Russia reported a series of blasts in the south of the country and a fire at an ammunition depot on Wednesday, the latest in a spate incident that a top Ukrainian official described as payback and "karma" for Moscow's invasion.

Putin warned that Russia won’t hesitate to use ‘weapons that no other country’ possesses to defend itself.

Russia cut off natural gas to NATO members Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday. Kremlin also threatened to severe supply of natural gas to other countries, dramatically escalating its standoff with the West.

Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, has accused Russia of using natural gas supplies as an “instrument of blackmail” following Gazprom's decision to halt exports to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday. The news set a hike in Gas prices in Europe.

Poland has been a major gateway for the delivery of weapons to Ukraine. Bulgaria has cut many of its old ties to Moscow and likewise supported punitive measures against Russia.

Fighting continued in the country’s east along a largely static front line some 300 miles (480 kilometers) long. Russia claimed its missiles hit a batch of weapons that the U.S. and European nations had delivered to Ukraine.

The blasts on Wednesday followed a major fire this week at a Russian oil storage facility in the Bryansk region near the border.

Eyewitnesses in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, the first city in Ukraine to be captured by Moscow in the early days of the invasion say Russian troops have attempted to disperse a protest in the city centre using stun grenades and tear gas, reported BBC.

The protesters were holding a rally in Kherson's central square against Russia's plans for a referendum on independence.

Putin promises ‘lighting responses’
Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned outside forces against interfering in the Ukrainian conflict, promising a “lightning-speed” response to such actions, with the use of Moscow’s most advanced weaponry.

“If someone decides to intervene in the ongoing events from the outside and create unacceptable strategic threats to us, they should know that our response to those oncoming blows will be swift, lightning-fast,” Putin said in an address to lawmakers on Wednesday.

Last week Russia successfully tested its state-of-the-art RS-28 Sarmat inter-continental ballistic missile. The new nuclear-capable missile can carry several Avangard hypersonic gliders, which are said to be able to bypass any existing air defenses due to their extreme speed and ability to make constant maneuvers during their flight.

Unlike Russia, the US and its NATO allies currently have no hypersonic weapons in service reoprted RT.
-AP/Reuters/BBC/RT