Kyiv, other Ukrainian cities attacked as Putin orders revenge on Crimea bridge

“They are trying to destroy us”

The Kremlin was humiliated two days ago when Europe’s longest bridge it built after it took over and annexed Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014 was humiliated.

As troops suffer weeks of setbacks on the battlefield, Russian officials face their first sustained public criticism on the battlefield, with commentators on state television calling for tougher measures than ever. is doing.

Monday’s strike ripped open a huge crater next to a children’s playground in one of the busiest parks in central Kyiv. Missile wreckage was buried and smoking in the mud.

A further salvo of missiles hit the capital again late in the morning. Pedestrians huddled inside subway station entrances and parking lots.

Germany said the building housing the Kyiv consulate was attacked in Monday’s strike, but it had not been used since the war began on February 24.Western countries.

By morning, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced that Russia had launched 81 cruise missiles, of which Ukrainian air defense systems had shot down 43.

Security camera footage showed debris and flames engulfing a glass-bottomed footbridge across a wooded valley in the city center, one of Kyiv’s most popular tourist destinations. Pedestrians were seen fleeing the blast. Reuters later found a huge crater under the bridge, damaged but still standing.

“They want to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the planet,” Zelensky said on Telegram’s messaging app. “Air raid sirens continue to ring across Ukraine”

Zelensky then filmed a video message on his mobile phone on an empty street in central Kyiv. He said the strike had two main targets: energy infrastructure and people.

“Such a time and such a target were specifically chosen to inflict as much damage as possible,” he said.

Prime Minister Denys Shmygal has promised to restore utilities as soon as possible. Authorities reported power outages in Kharkov, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and nearby Poltava.

Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleva tweeted: “Putin’s only tactic is terrorism against peaceful Ukrainian cities, but he will not bring Ukraine to collapse. This is an appeasement for all who want to talk to him about peace Putin is also a terrorist who talks to missiles.”

41-year-old Olena Somyk took refuge with her 6-year-old daughter, Daria, in an underground garage where hundreds of people waited for all to clear. She had reached Kyiv early in the war after fleeing across Europe from the Russian-occupied southern city of Kherson through Russia.

“Really, I think they did this because they’re bastards,” Somyk said. said.