Two rockets were fired into the city, including one that struck the lower floors of a 25-storey apartment building, injuring at least 10 people, officials said. The head of the United Nations visited cities in Ukraine where evidence of mass killings of civilians was revealed after the withdrawal of Russian forces. But Vladimir Putin’s forces struck Kyiv shortly after a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Guterres. The UN chief and Putin had talks in Moscow on Tuesday. In the attack in the Ukrainian capital, one person lost a leg and other people were trapped in the rubble when two buildings were hit. “Reliable information” Russia executes Ukrainians trying to surrender – latest updates Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the president’s office, wrote on Twitter: “Rockets hit the center of Kiev during the official visit of @antonioguterres. “The day before he was sitting at a long table in the Kremlin and today the explosions are over his head. Postcard from Moscow? Remember why Russia still has a seat on the UN Security Council?” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the Shevchenkivskyi district in the northwestern part of the city had been hit twice, causing fires in at least two high-rise buildings. The blasts sent plumes of black smoke into the air shortly after a press conference by the two leaders, in which Mr Guterres condemned the atrocities committed in cities such as Bouha, where there is evidence of mass killings of civilians. Authorities said the UN leader and his team were safe. “Citizens pay the highest price” Mr Guterres has toured cities outside Kyiv, including Bucha, that have witnessed some of the most horrific violence in the war. “Civilians always pay the highest price,” Guterres said during a visit to the bombed-out suburb of Irpin. “And this is something that everyone should remember, everywhere in the world. Where there is war, the highest price is paid by civilians.” He made the remarks two days after meeting with Putin in Moscow, during which the United Nations said it had agreed to evacuate a besieged steel plant in the city of Mariupol. Image: Ukrainian military fires with BM-21 Grad multiple-launcher system in Luhansk region Earlier in the day, he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who argued that Moscow was effectively at war with NATO and said the threat of a nuclear conflict “should not be underestimated”. Ukraine, meanwhile, said Russia’s offensive in the east had gained momentum, with several cities being heavily attacked. Moscow forces were trying to encircle Ukrainian troops after Russia abruptly cut off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, two NATO nations, on Wednesday in what is seen as an attempt to punish and divide the West over its support for the West. in Ukraine. Russia is advancing the second phase of the invasion The general staff of the Ukrainian army said that the Russian forces were “firing heavily” as they proceeded to the second phase of their invasion. The fiercest fighting took place around Donetsk and near Kharkiv, which lies outside the Donbass region but is seen as key to Russia’s apparent attempt to encircle Ukrainian troops there. The General Staff said Ukrainian forces had repulsed six attacks in Donbas in the past 24 hours. The governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Haidai, said Russian forces had bombed the area “29 times with aircraft, multiple rocket launchers, artillery shells and mortars”. Image: Smoke rises above the Zovstal steelworks Battle at the Azovstal steel plant Satellite images show extensive damage to a central facility at the Azovstal steel plant, where Ukrainian fighters are stationed on the main battlefield of the city of Mariupol. About 1,000 civilians are estimated to be sheltered by about 2,000 Ukrainian fighters in the large Soviet-era complex. Read more: How the Azovstal steel plant turned into the last outpost in the brutal battle for MariupolWhat happened in Bucha and Russian soldiers committed war crimes? The governor of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kirilenko, said that Russia does not allow the evacuation of wounded Ukrainian fighters from the steel plant. He also accused Moscow of not allowing humanitarian corridors to be set up to evacuate civilians from the area. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:47 Russian state media published footage from a drone showing a flyover of a steel plant in Mariupol The Russian fleet remains a threat It comes as the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) says the Russian Black Sea Fleet retains the ability to hit coastal targets despite the losses of the Saratov landing craft and the cruiser Moskva. The Foreign Ministry said about 20 Russian Navy vessels, including submarines, were in the Black Sea operational zone. “The Bosphorus Strait remains closed to all non-Turkish warships, rendering Russia incapable of replacing the lost Moskva cruiser in the Black Sea,” he added.
