Ukraine, Russia vow escalation after Moscow attack kills 21 in Kyiv

KYIV, July 3 ------ Ukraine and Russia vowed fresh assaults in their four-year war after Moscow launched a massive barrage on Kyiv, killing at least 21 people, tearing open apartment buildings and sending tens of thousands to shelters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his forces would "definitely" retaliate for the overnight pummeling of the capital as he inspected the site of an apartment block partially destroyed in the attack. In Moscow, the Kremlin vowed to further ramp up the "pressure" on Kyiv, sticking to its no-compromise rhetoric as rescuers in Kyiv scoured the rubble for survivors. The European Union's top diplomat proposed new sanctions on Moscow, while Zelensky asked the United States for licenses to manufacture Patriot air defense missiles.

Russia has routinely launched waves of missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities during its invasion, which has become Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II. AFP journalists in central and eastern Kyiv heard more than a dozen explosions and saw residents -- some with children and pets -- rushing to shelter in metro stations. In the morning, locals stood on the rubble of destroyed apartment blocks ripped apart by the barrage, as smoke poured over the Kyiv skyline. At one spot, a mother cried as she embraced her son in front of the smoldering debris. Blasts started echoing out late on Wednesday, lasting into the early hours of Thursday as Russian missiles and drones rained down on residential areas in the city center.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko described it as "enemy's most massive attack on the capital", without elaborating. The state emergency services said at least 21 people were killed and 85 were wounded, including two children. The Ukrainian branch of the Red Cross said that its key warehouse was "destroyed" in the attack with around $2 million worth of humanitarian aid lost.

Debris from the pummeling also damaged a building that was "hosting a number of diplomats", EU spokesperson Anitta Hipper told AFP, adding that "EU diplomats were affected" but "safe". Kyiv urged its allies to send more air defense. "Air defense supplies for Ukraine are an absolute and critical priority," Zelensky said in a post on Facebook. "We also very much count on a decision by the United States regarding licenses for Patriots." Ukraine is seeking to manufacture munitions for the US-made missile interceptor system, one of its only ways of defending against Russian ballistic missiles, although defense experts say it will take time to set up production domestically.

Source: manilatime.net