As the conflict escalates between Moscow and Kyiv, Russians have targeted over 40 cities and towns in Ukraine, including Kyiv which was allegedly hit by Iran-made Kamikaze drones. So far, there is no clear information on casualties. Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the presidential office, said on Telegram that "critical infrastructure facilities" in the region had been impacted without specifying which ones.
"Kyiv is well aware that such a step would mean a guaranteed escalation to a World War Three," deputy secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Alexander Venediktov, told the state TASS news agency on Thursday.
This comes after a UN General Assembly resolution called Moscow's annexation of Ukrainian territory "illegal" and Ukraine's allies committed more military aid. Russia repeated its position that the West, by helping Ukraine, indicated that "they are a direct party to the conflict" and warned the admission of Ukraine to NATO could trigger World War Three.
Ukraine's Armed Forces General Staff has said that Ukraine's Air Force has carried out 32 strikes on 25 Russian targets, however, Russian missiles have hit more than 40 settlements. Russian bombarding has taken a heavy toll on the key city of Mykolaiv throughout the war.
In a social media post, the Mayor of the port city of Mykolaiv said that the southern city was "massively shelled. A five-storey residential building was hit, the two upper floors were completely destroyed, the rest – under rubble. Rescuers are working on the site,” he said.
Russian missile strikes, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, are a sign of weakness. According to Stoltenberg, "Russia is actually losing on the battlefield."
