Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Ukraine that Moscow could target some of the country’s most sensitive economic sectors after a deadly Russian drone strike on Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The warning came as the war between Russia and Ukraine entered another period of escalation, with both sides increasingly striking economic and industrial targets far from the front lines.
At least 16 people were killed and 130 others wounded when Russian drones struck a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, according to Ukrainian authorities. The casualties included children, with 22 children among those reported wounded. Rescuers continued searching through the damaged site for missing people.
The attack took place in two waves. According to Zelenskyy, the first drones hit the area and caused a fire, followed about half an hour later by another wave that struck while emergency responders were working at the scene.
Zelenskyy condemned the attack as “absolutely cynical and despicable” and said Russia had deliberately targeted emergency responders in the second wave.
“Attacks like these are nothing less than terrorist acts. We will definitely respond,” Zelenskyy said in a statement cited in the source material.
The deadly strike on Kryvyi Rih came as Ukraine has intensified its own long-range drone campaign against Russian economic infrastructure.
Ukrainian attacks have targeted facilities including oil refineries and warehouses belonging to major Russian online retailers. The strategy is aimed at putting pressure on infrastructure that Kyiv says is important to Russia’s war effort.
One recent target was Ozon, one of Russia’s largest online retailers. A Ukrainian strike hit an Ozon facility, with Russian officials saying that 10 people were killed in the attacks.
Ukraine has also previously targeted facilities belonging to Wildberries, another major Russian online retailer. The strikes have become part of a broader campaign reaching deep inside Russian territory.
Putin responded by accusing the Ukrainian government of deliberately attacking Russia’s economy and warned that Moscow would respond by targeting vulnerable parts of Ukraine’s economy.
“The Kyiv regime set out to damage our economy. What did it do? It opened this Pandora’s box itself,” Putin said during an interview.
He then warned that Ukraine would face retaliation against what he described as its most sensitive economic sectors.
“[They will] get an answer about the most sensitive economic sector… they are frankly already on their last legs,” Putin said.
Putin specifically pointed to agriculture and agricultural exports, saying they represent a major source of income for Ukraine.
“This, incidentally, also applies to agricultural production, the export of which is the Kyiv regime’s main source of income,” he said.
The Russian president also claimed that Ukraine’s attacks on Russian economic targets had not affected the battlefield and said Russian forces had increased the pace of their advances.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has continued expanding the geographic reach of its drone campaign. Recent strikes have hit targets in different parts of Russia, including economic and industrial facilities.
The attacks have increasingly brought the war closer to Russia’s civilian population and major commercial infrastructure, while Russian strikes continue to hit Ukrainian cities and economic assets.
The latest escalation comes as both countries pursue strategies designed to weaken the other side’s ability to sustain the war.
In Ukraine, long-range attacks against Russian oil, logistics and industrial infrastructure are intended to disrupt supplies and place pressure on the Russian economy.
Russia has responded with attacks against Ukrainian economic infrastructure, including facilities linked to agricultural exports and grain shipments. Reuters reported that Putin said Russia would respond to the disruption of its economic targets while arguing that Moscow could overcome problems affecting its own exports.
The deadly attack on Kryvyi Rih has added another layer to the escalation. The city has particular significance because it is Zelenskyy’s hometown, although the available reporting does not establish that the strike was carried out specifically because of his personal connection to the city.
Ukrainian authorities described the attack as a devastating assault on civilians, while Moscow has framed its broader campaign as part of the continuing war between the two countries.
The competing attacks show how the conflict is increasingly extending beyond traditional military positions. Energy facilities, warehouses, industrial sites, agricultural infrastructure and commercial operations are all becoming targets as both sides seek ways to damage the other’s ability to continue fighting.
Putin’s latest warning signals that Russia could expand its response against Ukraine’s economic infrastructure if Ukrainian strikes against Russian facilities continue.
At the same time, Ukraine has vowed to continue responding to Russian attacks and has been seeking additional air-defense support from its international partners. France, for example, has agreed to accelerate deliveries of air-defense equipment to Ukraine following the latest attacks.
The situation leaves the conflict facing another dangerous cycle of retaliation, with strikes on economic infrastructure increasingly being met by threats of further attacks.
For now, Putin’s “Pandora’s box” warning represents a clear threat of additional Russian retaliation, while Ukraine continues to signal that it will respond to attacks on its cities and civilians.
