During the visit of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Ukraine, Russia struck the capital city of Kiev. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced the number of missiles fired as five.
According to the information provided by the Ukrainian authorities, one of the missiles hit the lower floors of a 25-storey building in the city’s Shevchenko district. It is stated that at least 10 people were injured in the attacks and one person lost his leg.
1 hour after joint press conference
The attack came about an hour after Guterres’ joint press conference with Zelenskiy. Just before the attack, Guterres is reported to have inspected the outskirts of Bucha and Kiev to see the destruction caused by the war. A spokesman for the UN Secretary-General said Guterres and his team were safe but in shock. Before leaving for Ukraine, Guterres met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday.
Stating that the Russian government wanted to humiliate the United Nations with this attack, Zelenskiy said, “(Attacks) showed that we should keep our vigilance. We should not think that the war is over.”
Russia withdrew its troops from Kiev last month and launched a comprehensive operation in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. According to the statement of the Ukrainian General Staff, Russia’s attacks in Donbas continue without slowing down. The statement said, “The enemy is increasing the speed of the offensive operation. The Russian invaders are putting almost all directions under intense fire.”
Explosions were also heard yesterday in the western Ukrainian city of Polonne, in Chernihiv on the border with Belarus, and at Fastiv, a railway junction south-west of the capital. Odessa Mayor announced that Russian missiles were neutralized by air defense systems.
Three people, including an 11-year-old boy, were injured in a rocket attack in Zaporizhia, an important station for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the city of Mariupol. It is stated that the child’s leg was severely cut due to glass fragments scattered around after the explosion.
explosion in Russian city
Two large explosions were also heard in the Russian city of Belgorod, on the border with Ukraine, on Thursday, Reuters reported. It is not known what caused the explosions and whether there were any casualties or injuries. Ukraine did not directly take responsibility for the attacks inside Russia, but made a statement stating that what happened was a price for what Russia did.
Britain declared that Ukraine’s targeting of Russia’s logistics was legitimate, which drew Russia’s reaction. Russian Foreign Minister Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said: “In the West, Kiev is openly called to attack Russia using weapons taken from NATO countries.”
Reuters, AFP, AP/EC, HT