New explosions rocked Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and other cities on Monday, which observers believe were in response to terror attacks in Russia.
Ukraine’s attacks on Russian soil to be met harshly: Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to respond with massive strikes if there were any attacks on Russian soil.
“If the attempts to carry out terrorist attacks on our territory continue, Russia's responses will be harsh and proportionate…No one should have any doubt about that," he said at a briefing today. “This morning, at the suggestion of the Ministry of Defense and according to the plan of the Russian General Staff, a massive air, sea and land-based high-precision long-range weapon was launched against energy, military command and communications facilities of Ukraine.”
An air raid alert was issued across Ukraine earlier on October 10.
Eyewitnesses told Russia’s state-controlled news agencies that blasts took place on Tereschenkovskaya Street in Kyiv’s Shevchenko district. The building of the Ukrainian Security Service is located nearby. This was one of numerous other explosions that rocked Kyiv and several other Ukrainian regions.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said 11 crucial infrastructure facilities have suffered damage in eight regions of Ukraine and its capital.
"As of 11:00 am, 11 crucial infrastructure facilities were damaged in eight regions and in Kiev. Some of the regions are currently without power. We need to brace for temporary disruptions in electricity and water supplies and communication services," he wrote on Telegram.
Explosions rang out in Khmelnytskyi, Lviv and Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Frankivsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovograd and several other cities. Mayor Igor Terekhov said electricity and water supply was disrupted in all the districts of Kharkiv.
The Russian media reported explosions at the Defense Ministry’s “6th Arsenal of the Navy” in Burmakino village, Yaroslavl region, on Monday morning. Remvoruzhany joint-stock company, the owner of the infrastructure, noted on its website that the main activity of the “6th Arsenal of the Navy” is related to security. But as an additional activity, they are engaged in manufacturing weapons and ammunition.
The relentless attacks across Ukraine also come days after Europe’s longest bridge in Crimea was damaged after a truck exploded. The Kerch Bridge is a strategic logistic route that accommodates both roads and rail links. The 19 km-long bridge, constructed after Russia seized Crimea in 2014, links Kerch Strait between the Taman Peninsula of Krasnodar Krai in Russia and the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea.
43 of 83 Russian missiles intercepted: Ukraine MoD
Ukraine’s defense ministry has stated that 43 of 83 missiles fired at multiple targets across the country by Russia were destroyed by Ukrainian air defenses.
"As of 11:34 a.m., 83 missiles have been launched, 43 have been shot down. The data is being verified," Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar reported on Telegram.
U.S. condemns attacks in Ukraine
America’s President Joe Biden took to Twitter to criticize Russia’s attacks in Ukraine.
“The U.S. condemns Russia's missile strikes today across Ukraine which injured and killed civilians and demonstrated once again the brutality of Putin’s illegal war. These attacks only reinforce our commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Biden wrote.