Russia on fire as Zelensky issues Putin terrifying four-word warning

Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a warning to Vladimir Putin that every one of his defence facilities “is a just target” after a blistering attack on Russia. The Ukrainian President delivered those four words as he announced on social media that Ukraine struck a major industrial facility in the Russian city of Volgograd.

Ukraine’s leader posted footage on X of the attack, which he said saw FP-5 Flamingo missiles hit the Titan-Barrikady facility. He described it as a “major industrial complex” where Russia “produces artillery systems and specialised military equipment, including components for missile launch systems”.

The edited video shows missiles being launched from the ground, soaring through the sky before apparently striking the facility.

In one clip, a huge fireball erupts and thick smoke billows skywards after a strike on what appears to be a large industrial site.

Mr Zelensky said Ukraine’s daily pressure is laying the groundwork for a dignified peace “in the end”.

Ukraine is stepping up its long-range aerial attacks on Russian military and energy facilities in a bid to cut Moscow’s revenue for the war. Kyiv also wants to make Russians feel the consequences of Putin’s illegal invasion, which is now in its fifth year.

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, the facility manufactures equipment for missile systems, including self-propelled launchers and transport-loading vehicles for the Iskander-M missile system.

Ukraine’s central military command said this is the same system Russia regularly uses to strike Ukrainian cities.

Volgograd Governor Andrei Bocharov confirmed an attack on a business in the region’s Krasnooktyabrsky district.

He said 10 people were wounded and taken to hospital, adding production facilities at the site were damaged. He did not identify the company.

Ukraine’s state security service said on Saturday morning that Ukrainian forces also struck an oil pumping facility in Russia’s Vladimir region. It supplies fuel to Moscow and is the second strike this month.

The attacks came a day after Kyiv launched what appeared to be one of Ukraine’s biggest drone attacks since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion began more than four years ago.

The major overnight attack targeted a dozen Russian regions, Russian-held Crimea and the surrounding seas, Moscow’s Defence Ministry said on Friday. It noted that Russian air defences intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones.

Mr Zelensky announced on Thursday that he had ordered a “40-day influence operation”, believed to mean an escalation of attacks.

These were aimed at “compelling (Russia) to end the war” after US peace efforts over the past year failed to reach a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine’s Sumy region, a 66-year-old man was killed in a Russian drone strike in the region, regional head Oleh Hryhorov said on Saturday.