The barrage of Russian missiles launched at Kyiv on Friday at the same time President Cyril Ramaphosa’s peace mission was about to start was a “message to Africa that Russia wants more war, not peace”.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, was quoted as saying this in response to the attack at 11am on Friday morning.
According to the Ukrainian air force, six Kinzhal ballistic missiles and six Kalibr cruise missiles were used in the attack. Ukrainian air defence systems neutralised the missiles before they could hit any target.
The African group of statesmen — in Ukraine to broker a peace deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year — arrived with air raid sirens going full blast.
Reuters reported that its camera crew saw the peacekeeping group entering an air raid shelter at a hotel shortly after their arrival in Kyiv. It was only after the all-clear was sounded that the visitors continued with their programme as planned.
Vincent Magwenya, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, stated that the group did not hear any sirens or explosions and that everybody was safe.
Kuleba said the missile attack was the biggest of its kind in weeks and it could not have been by chance or planned without knowing when the African leaders would arrive.
It was reminiscent of similar attacks launched by Russia during the earlier visits of US President Joe Biden and UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, Andrii Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, told the Kyiv Independent on Friday.
Yermak said Putin “wants to demonstrate that he is willing to disregard the safety of foreign leaders and he actually doesn’t care because he feels complete impunity”.
Ramaphosa’s peace mission was supposed to consist of six African presidents from Comoros, Egypt, South Africa, Senegal, Congo-Brazzaville and Zambia, but Uganda, Congo-Brazzaville and Egypt sent ministers instead.
Ramaphosa, Zambian president Haikande Hichilema, Senegalese president Macky Sall and Comoran president Azali Assoumani were expected to meet with Zelensky before flying to St Petersburg to meet with Putin later this weekend.
The SAA Airbus A340 with Ramaphosa’s 100-strong security team and its armaments were on Friday afternoon denied permission to fly ahead after the aircraft was stuck at Warsaw’s Chopin Airport for more than 24 hours. The Polish border police, Straz Graniczna, said in a media statement on social media on Friday that the delegation decided to stay on board the charter plane.
“The members of the delegation had weapons with them, not having a permission for its import, but they were allowed to leave the plane by themselves. Passengers made the decision to stay on board till the moment when the flight will be continued,” the statement read.
“The crew members were subject to a border check by the BG (Border Guard) officers and after it took rest.”
Shortly after the flight was cancelled because the border police apparently wanted to inspect the contents of 12 crates of weapons and equipment on board.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.