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UN, West Condemn Russia's Deadly Revenge Strikes Against Ukrainian Cities, Infrastructure [1]

["Rfe Rl'S Ukrainian Service"]

Date: 2022-10

The United Nations General Assembly is expected to hold an emergency session as Russia has come under harsh criticism for a deadly barrage of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and the illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions.

The UN called the October 10 meeting to discuss Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian territories, which violates international law. But the session is expected to be dominated by news of the deadly strikes that struck the capital, Kyiv, and other major cities earlier in the day.

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described the attacks as an "unacceptable escalation of the war" by Russia, which has said they were in retaliation for alleged "terrorist" actions by Ukraine, including the October 8 blast that damaged a key route to Ukrainian territory annexed by Moscow.

A spokesman for Guterres said in a statement that the secretary-general was "deeply shocked by today's large-scale missile attacks by the armed forces of the Russian Federation on cities across Ukraine that reportedly resulted in widespread damage to civilian areas and led to dozens of people being killed and injured."

Ukraine was left reeling by the deadly early morning attacks, which were the most punishing launched by Russian forces in months. At least 11 people were killed and 64 wounded by the barrage, according to Kyiv.

While Russian President Vladimir Putin said his forces had launched "precision weapons" from the air, sea, and ground to target key energy and military command facilities in Ukraine, the strikes hit residential areas and critical infrastructure facilities alike.

WATCH: Ukraine has reported dozens of missile strikes across its territory, including the capital, Kyiv, in a significant escalation of Russian attacks.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service said on the Telegram messaging app that four cities -- Lviv, Poltava, Sumy, and Ternopil -- had no electricity following the attacks and that electricity supplies had been partially disrupted in other parts of the country. In the east, passenger rail service was cut off between Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, and Izyum -- a city that was taken shortly after Russia's unprovoked invasion in February but which Kyiv recently retook in a major counteroffensive.

Several explosions rocked the center of the capital, Kyiv, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video message filmed outside his presidential office that Russia had intentionally targeted the country's energy infrastructure and timed the strikes to inflict the greatest number of human losses.

International reaction was swift, with the United States, the European Union, and NATO condemning the strikes and the Group of Seven announcing it would hold emergency talks on October 11 that would be preceded by an address by Zelenskiy.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that he had spoken with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to "reiterate U.S. support for Ukraine following the Kremlin's horrific strikes." Blinken said the United States would continue to provide "unwavering economic, humanitarian, and security assistance so Ukraine can defend itself and take care of its people."

U.S. President Joe Biden said the strikes demonstrated the "utter brutality" of Russia war against Ukraine.

"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. They once again demonstrate the utter brutality of Mr. Putin’s illegal war on the Ukrainian people," Biden said in a statement.

Earlier, EU Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell also spoke with Kuleba after the attacks, which Borrell "condemned in the strongest possible terms." The EU's top diplomat also expressed his condolences for those who died in the strike and said those responsible would be held accountable.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said in a tweet after speaking with Kuleba that he "condemned Russia's horrific and indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine."

Russian President Putin, in a video call with members of Russia’s Security Council, said on October 10 the strikes were retaliation for what he called Kyiv's "terrorist" actions, including the October 8 blast that damaged the Crimea Bridge.

The bridge linking Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, is a key rail and highway route for supplies and reinforcements for Russian forces fighting in southern Ukraine.

Ukraine has not taken credit for the apparent truck bomb attack, which left a column of train cars burning and sent one section of the highway tumbling into the Kerch Strait.

After the October 10 missile strikes, the Ukrainian president accused Russia of terrorism.

"This morning is difficult. We are dealing with terrorists," Zelenskiy said in a video address, noting the Russian military's use of Iranian drones to carry out the strikes.

"They are trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the earth...destroy our people who are sleeping at home," Zelenskiy said.

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhniy said on Twitter that Russia used drones to launch a total of 75 rockets on Ukraine, more than half of which he claimed were destroyed by Ukrainian air defenses.

With reporting by dpa, AP, and Reuters

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[1] Url: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kyiv-explosions-klitshchko-russian-strikes/32072934.html

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