As Russian missiles rained down on Kyiv, people sheltering in subway stations were singing

Viral videos have shown crowds singing patriotic Ukrainian songs as they sheltered from a wave of Russian missiles overhead.

Composite image of emergency responder walking past fire and debris in street, next to people singing in subway station.

As missiles wreaked havoc overhead, thousands of Ukrainian residents sought refuge in subway stations and united through patriotic songs. Source: SBS, AAP / Roman Hrytsyna/AP/Oleh Maksymiak/PA Media

Key Points
  • Viral videos have shown Ukrainian residents singing patriotic songs as they shelter from Russian missiles.
  • On Monday, Russian strikes hit locations across Ukraine, killing at least 11 people and injuring many more.
Ukrainian residents have united by singing patriotic songs as they sought shelter in subway stations in Kyiv from

A series of videos shared on social media show crowds of adults and children singing the national anthem and traditional Ukrainian songs after air raid sirens rang through major cities on Monday.

"Spirit of Ukrainians is unbreakable," the Twitter account UkraineWorld posted alongside a video.

"In the underground, where people found shelter from Russian attacks, they are singing Ukrainian songs."
Anton Gerashchenko, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, from former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill.

"If you're going through hell, keep going," he wrote.
The official page of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine also shared a video of Kyiv residents singing in a metro station during an air raid alert.

"Ukraine’s spirit is unbreakable," they wrote.
The missile strikes, which were condemned by leaders around the world, killed at least 11 people injured many more, and left swathes of the country without power.

They hit intersections, parks and tourist sites in the capital Kyiv and explosions were reported in Lviv, Ternopil and Zhytomyr in western Ukraine, Dnipro and Kremenchuk in the centre, Zaporizhzhia in the south and Kharkiv in the east.

The barrage of dozens of cruise missiles fired from air, land and sea was the biggest wave of air strikes to hit locations away from the front line - at least since the initial volleys on the war's first day, February 24.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had ordered "massive" long range strikes after an attack on the bridge linking Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula over the weekend and threatened more strikes in future if Ukraine hits Russian territory.
"To leave such acts without a response is simply impossible," he said, alleging other unspecified attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they were deliberately timed to kill people, as well as to knock out Ukraine's power grid.

"They are trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the earth," Mr Zelenskyy said.

United States President Joe Biden pledged to Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenskiy on Monday that his country will provide Ukraine with advanced air systems.

Mr Biden spoke with Mr Zelenskyy by phone after the attacks and pledged to continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, a White House statement said.
"He also underscored his ongoing engagement with allies and partners to continue imposing costs on Russia, holding Russia accountable for its war crimes and atrocities, and providing Ukraine with security, economic, and humanitarian assistance,' the statement said.

forces following the "appalling" attack on Kyiv, Defence Minister Richard Marles declared.

Mr Marles said he was with Ukraine's Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko when the "appalling" missile offensive was being launched at the country's capital.

The defence minister said sending Australian personnel to train up Ukrainian forces was under consideration, as was supplying more weaponry which Ukraine has been calling for.

"We will be working up further support for Ukraine and that's a conversation that we're having," he said.

"Training is one of the measures that is being looked at."

-Additional reporting from Reuters

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4 min read
Published 11 October 2022 9:55am
Updated 11 October 2022 10:07am
By Jessica Bahr
Source: SBS, AAP



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