These are the first bombardments in the capital since mid-April. kyiv was once again the target of Russian airstrikes on the evening of Thursday, April 28, in the midst of a visit by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. According to the emergency services, at least ten people were injured. Franceinfo summarizes what we know about these missile launches.
A residential building referred to
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, these are “five missiles” which descended on kyiv on Thursday evening. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, these strikes targeted “the lower floors of a residential building” situated in “Shevchenkovsky district”a central district of the Ukrainian capital.
AFP journalists saw one floor of a building on fire with black smoke billowing from shattered windows. “The first two floors [de cet immeuble de 25 étages] were partially destroyed”, let the rescuers know on Facebook. LThe surrounding homes also suffered damage from the blasts.
“I saw a ball of fire that big. A very big fire, like an explosion! Me, I was in my room, near the wall, lying on my sofa”testifies Olga, a resident of kyiv, on franceinfo.
“I didn’t realize right away, and there was the second explosion. There the windows were smashed. I ran down the hall, the shrapnel flew against the wall, my furniture broke. “
Olga, a resident of kyivon franceinfo
“I was sitting by the window with my computer and suddenly, boom! I was stunned, it knocked me out, I jumped! The edge of the window fell off”, says another resident, Katerina, scratched on her foot and fingers by shards of glass. At least ten people were injured, according to thethe emergency services.
A strike during the visit of the UN chief
This new bombardment came at a time when the UN Secretary General was visiting the Ukrainian capital. Antonio Guterres is “shocked” but “safe”, reassured a spokesperson for the United Nations. This UN representative lamented that “it happened near where we were”although it is a “war zone”.
The general secretary of the UN also visited Boutcha and other suburbs of kyiv, theaters of abuses attributed by the Ukrainians to the Russian forces. For his first visit to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Antonio Guterres had just called Moscow to “cooperate” with the investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) into possible war crimes.
The UN leader then spoke with President Volodymyr Zelensky and regretted that the Security Council had failed to prevent or stop the war started on February 24 by Moscow.
A new provocation from the Kremlin
“This says a lot about Russia’s true attitude towards international institutions, about Russian leaders’ efforts to humiliate the UN and everything the organization stands for.”reacted Volodymyr Zelensky on his Telegram channel after these airstrikes on kyiv.
“Once again the Russians are showing the contempt they have for human life. This time they are adding the contempt they have for the United Nations”estimated Jean-Maurice Ripert, former French Ambassador to Russia, on franceinfo.
“This strike comes as Antonio Guterres’ visit was based on the request for cooperation with the International Criminal Court to expose and prosecute war crimes committed against civilians by the Russian army. The message is clear: Russia will not won’t cooperate.”
Jean-Maurice Ripert, former Ambassador to Russiaon franceinfo
“Putin is determined to continue”worried the ex-diplomat, who hopes that this bombardment will cause a “raising awareness among leaders who have not dared to condemn Russian aggression”.