Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba alleged Sunday that Russian forces attacked the Vinnytsia airport with eight cruise missiles.
“Against our city, against our peaceful Vinnytsia which never posed a threat to Russia in any way,” Zelensky said in a video on Twitter. “A brutal, cynical missile strike has completely destroyed the airport.”
“Eight Russian cruise missiles hit Vinnytsia, a large city far from the frontline,” said Kuleba on Twitter. Russian President Vladimir Putin “continues his cowardly & barbaric missile strikes, air bombardment of civilians. Help us close the sky and save lives! Provide air and missile defense, combat aircraft! Stop Russian terrorism!” he added.
The airport also is “where the 456th separate mixed aviation brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is based,” according to a Twitter post from the Russian embassy. It posted a satellite map that allegedly showed An-26 aircraft, “including those in camouflage and a Mi-8 helicopter.”
Last week, the head of NATO and top White House officials repeatedly insisted that there would not be a no-fly zone, saying that such a move would most likely escalate the conflict and lead to a wider European war, or even a third world war.
On Sunday, Putin told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could be halted “only if Kyiv ceases hostilities and fulfills the well-known demands of Russia,” according to state-run media.
“Hope was expressed that during the planned next round of negotiations, the representatives of Ukraine would show a more constructive approach, fully taking into account the emerging realities,” said his statement.
