Russian missiles kill a dozen people in major cities, including kyiv, which has been out of the war since June
Twenty-four hours after Vladimir Putin directly accused Ukraine of the explosion on the Kerch bridge, which links Russia with Crimea, Moscow launched 83 missiles at different points in Ukraine. Half of them were intercepted by anti-aircraft defense, according to the kyiv Defense Ministry. It was Putin’s revenge for what he called a “terrorist act” and at least thirteen people lost their lives and more than sixty were injured. The projectiles hit almost simultaneously in the main cities of the country, such as Kharkov, Dnipro, Lviv or Melitopol, but the bloodiest attack was suffered by the center of kyiv, where eight civilians died. It was the first against the capital since June and again reminded the Kievites that, although the front is far away, they are still in the enemy’s crosshairs. The most affected area was the Shevchenkiv district, where the university is located.
While in Moscow Putin advanced the weekly meeting of the Security Council, in Ukraine projectiles rained down. The Kremlin leader said the operation consisted of “massive long-range high-precision weapons strikes against Ukraine’s energy, military and communications infrastructure.” In kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky described the day as “difficult” and explained that the forces were looking for “panic and chaos” and wanted to “destroy the energy system.” The missiles left large areas of the country without electricity and in the capital the service was cut for two hours.
The Ukrainian president also used the word “terrorism” to qualify the Russian role and announced an agreement with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to hold an “urgent” G7 meeting following the bombings. Zelensky confirmed that he will participate in this summit via videoconference and pointed out that in addition to missiles, the enemy used ‘Shahed’ kamikaze drones bought from the Iranians.
New coup in Zaporizhia
kyiv authorities maintained a state of maximum alert throughout the day and asked citizens to stay close to shelters. In Zaporizhia they suffered the third attack in the last week and the “precision” that Putin spoke of once again targeted civilians. An ‘S300’ missile hit a five-story building in the center of this city in the south of the country and at least two people died. The rescue services worked tirelessly because ten neighbors who were spending the night in the basement were trapped under the rubble. The Russians systematically use these projectiles, which are actually anti-missiles, to hit this city. On Thursday seventeen people were killed and on Saturday twelve civilians were killed in similar attacks on their homes.
“Revenge, this is what has led Putin to launch this offensive. He is hurt by the blow we achieved on the bridge and he wanted to give a show of force, ”thinks Leonid, a 69-year-old former Army colonel, who works to repair the damage suffered in his apartment, where not a single window has survived.
Next door, Maya, 39, prepares her son Oleg, 5, for a trip to Dnipro. “We first escaped the Russian occupation and left our house in Pologie for refuge in Zaporizhia. Now we drive another sixty miles north in the hope of being safe. This place is scary because the missile can hit anyone. It’s a lottery. There are no nearby military targets here. Only houses and every night you go to sleep thinking that it could be your turn. I can’t take it anymore,” says Maya.
She also has no doubts that “we paid for Putin’s anger for the explosion on the bridge and in Zaporizhia.” They go downstairs with their belongings in several plastic bags and an army of firefighters awaits them below, trying to rescue neighbors trapped in the rubble. Little Oleg looks at the mountain of rubble and at the fire truck, from which a large ladder rises. “He is 5 years old, but he knows very well that we are at war,” explains Maya as she holds his hand tightly. She has to start over.
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