Putin threatens Kyiv with new missile as Russian strikes target power grid

President Vladimir Putin has escalated threats against Ukraine, warning of strikes on “decision-making centres” in Kyiv using Russia’s new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile.

He claimed the missile, capable of nuclear strikes, could deliver a force “comparable to nuclear weapons” and said the Ministry of Defence was selecting targets.

The announcement followed one of the largest missile and drone barrages in months, as Russia launched 91 missiles and 97 attack drones over two days, hitting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and triggering emergency blackouts across the country. Ukrainian officials said over a million residents were without power amid freezing winter temperatures.

“This is a very despicable escalation of Russian terrorist tactics,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, accusing Moscow of targeting civilian infrastructure with cluster munitions. “We need more air defense systems now to protect our infrastructure during this winter.”

In the western Lviv region, more than half a million people were left without electricity, with similar outages reported in Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipro. “Power facilities in several regions were damaged,” Ukraine’s national grid operator, Ukrenergo, confirmed.

The barrage comes as Ukraine increases long-range strikes on Russian territory, prompting what Putin described as retaliation. “These attacks are a response to strikes deep inside Russia,” he said, adding that Russia would continue to escalate its campaign.

Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko called the situation dire. “We are working tirelessly to restore power, but these attacks are causing extensive damage,” he said. Meanwhile, local leaders in the Rivne and Volyn regions reported nearly 500,000 additional power outages.

Cluster munitions, which Zelenskyy said Russia used in the latest assault, have killed or wounded over 1,000 civilians in Ukraine since the invasion began. Catriona Murdoch of Global Rights Compliance called the attacks “a deliberate attempt to terrorize civilians during winter.”

Russia’s continued targeting of infrastructure prompted further warnings from Ukraine. “Every time they do this, they show the world who they truly are,” said Serhii Kovalenko, CEO of Yasno, an energy supplier. “It’s not just about destroying power grids; it’s about trying to break us.”