>
President Joe Biden joined a chorus of international condemnation on Monday after Russia attacked civilian targets in Ukraine, saying the missile strikes demonstrated the “utter brutality” of Vladmir Putin’s illegal war.
At least 11 people were killed when rockets rained down on 10 cities, including the capital Kiev.
“These attacks have killed and injured civilians and destroyed targets with no military purpose,” Biden said.
“They demonstrate once again the utter brutality of Mr Putin’s illegal war against the Ukrainian people.
“We offer our condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives today, as well as our best wishes for the recovery of those who were injured.”
Ukrainian officials said the attack involved about 83 missiles, making it the most widespread attack since the start of the war.
They arrived at busy intersections, parks and tourist attractions in the center of Kiev.
Ukraine’s state emergency service said at least 11 people were killed and 64 were injured.
Putin said they were launched in response to an attack that damaged a key Russian bridge and warned more could follow.
President Joe Biden on Monday condemned Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. He is pictured here leaving Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday
Sites across Ukraine were hit by a wave of missiles, Ukraine said it counted 83 missiles. Here is a rescue worker responding to a strike in Zaporizhzhya
83 Russian missiles were launched at Ukraine along with Iranian drones, strike power plants, water supplies and civilians across the country – eight killed and 24 injured in Kiev alone
Rescue workers work on a site of a residential building badly damaged by a Russian missile attack, amid the Russian attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhya
KYIV: Cars burn after Russian military strikes on cities in Ukraine as Putin retaliates for Crimean bridge blast
The rockets hit civilian neighborhoods or appeared to target energy infrastructure as the region prepares for the bitter cold of winter.
They come as Russian forces have been pushed back by the Ukrainian resistance, raising fears that Putin could even use nuclear weapons in an effort to bolster his forces, as well as his own grip on power in Moscow.
Biden demanded that he end the war and promised more aid to Ukraine.
“These attacks only reinforce our commitment to stay with the people of Ukraine for as long as necessary,” he said, as he prepared to leave his home in Delaware and return to the White House.
“In addition to our allies and partners, we will continue to charge Russia for its aggression, hold Putin and Russia responsible for its atrocities and war crimes, and provide the Ukrainian troops with the support they need to defend their country and their freedom.”
Later, Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelensky revealed that he had spoken with his US counterpart.
“Air defense is currently the number one priority in our defense cooperation,” he tweeted.
The US has provided more than $16.8 billion in security assistance since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Biden’s words echoed a wave of international criticism.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: “This is another unacceptable escalation of the war and, as always, civilians are paying the highest price.”
“Russia has once again shown the world what it stands for. It is terror and cruelty,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“I know that Ukrainians will not be intimidated. And Ukrainians know that we will be by your side, their side as long as it is necessary.”
KYIV: A woman injured in a rocket attack this morning is being treated in the front seat of an ambulance
KYIV: Cars blaze in the streets of Ukrainian capital this morning after multiple rockets hit the city — first hit in months as Putin exacts revenge for attacks on Kerch Bridge
KYIV: A corpse lies in the street after Russian missiles hit Ukraine’s capital for the first time in months, setting cars on fire and blowing up a residential park
British Foreign Secretary James shrewdly condemned “unacceptable” Russian attacks, calling it “a demonstration of weakness by Putin, not strength.”
For his part, Putin said the attacks were in retaliation for what he described as a “terrorist attack” on a bridge connecting Russia to Crimea.
He said Russia could continue launching attacks against… key energy and military command facilities that would be “harsh and proportionate to the level of threats” if Ukraine continued such attacks.
Attacks were reported in Lviv, Ternopil and Zhytomyr in western Ukraine, Dnipro and Kremenchuk in the center of the country, Zaporizhzhya in the south and Kharkov in the east.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia planned to destroy his country.
‘The 229th day of large-scale war. On the 229th day they try to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the earth. Absolutely,” he wrote on his Telegram channel.
“Destroy our people sleeping at home in Zaporizhzhya. Kill people on their way to work in Dnipro and Kiev.’
KYIV: President Zelensky speaks on the streets of the capital during a missile strike by Russia to accuse the Kremlin of deliberately targeting civilians to sow terror
Oleksii Reznikov, the defense minister, said Ukraine’s courage would never be broken and that “the only thing they destroy is the future of [Russia] – a future of a globally despised rogue state.”
Videos and photos from the Ukrainian capital showed burning cars and bodies in the streets, while officials said rockets slammed into a well-known memorial to a famous statesman, near a children’s playground in a park and a pedestrian bridge. More images showed an apartment building in Dnipro engulfed in flames.
Putin spoke at a meeting with his security cabinet today to plan further revenge. As talks got underway, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko announced that a “joint military task force” with Russian troops would be deployed to its western border. Lukashenko has so far not deployed any troops in the war.
Meanwhile, hardliners within Russia demanded a declaration of war and the use of nuclear weapons. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had ruled out the nuclear option on Sunday, but that will do little to assuage fears as Putin is out of options after already annexing occupied territory and enlisting hundreds of thousands of troops.
Ukrainian social media networks were flooded with videos of resistance in the aftermath of the attacks, as people in air raid shelters and on the Kiev metro network sang the national anthem and other patriotic songs even as the bombs fell.