Russian Missiles Hit Cities Not Previously Targeted

Assault on Kyiv feared as Russia steps up offensive
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 11, 2022 6:39 AM CST
Russian Missiles Hit Cities Not Previously Targeted
Ukrainian refugees wait in a crowd for transportation at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, Monday, March 7, 2022.   (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

Russia appears to be stepping up its attacks on Ukrainian cities, days after US intelligence officials warned that Vladimir Putin is likely to "double down" on the invasion despite international pressure. Missile strikes have hit cities that were not previously targeted, including the western cities of Lviv, Lutsk, and Ivano-Frankivsk, where airfields were damaged; strikes on other cities have intensified, the BBC reports. Officials say the central Ukraine city of Dnipro, previously considered a safe haven for people fleeing the bombardment of other cities, was hit by three airstrikes early Friday, wrecking buildings including an apartment block and a kindergarten. More:

  • Heavy bombardment continues. Ukrainian authorities say relentless attacks are continuing on cities including Mariupol and Kharkiv, the Guardian reports. Authorities say residential areas of Kharkiv were hit 89 times in a single day and 48 schools in the eastern city have been destroyed since the invasion began.

  • Land mines block relief, evacuation efforts. The New York Times reports that according to the United Nations refugee agency, the increasing use of land mines has made evacuation and aid deliveries even more difficult. The agency estimates that more than 2.5 million Ukrainians have fled the country and at least 2 million more have been displaced within Ukraine.
  • Chemical weapons claims worry Zelensky. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Thursday he was worried that Russia's claims that Ukraine and the US were planning to use chemical weapons were a prelude to Russian use of the weapons, ABC reports. "This makes me really worried, because we’ve been repeatedly convinced: If you want to know Russia’s plans, look at what Russia accuses others of," he said.

  • Fears of attack on Kyiv grow. With the Russian convoy outside Kyiv dispersing into forests with artillery pieces moved into firing position, many fear that an attack on the capital is imminent. "People here in Kyiv dare to hope that the city will be spared—how could President Putin order his forces to come into a city that is so sacred to both Russians and Ukrainians?" says BBC correspondent Lyse Doucet. "But across Ukraine those same hopes have been dashed when residential areas in cities and towns were attacked."
  • Putin approves bringing in Syrian fighters. Putin approved bringing in "volunteer" fighters from Syria and other countries Friday, the AP reports. Russia's defense minister said more than 16,000 people from the Middle East had asked to join the offensive.
(More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)

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