A series of bombings targeted several cities in Ukraine, including kyiv, the capital, on Monday morning, confirmed President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said that there were “dead and wounded”. According to the Ukrainian military, Russia launched 75 missiles at Ukraine on the morning alone.
If the information is still partial, 20 minutes takes stock of what we know about these bombings.
Which cities were bombed?
In kyiv, at least half a dozen explosions were heard on Monday morning, with strikes in several neighborhoods including the city center. The first explosions occurred around 8:15 a.m. local time (7:15 a.m.), the Ukrainian government and local authorities said. “There are several strikes on the city’s critical infrastructure,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitchko said. Among the affected sites, the authorities cited a museum, a university and a park.
In addition to the capital, strikes were reported in particular in Lviv, in the west of the country, very far from the front line, as well as in Dnipro (center) and Zaporijjia (south). In Zaporijjia, seven missiles fell on the city during the night, killing at least one person and injuring five. A residential building was partly destroyed, raising fears of a heavy toll, according to Oleksandre Staroukh, the regional governor. “They are trying to destroy us all, to erase us from the face of the Earth,” reacted Volodymyr Zelensky on social networks.
According to the Ukrainian president, Russia also bombed the country’s energy infrastructure.
What is the balance sheet?
For the moment, the balance sheet is not yet known precisely. In kyiv, the strikes left at least five dead and twelve injured, according to the Ukrainian police. Earlier in the morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zlensky had mentioned “dead and injured”, without giving further details.
In what context do these bombings take place?
These bombings come as Vladimir Putin convened his security council on Monday, which brings together the main ministers, political leaders and representatives of the Russian security services and army.
On Sunday, Vladimir Putin accused kyiv of having organized the explosion which partially destroyed the Crimean bridge on Saturday linking Russia to the annexed peninsula, citing a “terrorist act”. The explosion on this bridge inaugurated by Vladimir Putin in 2018 and symbol of the annexation of Crimea in 2014 constitutes a new setback for Russia at a time when its forces are in difficulty in Ukraine.
On Saturday, the Russian military announced the appointment of a new commander for its “special military operation” in Ukraine after a series of setbacks on the ground and signs of growing discontent among elites over the conduct of the conflict.
“Army General Sergei Surovikin has been appointed commander of the combined group of troops in the area of special military operation” in Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Telegram. Sergei Surovikin, 55, is a veteran of the civil war in Tajikistan in the 1990s, the second Chechnya war in the 2000s and the Russian intervention in Syria launched in 2015. Until then, he led the group of southern forces in Ukraine, according to a Russian ministry report from July.