“The morning is difficult.” In a video released Monday, October 10, Volodymyr Zelensky reveals that “tens of missiles”fired by Russia, fell on several cities of Ukraine, in a proportion not seen for several weeks. Franceinfo takes stock of this show of force from Moscow.
The missiles were fired two days after the Crimean Bridge explosion
The strikes come two days after explosions that partly destroyed the Crimean Bridge on Saturday, and while Vladimir Putin convened a Security Council on Monday after this event. Lrussian leader accuses the Ukrainian forces of the destruction of this bridge which connects the territory annexed by Moscow in 2014 and Russia, denouncing a “terrorist act” from them. For its part, kyiv has neither claimed nor denied its involvement.
On Monday, in response to Moscow’s setback over the weekend, several Ukrainian cities found themselves under Russian fire. The weapons used include Iranian “Shahed” drones, Volodymyr Zelensky said in his video, but also cruise missiles.
The capital, kyiv, is one of the cities particularly targeted. “Missiles hit the city center and Solomianskyi district“said the mayor of the city, Vitali Klitschko, calling on residents to “stay in the shelters”. The underground metro stations, transformed into refuges, accommodate several dozen people. A “Metro station in Kyiv, where I am with my son now. Crowded, lots of children. People are calm, don’t panic”, describes Inna Sovsun, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, on Twitter.
Metro station in Kyiv where I am with my son now. Very crowded, lots of kids. People are calm, no panic. pic.twitter.com/IFkeresRsW
— Inna Sovsun (@InnaSovsun) October 10, 2022
The regions of Lviv and Rivne, in the west of the country, Dnipro, in the center, or Zaporijjia, in the south, were also affected. In another video, broadcast on the Telegram online messaging system, Volodymyr Zelensky relays images of strikes in Zaporijjia and kyiv. Kharkiv and Donetsk regions in the east were also shelled, as Ukrainian forces recently regained ground in these regions annexed by Russia. “The Russian army launched a missile attack on Sloviansk [dans l’oblast de Donetsk], there are dead and injured, tweeted the Ukrainian National Police.
#Донеччина: Армія рф завдала ракетного удару по Слов’янську, є вбиті та поранені
російські війська вдарили по приватному сектору центральної частини міста. Ворог застосував проти мирного населення зенітно-ракетний комплекс “С-300”.
Detal: https://t.co/n6eAXHptgU#stoprussia pic.twitter.com/pSsCcUATkY
— Національна Поліція (@NPU_GOV_UA) October 10, 2022
According to the Ukrainian Defense, the Russian army launched 83 missiles on Ukraine. Lhe Ukrainian air defense intercepted 52 of them, 43 of which were cruise missiles.
Energy and civil infrastructures have been targeted
Russian strikes targeted “two targets”asserted Volodymyr Zelensky: “Energy infrastructure” and “population”. Russian forces “want panic and chaos (…), destroy us”, he added. In kyiv, a strike in a square in the city center damaged a children’s playground, as shown by several photos released in particular by the deputy chief of staff of Volodymyr Zelensky, Kirill Tymoshenko.
The missiles also hit energy infrastructure, leading to power and hot water cuts in several parts of the country. the Ukrainian Ministry of Emergency Situations informed that five regions, Lviv and Ternopil (Owest), Kharkiv and Soumi (north-east) and Poltava (center-east), had “no electricity supply” following the bombings. “In the rest of Ukraine, the electricity supply is partially disrupted”, he added on Telegram. According to the Ukrainian police, “29 essential infrastructures, four buildings and 35 private residential buildings” were damaged, as well as a “capital school”.
In Lviv, “part of the city is now without electricity” and “due to power cuts (…) there is no hot water at the moment”, declared the mayor of the city, Andriï Sadoviï. “NOTWe ask everyone, if possible, to limit their electricity consumption today from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.asked the authorities during the day.
In Russia, during the meeting of its Security Council broadcast on television on Monday, Vladimir Putin confirmed that “Massive strikes, with long-range high-precision weapons, [avaient] against Ukraine’s energy, military and communications infrastructure”. For the Russian leader, these strikes are replicas of the attack on the Crimean bridge on Saturday.
The human toll is not yet established
Several sources present on the spot deplore “dead and wounded”. In the afternoon, thee Ministry of Emergency Situations of Ukraine made state of at least “11 dead and 89 injured”.
In Dnipro, Governor Valentyn Reznichenko counts “at least four dead and 19 injured”, he announced at midday on Telegram. Figures confirmed by the mayor of the city. In kyiv, the police claim to have counted at least “five dead and 12 injured” following the strikes.
Belarus deploys troops alongside Russia, EU condemns ‘war crimes’
International reactions followed the bombings. The European Union (EU), through the voice of its Foreign Minister Josep Borrell, France and Poland described the strikes as “war crimes”, pointing in particular to the fact that Russia intentionally targeted civilian populations. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg denounced “horrible and indiscriminate attacks”.
On his side, Vladimir Putin warned Ukraine. “If the attempts of terrorist attacks on our territory continue, Russia’s responses will be severe and their scale will correspond to the level of the threats posed”he said at the opening of his Security Council, referring to the explosion of the Crimean bridge.
In Belarus, leader Alexander Lukashenko on Monday accused Ukraine of wanting to attack his country. He announced a deployment of joint Belarusian and Russian troops. “Due to the worsening of the situation at the western borders of the Union [russo-biélorusse]we agreed to deploy a regional grouping of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus”, he said, without giving further details.
To the southwest of Ukraine, neighboring Moldova said that “three cruise missiles launched (…) on Ukraine by Russian ships in the Black Sea” violated its airspace. The head of Moldovan diplomacy said he summoned the Russian ambassador to Moldova for explanations.
Finally, Volodymyr Zelensky spoke urgently with Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday morning. The French President announced his “extreme concern” and promised to increase France’s military aid to Ukraine. For its part, the German government has made it known that the G7 leaders and Volodymyr Zelensky would hold a virtual meeting on the situation in Ukraine on Tuesday.