Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday described a large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine as Moscow’s response to Kyiv’s use of Western-supplied long-range weapons against Russian territory.
Speaking during a visit to Kazakhstan, Putin said the operation was a reaction to Ukraine’s deployment of U.S.-made ATACMS missiles in strikes on Russia. “We carried out a comprehensive strike,” Putin stated in televised remarks. “It was a response to continued attacks on our territory.”
Largest Assault in Months
The Russian assault involved over 90 missiles and 100 drones, targeting 17 locations across Ukraine. The attack left more than one million Ukrainians without power in freezing temperatures.
Putin, who rarely discloses such specifics, claimed Russia was aware of the quantity and locations of Western-supplied weapons in Ukraine. “We know how many long-range weapons have been delivered to Kyiv and where they are,” he asserted.
Testing the Oreshnik Missile
The Russian leader revealed that Moscow had “tested” its new Oreshnik ballistic missile in a strike on Ukraine last week, a move that shocked Kyiv and its Western allies. Putin warned of further use of the weapon if Ukrainian forces continued to strike Russian territory with Western arms.
The Oreshnik, Putin boasted, could reduce targets “to dust” and rival the power of a nuclear strike when fired in numbers. He described its capabilities, claiming the missile could travel “around three kilometers per second” and that its attacking elements reach temperatures comparable to “the surface of the Sun.”
“If there are more strikes on Russian territory using Western long-range missiles,” Putin warned, “we will be responding, including with possible continued testing of Oreshniks in combat conditions.”
Targets in Ukraine and Alleged Ukrainian Strikes in Russia
Putin confirmed that Russian forces were targeting critical infrastructure and “decision-making centers in Kyiv” in retaliation. He also accused Ukraine of attempting strikes on “buildings of state importance in Saint Petersburg and Moscow” throughout the ongoing conflict.
The escalation comes as Russia faces increasing international condemnation for its attacks on civilian infrastructure, with Western nations continuing to supply advanced weaponry to Ukraine in its defense.
The Kremlin’s actions and rhetoric mark a dangerous intensification of the war, as tensions rise over the potential use of increasingly destructive weapons.
