Putin claims responsibility for over 80 missile attacks on Ukranian cities, then promises “harsh” response if Ukrainian attacks on Russia continue

Russian President, Vladimir Putin has said that Ukraine had carried out “terrorist acts”, admitting his military replied by bombing civilian, administrative and energy buildings of Ukraine.

In televised remarks, Putin said Moscow had launched long-range missile attacks on Monday, October 10 in retaliation for an attack on a vital bridge linking Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula over the weekend.

“It is obvious that the Ukrainian secret services ordered, organised and carried out the terrorist attack aimed at destroying Russia’s critical civilian infrastructure,” Putin said of the bridge explosion.

Ukrainian officials praised the bridge destruction but Kyiv’s government didn’t claim responsibility.

“Through its actions, the Kyiv regime has put itself on a par with the most odious of international terrorist groups. It is simply impossible to leave crimes of this kind unanswered,” Putin said, in opening remarks at a meeting of his powerful Security Council.

Cities across Ukraine were left without power or water and several people were killed in Russian missile strikes on more than a dozen Ukrainian cities on Monday morning.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said: “Putin is a terrorist who talks with missiles.”

Reacting, Putin said Russia would respond “harshly” to any further attacks by Ukraine on ‘Russian infrastructure’.

“If attempts continue to carry out terrorist acts on our territory, Russia’s responses will be harsh and in their scale will correspond to the level of threats created for the Russian Federation. No one should have any doubt about that,” Putin said.

Putin also accused Ukraine of attempting to carry out an attack against a nuclear power plant in Russia and against the TurkStream gas pipeline.

He repeated his assertion that Ukraine and NATO were behind still-unexplained ruptures to the Nord Stream gas pipelines which run from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea.