Russia’s missile attacks on Ukrainian cities on Monday are a sign of its helplessness and came in revenge for its failures on the battlefield, a Polish presidential aide has said.
Numerous Ukrainian cities came under attack after Russia launched an estimated 75 missiles. The strikes appear to be a reaction to the partial destruction on Saturday of the 12-mile Kerch Strait Bridge, which Russia built in 2018 to connect its mainland with the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Jakub Kumoch, who is responsible for international policy at the Polish President’s Office, told PAP on Monday that the attacks were “state terrorism and a crime committed by Russia.”
According to Kumoch, the Russians struck civilian targets early in the morning to cause as many casualties as possible.
“All of this bears the signs of a crime,” he said.
Kumoch said that targeting Ukrainian cities by Russia was “a certain kind of helplessness and revenge for Russia’s failures in this war.”
The successful attack on the Kerch bridge is seen as a blow to Vladimir Putin, who personally opened it in 2018 in a show of Russia’s dominance over the annexed territory. Ukraine has not confirmed its involvement in the attack on the bridge.