- President Zelensky called Russia's missile strike on Kharkiv a "war crime" and "state terrorism."
- Ukraine's second-largest city was hit on Tuesday by a cruise missile strike, Zelensky said.
- It comes a day after dozens of people were reportedly killed in Kharkiv from other Russian strikes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia's missile strike on Kharkiv's Freedom Square a "war crime" and "state terrorism."
"This attack on Kharkiv is a war crime. This is state terrorism of the Russian Federation," Zelensky said in a video statement posted on Telegram on Tuesday. "After that, Russia is a terrorist state, obviously."
Zelensky said that Freedom Square in Ukraine's second-largest city was hit on Tuesday by a cruise missile strike and that there were "dozens of victims." It was not immediately clear how many individuals were killed or injured.
The Tuesday attack comes a day after Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko said that dozens of people were reportedly killed in Russian strikes in Kharkiv on Monday.
Zelensky called on other countries to respond immediately to the "criminal tactic," urging the international community to condemn Russia and demanding that those responsible for the strikes be sent to an international court.
"The rocket aimed at the central square is an outright terror," Zelensky said. "No one will forgive. No one will forget."
The US State Department on Monday accused Russia of "widespread" human rights abuses in Ukraine, while top human rights groups warned that ongoing bombings against Ukrainian citizens may be considered war crimes.
"Russia's invasion has damaged and destroyed schools, hospitals, radio stations, and homes, killing and injuring civilians, including children," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement during a United Nations Human Rights Council meeting.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor for the International Criminal Court said he is seeking approval to investigate Russia for possible "war crimes and crimes against humanity" in Ukraine.
"I am satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to believe that both alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ukraine," Karim Khan said in a statement on Monday.