Vladimir Putin is showing signs of desperation after a series of military setbacks, resulting in Russia lashing out with attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and other major cities, UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has said.
Moscow launched a missile and drone barrage on Monday in retaliation for the attack on a bridge linking Russia with Crimea at the weekend.
Following an international outcry, Ms Truss and fellow leaders of G7 nations are expected to hold crisis talks on Tuesday.
She is expected to urge fellow G7 leaders to “stay the course” in their opposition to Mr Putin.
“The overwhelming international support for Ukraine’s struggle stands in stark opposition to the isolation of Russia on the international stage,” she is expected to say on Tuesday.
“Their bravery in the face of the most brutal acts of violence has earned the people of Ukraine global admiration.
“Nobody wants peace more than Ukraine. And for our part, we must not waver one iota in our resolve to help them win it.”
Ms Truss and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke on Monday, following the wave of attacks which left at least 11 dead and 64 injured.
“The appalling attacks on civilian areas in Kyiv and elsewhere are a clear sign of Putin’s desperation,” Ms Truss said.
“Ukrainians are succeeding, and Britain will stand right behind them as we continue to provide vital military aid in Ukraine’s fight for freedom.”
Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine counts on the UK’s “leadership in consolidating international political and defence support for Ukraine, in particular regarding the protection of our skies”.
A fire on Kerch bridge in Crimea – in pictures
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A blaze erupts on Kerch bridge in the Kerch Strait, Crimea, on October 8. Reuters / Stringer -
Smoke billows from the bridge. Reuters / Stringer -
The bridge linked Crimea to Russia. Photo: Security Service of Ukraine -
Fuel tanks ablaze. Reuters / Stringer -
Thick smoke rises. Reuters / Stringer -
Moscow vowed to find the perpetrators, without immediately blaming Ukraine. AFP -
A firefigter helicopter pours water on train carriages. AFP -
People watch as the blaze rages. Reuters / Stringer -
Part of the bridge collapses into the sea below. Reuters -
According to Russian authorities, 'an explosion was set off at a cargo vehicle on the motorway part of the Crimean bridge'. EPA -
Security personnel check a car, as passengers wait to board a ferry.
Ukraine has stepped up calls for western allies to provide anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems in response to the attacks.
Kyiv was targeted for the first time in months, while Russia also hit civilian areas and energy infrastructure across the country, from Kharkiv in the east to Lviv, near the Polish border.
Mr Putin confirmed the strikes were a retaliation for Ukraine’s attack on the Kerch bridge, a crossing between Russia and annexed Crimea that has strategic and symbolic importance.
He said if Ukraine continues to mount “terrorist attacks” on Russia, which invaded its neighbour in February, the Kremlin’s response will be “tough and proportionate to the level of threats”.
The attack on Kyiv resulted in explosions in the city’s Shevchenko district, a central area which includes the historic old town, as well as several government offices.
Putin's inner circle – in pictures
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Head of Russia's SVR intelligence service Sergei Naryshkin has seen his status eroded by the strong resistance encountered in Ukraine, which he did not foresee. EPA -
Head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency Dmitry Rogozin has threatened to abandon a Nasa astronaut on the International Space Station. AFP -
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was one of the architects of Moscow's intervention in Syria. AFP -
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Russia's oil giant Rosneft chief Igor Sechin. He has been described as Mr Putin's right-hand man. AFP -
Secretary of Russia's Security Council Nikolai Patrushev attends a meeting in Moscow. He is said to have known Mr Putin for 50 years. AFP -
Sergei Ivanov, Russian special representative on questions of ecology and transport, is a close friend of Mr Putin. AFP -
Federal Security Service director Alexander Bortnikov is responsible for a huge network of agents in Russia. AFP -
At 58, president of the Duma Lower House of Parliament Vyacheslav Volodin is one of the younger members of the inner circle. He has been touted as a possible successor to Mr Putin. AFP
BBC journalist Hugo Bachega was broadcasting live when the attack happened, with the sound of a missile overhead and subsequent explosion captured on his microphone.
He could be seen ducking for cover as the blast rocked the capital during his piece on BBC World News. He reached safety with his crew.
Lesia Vasylenko, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, posted a photograph on Twitter showing at least one explosion occurred near the main building of the Kyiv national university in the capital’s centre.
“What is Russia trying to hit?” she asked. “The national university? The park? Or the playground?”
A glass pedestrian bridge, a popular attraction, was also hit.
“People would have been jogging this morning,” Ms Vasylenko said.
The Ukraine war latest – in pictures
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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
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly offered the UK’s “ongoing moral and practical support” to his counterpart in Kyiv, Dmytro Kuleba.
“Russia’s firing of missiles into civilian areas of Ukraine is unacceptable,” he said.
“This is a demonstration of weakness by Putin, not strength.”
Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said that “targeting civilians is a vile act”.
“Russian war crimes start as a record of failure and disgrace,” he said.
Russia says lorry bomb damaged crucial Kerch bridge to Crimea – video
The UK’s ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, said British staff in Kyiv were safe and that her thoughts are with those hurt in the city.
Mr Zelenskyy will address G7 leaders when they take part in the virtual meeting on Tuesday.
The talks are expected to emphasise the unity of opposition to Mr Putin’s campaign.
