“We, the Presidents of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia condemn the mass bombardments of Ukrainian cities recently carried out by Russia, which constitute war crimes under international law,” they said in a statement.
Russia refers to its efforts in Ukraine as a "special operation," which it claims are not intended to seize land but rather to undermine its southern neighbor's military prowess and catch nationalists it deems to be a threat. It has denied striking civilians on purpose.