Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened on Thursday to attack kyiv with “Oreshnik” missiles, a hypersonic weapon used for the first time last week, after indicating that the massive bombings at dawn against Ukraine were in “response” to the firing of US ATACMS missiles against its territory.
“We do not rule out using Oreshnik against military targets, military-industrial facilities or decision-making centers, including in kyiv,” Putin said in a press conference broadcast on Russian television from Kazakhstan, where he is participating in a regional summit.
More than a million Ukrainians were left without electricity this Thursday after the massive air attack against civil energy infrastructure, according to different regional authorities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked his allies for “firm response” to Russia’s “blackmail.”
He denounced a “will to kill and destroy,” and accused Putin of seeking escalation and “not wanting this war to end.”
“We must respond together to the Russia’s attempt to make this situation even more unbearable and prolonging this war,” he added.
Since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Russia bombs the former Soviet republic and usually intensifies its attacks before winter, focusing especially on the energy network.
According to the Ukrainian air force, The Russian army fired 91 missiles and 97 explosive drones, of which they intercepted 79 and 35 respectively.
The projectiles hit infrastructure in several regions of Ukraine and caused power outages “throughout the country,” said Serguii Kovalenko, director of Yasno, one of the electricity supply companies.
Zelensky accused Moscow of having attacked energy infrastructure with “cluster” bombs, which “considerably complicates the task of our first responders and electrical engineers.”
“Serial” production of hypersonic missiles
From Kazakhstan, where he is participating in a regional summit, Vladimir Putin stated this Thursday that These bombings were “a response to the continuous attacks against our territory with ATACMS missiles.”
The Russian president said his troops launched 90 missiles and 100 explosive drones into Ukraine.
Last week, Putin had warned that Russia could directly attack countries that help kyiv or shoot again its intermediate-range hypersonic missile “Oreshnik” against Ukraine, a threat that it has not carried out so far.
This Thursday, the president noted that the “serial” production of this projectile new had already “begun.”
The Russian head of state once again extolled the virtues of this medium-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile, that is, up to 5,500 km, capable of reaching any target in Europe and even the American west coast if launched from the Russian Far East.
Before his Central Asian peers, Putin also claimed to know how many American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles are there in Ukraine, “where exactly are they and how many are going to be delivered.”
Putin also boasted that Russia produced many more missiles than “all NATO countries combined.” and that it was going to increase its production even more.
The Trump factor
In recent weeks, coinciding With the re-election of Donald Trump as American president, the conflict has worsened. His arrival at the White House is considered a possible turning point.
Highly critical of the billions of dollars of US aid given to Ukraine, the Republican leader promised resolve the conflict even before taking the oath of office on January 20.
Outgoing President Joe Biden, who has sought to shore up U.S. support for Ukraine in the final months of his term, said that the latest Russian attack was “outrageous.”
“It serves once again as a strong reminder of the urgency and importance of support the people of Ukraine in their defense against Russian aggression”said the Democratic leader.
Although Trump has never explained how he plans to achieve peace, The Ukrainian government fears being forced to sit at the negotiating table with an unfavorable position.
On Wednesday, Donald Trump chose retired general Keith Kellogg, 80 years old and one of his stalwarts, as future envoy to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.
On the front, Russia advances in the eastern sector against a weakened Ukrainian army.
In this context of great uncertainty, the outgoing Joe Biden administration suggested that kyiv could lower the minimum age for military recruitment from 25 to 18 years to compensate for the lack of troops.
Source: https://www.noticiascaracol.com/mundo/putin-amenaza-con-atacar-kiev-con-sus-misiles-hipersonicos-oreshnik-cb20
