Czech officials condemn Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities

Leading Czech politicians and official channels have condemned Monday’s wave of Russian rocket strikes against Ukrainian cities. The Twitter account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the attacks as “another display of Russian cynicism and barbarism” and called on the Russian Federation to “stop this senseless war!”

Prime Minister Petr Fiala stated that the attacks on Ukrainian cities are not aimed at damaging military infrastructure. “It’s about murdering the civilian population and spreading fear,” he said. Deputy Premier Ivan Bartoš called the bombings “nothing else than a vengeful war crime” and offered his condolences to the victims. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security, Pavel Fischer, said that the extensive rocket strikes against Ukraine show these are not accidents but an intentional “war crime”.

The wave of Russian strikes came just two days after an explosion damaged the Kerch bridge, which connects mainland Russia with the occupied Crimean peninsula. In a Monday speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Kerch bridge explosion a “terrorist attack”, blaming Ukraine for the incident. He threatened a “harsh response” if such attacks were to continue. The BBC reports that Ukraine's air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said Russia launched 83 missiles of which than 43 had been shot down by air defences.