Putin has previously threatened to launch a hypersonic ballistic missile at the center of Kyiv if Ukraine did not halt its attacks on Russian territory using US-supplied ATACMS missiles
\n MOSCOW
\nRussia on Wednesday vowed retribution against Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of firing Western-supplied missiles on a military airfield in its southern Rostov region.
\nPresident Vladimir Putin has previously threatened to launch a hypersonic ballistic missile at the center of Kyiv if Ukraine did not halt its attacks on Russian territory using US-supplied ATACMS missiles.
\nAnd one US official said Wednesday that Russia might soon target Ukraine with another of its new Oreshnik missiles.
\nHours after Ukraine\u2019s overnight attack, Russia claimed its troops had recaptured territory in its western Kursk region, where Ukraine occupies swathes of territory.
\nAnd Putin told Hungary\u2019s Prime Minister Viktor Orban that Kyiv\u2019s \u201cdestructive\u201d approach made a peace deal impossible.
\nKyiv has been on edge since Russia fired its nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile at the city of Dnipro last month in a major escalation of the nearly three-year conflict.
\nPutin called that retaliation for Kyiv firing US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow long-range missiles against targets on Russian territory.
\nIn the latest attack, Russia\u2019s defense ministry said Wednesday that Ukraine fired six ATACMS missiles at a military airfield in Taganrog, a port city in the southern Rostov region.
\n\u201cTwo of the missiles were shot down by the combat crew of the Pantsir air defense system, while the others were deflected by electronic warfare equipment,\u201d the ministry added. It said no military personnel were hurt but that falling shrapnel \u201cslightly damaged\u201d military vehicles and buildings nearby.
\n\u201cThis attack by Western long-range weapons will not go unanswered and appropriate measures will be taken,\u201d it added. And one US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Wednesday: \u201cRussia has signalled its intent to launch another experimental Oreshnik missile at Ukraine, potentially in the coming days.\u201d
\nUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier hailed \u201ctangible blows against Russian targets last night,\u201d which he said would help bring peace closer.
\nIn a post on Telegram he said Ukraine had hit \u201cmilitary facilities on the territory of Russia, as well as facilities of the fuel and energy complex, which is working for aggression against our state and people.\u201d
\nUkraine\u2019s general staff earlier claimed it had hit an oil depot in Russia\u2019s Bryansk border region, also in an overnight strike.
\nVideos purportedly taken in the Bryansk region showed a distant fireball illuminating the night sky over an urban area, while air raid sirens could be heard in footage from the southern Rostov region.
\nBoth sides have ramped up aerial attacks in recent weeks, seeking to boost their positions on the battlefield ahead as ceasefire talks build ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump coming to power next month.
\nUkrainian officials said Wednesday the death toll from a Russian missile strike on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia a day earlier had climbed to nine.
\nAnd Russia\u2019s army said it had recaptured two villages in the western Kursk region, where Kyiv has been waging a cross-border offensive since August.
\nHungary\u2019s Orban, who met Trump in Florida earlier this week, held a call with Putin on Wednesday to discuss the Ukraine conflict, drawing scorn from Kyiv.
\nDuring the call \u2014 which was requested by Orban \u2014 Putin said that Ukraine had adopted a \u201cdestructive\u201d position that ruled out any agreement between Moscow and Kyiv.
\nThe Kremlin said Orban had \u201cexpressed interest in assisting the joint search for political-diplomatic paths to resolve the crisis.\u201d
\nZelensky blasted Orban for talking to the Kremlin leader, saying it risked undermining European unity against Russia.
\n\u201cNo one should boost (their) personal image at the expense of unity, everyone should focus on shared success. Unity in Europe has always been key to achieving it,\u201d Zelensky said in a post on X.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Putin has previously threatened to launch a hypersonic ballistic missile at the center of Kyiv if Ukraine did not halt its attacks on Russian territory using US-supplied ATACMS missiles MOSCOW Russia on Wednesday vowed retribution against Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of firing Western-supplied missiles on a military airfield in its southern Rostov region. President Vladimir Putin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":448850,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-448815","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n