Russia admits attack on Guterres' hotel

Russia has admitted to carrying out an attack on a hotel in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who is visiting Kiev, is staying at the hotel. News The Guardian.

Picture: Collected

The attack came just hours after Guterres attended a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday (April 26th) local time. Guterres was staying at the PM's residence at the time.

Russia has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to AFP. They carried out such an attack for the first time in two weeks. A journalist named Vera Grich was killed in the attack. He was the producer of Radio Liberty, a US-funded radio station.

Russia's Defense Ministry says it has launched a high-powered long-range "air-based weapon" attack. It destroyed the Kiev Artiom missile and the Space Enterprise building.

President Zelensky has called on the world to protest the attack. "It's unfortunate," he said. Russia has not remarked on the occurrence.

A spokesman for the UN secretary-general, Stephen Dujarric, said one of the missiles fired by Russia had hit the hotel where the secretary-general was staying.

Although the Secretary General was not at the hotel at that time. He was leading a UN delegation to talks with the Prime Minister of Ukraine in his office.

Guterres told the BBC: I'm stunned that two rockets have detonated in the city where I am remaining. In fact, it is a dramatic battle. We have to stop this war and find a solution for this war. 

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov described the attack as "an attack on the security of the Secretary-General and on world security."

Guterres visited Moscow before visiting Kiev. During the visit he met with Russian President Vladimir Puti.. He has faced strong criticism from Ukraine.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also visited Kiev. Many Western leaders, including the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson, have visited Kiev. No attacks were reported in the area during their visit. This is the first time this has happened during the UN Secretary General's visit.