Putin: Kyiv opened Pandora's box by striking civilians

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Ukraine "opened the Pandora's box" when it started attacking civilian targets, and added that Moscow will respond to these attacks.

"The Kyiv regime set out to damage our economy. What did they do? They opened this 'Pandora's box' themselves. Well, now you'll get an answer about your most sensitive sectors of the economy, which, frankly, are already on their last legs," Putin told Vesti News Agency's journalist Pavel Zarubin in an interview, adding that Russian retaliatory strikes are "more destructive" than the Ukrainian strikes against Russia.

The Russian president also claimed that Ukraine's plan to defeat Russia "within 40 days and with the help of massive missile and drone strikes against our civilian facilities and logistics" is "yet another gamble."