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Russian President Vladimir Putin warned yesterday that Moscow will hit new targets if the West supplies Ukraine with long-range missiles, hours after several explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

If Kyiv is provided with such missiles “we will draw the appropriate conclusions and use our arms... to strike targets we haven’t hit before,” Putin was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.

He did not specify which targets he meant. “We understand that this supply (of advance rocket systems) from the United States and some other countries is meant to make up for the losses of this military equipment,” Putin said.”This is nothing new. It doesn’t change anything in essence.”

Ukrainian officials earlier yesterday said Russian missiles hit railway infrastructure sites in the first such strikes on Kyiv since April 28.

Russia said it had destroyed tanks supplied to Ukraine by eastern European countries during the strikes.

“High-precision, long-range missiles fired by the Russian Aerospace Forces on the outskirts of Kyiv destroyed T-72 tanks supplied by eastern European countries and other armoured vehicles that were in hangars,” Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

One person was wounded and AFP reporters saw several buildings with blown-out windows near one of the sites that was targeted.

Leonid, a 63-year-old local resident who used to work at the facility, said he heard three or four explosions. “There is nothing military there but they are bombing everything,” he said.