Putin vows tough response if Kiev continues 'terrorist attacks'

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Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine on Monday of conducting acts of "atomic terrorism".

Putin told a Russian Security Council meeting on Monday that Kiev has so far conducted three terrorist acts against the nuclear power plant in Kursk "These are acts of atomic terrorism. I mean rocket and artillery strikes on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant."

The Russian President further announced in the meeting that his country conducted an attack today on Ukraine's infrastructure, using precision-guided missiles.

If Kiev continues to carry out "terrorist attacks" in Russia, the president continued, Moscow's response will be "tough."

"This morning, at the suggestion of the Ministry of Defense and according to the plan of the General Staff of Russia, a massive air, sea, and land-based precision long-range weapon was launched against energy, military command and communications facilities of Ukraine."

Russia barred from participating in Nord Stream pipeline explosion probe

Putin explained during the Russian security council meeting that Russia's representatives are being disallowed from investigating the causes of explosions that destroyed part of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

"But we all know the ultimate beneficiary of this crime," he said, hinting at the United States.

He further revealed that Ukraine attempted to blow up one section of the TurkStream gas pipeline, as well as other electric power facilities in Russia.

"A number of other terrorist attacks and attempts of similar crimes have also been committed against electric power facilities and gas transportation infrastructure facilities in our country, including an attempt to blow up one of the sections of the TurkStream gas transportation system,” he remarked.

Targets in Kiev come under Russian missiles

According to Ukrainian media, a series of hits targeted the country's capital Kiev on Monday morning.

The advisor to the Ukrainian minister of internal affairs, Anton Gerashchenko, said that the blasts were due to suicide drones. On his Twitter account, Gerashchenko posted, "Breaking news! Center of Kyiv attacked by kamikaze drones." The adviser also stated on his Telegram account that Kiev's subway service was partially suspended due to the attack and is now being used as shelter.

Read more: Kremlin slams Zelensky call for preemptive nuclear strike on Russia

The street where the headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is located was also attacked by missiles according to Gerashchenko.

The Maidan is in smoke. There are arrivals on Vladimirskaya Street in Kiev, where the SBU is located pic.twitter.com/HYEEIxJ6DG

— AZ 🛰🌏🌍🌎 (@AZgeopolitics) October 10, 2022

The Mayor of Kiev, Vitaly Klitschko, urged citizens to head to shelters as he announced on his Telegram channel that the capital's center was being targeted, calling on Ukrainian citizens to avoid coming to the city.

Kiev Power Plant destroyed.
Don't forget they also supplies energy to industry.
Kryvorizhzhya Thermal Power Plant can't supply energy to Kryvorizhstal Steel plant. It provides special alloys to France for maintenance of it's Nuclear Power Plants.
🇷🇺🥰💪 pic.twitter.com/V9lQAb0RyM

— Natalia 🦊 Наталья 🇷🇺☭🇨🇴 (@NTY57NTY) October 10, 2022

The escalation comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Ukrainian special services authorized and carried out the explosion on the Crimean Bridge, which was a terrorist attack aimed at destroying Russia's essential infrastructure.

Following the attack, Vladimir Konstantinov, head of the Crimean parliament, said, "Ukrainian vandals managed to reach the Crimean Bridge with their bloody hands. They now have something to be proud of: for 23 years of their management, they failed to build anything worthy of attention in Crimea, but they managed to damage the canvas of the Russian bridge."