Russia’s response will be harsh, says Putin hours after missiles and drones rain on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Ukraine of a “harsh response” if it continues to attack the country’s civilian and critical infrastructure.

Putin’s warning came in a top-level Russian Security Council meeting on Monday which took place a few hours after dozens of missiles targeted energy facilities throughout Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, in what is being termed as the Russian retaliation to the “sabotage” committed on the Crimean Bridge over the weekend.

“This morning, at the suggestion of the Ministry of Defence and according to the plan of the Russian General Staff, a massive air, sea and land-based high-precision long-range weapon was launched against Ukrainian energy, military command and communications facilities,” Putin said at the virtual meeting.

“If attempts to carry out terrorist attacks on our territory continue, Russia’s responses will be harsh and in scale will correspond to the level of threats posed by the Russian Federation. No one should have any doubts about this,” he added.

The meeting was attended by Russian PM Mikhail Mishustin, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, Chief of Staff Anton Vaino, Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Director of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov and Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergei Naryshkin were also in attendance.

Putin told the gathering that the data from forensic and other examinations, as well as operational information, indicate that the Crimean Bridge explosion on October 8 was a “terrorist act” aimed at destroying Russia’s civilian, critical infrastructure.

“It is also obvious that the customers, organizers, and perpetrators of the terrorist attack are the Ukrainian special services. The Kyiv regime has long used terrorist methods,” he said.

He also accused Kyiv of carrying out three terrorist acts against the Kursk nuclear power plant in Russia, repeatedly undermining the high-voltage lines of the power plant.

“Thus, by its actions, the Kyiv regime has actually placed itself on the same level as international terrorist formations, with the most odious groupings. It is simply impossible to leave crimes of this kind unanswered,” said the Russian President.

Ukraine said that Russian forces fired over 83 missiles, including Iranian kamikaze Shahed drones, to attack its cities early Monday.

“On the 229th day, they are trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the earth. Completely. Destroy our people who are sleeping at home in Zaporizhzhia. Kill people on their way to work in Dnipro and Kyiv,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

Zelensky also recorded a video outside his office building in Kyiv, saying that the morning is “tough” as the country has been hit by dozens of missiles and Iranian Shaheds.

“They have two targets. Energy facilities throughout the country. Kyiv region and Khmelnytskyi region, Lviv and Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk region, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy region, Kharkiv region, Zhytomyr region, Kirovohrad region, the south of the country. They want panic and chaos, they want to destroy our energy system. They are incorrigible. The second target is people,” he said in his address.

The Ukrainian President revealed that he and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have agreed to hold an urgent G7 meeting where he will speak on the Russian attacks.

“Rescuers are working now. Our air defence system is working. 38 aerial targets have already been shot down. Please stay in shelters today,” he mentioned.

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