"This terror state Russia must be eliminated"

Heavy explosions erupted in the center of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Monday morning. There have been several impacts. The blasts occurred in the Shevchenko district, an area in the center of the capital that includes the historic Old Town and government buildings. Black clouds of smoke rose. Several ambulances drove to the site of the explosion. Police said at least five people died and twelve were injured in the attacks. A Ukrainian government advisor spoke of at least eight dead and 24 injured.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was trying to destroy Ukraine. "The timing and goals should do as much damage as possible."

According to the Ukrainian army, Russia fired a total of 75 rockets at Ukraine. 41 of these missiles were intercepted by the Ukrainian air defenses, General Valeriy Salushnyy said on Telegram.

"It was our daughter's favorite playground. Right in the center of Kyiv," Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Melnyk wrote on Twitter. He demanded a clear answer from the federal government and the delivery of more weapons.

Vitali Klitschko instructed the population to stay in shelters, take warm clothing with them, as well as food supplies and chargers. The city center should be avoided. "Russian terrorists don't stop," he wrote on Telegram. The subway service was temporarily suspended, the rooms function as a protective bunker. "Critical infrastructure" was also hit in some cases during the shelling.

Ukrainian media report that there were also detonations in Lviv, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr. Lviv regional governor Maxim Kosizky said there were attacks on energy infrastructure facilities. The electricity was partially out. “Some areas are now cut off from the outside world. You have to be prepared for temporary interruptions in light, water supply and communication," said Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal.

Air alert was in effect in almost all parts of Ukraine. "A massive rocket attack on the area, there are dead and wounded," said military governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region Valentyn Resnichenko.

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has described the rocket attacks as a reaction to "terrorist attacks" against Russian territory. At the same time, he threatened Kyiv with an even tougher “response” if the “Ukrainian attacks” continued.

Germany wants to deliver a new air defense system to Ukraine in the coming days. "The renewed rocket fire on Kyiv and the many other cities makes it clear how important it is to deliver air defense systems to Ukraine quickly," said Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht. "That's why we are now providing support in particular with anti-aircraft weapons. In the next few days, the first of four state-of-the-art IRIS-T SLM air defense systems will be ready to provide effective protection for the people of Ukraine.” The ministry adds that the remaining three systems should follow in the coming year.

The visa section of the German embassy has also been affected by the recent Russian rocket attacks on Kyiv. A spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office confirmed damage to the building in Berlin on Monday, which houses the German visa office. However, there has been "no service" there for months, said the spokesman. According to him, no employees were present during the Russian rocket attacks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened Ukraine with retaliation for what he has dubbed what he calls "acts of terrorism." The explosion on the Crimean bridge over the weekend, for which he blames the neighboring country, is an act of terrorism, Putin said in a televised speech. In response, Russian long-range missiles hit energy, military and communications facilities in Ukraine in the morning. "In case of further attempts to commit terrorist acts on our territory, Russia will react harshly," says Putin.

The heads of state and government of the group of seven industrialized countries (G7) are holding special consultations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday. The spokesman for Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Steffen Hebestreit, announced on Monday in Berlin for the current German G7 presidency that it would take place via video link in the afternoon.

Due to the massive attacks in Ukraine, people in many regions should not leave the shelters. A video shows a school class that is not intimidated by the threat - together they sing the national anthem.

The German government condemns the Russian rocket attacks on Ukraine, which destroyed civilian infrastructure and caused deaths and injuries. That says government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit in Berlin. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has already called the Ukrainian President and promised Germany's help in rebuilding civilian infrastructure.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on Germany and France to respond "toughly" to Russia's recent attacks on Ukraine. The Ukrainian head of state announced on Twitter on Monday that he had spoken to Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and French President Emmanuel Macron.

"We talked about strengthening our air defenses, about the need for a tough European and international response and increased pressure on Russia" in the face of recent Russian attacks, Zelensykj wrote.

Ukraine has vowed revenge for Russian missile attacks. "There are human casualties and destruction," the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on its Facebook page. "The enemy will be punished for the pain and death brought upon our land! We will get our revenge!”

According to the Ukrainian government, the Russian airstrikes damaged eleven important infrastructure facilities in the capital Kyiv and eight regions. “Some areas are now cut off from the outside world. You have to be prepared for temporary interruptions in light, water supply and communication," Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal told Telegram.

Alexander Lukashenko has announced that he will send troops to support Russia. "We decided to establish a regional union of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus," he said.

He accused Ukraine of preparing an attack on Belarus, which is why this decision has now been made.

According to Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office, the attacks by Russia show that Russia is finished. "These are the death spasms of a wounded animal," he said.

The Russian army has no idea how to fight on the battlefield, so it shoots at people with rockets. This shows once again the "terrorist nature of the Russian regime". "The masks have fallen: This is targeted mass killing of civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called Russian President Vladimir Putin "a terrorist whose language is missiles". Putin's only tactic is terror against peaceful Ukrainian cities, but he will not destroy Ukraine. The rocket attacks are also Putin's answer to all the pacifiers who wanted to talk to him about peace.

According to British information, Russian troops are advancing on the strategically important city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. "Russia continues to give high priority to its own offensive operations in the central Donbass sector, particularly near the town of Bakhmut," the Defense Ministry tweeted in London as part of its daily situation report.

In the past week, the Russian armed forces have advanced up to two kilometers to Bakhmut. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said over the weekend that Ukrainian troops were involved in very heavy fighting near the city. Bakhmut is located on a main road connecting the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in the Donbass industrial region.

SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich welcomes the proposal for one-off payments to cushion the high gas bills. "That would be an important signal," he said on ARD. One must now take a closer look at whether this can be integrated into the tax system and thus implemented in a socially graded manner, he added to the considerations of the gas price commission.

Fighting in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia continues into the night. "As a result of a rocket attack in the center of Zaporizhia, another multi-storey apartment building was destroyed," wrote the region's governor Oleksandr Starukhin in the messaging app Telegram. "There are injured."

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