UN Secretary General Condemns Russian Strikes on Ukraine

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the large-scale missile  strikes by Russia on Ukraine and called for its immediate cessation.

In an official statement, the Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq said the Secretary-General was “appalled by the continued killing and destruction”. Haq quoted Guterres as saying ‘The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest terms today’s large-scale missile and drone attacks by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian cities and towns across the country, including against civilians, energy and other critical infrastructure.’

The Strikes which took place on Thursday inflicted severe damage, including on the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant in the Zaporizhzhia region. As per the statement, the attacks reportedly killed and injured many civilians and caused major damage, including to the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant in the Zaporizhzhia region, leaving more than one million Ukrainians without access to electricity and water in Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, and Zaporizhzhia.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that their air defense systems successfully intercepted all 31 Russian missiles aimed at Kyiv. However, debris from the intercepted missiles landed in different areas of the city, resulting in injuries and property damage. Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported thus far.

“Such terror continues every day and night,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a social media post to which he tagged a video purportedly showing firefighters dousing burning buildings with water. The attack comes at a time when the Russian forces are
pressing ahead with ground attacks at several locations along the frontline.