KYIV—Russia fired cruise missiles on busy Ukrainian cities on Monday, knocking out power and heat with its most widespread air attacks since the start of the war.
Missiles tore into intersections, parks, and tourist sites in the capital Kyiv and explosions were reported in Lviv, Ternopil and Zhytomyr in western Ukraine, Dnipro and Kremenchuk in the center, Zaporizhzhia in the south and Kharkiv in the east.
Ukrainian officials said at least 11 people were killed and scores injured and suspended electricity exports to Europe while it tried to end blackouts across the country.
Thousands of residents raced to bomb shelters as air raid sirens rang out through the day. The barrage of dozens of cruise missiles fired from air, land, and sea was the biggest wave of air strikes to hit away from the front line, at least since the initial volleys on the war’s first day, Feb. 24.
President Vladimir Putin said he had ordered “massive” long range strikes after an attack on the bridge linking Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula over the weekend, and threatened more strikes in future if Ukraine hits Russian territory.
“To leave such acts without a response is simply impossible,” he said, alleging other, unspecified attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian military intelligence said the Russian attacks were ordered in early October. “The objects of critical civil infrastructure and the central areas of densely populated Ukrainian cities were identified as targets,” it said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they were deliberately timed to kill people and knock out Ukraine’s power grid. His prime minister said 11 major infrastructure targets were hit in eight regions, leaving parts of the country with no electricity, water or heat.
“They are trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the earth,” Zelenskyy said.
On Saturday, Russia’s Defense Ministry named General Sergei Surovikin, who won acclaim in Syria, as commander of Russian forces in Ukraine.
Monday’s blasts tore a huge crater next to a children’s playground in one of central Kyiv’s busiest parks. The remains of an apparent missile were buried, smoking in the mud.
More volleys of missiles struck the capital again later in the morning. Pedestrians huddled for shelter at the entrance of Metro stations and inside parking garages.
“This constitutes another unacceptable escalation of the war and, as always, civilians are paying the highest price,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, while its aid organization and others said their aid work in Ukraine had been disrupted.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the strikes “horrific” and he and U.S. President Joe Biden reiterated U.S. support for Ukraine.
Ukraine’s defense ministry said in its evening update Russia had staged at least 84 missile and air strikes, and Ukraine’s air defenses had destroyed 43 cruise missiles and 13 drones. Russia’s defense ministry said it had hit all its intended targets.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal promised to restore utilities as quickly as possible.
In another sign of possible escalation, Putin’s closest ally, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, said he had ordered troops to deploy jointly with Russian forces near Ukraine, which he accused of planning attacks on Belarus with its Western backers. Russia used Belarus as a staging ground early in the war but Lukashenko has not sent in his troops.
Within Russia, the strikes were cheered by hawks. Ramzan Kadyrov, the staunchly pro-Kremlin leader of Russia’s Chechnya region who had recently demanded that military commanders be sacked, wrote: “Now I am 100 percent satisfied with how the special military operation is being conducted.”