Putin vows retaliation following Ukraine strike on civilian building
2 Min Read
The "massive" attack occurred approximately 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the frontier.
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In this photo released Saturday, December 21, 2024, by the official Telegram channel of the Kazan City Hall, local officials look at a damaged site at the residential complex called "Lazurnye Nebesa," or Azure Skies, in Kazan, Russia, following Ukrainian drone attacks. (Official Telegram channel of the Kazan City Hall via AP)
During a televised government meeting on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed increased "destruction" against Ukraine, a day after a drone strike targeted a luxury apartment block in the Russian city of Kazan, far from the frontlines, causing damage but no casualties.
The "massive" attack occurred approximately 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the frontier, with dramatic footage circulating on Russian social media showing drones striking the glass façade of the building.
Drones being used to attack high rise buildings in Kazan, Russia.
— Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) December 21, 2024
They are trying everything including attacking civilians and induce Russia into starting a Nuclear War. pic.twitter.com/DGc702MJoz
"Whoever, and however much they try to destroy, they will face many times more destruction themselves and will regret what they are trying to do in our country," Putin said.
During a road-opening ceremony via video link with the local leader of Tatarstan, the region where Kazan is located, Putin addressed the strike, which marked the latest in a series of escalating aerial attacks in the nearly three-year conflict.
Ukraine has yet to comment on the attack.
Nuclear escalations?
The strike comes in light of rapid Russian advances in eastern Ukraine.
Russia has intensified its territorial gains, aiming to secure as much ground as possible before US President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to quickly end the conflict without detailing a plan, takes office.
Putin has previously warned that Ukraine’s decision-making centers, including key military and industrial facilities, could be targeted by Russia’s newest Oreshnik hypersonic missile system if the intensity of the conflict escalates.
Speaking at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Summit in November, Putin described the Oreshnik system as capable of delivering non-nuclear strikes with destructive power comparable to a nuclear attack but without environmental contamination.
"If you use several such systems in one strike at once—two, three, or four systems—it will be comparable in strength to a nuclear strike," Putin told reporters.
"But it is not nuclear because it is highly accurate and not equipped with a nuclear explosive device. It does not contaminate the environment."
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