Russia has carried out a wave of missile strikes on several Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, in what appears to be the widest array of bombardments since the first weeks of the war.
In total, Russia released 83 missiles against Ukraine this Monday, more than 43 of which were shot down by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses.
The Ukrainian national police said at least 10 people were killed and some 60 wounded across the country during the Russian attacks.
Also, various key infrastructure facilities have been affected, leading to widespread power outages across the country.
In a video address, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that long-range missiles had hit Ukrainian power, military and communications facilities.
“If attempts to carry out terrorist attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation continue, the response will be harsh and proportional to the level of threats,” Putin said.
On Sunday, the Russian president blamed the Ukrainian intelligence services for the explosion that damaged the only bridge linking Russia with occupied Crimea, what he called an act of terrorism. Ukraine did not confirm any involvement in the incident.
Bombings wake up Kyiv months later
The center of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, woke up Monday morning to the sound of loud explosions that could be heard in different parts of the city.
According to the spokeswoman for the Kyiv Emergency Situations Department, Svitlana Vodolaga, quoted by the Ukrinform news agency, several people have died in the bombings. At least 8 have died in just one district.
According to the Kyiv Independent newspaper, quoted by the EFE agency, there have been at least four explosions in the center of the Ukrainian capital this morning and columns of smoke are seen in the center of the city.
A BBC crew witnessed one of the missile attacks. Air raid sirens had sounded about 90 minutes earlier.
This is the first time Kyiv has been attacked in many months and the explosions also appear to be much more central than previous attacks in the war, said Paul Adams, the BBC’s correspondent in the Ukrainian capital.
Olena Badakh and her husband Valerii live in an apartment overlooking a children’s playground in the Ukrainian capital that was attacked this morning.
The attack was “horrifying”, Olena told the BBC. “In an instant, a hole appeared in our lives. It was terrible”.
Valerii added that some of this morning’s attacks on non-military targets represent a “symbolic attack”.
Ukrainian authorities say several people were also injured in new missile attacks on Zaporizhzhia overnight.
The ongoing shelling of this town in southern Ukraine has killed dozens of civilians in recent days, amid Ukrainian troops’ counter-attack to retake land in the Russian-held south and east.