In the most intense round of missile strikes yet, Russian strikes across Ukraine on Monday killed at least 11 and wounded dozens.
In recent days, Russia had already stepped up targeting of civilians in Ukraine when Ukraine. By Sunday, at least 66 civialians had been killed in Russian strikes in the past 10 days.
Russian missiles rained down across several parts of Ukraine, including in capital Kyiv and Lviv in the west. Besides targeting civilian public space, the strikes also targeted critical infrastructure such as power and water lines, leaving several regions in darkness.
At least 11 people died on Monday and 64 were injured, according to Ukrainian officials cited by CNN at 6 pm Kyiv time.
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Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 84 missiles and 24 drone strikes across Ukraine on Monday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said the strikes were a retaliation for "terrorist attacks" by Ukraine. This was a reference to the recent Crimea bridge explosion in which three people were killed.
Putin said the strikes targeted energy and communications infrastructure along with as military command installations in Ukraine. He also warned of a higher intensity of strikes in the future.
Death and destruction across Ukraine
As many as 10 Ukrainian cities were hit with missile and drone strikes by Russia on Monday.
In Kyiv, a children's playground was hit with a strike and the Associated Press reported that Russian missiles rained at the time when morning traffic was picking up. This was timed to likely maximise the casualties.
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Other cities targeted include Lviv, which has been a refuge for many people fleeing the fighting in the east, and Kharkiv, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr, and Kropyvnytskyi.
Instead of military installations, as Putin claimed, the targets were civilians. CNN reported, "There was no electricity supply in four regions: Lviv, Poltava, Sumy and Ternopil regions...The region of Khmelnytskyi, which lies west of Kyiv, has 'no electricity supply, electric transport does not work, water supply is suspended, traffic lights do not work,' according to the region's head."
Going by Putin's words, Monday's strikes are not the last.
"If attempts to commit terrorist acts on our territory continue, the responses from Russia will be harsh and their scale will correspond to the level of threat to Russia. No one should have any doubts," said Putin.
Putin is increasingly pushing the war to dangerous levels. In recent weeks, Putin has also repeatedly issued barely-veiled threats of using nuclear weapons.
Latest round of Russian attacks on civilians
With Russian attacks on Monday, the civilian death toll in Ukraine reached at least 77 in last 10 days.
On Saturday, Russian strikes on houses and apartment blocks in southern Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia killed at least 17 civilians.
Zaporizhzhia city is held by Ukraine but it is close to Russian-held territories. Zaporizhzhia is situated in the province of the same name in southern Ukraine. It is one of the four occupied- and partially-occupied regions of Ukraine annexed by Putin.
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Last Thursday in Zaporizhzhia, at least 19 civilians were killed in Russian strikes.
Earlier on September 30, Russia struck a humanitarian convey, killing at least 30 and wounding at least 88 people.
Latest Ukraine War developments
The counter-offensive that Ukrainian forces began in early September continues in Eastern Ukraine. Fighting is ongoing at multiple fronts.
Ukrainian forces are continuing to push eastward and Russians are attacking them, according to the think tank Istitute of the Study of War (ISW).
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"Ukrainian forces continued to advance east of the Oskil Rver in the direction of Luhansk Oblast and have entered Stel’makhivka...Ukrainian sources reported that Ukrainian forces repelled over 30 attacks in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka areas. Russian forces launched an unsuccessful assault southwest of Donetsk City," reported ISW.
Other major centres of fighting are the towns of Kreminna, Klynove, Bakhmut, Toretsk, and area near Marinka.
