Russia unleashes deadly strikes on cities across Ukraine after Crimea bridge attack

By Yuliya Talmazan and Mithil Aggarwal
Russia unleashed a barrage of deadly attacks on cities across Ukraine on Monday, hitting the heart of the country's capital, Kyiv, as part of a wave of strikes against civilians and infrastructure not seen since the earliest days of the war.

From Lviv in the west to Kharkiv in the northeast, missiles tore through rush-hour traffic and into energy facilities, in apparent retaliation for a blast that damaged a key bridge to the annexed Crimean Peninsula over the weekend.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in a televised address that his military had launched a "massive strike" on Ukraine's "energy, military command and communications facilities," telling his security council it was revenge for what he called Kyiv's long track record of "terrorist" actions, including the bridge blast.

The Russian leader also issued a threat.

"If attempts to carry out terrorist attacks on our territory continue, Russia’s responses will be tough and will correspond in scale to the level of threats posed to Russia," he said. "No one should have any doubts about this.”
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People receive medical treatment after missile strikes hit Ukraine's capital on Monday morning. Efrem Lukatsky / AP
After a series of humiliating battlefield setbacks that have piled pressure on Putin, the attacks were a sudden escalation that showed Moscow retained the capacity to terrorize Ukraine's population if not defeat its military. They shattered months of relative calm in Kyiv and other areas far from the front lines.

At least five people were killed and 51 injured in the capital, Mayor Vitalii Klitchko said. Across the country, at least 11 people were dead and 64 injured, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

NBC News has not verified the numbers.

Russia used missiles and Iranian-built drones to target civilians and energy facilities throughout the country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a recorded video.

“They want panic and chaos. They want to destroy our energy system. They are hopeless,” he said.

Critical infrastructure facilities were damaged in 12 regions of the country and Kyiv, Ukraine's state emergency services said, with electricity supply partially disrupted in 15 regions. Significant internet outages were also reported across the country by the monitoring group NetBlocks.