Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed that Moscow launched 100 drones and 90 missiles at Ukraine over the past two days, "in response to strikes deep" within its own territory.
During a security alliance meeting of former Soviet nations in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, Putin also threatened to target Kyiv with a new missile, following Ukrainian reports that Russian attacks had struck the country's power infrastructure.
Putin highlighted Russia's recent deployment of the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro during his address at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit. He announced that serial production of the nuclear-capable missile was underway and revealed that the Ministry of Defence was selecting new targets in Ukraine for future strikes.
These targets, he warned, could include "decision-making centres" in Kyiv, a potential response to Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian territory carried out with Western-supplied weapons.
Putin also said that Moscow will use "all means of destruction at Russia's disposal" to stop Ukraine from ever getting hold of nuclear weapons, according to Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti. "We will not allow this."
Ukraine's Energy Minister, German Galushchenko, announced Thursday that the country's power infrastructure had suffered a "massive enemy attack," forcing the national power grid operator to impose emergency power cuts. The strikes come as Ukraine faces freezing temperatures, further exacerbating the challenges for civilians and critical services.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack a "despicable escalation", adding that Russia was using cluster munitions.
"In several regions, strikes with cluster munitions were recorded, and they targeted civilian infrastructure," he said in a post on Telegram. "This is a very despicable escalation of Russian terrorist tactics."
Cluster munitions have caused over 1,000 casualties in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, according to the Cluster Munition Coalition's (CMC) annual report released in September.
