Putin declares war on Ukraine cities after the explosion on the Crimea – Russia bridge.
The Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared war on Ukraine’s major cities after an explosion destroyed a key bridge linking the Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland.
The Russian president in a televised remarks, blamed Ukraine for the Crimea – Russia bridge attack, describing it as a “terrorist attack aimed at the destruction of civil critical important infrastructure of Russia”.
He Said that Russia had launched long-range missile attacks against Ukraine’s energy, military and communications infrastructure in retaliation for the bridge attack.
Speaking at a security council meeting this morning, Putin said:
If acts of terrorism continue against Russia, we will respond in a very harsh manner. The responses will be of the same scale as the threats to Russia. Nobody should have any doubts about this.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
Kyiv and other Ukraine cities have been hit by missiles during Monday morning rush hour.
The death toll is still unknown but it is feared that many have been killed and wounded.
Indications are that Russia used cruise missiles in the attacks which caused widespread damage.
Explosions have also been reported in Lviv, Ternopil, Dnipro, Kremenchuk, Zaporizhzhia and Zhytomyr.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the attacks were aimed at killing civilians and also to knockout electricity.
He has called an emergency meeting of his security council and is expected to address the nation later today.
Power Down In Ukraine Cities
Prime Minister Denys Shmygal has promised that power will be restored to the affected areas as soon as possible.
The Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko has urged people to stay calm and not to panic.
The European Union
The European Union has condemned the Russian missile strikes as “heinous attacks”.
“They are barbaric and cowardly attacks” Peter Stano, a spokesperson for the European Union’s executive arm told a regular news briefing.
He also said that the strikes as a contravention of international humanitarian law and said it amounted a “further escalation” of the war in Ukraine that was totally unacceptable.
Moldova Summons Russian Envoy After Missiles Violate Its Airspace
Reuters reports that Moldova summoned the Russian ambassador on Monday after Moscow fired missiles over its territory en route to targets in Ukraine, in a serious escalation of tensions between the two countries.
The former Soviet republic of Moldova, which borders Ukraine, said in a statement that it “strongly condemned” the overflight of its territory by Russian military aircraft carrying cruise missiles.
It said the ambassador had been summoned to the foreign ministry to explain the incident.
Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with the Russian president calling it a “special military Operation” for the “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine.
However , the operation quickly escalated into a full-scale invasion with Russian troops seizing key infrastructure and strategic buildings throughout the country.
Since then, more than 14,000 people have been killed in the conflict. – Source United Nations.
