October 10, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Several Russian missiles launched from ships in the Black Sea crossed Moldovan airspace Monday morning, according to a senior government minister.

“Three cruise missiles launched on Ukraine this morning from Russian ships in the Black Sea crossed Moldova's airspace,” Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nico Popescu, said in a tweet.

“I instructed that Russia's ambassador be summoned to provide an explanation.”

Some background: Since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February, the Russian-backed breakaway region of Transnistria, in Moldova, has been brought into the spotlight.

Earlier this year, a series of unexplained explosions have occurred in parts of Transnistria, sparking fears that Moscow’s war could soon stretch beyond Ukraine and create a new theater of conflict in eastern Europe.

Transnistria is unrecognized by the international community, which considers it a part of Moldova. But the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, essentially has no control over the territory, which declared itself a republic more than three decades ago.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has appealed for more air defense systems in the wake of a devastating wave of nationwide attacks launched by Russia.

Kuleba tweeted he had spoken to his Canadian counterpart and stressed that “partners should join forces to immediately provide Ukraine with air and missile defense systems."

Kuleba will cut his Africa trip short to return to Ukraine and work with Kyiv's allies to coordinate "a resolute response," he added.

The deadly explosions across Ukraine on Monday morning prompted stinging rebukes from Kyiv.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russians are "trying to annihilate us," while Kuleba called Russian President Vladimir Putin "a terrorist who talks with missiles."

CNN's Tim Lister, Josh Pennington and Julia Kesaieva contributed reporting.

Eleven sites of critical infrastructure have been struck in Kyiv and eight other regions of Ukraine, according to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

Multiple explosions rang across Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities Monday, in a spate of violent Russian airstrikes that hit civilian infrastructure and left multiple people dead.

A senior Ukrainian military official has said "generations of Russians will answer" for a wave of explosions that struck multiple Ukrainian cities on Monday.

"The Russians are shameful losers. Did you intend to scare us?" Andrii Yermak, head of President Zelensky's office, said of the attacks.

"We will continue to destroy everyone who comes to Ukraine with weapons. These hits make us even angrier. These hits will only speed up our progress.

"We are not afraid. We are only getting angrier and more accurate," Yermak added.

Monday's assault appears to be the heaviest bombardment of missile and rocket attacks seen in most of Ukraine since February, targeting power plants, bridges, civilian infrastructure and other locations.

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Russia launches wave of deadly strikes across Ukraine, as blasts rock Kyiv and Lviv | CNN

The US Embassy in Kyiv has sent a message telling US citizens to shelter in place and depart Ukraine if they can do so safely.

“Russia has launched attacks against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure as well as government facilities in Kyiv and elsewhere. Russia’s continued strikes in Ukraine pose a direct threat to civilians and civilian infrastructure," the embassy said in a statement on Monday.

"The US Embassy urges US citizens to shelter in place and depart Ukraine now using privately available ground transportation options when it is safe to do so," the statement added.

Some background: The war in Ukraine has escalated in recent days, following a huge blast on the strategic Kerch Strait road-and-rail bridge Saturday.

The explosion was a major blow to what the Kremlin calls its special military operation in Ukraine, as it is the only bridge between the annexed Crimea peninsula and the Russian mainland.

On Monday morning explosions rocked cities across Ukraine, damaging critical infrastructure and leaving multiple people dead.

Russian forces used missiles, air strikes and drones in a "massive attack" on multiple Ukrainian cities Monday, according to Ukrainian officials.

"Since the morning, the aggressor launched 75 rockets. 41 of them were neutralized by our air defenses," Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian military, said.

Powerful explosions rang across Kyiv on Monday morning, leaving multiple people dead. At the same time, regional authorities also reported missile and rocket attacks in Kharkiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk, partly aimed at critical civilian infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the missile strikes targeted Ukraine's energy facilities and its people.

"They have especially chosen the time and the targets to create the most damage,” he said while standing outside his office in the center of Kyiv.

Moscow wanted to destroy Ukraine’s “energy system," Zelensky said, adding that the Ukrainians shot down 38 incoming projectiles. He urged people to stay in shelters on Monday.

Further south, a Ukrainian official also confirmed that Russian missiles are targeting power infrastructure in the Mykolaiv region.

"They are hitting the infrastructure, trying to leave us without electricity," Vitalii Kim, head of Mykolaiv regional military administration, said on Telegram.

Kim added that the Russians had claimed they are advancing "in all directions," but the opposite is true: "In fact we are advancing and they are panicking."

After reports of Russian missile attacks across Ukraine on Monday morning, Kyiv's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter that Russian President Vladimir Putin "will not break Ukraine down."

Some context: Amid multiple explosions in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities early Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia was trying to annihilate Ukraine.

In further comments on the waves of missile attacks across Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday:

"The morning has been difficult. We are dealing with terrorists. Tens of missiles and Iranian shahids (drones). They have two targets. Energy facilities all over the country. Kiev and Khmelnitsk regions, Lviv and Dnipro, Lviv and Frankivsk regions, Zaporizhzhy and Sumy regions, Zhytomy and Kirovograd regions, south of the country," he added.

At least five people were killed in the attacks on Kyiv. Regional authorities also reported missile and rocket attacks in Kharkiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk Monday morning.

Multiple explosions shook Kyiv on Monday morning following weeks of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital. Other cities in Ukraine have also been hit by a large-scale Russian bombardment. Here are the latest developments:

China has expressed hope that the situation in Ukraine will be “de-escalated soon,” following apparent Russian strikes on the capital Kyiv on Monday. 

Speaking during the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs daily briefing in Beijing on Monday, Chinese MOFA spokesperson Mao Ning said China had noted reports of both the explosion on the Kerch bridge linking Crimea with mainland Russia on Saturday and Monday’s strikes on Kyiv. 

Mao reiterated China’s position on the situation in Ukraine, stressing China has “always maintained that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected.”