The World Must Condemn The Use Of Kh-22 Missiles Against Civilians, Ukraine: That's Terrorism

The impact of the Russian attack on Dnipro, Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/State Emergency Service of Ukraine)

JAKARTA - Ukrainian officials have called on the world community to condemn the Russian military's use of Kh-22 missiles against civilians, after the attack that hit apartments on the Dnipro.

Ukrainian authorities and rescue teams are doing their best to rescue and search for victims of the Russian missile attack on apartments in Dnipro on Saturday, although dozens of people are presumed dead.

"The use of such missiles against densely populated cities is actually terrorism against the civilian population. It was the Kh-22 missile, an old Soviet missile, developed in the Soviet Union, that brought so much sorrow to the residents of the Dnipro yesterday," said Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for The Air Force Command of Ukraine said this in a Ukrainian TV program, launching Ukrinform January 16.

"We remember Kremenchuk (June 2022 missile attack on the Amstor shopping center that killed 20 people), what happened there? This is not shameful, there must be an appropriate legal assessment - what happened in Kremenchuk, in Dnipro, and in other cities where this missile is used, it must be condemned by the world community in the harshest way," said Ihnat.

He recalled that the enemy had used more than 210 such missiles on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.

Eternal memory to all whose lives were taken by 🇷🇺 terror! The world must stop evil. Debris clearance in Dnipro continues. All services are working. We're fighting for every person, every life. We'll find everyone involved in terror. Everyone will bear responsibility. Utmost. pic.twitter.com/zG4rIF8nzC

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 14, 2023

Ihnat added that to destroy such missiles, Ukraine needs a modern air defense system capable of hitting ballistic targets, including the Iskander, a potential Iranian-made missile, if Russia accepts it, as well as one of the most powerful but inaccurate missiles, such as the Kh-22 missile.

Separately, adviser to the regional governor Natalia Babachenko said 30 people were confirmed dead so far and more than 30 were hospitalized, including 12 in serious condition as a result of the attack. Between 30 and 40 people could still be trapped under the rubble, she said, citing Reuters.

Meanwhile, in a speech the night after the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Western allies to supply more weapons to end "Russian terror" and attacks on civilian targets.

As previously reported, Russia fired two waves of missiles into Ukraine on Saturday, hitting targets across the country, as fighting raged on the battlefield in the eastern towns of Soledar and Bakhmut.

In a statement on Sunday about the previous day's strike, the Russian Ministry of Defense did not name the Dnipro as a specific target.

"All assigned objects were hit. Target of attack has been achieved," he said.