As President Donald Trump pleaded with Vladimir Putin to “stop the killing”, the Kremlin dictator unleashed a devastating barrage of MiG-31 bombers on several Ukrainian cities
Vladimir Putin blatantly defied Donald Trump launching a massive aerial bombardment on Ukraine hours after the president again called on him to stop the killing.
The Kremlin dictator sent up his MiG-31 bombers – carriers of Kinzhal [Dagger] hypersonic missiles – and ordered the latest wanton carnage.
A swarm of Russian drones also staged fresh attacks. One civilian was killed as explosions were reported in four major Ukrainian cities. A huge bombardment of missiles and drones also cut out gas supplies in one region.
READ MORE: Russians flood streets singing banned song calling for Putin to be overthrownREAD MORE: Russian-Ukraine war could spark next pandemic as ‘breeding ground for disease X’
The aggressive show of strength by Putin came as his nemesis Volodymyr Zelensky headed to Washington to meet Donald Trump amid signs the American leader has agreed to supply long-range Tomahawk missiles to help Ukraine defend itself.
Putin’s latest offensive came soon after Trump had pleaded with the Kremlin warmonger to end the war. “All we want from President Putin is stop killing,” he said. He made clear he meant the slaughter of Ukrainians but added: “And stop killing Russians, because he’s killing a lot of Russians.” This “does not make him look good”.
Ukraine’s army general staff said today that Russia had lost 1,080 men – dead and wounded – in the past 24 hours as Putin refuses to halt his war and the toll rises.
Trump confirmed that Zelensky wants the firepower to hit back at Russia’s endless strikes. The US president said: “They want to go on offensive. I’ll make a determination on that. They would like to go offensive, you know that.” He added there were “other options” than Tomahawks, which Russia has claimed would be tantamount to a US declaration of war on Moscow.
“Russia used more than 300 strike drones and 37 missiles, including a significant number of ballistic ones, against Ukraine,” said Zelensky, who urged Trump to approve use of long-range Tomahawk missiles with a reach of 1,550 miles.
“The Russians are using double terror – striking with Shahed drones equipped with cluster munitions, and delivering repeated strikes to injure firefighters and energy workers who are working on repairs after the damage….
“Putin is deaf to everything the world says, so the only language he can still understand is the language of pressure. Pressure through sanctions, pressure through long-range capabilities.”
In Ukrainian region Poltava gas production was hit. Ukraine staged new strikes on Russian oil infrastructure which is gradually crippling Putin’s economy and war machine. Explosions rocked Saratov region and in Volgograd a major power line was disabled as energy facilities faced a “massive attack”. A major oil terminal in Feodosia, vital to Putin’s occupying forces, is ablaze for the fourth day after a devastating Ukrainian strike.
Meanwhile, there was a warning of Putin recalibrating his war machine if he stops fighting in Ukraine.
Finland’s Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said that even after the war in Ukraine ends, Russia will remain a serious threat to Europe. “Russia is indeed ramping up military efforts for the second phase of its potential aggression,” he said. “After the war in Ukraine, there are real threats to NATO.”
Lights went out across large swathes of Ukraine today after the Russian strikes on power plants.
Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Zaporizhia, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Khmelnytskyi, and Cherkasy regions all suffered power cuts.
A video showed the moment of a Ukrainian strike on a power plant in Russia’s Volgograd power plant.