Russia threatens Kyiv decision-makers

Russia may use its new Oreshnik hypersonic missile to attack "decision-making centres" in Kyiv in response to Ukraine's firing of Western missiles at Russian territory, says President Vladimir Putin.

Russia has not so far struck Ukrainian government ministries, parliament or the president's office in the course of the 33-month war, reports Reuters.

Kyiv is heavily protected by air defences, but Putin says the Oreshnik, which Russia fired for the first time at a Ukrainian city last week, is incapable of being intercepted—a claim greeted with scepticism by Western experts.

"Of course, we will respond to the ongoing strikes on Russian territory with long-range Western-made missiles, as has already been said, including by possibly continuing to test the Oreshnik in combat conditions, as was done on November 21," Putin told leaders of a security alliance of ex-Soviet countries at a summit in Kazakhstan.

"At present, the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff are selecting targets to hit on Ukrainian territory. These could be military facilities, defence and industrial enterprises, or decision-making centres in Kyiv," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy denounced Putin's "promotion" of the Oreshnik as a tactic to disrupt attempts to end the war, particularly by US President-elect Donald Trump.

"He doesn't seek an end to this war. Moreover, Putin wants to prevent others from ending the war," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

"He can go on wielding his Oreshnik only to thwart the efforts of President Trump which are sure to follow his inauguration. Putin wants to escalate the situation to such an extent so that President Trump's attempts will fail. So that he cannot end the war."

Putin said a massive Russian overnight attack on Ukraine was also a response to Kyiv's use of U.S. ATACMS ballistic missiles.

Zelenskiy said Russia used cruise missiles with cluster munitions in the attack, which cut power to more than 1 million people, something he called a "despicable escalation".

Zelenskiy also said he was speaking to Western leaders, including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, to devise a response to "Russia's attempt to make the situation more unbearable and drag out the war".