A series of major explosions rocked Kyiv and several locations across Ukraine on Monday, following Russian President Vladimir Putin blaming Ukrainian special services for the "terrorist" blast which partially disabled the Crimean bridge that links Russia to the peninsula.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the fresh missile attacks in a statement posted to Telegram, saying that the new "missiles hitting" are part of the Kremlin trying to "wipe us off the face of the Earth," and that: "Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded."
At least 100 strikes were carried out, with many cruise missiles launched from Russian warships in the Black Sea. Putin in a televised announcement said he ordered attacks on military, energy, and communications targets specifically in response to the Crimea bridge attack.
"If attempts to carry out terrorist attacks continue, Russia's response will be severe and at the level of the threats facing it. Nobody should be in any doubt," Putin warned. He threatened that more might follow: "If attempts to commit terrorist acts on our territory continue, the responses from Russia will be harsh and their scale will correspond to the level of threat to Russia," he added, addressing a meeting of his Security Council. "No one should have any doubts."
