Russia launched another barrage of missile strikes in Ukraine on Tuesday, hitting residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia and electrical infrastructure in Lviv, Ukrainian officials said.
Why it matters: The strikes come on the heels of Russia's largest bombardment of Ukraine since the start of the war on Monday, which hit cities all across the country, including the capital Kyiv.
- An estimated 19 people were killed and another 105 wounded in the missile attacks on Monday, Ukraine's state emergency service wrote in a Telegram post.
State of play: At least one was killed in the missile attack on Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday, AP reported.
- Another person was killed in Lviv, where strikes on electrical infrastructure caused power outages and a water shortage, regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy tweeted.
- Air raid warning sirens sounded across the country on Tuesday, while residents in Kyiv also received blaring alerts on their phones warning of potential missile strikes.
The big picture: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared the onslaught of strikes to be revenge for an attack on a bridge linking Crimea with mainland Russia.
- That explosion of a bridge caused extensive damage and disrupted a critical route for resupplying Russian troops in Ukraine.
- Putin on Sunday claimed the bridge explosion was a terrorist attack by Ukraine.
- Zaporizhzhia has been targeted by Russian missile attacks multiple times in recent days, including over the weekend and on Thursday.
What they're saying: The United Nations human rights office said Russia's strikes appear to have targeted civilians, which would violate international law.
- "We are very concerned about the series of attacks that took place, it appears to be in a coordinated fashion, across Ukraine yesterday," Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said at a press conference.
- "We have to stress that intentionally directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects — that is, objects which are not military objectives — amounts to a war crime," she added.
