Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday promised “harsh” retaliation in response to future attacks after an explosion disabled a major bridge connecting Crimea to Russia.
Speaking at a security council meeting, Putin called the Kerch bridge blast a “terrorist attack aimed at the destruction of civil critical important infrastructure of Russia.” Ukraine has not yet claimed responsibility.
A massive explosion on Saturday heavily damaged a bridge which Russia relied upon for transporting military supplies to Crimea, cutting off a critical route and dealing a major setback to Putin’s war effort in Ukraine. Putin opened the bridge in 2018 in a gesture meant to signify Russia’s ownership of Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.
Putin said Monday that Russia launched a series of long-range missiles targeting Ukraine’s energy, military and communications infrastructure today to seek retribution. Future reprisals will be “harsh” and will correspond “to the level of threat to the Russian Federation, have no doubt about it,” he warned.
Multiple foreign leaders have decried Russia’s strikes on civilian locations in Ukrainian cities. “Deeply shocked by Russia’s attacks on civilians in #Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine. Such acts have no place in (the) 21st century. I condemn them in the strongest possible terms,” the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, tweeted. “We stand with Ukraine. Additional military support from the EU is on its way.”
The region of Khmelnytskyi, which lies west of Kyiv, is enduring a serious power outage resulting from the attacks.
“Currently, there is no electricity supply, electric transport does not work, water supply is suspended, traffic lights do not work,” region leader Serhii Hamalii said on Telegram, according to CNN. Air raids were conducted in other regions too, crippling their energy capabilities. The strikes have also killed at least ten people and injured 60 in Ukraine, police spokesperson Maryana Reva said in an interview on Ukrainian TV.
Due to the escalation in the conflict, the G7 nations, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, will hold an emergency video meeting on Tuesday, the office of German Chancellor and G7 president Olaf Scholz told CNN. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is scheduled to speak before the countries to brief the situation. He said he will emphasize the urgent need to increase “pressure” on Russia.
Ukrainian officials have employed Putin’s “terrorist” language against Russia since the airstrikes. “The world once again saw the true face of a terrorist state that is killing our people. On the battlefield & in peaceful cities. A country that covers its true bloody essence & goal with talks about peace,” Zelensky tweeted Monday.