On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin warned that Russia could target “decision-making centers” in Kyiv using its new hypersonic missile, hours after a large-scale assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure left over a million people without electricity.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia launched more than 90 missiles and around 100 drones in the attack. Putin described the strikes as a response to Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied missiles on Russian territory.
The nearly three-year-long conflict has seen a sharp escalation recently, with both sides deploying advanced weaponry in a bid to gain the upper hand ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
“We are considering the use of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile on military, industrial, or key decision-making targets, including those in Kyiv,” Putin said during a press conference in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Kyiv’s government district, home to many critical administrative buildings, is heavily fortified, but anxiety has grown over potential strikes as tensions rise.
Russia recently tested its Oreshnik missile in Ukraine, and on Thursday, Putin boasted that firing multiple missiles simultaneously would produce the destructive power of a nuclear explosion or a meteor strike. He framed the tests as a direct response to Kyiv’s use of U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles, vowing that Russia would always retaliate.
Putin also claimed that Russia had detailed intelligence on the amount and location of Western-supplied long-range weaponry in Ukraine.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk dismissed Putin’s threats as a “sign of desperation” and said Western nations would remain undeterred by his rhetoric.
The attacks come as Ukraine prepares for a harsh winter, with its energy infrastructure already heavily damaged by the prolonged war. Both sides are pushing hard to secure an advantage on the battlefield before January.
Putin expressed cautious optimism about Trump’s upcoming presidency, describing him as “a smart man” who might find a “solution,” though he didn’t elaborate on what that solution might be.
The overnight assault caused widespread power outages. In the western Lviv region, more than half a million residents lost electricity, while another 280,000 in Rivne and 215,000 in Volyn were affected. Ukraine’s emergency services reported that 14 regions were hit, with western areas suffering the most damage.
President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of using cluster munitions during the attack, calling it a “shameful escalation of terrorism.”
In Kyiv, explosions echoed through the night as air defenses worked to intercept Russian drones and missiles. Many residents sought refuge in underground metro stations. Ukraine’s energy ministry said this was the 11th major attack on civilian energy facilities this year.
A senior UN official, Rosemary DiCarlo, recently warned that continued strikes on Ukraine’s power grid could make this winter the toughest since the war began.
Since the test of its Oreshnik missile against Dnipro last week, Russia has been highlighting its capabilities. Putin claimed the weapon can travel three kilometers per second and generate temperatures comparable to the surface of the sun. He justified its deployment by saying it was necessary to counter Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles.
The war’s fallout is also being felt in legal actions. In Russia, lawyer Dmitry Talantov was sentenced to seven years in prison for criticizing the invasion and comparing it to Nazi actions. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, a woman from the Donetsk region was sentenced to 15 years for passing military intelligence to Russia.
