Fresh Russian Missile Strikes Hit Ukraine After G-7 Meet, 7 Killed

Ukraine has been hit by a fresh round of Russian missile strikes in which at least seven people have died.

Seven people have reportedly died and eight were left injured in a fresh round of missile shelling by Moscow despite concerns raised by the Group of Seven (G-7) leaders over the Russian escalation in Ukraine. The incident took place at a market in the east Ukraine city of Avdiivka near the frontline, a regional governor said.

"At least seven dead and eight wounded as a result of the shelling this morning on Avdiivka. The Russians struck the central market, where many people were at that time," the Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote on the Telegram social media platform as quoted by news agency AFP.

This comes after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky held an emergency meeting with the Group of Seven (G-7) nations and urged them to provided immediate assitance to Ukraine with air defence systems in the wake of the Russian escalation. The West also warned Putin o severe consequences it Russia used nuclear weapons on Ukraine.

In one of its most lethal airstrikes since the start of the Ukraine war in February, Russia rained missiles in multiple Ukrainian cities, including capital Kyiv, killing at least 10 people and leaving scores injured. Ukraine's army said Russia launched 84 cruise missiles, targeting energy facilities and busy intersections in Kyiv, in what President Vladimir Putin called a retaliation for an attack on a key bridge between Russia and the annexed Crimean Peninsula.

The Russian move drew condemnation from the West and the European Union, with India expressing "deep concern" at the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and urged an "immediate cessation of hostilities".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday asked G7 leaders to give Ukraine enough air defence capabilities to defend itself against Russia's missile barrage, AFP reported. In an urgent meeting with G7 leaders  to discuss the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine, Zelensky also sought tougher fresh sanctions on Russia.

The Ukrainian President also accused Russia of "trying to directly draw Belarus into this war" and called for an international monitoring mission on the Belarus border.