Monday dawned with a massive Russian missile attack against cities in Ukraine. No less than 10 strikes were targeted against the capital Kyiv. Explosions rang out in Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia, Cherkasy and Vinnytsia region, UNIAN reports. The attacks against civilian targets come as another act of revenge by the Kremlin for the successful Ukrainian operation by maritime and air drones against the Russian military base in Sevastopol.

“What did the world hear? That someone allegedly launches drones from a bulker... at first they talked about “war birds”, then “war insects”, now “war grain”... A killer wheat which drowns Russian admirals. Well, what can you say? They are truly sick people. But these sick people are once again putting the world on the brink of a severe food crisis,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address, commenting on Russia’s withdrawal from the deal for the shipping of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea under UN control. Moscow alleges that Saturday’s attack against its Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol was started from a ship transporting grain.

Meanwhile, the United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine pressed ahead to implement a Black Sea grain deal and agreed on a transit plan for Monday for 16 vessels to move forward, despite Russia's withdrawal from the pact that has allowed the export of Ukrainian agricultural products to world markets, Reuters reports. More than 200 cargo ships have been blocked because of Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal, the Ukrainian authorities say.