Speaking at a press conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, Putin emphasized that such a development would provoke severe consequences.

“If the country which we are essentially at war with now becomes a nuclear power, we will use all means of destruction available to Russia,” Putin declared, accusing Western nations of contemplating nuclear arms support for Kyiv.

This comes after reports suggested some Western officials proposed the U.S. President Joe Biden could equip Ukraine with nuclear weapons. Putin criticized any potential move as a violation of global non-proliferation agreements.

Although he noted it was unlikely for Ukraine to produce a nuclear weapon, Putin warned of the potential use of a "dirty bomb" and assured that Russia would respond decisively to such a threat.

Putin revealed that Russia could deploy its newly-developed Oreshnik hypersonic missile to target Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, in retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory. The missile, capable of traveling at Mach 10, was recently used in Dnipro, marking its first deployment in the conflict.

“The kinetic impact is powerful, like a meteorite falling,” Putin said, likening the missile's destructive capability to that of a nuclear strike when used in combination.

Putin also accused Ukraine of targeting Russia’s vital facilities in cities like Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

Meanwhile, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Thursday, leaving over one million people without power and exacerbating fears of prolonged winter outages.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia fired 91 missiles and deployed 97 drones, with 12 missiles hitting key energy and fuel facilities across nine regions. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry labeled it the second major assault on the energy grid this month.

“The enemy is using a large number of missiles and drones, often exceeding the capacity of our air defense systems,” the Air Force said in a statement.

Authorities in western Ukraine, including Lviv and Volyn, reported widespread power outages affecting over one million people. Emergency generators were activated to provide heat and water to hospitals and schools amid freezing temperatures.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reiterated calls for increased Western support, urging allies to supply advanced air defense systems and long-range capabilities. “Putin does not want peace. We must force him into peace through strength,” Sybiha said.

Ukraine has long criticized its 1994 decision to surrender Soviet-era nuclear weapons under the Budapest Memorandum, which provided security assurances from Russia, the U.S., and the U.K. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has cited this as justification for his country’s NATO membership aspirations, a move Moscow opposes.

As winter approaches, the war shows no signs of abating. Ukraine’s energy grid faces increasing strain, while both sides continue escalating their military capabilities. (ILKHA)