Most important targets for Russia are Kyiv, Kharkiv cities: Ukrainian leader

By Ali Cura and Emre Gurkan Abay

KYIV (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday said Russia's most important targets in Ukraine are the cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv.

"If we protect Kyiv, we protect the state. This is the heart of our country and this heart should keep beating," Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation.

On a missile strike launched from the Russian city of Belgorod, hitting the central Freedom Square in Kharkiv on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said: "Freedom Square is the largest square in Europe. Dozens of people were made victims. This is the cost of freedom. This shows what the morning is like for people in Ukraine."

Underlining that Belgorod and Kharkiv had always been close to each other in spirit, he added that "everything has changed" after the strike.

"This is terror against our city. There were no military targets in the square. Settlements in Kharkiv were targeted."

He asserted that the attack on Kharkiv constituted a war crime, calling on the world to recognize it as "state terrorism" on the part of Moscow.

"We demand that terrorists be held accountable in international courts," he added.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began last Thursday, has been met by an outcry from the international community with the EU, UK, and US implementing a range of economic sanctions against the Kremlin.

Entering its sixth day, Russian forces have continued their attacks on multiple cities across Ukraine.

So far, at least 136 civilians, including 13 children, have been killed and 400 others, including 26 children, injured in Ukraine, according to UN figures.

Around 660,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday.