G7 condemns Russia for ‘indiscriminate attacks’ on civilian populations

Strikes have hit several cities across Ukraine in retaliation for attack on Crimean bridge

Smoke rises on the outskirts of the city during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters

Workers surround the Monument to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred with sandbags against damage from shelling in Mykolaiv. EPA

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev for talks before a meeting between the Russian president and the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. AFP

People take water from a water pump in Kyiv. EPA

A woman walks past a damaged building in the town of Nova Kakhovka. Reuters

A woman outside her home, which was destroyed during battles at the start of the conflict, in Yahidne, Chernihiv. Getty Images

People shelter inside a subway station during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters

Firefighters at the site of a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

A woman walks past the site of a Russian missile strike in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. Reuters

Rescuer workers at a building destroyed in an attack in Mykolaiv. Reuters

Parts of a drone lie on a street in Kyiv. Reuters

A drone flies over the Ukrainian capital during an attack. AFP

Ukrainian servicemen tow a captured Russian armoured vehicle in Rudneve village, Kharkiv. EPA

A partially destroyed residential building in Saltivka, in Kharkiv. AP

Ukrainian servicemen fire a captured Russian howitzer on a front line near Kupyansk city, Kharkiv. EPA

Ukrainian servicemen near the recently retaken town of Lyman in Donetsk region. AFP

An officer from a Ukrainian national police emergency demining team prepares to detonate collected anti-tank mines and explosives near Lyman, in the Donetsk region. AFP

A boy playing on a destroyed Russian tank on display in Kyiv. AFP

A young couple hiding underground during an air alert in Zaporizhzhia. AFP

Ukrainian firefighters looking for survivors after a strike in Zaporizhzhia. AFP

Workers fix a banner reading 'Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!' to the State Historical Museum near Red Square in Moscow. AFP

Residents try to cross a destroyed bridge in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. AFP

Alyona Kishinskaya helps to clean up a shop as it prepares to reopen in Balakiya, Ukraine, after a six-month Russian occupation. Getty Images

Alla, 12, has a swinging time in Balakiya, Ukraine, as life goes on despite the war. Getty Images

Ukrainian flags in the town square in Balakiya. Getty Images

A destroyed Russian command centre in Izium, Ukraine. Getty Images

In what may be a final farewell, young Russian recruits - escorted by their wives - walk to a train station in Volgograd before being sent to war in Ukraine. AP

Russian recruits board the train to Ukraine in Volgograd. AP

Ukrainian soliders drive a tank at the recently retaken eastern side of the Oskil River in Kharkiv region, Ukraine. AFP

Volunteers pass boxes of food aid on a destroyed bridge over the Oskil River. AFP

Ukrainian soliders rest on an armoured personnel carrier. AFP

A sign warns of landmines in Izyum, eastern Ukraine. AFP

This crater was left after a missile strike in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. AFP

The leaders of the G7 nations have vowed to hold Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible for a series of missile strikes on civilian populations across Ukraine that have killed at least 11 people.

“We condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms and recall that indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilian populations constitute a war crime,” the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan said in a joint statement.

The strikes came after Russia accused Ukraine of attacking the Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia to Crimea, on Saturday.

An explosion on the bridge left a section of the key transit route connecting Russia and annexed Crimea badly damaged, affecting road and rail traffic.

In the days since, Ukraine has been rocked by strikes in several parts of the country, including on a popular tourist bridge in Kyiv. The strikes, which also hit energy facilities, left many people without power.

Mr Putin said at the opening of a meeting of Russia’s Security Council that “a massive strike was carried out with long-range, high-precision air, sea and land-based weapons on Ukraine's energy, military command and communications facilities”.

The Russian leader vowed a “harsh response” to any more strikes like the one carried out on Kerch Bridge.

Leaders of the G7, a group of the world’s richest countries, spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by video conference on Tuesday and once again pledged support and military aid.

“We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support and will stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes.” the leaders said.

The G7 also blasted Russia’s “attempted annexation” of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions and said they would “never recognise this illegal annexation”.

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday is set to vote on a European-drafted resolution condemning Russia’s annexations of Ukrainian territory.

In a briefing to international media, a western official indicated that more than 100 countries will vote to condemn the annexations.