Russian Terror: Ukraine Envoy Urges Africa to Act as Putin Launches Mass Missile, Drone Strikes

• In just one week, Russian missile and drone strikes killed several civilians and injured hundreds more across Ukrainian cities
• Ukraine’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Ivan Kholostenko, condemned these acts as deliberate attacks on civilians, as he once again opened the Book of Condolences in Abuja
• The envoy urged African nations and the international community to take decisive action to prevent further humanitarian, ecological, and security catastrophes

FCT, Abuja - Russia has continued its attacks on Ukraine, as Moscow now poses a threat not only to Kyiv but the global peace and security as a whole.

With the world's attention shifted to the Israel-Iran war, President Vladimir Putin ordered the launch of mass missile and drone strikes targeting peaceful Ukrainian cities.

Russian terror: A week in the lives of innocent Ukrainians

On Tuesday, June 17, in its bid to cause maximum civilian casualties, Russia used cluster munitions and struck a residential building with a missile. As a result, 28 civilians were killed and 134 injured in Kyiv alone. In other cities across Ukraine, at least 30 people were killed and 172 were wounded.

On Friday, June 20, one person was killed and about 20 were wounded, including two girls aged 12 and 17, and three emergency workers from the State Emergency Service who had arrived at the site of the previous attack.

On Monday, June 23, a rocket strike in Kyiv caused a residential building to collapse. Seven people were killed, and 22 were wounded. In the city of Bila Tserkva, a missile hit both residential and medical infrastructure, killing one person and injuring eight, including two rescuers. In Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi city, a missile strike on a school killed two and injured 12.

On Tuesday, June 24, at night, a massive strike on the city of Dnipro killed at least 20 people and wounded 279, including 27 children.

“This is just one week in the lives of millions of Ukrainians," the Ambassador of Ukraine to Nigeria, Mr. Ivan Kholostenko, told Legit.ng as the Embassy in Nigeria once again opened a Book of Condolences.

The envoy emphasised that these continued strikes increasingly resemble a deliberate campaign to destroy civilians and infrastructure, leaving no doubt about Russia’s true intentions.

"The lack of humanity is appalling— the attack damaged homes, schools, and even a passenger train carrying over 500 people," he added.

“We are referring to pure statistics — and they are terrifying."

Russian attacks: Ukraine envoy welcomes UN report

The Ambassador also welcomed the recent report of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, released on Sunday, May 25. Legit.ng gathers that the report documents systematic attacks by Russian drones against civilians in Kherson and other populated areas on the right bank of the Kherson region.

It was learned that the UN commission collected multiple testimonies and video evidence proving that the Russian strikes were deliberate and systematic, constituting grave violations of the Geneva Conventions.

“I welcome the fact that international accountability mechanisms are beginning to function. I look forward to a reaction from our African partners. Evil triumphs where the truth remains silent,” stated Ambassador Kholostenko.

Commenting further, the envoy stressed that the actions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine pose a threat to the entire world.

He particularly drew attention to the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear facility in Europe, which has been under Russian military control for over two years. The plant suffers from equipment degradation, staff shortages, safety breaches, and militarisation. Any attempt to restart it under such conditions would amount to an act of nuclear terrorism with potentially catastrophic consequences.

“Russia is blatantly violating nuclear safety principles. This is not only a Ukrainian issue— it is a threat to the whole planet,” the Ambassador warned.

Russian war: Envoy lists ecological consequences

Ambassador Kholostenko also highlighted the ecological consequences of the invasion: deliberate destruction of ecosystems, water pollution, and soil contamination, all of which have long-term effects on the environment, global climate, and human health.

The envoy also stressed the effect of the Russian aggression on global food security, noting that one hectare of Ukrainian farmland can feed 18 people for a year. He, however, listed the mounting risks Ukraine faces due to the Russian attacks. These include:

• Millions of tons of Ukrainian grain have been stolen by Russian forces.
• Vast amounts are lost due to mined fields, the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Plant by Russian forces, and inadequate storage conditions.
• Hundreds of tons of agricultural products have been destroyed during Russian strikes on port infrastructure.

Envoy condemns Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports

Ambassador Kholostenko also condemned Russia’s ongoing blockade of Ukrainian ports, which he noted makes it impossible to deliver grain to countries in need, particularly in Africa, causing sharp increases in global food prices.

“Russia is deliberately and criminally undermining global food security, especially in Africa,” the envoy stated.

“Yet even under such circumstances, Ukraine continues to fulfill its role as a guarantor of global food security.”

He recalled that on 26 November 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy launched the humanitarian initiative "Grain from Ukraine", which has already delivered over 286,000 tons of food products to 15 countries in Africa and Asia.

International community urged to take action

Ambassador Kholostenko called on the international community, and especially African partners, to take decisive action to protect nuclear facilities, strengthen sanctions against Russia, and support global peace and security.

“We must stop Russia before its aggression becomes a catastrophic global threat,” the envoy concluded.

As Trump mulls sanctions, Russia's military economy slows

Meanwhile, after three years of doom-defying growth, Russia's heavily militarised economy is slowing, facing a widening budget deficit and weak oil prices, all under the threat of more Western sanctions.

Huge spending on guns, tanks, drones, missiles and soldiers for the Ukraine campaign helped ensure Moscow bucked predictions of economic collapse after it launched its offensive in 2022.

"It is no longer possible to pull the economy along by the military-industrial complex alone," Natalia Zubarevich, an economist at Moscow State University, told AFP.

Source: Legit.ng