoke rises over the city in far-western Ukraine that has been largely spared the worst effects of the war after Putin unleashed a barrage of strikes in revenge for the Crimea bridge being hit
ZAPORIZHZHIA: Rescuers attempt to extinguish the remains of an apartment building in southern Ukraine which was hit by a Russian missile overnight
Meanwhile hardliners within Russia demanded a declaration of full war and the use of nuclear weapons. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had ruled out the atomic option on Sunday, but that will do little to dampen fears as Putin runs out of options having already annexed occupied territory and conscripted hundreds of thousands of troops.
China leads calls for ‘de-escalation’ in wake of attacks as Poland denounces ‘war crime’
China has led calls for de-escalation following a huge Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities today as Putin loses his grip on the war.
Mao Ning, spokesman for the foreign ministry, said Beijing ‘hopes the situation will de-escalate soon’. Though he refused to directly condemn Russia, his statement will be read as a rare rebuke from a country seen as one of Moscow strongest allies.
India, another country with close ties to Russia, said it was ‘deeply concerned’ and urged a ‘return to the path of diplomacy and dialogue’.
Meanwhile Poland’s foreign minister Zbigniew Rau issued a stronger statement, condemning what he described as ‘an act of barbarism and a war crime.’
‘We stand behind you Ukraine,’ Mr Rau tweeted.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly condemned ‘unacceptable’ Russian strikes, calling it ‘a demonstration of weakness by Putin, not strength.’
Meanwhile President Zelensky said he had agreed with Germany’s Chancellor Scholz to address a G7 meeting today to update them on what he called ‘terrorist attacks’ by Russia.
The European Commission condemned as ‘barbaric’ Russian missile strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities on Monday and warned Belarus against helping its ally kill civilians.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Russia’s acts had ‘no place in the 21st century’, adding in a tweet that military support for Ukraine was on its way.
‘They are barbaric and cowardly attacks… targeting innocent civilians on their way to work and school in the morning traffic,’ Peter Stano, a spokesperson for the European Union’s executive arm told the Commission’s daily news briefing.
He described the strikes as a contravention of international humanitarian law and said Russia’s political and military leadership would be held accountable for these and other war crimes.
Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary general, said he’d spoken to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to condemn the ‘horrific and indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine’.
Ukrainian social media networks were flooded with videos of defiance in the wake of the attacks, as people in bomb shelters and in the Kyiv subway network sung the national anthem and other patriotic songs even as bombs fell.
Summing up the mood, Ukraine’s defence ministry tweeted: ‘So, russkies, you really think you can compensate for your impotence on the battlefield with missile strikes on peaceful cities?
‘You just don’t get it do you – your terrorist strikes only make us stronger. We are coming after you.’
Widespread power outages were reported after the Russian salvo, with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal saying 11 ‘key infrastructure facilities’ were hit without giving further details. Some cities were also reported to have water shortages.
Within Russia, the strikes were cheered by hawks. Ramzan Kadyrov, the staunchly pro-Kremlin leader of Russia’s Chechnya region who had demanded in recent days that military commanders be sacked, hailed Monday’s attacks: ‘Now I am 100% satisfied with how the special military operation is being conducted.’
‘We warned you Zelensky, that Russia hasn’t even got started yet, so stop complaining … and run! Run away without looking back to the West,’ he wrote.
Russia has faced major setbacks on the battlefield since the start of September, with Ukrainian forces bursting through front lines and recapturing territory. Putin responded to the losses by ordering a mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of reservists, proclaiming the annexation of occupied territory and threatening repeatedly to use nuclear weapons.
Russian officials had predicted retaliation of the highest order after the bridge attack. Alexander Baskin, a Russian senator, confidently suggested that the Kremlin’s response would be ‘adequate, conscious and possibly asymmetric’, the Mirror reported.
He added: ‘This was a declaration of war without rules.’
A red-faced Putin on Sunday blamed Ukrainian special forces for the explosion which severely damaged the key link to the Russian mainland.
The livid president said the blast at Kerch Bridge was designed to destroy ‘critically important civilian infrastructure’. He declared that the attack was a terrorist incident.
Speaking before today’s Russian attacks, Lord Dannatt, former head of the British Army, said Putin could order the indiscriminate shelling of Ukrainian cities and could even ‘go nuclear’.
However, the Kremlin has played down fears from Western observers that it could use nuclear weapons, saying it is ‘completely incorrect’ that it was considering using them in response.
Russian governors predicted today’s revenge missile attacks after the destruction of the bridge on Saturday morning, which was considered to be one of Putin’s pet projects.
The bridge has been a symbol of Russian power in Crimea since its annexation of the peninsula in 2014.
The bridge, which spans 19km from Crimea to the Russian mainland, has been used as one of the main supply routes for Russian troops since the illegal invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, allowing Putin to resupply and back up forces occupying Kherson and other southern regions of Ukraine.
Its destruction in a huge blast in the early hours of Saturday morning was a huge blow to the Russian war effort and was a slap in the face for the Russian president.
The 12 mile long bridge over the Kerch strait links Crimea to the Russian mainland and is a major artery for Putin’s forces that control most of southern Ukraine’s Kherson region and for the Russian naval port of Sevastopol.
It was damaged in an explosion early Saturday morning which saw chunks of the bridge fall into the sea and a large fire break out.
The incident prompted gleeful messages from Ukrainian officials – though no claim of responsibility – and video footage of the bridge appeared to show a mysterious wave crest underneath the structure moments before the blast, prompting speculation that a Ukrainian-piloted boat or drone was likely behind it.
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