<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Ukraine denounced Russia as a "terrorist state" at an urgent United Nations General Assembly meeting Monday following its neighbor's latest attacks, as Western powers sought to underscore Moscow's isolation.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The UN called the debate to discuss Russia's declared annexation of four partly occupied Ukrainian regions, but the debate was overshadowed by strikes on Kyiv and other cities in one of the most punishing assaults on Ukraine in months.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Russia has proven once again that this is a terrorist state that must be deterred in the strongest possible ways," said Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's ambassador to the UN in his opening remarks, adding his own immediate family had come under attack.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Unfortunately, you can hardly call for a stable and sane peace as long as an unstable and insane dictatorship exists in your vicinity," he added, telling member states at least 14 civilians were killed and 97 wounded in the attacks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Responding, Vasily Nebenzya of Russia did not directly address the missile strikes, but defended his country's annexation of Ukrainian regions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We are being accused when we are trying to protect our brothers and sisters in eastern Ukraine," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ahead of the General Assembly session, and with tensions at a boiling point, UN chief Antonio Guterres described Russia's attacks as an "unacceptable escalation of the war," his spokesman said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">US President Joe Biden, meanwhile, condemned the strikes in stark terms, saying they "demonstrate the utter brutality" of Putin's "illegal war."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed even more "severe" retaliation after the recent explosion that damaged a key bridge in Moscow-annexed Crimea.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">- 'Illegal annexations' -</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The decision to bring the annexation matter before the General Assembly, where the 193 UN members have one vote each -- and no one wields veto power -- was taken after Russia used its veto in a Security Council meeting September 30 to block a similar proposal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The vote is expected no sooner than Wednesday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We do not and will never recognise the illegal so-called 'referenda' that Russia has engineered as a pretext for this further violation of Ukraine's independence," said Silvio Gonzato, a representative of the European Union, which helped draft the text.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The resolution condemns Russia's "attempted illegal annexations" of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson following "so-called referendums," and it stresses these actions have "no validity under international law."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It calls on all states, international organizations and agencies not to recognize the annexations, and demands the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In response to the resolution, Russia had written to all member states in a letter attacking "Western delegations" whose actions "have nothing to do with protection of international law and the principles of the UN Charter."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nebenzya said that given the circumstances, the General Assembly should vote by secret ballot -- a highly unusual procedure normally reserved for matters like electing the rotating members of the Security Council.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><b>- 'A bit of desperation' -</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But Albania tabled a resolution against a secret ballot, winning with 107 votes in favor, 13 against, and 39 abstentions. Russia lost a subsequent appeal to the motion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Guterres himself has bluntly denounced the annexations as being "against everything the international community is meant to stand for," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It has no place in the modern world. It must not be accepted."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">During last month's Security Council vote, no other country sided with Russia, though four delegations -- China, India, Brazil and Gabon -- abstained.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some developing countries have complained the West is devoting all its attention to Ukraine, and others might be tempted to join them this week.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The vote will provide a clear picture of exactly how isolated Russia has become. Given the high stakes, backers of the draft are going all out to win over potential abstentionists.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Monday, Ukrainian diplomat Dmytro Kuleba issued a plea to African nations, telling them: "Neutrality will only encourage Russia to continue its aggression and malign activities across the world, including in Africa." AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>