Russia today unleashed one of its biggest missile attacks on Ukraine, leaving the country’s energy grid “critical” with ongoing power outages.
More than 100 rockets were fired at cities across the country, hitting civilian buildings and power plants, Ukraine’s air force said.
The bombing left half of Kiev, where at least one civilian was killed, and the entire city of Zhytomyr without power.
Strikes were also reported in Lviv, which was believed to be in a partial blackout, with Kharkiv, Vinnytsia, Rivne, Odessa, Zaporizhia, Chernihiv, Khmelnytskyi and Ivano-Frankivsk also affected – although the situation in those cities was previously less clear.
It comes just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told world leaders – via video link from Kiev – at the G20 summit in Bali that he is ready to end the war if Russia withdraws its own troops from the territories it currently occupies .
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov – later speaking at the Indonesia summit – accused the West of waging a “hybrid war” in Ukraine and Kiev of “prolonging” the conflict without Russia’s involvement to mention in the battles.
At least three Russian rockets hit the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Tuesday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said they hit all residential buildings
Firefighters put out a fire at an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike in Kiev during the Russian attack on Ukraine
“There is an attack on the capital. “According to preliminary information, two residential buildings were hit in the Pechersk district,” said Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv.
“Several missiles were shot down by air defense systems over Kiev. Paramedics and rescue workers are at the scene of the strikes.”
A little later he added: “Another hit in the Pechersk district. Multi-storey building.”
Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said the attack was in response to the president’s speech to the G20 – increasing pressure on Russia to stop its attacks.
“Does anyone seriously believe that the Kremlin really wants peace? It wants obedience. But in the end, terrorists always lose,” Yermak said.
Russian forces have targeted energy infrastructure across Ukraine in recent weeks, firing a barrage of missiles and drone swarms.
About a third of Ukraine’s power generation capacity was shut down, causing blackouts across the country just as winter began.
Kiev was last attacked by Russian troops almost a month ago, on October 17.
Russia faced mounting diplomatic pressure on Tuesday to end the war in Ukraine, as G20 allies and critics bemoaned the painful global impact of nearly nine months of conflict.
A draft communiqué obtained by AFP showed that the world’s 20 leading economies had come together to condemn the effects of the war, but were still divided over the blame game.
The summit showed that even Russia’s allies have little patience for a conflict that has pushed up global food and energy prices and raised the specter of nuclear war.
Russia risked diplomatic isolation and admitted that the war in Ukraine – which Moscow does not want to call a war – “had a negative impact on the world economy”.
It also agreed that “the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons” was “unacceptable” after months of such threats by President Vladimir Putin.
Firefighters work at the scene of a rocket attack in Kiev, Ukraine, which was hit by Russian rockets hours after President Zelenskyy spoke at the G20 summit.
Firefighters put out a fire at an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike during attacks on Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the G20 just hours before the missiles struck, urging Russia to stop invading his country
The embattled Russian leader skipped the summit and stayed at home to face a series of embarrassing defeats on the battlefield and a harsh military campaign that threatens his regime’s future.
Rubbing salt in Russia’s wounds, Zelenskyi has just visited liberated Kherson and made an impassioned video appeal to G20 leaders.
He said they could “save thousands of lives” by insisting on a Russian withdrawal.
“I am convinced that now is the time when Russia’s destructive war must and can be stopped,” he said, wearing his signature army green T-shirt.
Putin’s deputy Lavrov, whose preparation for the summit was disrupted by two hospital checkups for an undiagnosed condition, remained in the room during Zelenskyy’s speech, diplomatic sources said.
His most notable diplomatic victory was the acknowledgment in the communique that while “most members” of the G20 condemned Putin’s invasion, “there were different views and assessments”.
Leaders must now sign the final text before the summit ends on Wednesday.
“All the problems lie with the Ukrainian side, which categorically refuses negotiations and proposes clearly unrealistic terms,” Lavrov told reporters.
The foreign minister had a dinner with political leaders before leaving on Tuesday.
The United States and its allies used the summit to broaden the coalition against the Russian invasion and undermine Moscow’s claims of an East-West conflict.
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister who attended the G20 in place of Putin, insisted that the West was the one waging war in Ukraine and accused Kiev of “dragging out” the conflict.
Many “see the Russian war in Ukraine as a source of immense economic and humanitarian suffering in the world,” a senior US official said.
With Russia’s G20 allies China, India and South Africa refraining from openly criticizing the war, the draft statement is peppered with diplomatic nonsense and linguistic gymnastics.
But there is a growing awareness of the global impact of the conflict.
G20 members Argentina and Turkey are among the countries hardest hit by global food inflation, but there was hardly a country at the table that was not affected.
“The war affects everyone,” said Argentina’s foreign minister, Santiago Cafiero.
“In the northern hemisphere, traffickers broker deadly weapons sales, but in the southern hemisphere, food is expensive or scarce – what kills is not bullets or missiles, but poverty and hunger.”
There was also an indication of growing Chinese unease over Russia’s belligerence when Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden met late Monday.
“It is clear that the Russians are very isolated,” said a Western official. “I think some countries were involved with Russia, but … I didn’t see any gestures of great solidarity.”
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Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
