President Vladimir Putin ups the ante and threatens more missile attacks on Ukraine after Russia hit Kyiv with an intense barrage of strikes.
“It was not possible to leave [Ukrainian attacks] unanswered. If attempts at terrorist attacks continue, the response from Russia will be severe and correspond to the level of threat,” Putin said on Monday at a televised meeting of his Security Council.
“Let there be no doubt about it.”
The big story
Ukraine blasted a key bridge to the Crimean Peninsula over the weekend which is marked as Putin’s flagship project.
Putin launched attacks on Ukraine in February fearing that its neighbor Ukraine was leaning toward Western ideals and was a constant threat to Russia’s existence.
Thousands of people have since died since the war started, towns and cities in Ukraine such as Mariupol lie in ruins and over 12 million people are displaced.
Why it matters
It marks a dangerous new escalation since the war started. The world fears Putin may resort to nuclear weapons.
What Ukraine President Zelensky says
On his Telegram channel, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, “They are trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the Earth.” He urged Ukrainians to stay in bomb shelters as air-raid alerts echoed in every region of the country.
“Unfortunately there are dead and wounded.”
