Vladimir Putin, hours after Moscow hammered Ukraine’s electricity grid in an attack that left a million people without power, vowed Thursday to use Russia’s new hypersonic missile to hit “decision-making centres” in Kyiv.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, called on his partners to decisively respond to Russian “blackmail” after Russia fired over 90 missiles and almost 100 drones during the bombardment, according to Kyiv.
Putin said that the new barrage was a “response” to Ukrainian strikes using Western missiles on his territory.
Both sides are using new weapons in an attempt to gain the upper hand before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, marking a dramatic escalation in the almost three-year conflict in recent days.
“We do not rule out the use of Oreshnik against the military, military-industrial or decision-making centres, including in Kyiv,” Putin told a press conference in the Kazakh capital Astana, referring to the hypersonic missile.
Although there is strict security in place in Kyiv’s government district, which is where many government buildings are situated, concerns about it have increased in the past week.
Putin claimed on Thursday that unleashing multiple Oreshnik ballistic missiles at once would have the same effect as a nuclear strike, or a “meteorite” hit, after Russia tested the missiles on Ukraine last week.
The midnight bombardment was described as a “response to continued attacks on our territory by (US) ATACMS missiles” by the head of the Kremlin.
“As I have said repeatedly, there will always be a response from our side.”
