Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged intensified retaliation against Ukraine following a drone attack on a luxury apartment block in Kazan, a city located nearly 1,000 kilometers from the conflict’s frontlines. The Saturday strike, which left no reported casualties but caused significant fire damage, marks a dramatic escalation in the aerial exchanges of the prolonged war.
In a televised meeting on Sunday, Putin warned, “Whoever seeks to destroy us will face exponentially greater destruction themselves and will regret their actions.” His remarks were directed at Tatarstan’s local leader during a road inauguration via video link.
Footage circulating on Russian social media captured drones striking a high-rise glass building, igniting explosions. Ukraine has not commented on the incident, adhering to its usual policy of silence regarding operations on Russian territory.
The Kazan attack is the latest in a series of tit-for-tat aerial assaults. Putin has previously threatened to launch hypersonic missiles at Kyiv in response to attacks on Russian soil. The Russian defence ministry has characterized its recent bombardments on Ukrainian energy infrastructure as retaliatory strikes, blaming Kyiv’s use of Western-supplied weaponry against Russian military assets.
Meanwhile, Russia claims fresh territorial gains in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. Moscow’s forces have reportedly “liberated” the villages of Lozova in Kharkiv and Krasnoye (known as Sontsivka in Ukraine), nearing the resource hub of Kurakhove—a critical target for Russia’s bid to dominate Donetsk entirely.
Russia’s army asserts the capture of over 190 Ukrainian settlements this year amid reports of Kyiv’s struggles with manpower and ammunition shortages. As the conflict approaches its third year, Moscow intensifies its campaign to solidify territorial control ahead of pivotal geopolitical shifts.
The unfolding events underscore a deepening chasm in the conflict, with both sides seemingly locked in a relentless cycle of escalation.
