Putin’s ‘harsh’ retaliatory strikes on Ukraine escalates tensions

VIENNA – Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered a barrage of rocket attacks against Kyiv and nine other Ukrainian cities, an action the Russian president himself characterized as a “harsh” response to an explosion on a crucial bridge linking Russia to the occupied Crimean peninsula.

The White House condemned the attacks, which killed at least 11 people, saying they had no military purpose and demonstrated “the utter brutality of Mr. Putin’s illegal war on the Ukrainian people.”

“These attacks only further reinforce our commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” President Biden said in the statement.

The escalation comes as the U.S., allies and security experts have raised the alarm that the prospect of nuclear confrontation to its most dangerous point since the Cold War.