Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will appeal to Western nations at an emergency G7 meeting on Tuesday.
Ukraine and Germany called the meeting following a wave of devastating missile attacks on Kyiv, Liviv and more than a dozen other major cities. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attacks are revenge for the bombing of the Kerch Bridge connecting Russia and Crimea this weekend.
“They are trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the earth. Completely. Destroy our people who are sleeping at home in Zaporizhzhia. Kill people on their way to work in Dnipro and Kyiv,” Zelenskyy said in a video address Monday.
Russian Security Council deputy head Dmitry Medvedev warned that the attacks will continue until Russia has achieved the “complete dismantling” of Ukraine’s “political regime.”
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Russian forces were widely accused of targeting civilians after dozens of missiles rained down indiscriminately on Ukraine’s major cities Monday, leaving many without power.
Zelenskyy published a statement denouncing Russians as “terrorists” minutes after the air raid sirens went silent in Kyiv. The sirens would start blaring once again just hours later, however.
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The missile strikes come after months of relative calm in Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities. Ukraine’s forces achieved significant victories throughout September, pushing Russian forces well into the territories Putin claimed to annex.
United Nations Secretary General Atonio Guterres condemned the attack on Monday, calling it an “unacceptable escalation.”
“The Secretary-General is 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,” a statement from his office read.
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“This constitutes another unacceptable escalation of the war and, as always, civilians are paying the highest price,” it continued.
This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.