Vladimir Putin is threatening to smash Ukraine's capital Kyiv with a "massive" new missile in revenge for its use of US and British weapons to strike Russia.
The 72-year-old premier's forces are readying themselves to fire hulking RS-26 intercontinental ballistic missiles into the heart of Ukraine - sending fears of further escalation spiking in the wake of yesterday's landmark strikes.
On Wednesday, the American, Italian, Spanish and Greek embassies in Kyiv shut down as the capital braced for a Russian attack.
The US diplomatic outpost has now reopened - but reports in Russian media have left locals uneasy.
Moscow-based newspaper Moskovky Komsomolets reports that the Russian military is readying up to launch RS-26 missiles from a site in the city of Astrakhan by the Caspian Sea - far deeper inside Russia than Ukraine is able to touch, even with Storm Shadow or ATACMS missiles.
But the RS-26 has not been used in combat before, Western missile experts say.
The "massive" rockets are thought to fly at five times the speed of sound, narrowing the odds that Ukraine's US-supplied Patriot missile defence systems could shoot them down.
Kyiv has regularly been attacked by smaller, slower Iskander missiles since the war started 1,002 days ago.
LATEST AS UKRAINE SITS ON THE BRINK:
The RS-26 is fired from a ground-based launcher, reportedly weighs some 50 tonnes, and packs a warhead three times larger than the Iskander's.
The Ukrainian people should be "trembling" over the missile threats, Russian propagandist and military analyst Timur Syrlanov told Moskovky Komsomolets.
Syrlanov said: "In this situation, we will not use nuclear weapons, but the neo-Nazis and their Western allies, I think, will appreciate in the coming days the blow that will be dealt to Ukraine's critical infrastructure and, possibly, to targets in Kyiv itself."
But Russia's threats might need to bring real-life consequences to ruffle the feathers of Ukrainians.
The Telegraph's Anna Conkling in Kyiv wrote that despite warnings of attacks from 317 different types of radio-controlled strike drones, life in the capital was continuing as normal.
The hundreds-strong drone attack alert had forced authorities to issue a "seek shelter" warning - but it turned out to be false, prompting Volodymyr Zelensky to tear into how "panic-inducing messages circulated today only help Russia".
"However many brutal and treacherous attacks by Russia we have endured... it is always important to pay attention to air raid warnings," he said in his nightly video address. "We have a neighbour that is insane."
The GUR military intelligence body said: "The enemy, unable to subdue Ukrainians by force, resorts to measures of intimidation and psychological pressure on society. We ask you to be vigilant and steadfast."
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The 72-year-old premier's forces are readying themselves to fire hulking RS-26 intercontinental ballistic missiles into the heart of Ukraine - sending fears of further escalation spiking in the wake of yesterday's landmark strikes.
On Wednesday, the American, Italian, Spanish and Greek embassies in Kyiv shut down as the capital braced for a Russian attack.
The US diplomatic outpost has now reopened - but reports in Russian media have left locals uneasy.
Moscow-based newspaper Moskovky Komsomolets reports that the Russian military is readying up to launch RS-26 missiles from a site in the city of Astrakhan by the Caspian Sea - far deeper inside Russia than Ukraine is able to touch, even with Storm Shadow or ATACMS missiles.
But the RS-26 has not been used in combat before, Western missile experts say.
The "massive" rockets are thought to fly at five times the speed of sound, narrowing the odds that Ukraine's US-supplied Patriot missile defence systems could shoot them down.
Kyiv has regularly been attacked by smaller, slower Iskander missiles since the war started 1,002 days ago.
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The RS-26 is fired from a ground-based launcher, reportedly weighs some 50 tonnes, and packs a warhead three times larger than the Iskander's.
The Ukrainian people should be "trembling" over the missile threats, Russian propagandist and military analyst Timur Syrlanov told Moskovky Komsomolets.
Syrlanov said: "In this situation, we will not use nuclear weapons, but the neo-Nazis and their Western allies, I think, will appreciate in the coming days the blow that will be dealt to Ukraine's critical infrastructure and, possibly, to targets in Kyiv itself."
But Russia's threats might need to bring real-life consequences to ruffle the feathers of Ukrainians.
The Telegraph's Anna Conkling in Kyiv wrote that despite warnings of attacks from 317 different types of radio-controlled strike drones, life in the capital was continuing as normal.
The hundreds-strong drone attack alert had forced authorities to issue a "seek shelter" warning - but it turned out to be false, prompting Volodymyr Zelensky to tear into how "panic-inducing messages circulated today only help Russia".
"However many brutal and treacherous attacks by Russia we have endured... it is always important to pay attention to air raid warnings," he said in his nightly video address. "We have a neighbour that is insane."
The GUR military intelligence body said: "The enemy, unable to subdue Ukrainians by force, resorts to measures of intimidation and psychological pressure on society. We ask you to be vigilant and steadfast."
Find Out More...