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PRESIDENT Volodymyr Zelensky declared Russian terror must be stopped after Vladimir Putin\u2019s forces killed at least 51 people in a \u201cgenocidal\u201d missile attack.<\/p>\n
Dozens were killed as they attended a memorial service at a caf\u00e9 in the tiny village of Hroza in Kharkiv Oblast.<\/p>\n
A six-year-old boy was among those killed, with bodies left lying alongside slabs of concrete and twisted metal as rescue teams searched through the rubble.<\/p>\n
The death toll is expected to rise, with as much as ten per cent of the village\u2019s entire population feared to have been wiped out.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Granada, Spain, on Thursday as he called for Western allies to give Kyiv more air defence systems.<\/p>\n
Confirming the atrocity in Hroza, Mr Zelensky said: \u201cA demonstrably brutal Russian crime \u2013 a rocket attack on an ordinary grocery store, a completely deliberate act of terrorism.<\/p>\n
\u201cRussian terror must be stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll those who help Russia circumvent sanctions are criminals.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone who supports Russia until now supports evil.<\/p>\n
\u201cRussia needs this and similar terrorist attacks for only one thing: to make its genocidal aggression the new norm for the whole world. And I thank every leader, every nation that supports us in protecting life.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow we are talking with European leaders, in particular, about strengthening our air defence, in particular, about strengthening our soldiers, in particular, about giving our country protection from terror.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we will answer the terrorists. Absolutely fair. And powerfully.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ukrainian forces recaptured the village last year as part of a sweeping counteroffensive in Kharkiv oblast.<\/p>\n
The village is 25 miles from the current frontline.<\/p>\n
The cafe was completely obliterated during the atrocity. Initial analysis suggested the Russians targeted the caf\u00e9 with an Iskander ballistic missile.<\/p>\n
READ MORE <\/strong> Humiliation for Russia as Putin’s air force ‘shoot down one of their own'[L] <\/strong><\/p>\n About 60 people were in the cafe at the time, he added. They had gathered for a memorial lunch, which was being held for a villager who recently died. About one in 10 people in the village of Hroza, which has a population of 500, were killed in the attack.<\/p>\n Just hours after one of the deadliest atrocities of the war, President Putin warned of a nuclear annihilation if there was an attack on Russia and accused the West of \u201ccreating a new iron curtain\u201d.<\/p>\n And President Zelensky warned any let up in Western support for Ukraine would lead to Putin ordering an attack on another European country.<\/p>\n Citing Ukrainian intelligence, he said: \u201cRussia is now considering various scenarios for the coming years. \u201cOne of them is particularly dangerous. If there is some pause in the aggression against Ukraine and any freezing of the situation, there will be a new critical moment: 2028.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Russia is allowed to adapt now, by 2028 the Kremlin will be able to restore the military potential that we destroyed and it will have enough to attack the countries in focus of Russian expansion.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Putin seemingly made the case for increased Western support, saying Ukraine would only have a \u201cweek to live\u201d if NATO allies stopped sending the heroic defenders ammunition.<\/p>\n The Russian leader ramped up his threats of nuclear war on Thursday, claiming it had successfully tested the nuclear-powered nuclear-capable Burevestnik strategic cruise missile and almost completed work on its nuclear-capable Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile system.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the event of an attack on Russia, no one has any chance of survival,\u201d he said. Putin also claimed that Russia\u2019s mission was to create a \u201cnew world\u201d and blamed Western dominance for Moscow\u2019s grinding offensive in Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are tasked, essentially, with building a new world,\u201d Putin said, adding the West was aiming for global \u201chegemony\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe West always needs an enemy,\u201d he said. The Russian dictator claimed the conflict in Ukraine was \u201cnot a territorial\u201d one and that Moscow has \u201cno interests from the point of view of conquering some territories.\u201d<\/p>\n He said: \u201cThe war, which was started by the Kyiv regime with active support from the West, has been going on already for 10 years.<\/p>\n \u201cThe special military operation was launched to stop it,\u201d he said, using Moscow\u2019s term for the offensive.<\/p>\n He also accused Europe of \u201ccreating a new Iron Curtain\u201d with his country, as Moscow faces unprecedented isolation and huge sanctions over its dragging Ukraine offensive.<\/p>\n \u201cEurope is fencing itself off from us and creating a new Iron Curtain,\u201d Putin said. \u201cWe are not the ones shutting the door. It\u2019s Europe that\u2019s shutting the door.\u201d<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n