UN chief Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned Russia for launching a barrage of fatal bombardments across Ukraine, describing it as an “unacceptable escalation of the war,” his spokesman said.

“The Secretary-General is deeply shocked by today’s large-scale missile attacks by the armed forces of the Russian Federation on cities across Ukraine that reportedly resulted in widespread damage to civilian areas and led to dozens of people being killed and injured,” Guterres’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

“This constitutes another unacceptable escalation of the war and, as always, civilians are paying the highest price.”