Putin says massive Russian attack on Ukraine a response to ATACMS strikes

A massive Russian overnight attack on Ukraine was launched in response to Kyiv's firing of U.S. ATACMS ballistic missiles at Russian territory, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Kazakhstan on Thursday.

The Russian strike was the second this month to have targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Ukraine's Interior Ministry said facilities were damaged in nine regions, causing the state grid operator Ukrenergo to announce deep power cuts across the country.

Ukraine had fired what Russia said were ATACMS into western Russia for the first time on November 19, prompting Moscow to respond two days later by firing the Oreshnik, a new intermediate-range missile, at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

Since then, Russia says Ukraine fired more ATACMS at its Kursk region on November 23 and November 25 and struck Russia with British Storm Shadow cruise missiles too, after the United States and Britain agreed for the first time to allow Kyiv to strike deep inside Russian territory with these weapons.

Putin reiterated in his summit remarks that this, from Moscow's viewpoint, meant the "direct involvement" of the West in an armed conflict with Russia.

Beyond Thursday's response, Putin said future responses may also include Russia's use of its Oreshnik missile to attack "decision-making centers" in Kyiv.

"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 said.

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

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

Kyiv is heavily protected by air defenses, but Putin says the Oreshnik, which Russia fired for the first time at a Ukrainian city last week, is incapable of being intercepted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced Putin's "promotion" of the Oreshnik as a tactic to disrupt attempts to end the conflict, particularly by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

"He doesn't seek an end to this war. Moreover, Putin wants to prevent others from ending the war," Zelenskyy 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," he added.

Zelenskyy 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."

(With input from Reuters)