On Monday Russia bombarded Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, with 75 missiles, reportedly killing at least 8 people and injuring 24 others in strikes that hit near President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office and were launched in response to an apparent Ukrainian suicide bombing that damaged the bridge connecting Crimea with Russia over the weekend.
Thus far, structural casualties of the event include buildings near Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office and the German consulate building, likely seen as a symbol of the European Union’s power by Russia.
Belarusian media outlet NEXTA released a clip showing two moments it says missiles struck the capital city, including near the “Arch of Freedom.”
A video camera captured the moment of the morning attack near the Arch of Freedom of the #Ukrainian people in #Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/zN9dcsViZK
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 10, 2022
Reuters reported subsequent explosions in “Lviv, Ternopil and Zhytomyr in Ukraine’s west, and in Dnipro in central Ukraine.”
One of the explosions in #Kyiv was recorded on video. pic.twitter.com/oD0JBxmzVw
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 10, 2022
In response, Zelensky apparently claimed Russia is “trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the Earth” with missile attacks across multiple Ukrainian cities, adding, “there are dead and wounded in explosions across Ukraine.”
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the Deputy head of Zelensky’s office, urged citizens to “stay in shelters” as “Ukraine is under missile attack. There is information about strikes in many cities of our country.”
It has been suggested that Russia’s attacks were meant to destroy critical infrastructure that would weaken Ukraine’s ability to provide basic services to its citizens, a tactic the country previously avoided.
English version pic.twitter.com/548A3glhCg
— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) October 10, 2022
Many believe the change in tactics came after Ukraine’s apparent attack on the bridge connecting Russia with Crimea, built at great expense by the Russians after they annexed the region following a referendum in 2014.
Over the weekend Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine’s Special Services – its elite intelligence agency – for the bridge explosion in Crimea, which severed the “occupied” area from mainland Russia, leading to speculation that the latest series of bombings could be in retaliation for the bridge’s destruction. Russia has described the bombing as a Ukrainian terrorist attack.
“There is no doubt this is a terrorist attack aimed at destroying Russia’s critically important civilian infrastructure,” said Putin.
“Continued attempts to carry out terrorist attacks on our territory will be met with a strong response that matches the threat posed to the Russian Federation,” Putin added during a televised statement on Monday.
Just now: “This morning massive strikes were launched against Ukrainian energy, military & communications.”
We have entered a new dangerous phase in the US proxy war. Civilian infrastructure is no longer tabu. The hardliners in Moscow get what they want. pic.twitter.com/g0Jrl4pScx
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) October 10, 2022
The escalation of violence in the region comes on the heels of U.S. President Joe Biden’s warnings that global nuclear “Armageddon” is back on the table for the first time since the Cold War during remarks made at a Democrat fundraiser.
“We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis,” he said, offering his bluntest comments about the use of nuclear weapons since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
Biden’s remarks came after Zelensky urged NATO to conduct a “preemptive strike” against Russia, leading many concerned that a possible Third World War could be ignited.
‘When I’m not posing for Vogue, I’m trying to bully globalist Americans into WW3’
Hollywood Zelensky can go F himself.
Not our fight, and surely not our fighter… https://t.co/BCdMtfNL2n
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) October 6, 2022
“What should NATO do? Eliminate the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons. But what is important, I once again appeal to the international community, as I did before February 24: we need pre-emptive strikes, so that they’ll know what will happen to them if they use nukes, and not the other way around,” the Ukrainian president urged while speaking Australia’s Lowy Institute via a live video link last Thursday morning.
This article originally reported, citing Ukrainian eyewitness accounts, that Zelensky’s office was destroyed by a missile. Third party reporters have denied that the office was destroyed, and this article was updated to reflect the new information.
