Russia’s Putin threatens to hit Ukraine capital Kyiv with new ballistic missile

Russia’s Oreshnik ballistic missile was first deployed last week against the Ukrainian industrial city of Dnipro

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Russian President Vladimir Putin in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday. Photo: Sputnik via Reuters

Published: 2:14am, 29 Nov 2024Updated: 3:39pm, 29 Nov 2024

President Vladimir Putin threatened to strike “decision-making centres” in Kyiv with Russia’s new ballistic missile, hours after Moscow pummelled Ukraine’s energy grid in an attack that left a million people without power.

Russia fired more than 90 missiles and around 100 drones during the barrage, according to Kyiv, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urging his allies to respond firmly to what he dubbed Russian “blackmail”.

Putin said the fresh bombardment was a “response” to Ukrainian strikes on his territory with Western missiles.

The nearly three-year war has seen a sharp escalation in recent days, with both sides deploying new weapons in a bid to gain the upper hand before US president-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

People take shelter inside a Kyiv metro station during a Russian military strike Thursday. Photo: Reuters

“We do not rule out the use of Oreshnik against the military, military-industrial or decision-making centres, including in Kyiv,” Putin told a press conference on Thursday in the Kazakh capital Astana, referring to the hypersonic missile.