Putin forces strike Kyiv apartment block

Russian troops unleashed an airstrike on a residential building in Kyiv, killing at least one civilian and wounding 12 others, as it stepped up its devastating assault on the Ukraine capital.

AFP

less than 2 min read

10:03PMMarch 14, 2022

AFP

Rescuers workers carry an injured woman after the Russian attack in Kyiv on Monday. Picture: State Emergency Service of Ukraine

Russian troops on Monday unleashed an airstrike on a residential building in Kyiv, killing at least one civilian and wounding 12 others, as it stepped up its devastating assault on the capital.

The airstrike on the nine-storey apartment building came as peace talks were to resume between Moscow and Kyiv, and Washington alleged Russia had asked China for military and economic aid, a sign Moscow had underestimated the Ukrainian resistance and Western sanctions it would face when it launched its invasion on February 24.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his call for NATO to impose a no-fly zone after an attack on Sunday on a military training ground at Lviv, close to the border of NATO member Poland, that killed at least 35 people and wounded more than 130 others.

A woman escapes the burning building after the attack in Kyiv. Picture: State Emergency Service of Ukraine

“If you do not close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian missiles fall on your territory, on NATO territory, on the homes of NATO citizens,” Mr Zelensky said in a video call on Monday.

Beijing accused Washington of spreading “disinformation” about its role in Ukraine after US officials told the New York Times that Russia had asked China for weapons and economic aid against crippling sanctions.

Beijing has also denied President Xi Jinping had asked Vladimir Putin not to invade until after the Winter Olympics during their summit on February 4.

A Ukrainian official said Mr Putin wanted to turn Ukrainian cities into “Aleppos”, claiming that Russia had used white phosphorus in bombing attacks