On Monday morning, more than 75 rocket attacks were carried out against civilian targets in Ukraine in six cities, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. The attacks occurred while thousands of civilians were on their way to work and school. So far, it has been confirmed that 11 people have lost their lives, five of them in the attacks against the capital, Kyiv. 64 people have been registered as injured, according to the Ukrainian authorities. Rain of bombs and shells Several emergency aid organizations had to interrupt their work when the rockets started coming. Among them are the International Red Cross and the Norwegian Refugee Council. – We cannot carry out aid work in a rain of bombs and grenades, says NRC head Jan Egeland to news. The NRC has 150 aid workers in the cities that were bombed this morning. They are now sitting in bomb shelters with their families, but Jan Egeland says that relief work will resume as soon as it is deemed safe. The Norwegian Refugee Council carries out aid work aimed at around half a million Ukrainians. In many places, people lack both food, water and electricity, and conditions are extreme for the civilian population. – Fears a new flow of refugees – In the east there are many elderly, disabled and pensioners. They cannot, or will not, move. Without the help we provide, it will become unlivable in many places. There will be hunger, death and misery if the parties do not understand that we must let the aid work go unhindered. Egeland fears that if the bombing continues, there will be an even greater flow of refugees, and that those who have returned to their homes will once again have to flee westwards. He promises that the Norwegian Refugee Council will start up again as soon as possible. – We will not withdraw. We will intensify the aid effort going forward towards the winter. We hope to be up and running again tomorrow, distributing aid to people who are suffering. Says the attacks were a response In a televised speech at 12 o’clock, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that the attacks were a deliberate act: – This morning, according to the plan of the military authorities, attacks with long-range missiles were carried out against energy, defense and communication facilities . He said the attacks were in response to what he called “Ukrainian terrorist acts”. ANSWERS: Putin says the attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine came in response to several Ukrainian attacks, including against the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya and cities in Donbas. Photo: GAVRIIL GRIGOROV / AFP At the same time, Putin threatened more attacks against Ukrainian targets. – It was not possible to let the Ukrainian threats go unanswered. The answers from the Russian side will be harsh, and correspond to the threat from the Ukrainian side, he said in the speech. At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense claims that all the targets that were set were hit. According to Reuters, Ukrainian intelligence says that the rocket attacks have been planned since the beginning of October. New flight alert At 2 p.m. the flight alert went off again in the capital area. – Oooooh once again the flight alarm goes off in Kyiv. The missile day continues, Kyiv Independent correspondent Illia Ponomarenko writes on Twitter at 2.15pm on Monday. Ukrainians had to seek refuge in bomb shelters and metro stations during today’s attacks. There they passed the time with singing. Meeting of Russia’s Security Council Immediately after Putin’s speech this morning, a meeting of Russia’s Security Council began. The deputy chairman of the council, former prime minister and president Dmitry Medvedev, says that today’s attacks are only the “first episode”. Meetings in the Security Council are held weekly. But this meeting comes just days after a Ukrainian attack caused widespread destruction on the bridge between the Crimean peninsula and the Russian mainland on Saturday. Many now believe that Russia is at a strategic turning point in the war. Ukrainian forces have only since the beginning of October recaptured more than 2,400 square kilometers in Kherson, in the south of the country. Belarus deploys joint forces The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, says today that Belarus and Russia will deploy joint military troops. It is currently unknown what these soldiers will do, and how many there are. Lukashenko in front of Belarusian soldiers in February 2022, just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr / AP The deployment comes in response to what Lukashenko called a worsening of tensions on the country’s western borders. That’s what Reuters writes, quoting the state news agency Belta from Belarus. According to the AFP news agency, Lukashenko stated in a meeting with the country’s military leaders that “Belarusian radicals” are being trained in Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania to carry out acts of sabotage, terrorist attacks and mutiny. There have been a number of sabotage actions on the transport network in Belarus, which has made it more difficult for Russia to transport food, ammunition and equipment to Russian soldiers in Ukraine. There is also strong mobilization among Lukashenko’s opponents against Belarusian soldiers being dragged into the war, among other things by rebutting the state propaganda and addressing the soldiers’ families directly. Russian forces used Belarus as a staging post before the invasion in February. The president has also stated that the country can accept Russian nuclear weapons. Macron: A clear change in the war French President Emmanuel Macron says Monday’s violent Russian bomb attacks represent a change in how the war is conducted. – The premeditated attacks by Russia across the entire Ukrainian territory and against civilians are a clear change in the war, Macron told reporters during a visit to Mayenne in France today. According to AFP, Macron announced that he would gather his diplomatic and military advisers as soon as he returned to Paris this afternoon. Several countries join in the condemnation of today’s attack. – This shows Putin’s weakness, not strength, writes Britain’s Foreign Minister James Cleverly on Twitter. – The bombing of cities and civilians is a barbaric act and a war crime. We stand by you, Ukraine! writes Polish Foreign Minister Rau- – Such actions do not belong in the 21st century. I condemn them in the strongest possible way, writes EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell on Twitter. – We are concerned that this escalates the conflict even more. The hostilities must be stopped and the parties must try to find a way to dialogue and diplomacy. We are ready to support all attempts, says the Indian foreign minister. – This leads to yet another unacceptable escalation of the war, and as always it is civilians who pay the highest price, says UN Secretary-General António Guterres through his spokesman. At 9 p.m., the UN General Assembly will discuss Russia’s forced annexation of the four Ukrainian regions, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya. The member states must also vote on a statement that defines the incorporation as illegal. When the UN Security Council discussed the forced annexation, Russia used its veto power to stall a condemnation. In the General Assembly, all 193 countries have one vote each and none has a veto. It is likely that today’s many attacks will also influence the debate.
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Putin promises new attacks – hits relief efforts – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
