Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday vowed to bring more "destruction" to Ukraine in retaliation for a drone attack on the central Russian city of Kazan a day earlier.
Russia accused Ukraine of a "massive" drone attack that hit a luxury apartment block in the city, some 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the frontier.
Videos on Russian social media networks showed drones hitting a high-rise glass building and setting off fireballs, though there were no reported casualties as a result of the strike.
"Whoever, and however much they try to destroy, they will face many times more destruction themselves and will regret what they are trying to do in our country," Putin said during a televised government meeting on Sunday.
Putin was addressing the local leader of Tatarstan, the region where Kazan is located, in a road-opening ceremony via video link.
The strike on Kazan was the latest in a series of escalating aerial attacks in the nearly three-year conflict.
Ukraine has not commented on the strike.
Putin has previously threatened to target the center of Kyiv with a hypersonic ballistic missile in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
And the defense ministry has called Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities over recent weeks retaliatory hits for Kyiv using Western-supplied missiles to hit Russian air bases and arms factories.
The latest threat comes as Russia claimed fresh advances on the battlefield in east Ukraine.
Kyiv on Sunday also accused Russian forces of killing captured Ukrainian soldiers — an alleged war crimes violation.
A video posted by Ukraine's 110th separate mechanized brigade showed "the shooting of soldiers who surrendered," Kyiv's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said in a post on Telegram.
He said the video — aerial footage from a drone of an apparent confrontation between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers — showed Russians shooting the Ukrainians at point-blank range after they had already surrendered.
AFP could not verify the footage.
It is the latest in a string of similar allegations lodged by Ukraine throughout the nearly three-year conflict.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
