On December 12, 2024, the Kremlin announced that the Russian military would "undoubtedly" respond to a Ukrainian missile attack on a military airfield, which Moscow claims was executed with U.S.-made Atacms missiles. Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Russian presidency, reiterated the Defense Ministry's unequivocal statement regarding a forthcoming response.
President Vladimir Putin has threatened to target decision-making centers in Kyiv and countries supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine with an experimental hypersonic missile named Oreshnik, which has the capability to carry a nuclear payload. U.S. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh indicated that Washington considers it possible for Russia to deploy the Oreshnik missile in the coming days.
Despite these threats, Ukrainian missile strikes continued on December 11, according to Russian military reports. A military airfield in Taganrog, Rostov region, was reportedly targeted, with six Atacms missiles launched from Ukraine. Russian sources stated that two missiles were intercepted, while the others were diverted using electronic warfare equipment. Ukrainian authorities have neither claimed responsibility nor commented on the operation.