Ukraine Barrage a ‘Response’ to Strikes on Russia, Says Putin
President Vladimir Putin declared Thursday that Russia’s massive air attack on Ukraine was a direct “response” to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory using Western-supplied missiles. Putin has repeatedly criticized Ukraine’s allies for providing Kyiv with long-range weapons, warning that such actions would provoke retaliation from Moscow.
“We carried out a comprehensive strike,” Putin told allies during a visit to Kazakhstan, just hours after the attack. “It was a response to continued attacks on our territory by US-supplied ATACMS missiles,” he said in televised remarks.
According to Putin, Russia launched over 90 missiles and 100 drones during the assault, hitting 17 targets—specific details rarely provided by the president. The attack left more than one million people in Ukraine without power as freezing temperatures set in.
Putin also claimed that Russia was aware of the long-range weapons provided to Kyiv, saying they knew “how many” had been given and “where they are.” He stated that Russia was “forced to test” its new Oreshnik ballistic missile on Ukraine last week, a move that shocked both Kyiv and the West. Putin threatened further “testing” strikes, emphasizing Russia’s capability to respond to continued Western arms supplies to Ukraine.
The Russian leader added that the Russian armed forces were specifically targeting Ukrainian “decision-making centres in Kyiv.” He also alleged that Ukraine had attempted to strike “buildings of state importance” in Saint Petersburg and Moscow throughout the conflict.
Boasting about the Oreshnik missile, Putin claimed it could turn anything it hit “into dust,” and that several Oreshniks fired together would be “comparable to a nuclear strike.” He also asserted that the missile could travel “around three kilometers per second,” with its attacking components reaching temperatures “almost like the surface of the Sun.”
“If there are more strikes on Russian territory using Western long-range missiles… we will respond, including with possible continued testing of Oreshniks in combat conditions,” Putin concluded.
