President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has heard first-hand what people in Ukraine's recaptured northeastern towns experienced under Russian forces, as a major city struggled to contain damage to its water system from missile attacks.
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Kryvyi Rih - the largest city in central Ukraine, with an estimated pre-war population of 650,000 - was targeted by eight cruise missiles on Wednesday, officials said.
"The water pumping station was destroyed. The river broke through the dam and overflowed its banks. Residential buildings are just a few metres away from the river," Ukrainian legislator Inna Sovsun said on Twitter.
The missile strikes hit the Karachunov reservoir dam, Zelenskiy said in a video address released early on Thursday.
The water system had no military value and hundreds of thousands of civilians depend on it daily, he said.
The video was released after Zelenskiy's return to Kyiv from the Kharkiv region and following word from his office that his car had collided with a private vehicle in the capital.
"The president was examined by a doctor, no serious injuries were found," spokesman Serhii Nykyforov said in a Facebook post early on Thursday.
Russian forces have suffered a stunning reversal this month after Ukrainian troops made a rapid thrust in Kharkiv region.
Zelenskiy on Wednesday made a surprise visit to Izium - until four days ago Russia's main bastion and logistics hub in the region - where he watched as the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag was raised in front of the charred city council building.
"Our law enforcers are already receiving evidence of murder, torture, and abductions of people by the occupiers," Zelenskiy said in his address.
Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians, and Reuters could not immediately verify the claims.
On the main thoroughfare, no buildings were left unscathed.
Zelenskiy handed out medals to soldiers who freed the Balakliia area, another town retaken in recent days. Citizens and police told reporters civilians were killed during months of Russian occupation.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter about the attacks on Kryvyi Rih.
"Beaten by Ukrainian army on the battlefield, Russian cowards are now at war with our critical infrastructure and civilians. Russia is a terrorist state and must be recognised as such," he said.
In that vein, US senators from both sides of politics introduced legislation that would designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. The measure is opposed by President Joe Biden's administration.
Zelenskiy was scheduled to speak to the United Nations General Assembly on September 21, and the assembly was due to consider on Friday a proposal for him to address the annual gathering of world leaders in a recorded video. Russia is opposed to Zelenskiy speaking.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said after talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he was hopeful a UN-brokered deal on Ukrainian Black Sea grain exports would be expanded to include Russian ammonia, a main ingredient in nitrate fertiliser. Shortages of fertiliser are contributing to a global food crisis.
Also on the diplomatic front, Putin and China's President Xi Jinping will discuss Ukraine and Taiwan at a meeting in Uzbekistan on Thursday which the Kremlin said would hold "special significance" given the geopolitical situation.
Western politicians and military officials have said it is too early to tell whether Ukraine's success marked a turning point in the war because Russia had yet to fully respond.
"We should avoid euphoria. There is still a lot of work to be done to liberate our lands, and Russia has a large number of weapons," Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the national security and defence council, said in an online post.
On the road into Izium, bus stops were daubed with 'Z' markings, the symbol Russian forces use to identify themselves, and the charred remains of tanks and armoured personnel carriers lay by the roadside.
A day after speaking by phone for 90 minutes to Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the Russian president "unfortunately" still did not think his invasion was a mistake.
Australian Associated Press
