Retribution is on the way. Putin's finger is getting itchy...

That information has given the war in Ukraine a new dose of seriousness because that conflict is taking on the contours of perhaps the most serious clash between Russia and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Reuters points out.

Andrei Kartapolov, the former commander of the Russian army on the front in Syria, where he fought on the side of President Bashar al-Assad, will oversee reforming the nuclear doctrine of the Russian Federation. Today he serves as a representative of the ruling United Russia party.

This escalation came after Ukrainian ATACMS tactical missiles with a range of 300 kilometers, which were delivered to Kyiv by the United States earlier this year, hit the Crimean city of Sevastopol this weekend, claiming at least five lives, including three minor children.

The Sevastopol authorities, which are controlled by Moscow, also claim that at least 144 people were injured.

Moscow did not hesitate to accuse Washington of the attack, which "participated in the bloodshed of Russian citizens by shamelessly arming Kyiv", which hinted that they were preparing retaliation.

It is not yet known what kind. But, according to the media, Russian President Vladimir Putin was finally served the argument that behind the whole story about the "special military operation in Ukraine" is US imperialism, which he, as a benefactor, is bravely trying to suppress.

The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that the coordinates of the flight were set by American experts, based on information obtained from American spy satellites, thus holding the Biden White House directly responsible for the attack.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claims that the Russian president is in constant contact with the authorities in Sevastopol and adds that the absolute priority of the Russian government is to provide support to all victims of the attack.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy president of the Security Council and one of the leading hawks in Putin's inner circle, described the incident as a "heinous and despicable act against the Russian people."

Russian air defenses shot down three out of the four missiles, the Russians say. But, according to the latest information from the Russian regime media, "one deviated from its path in the last stage of its flight, during which the warhead exploded in the air".

Social networks, as well as the regime's media, have been continuously broadcasting shocking footage of rocket attacks on Sevastopol since yesterday, which means that the propaganda machine is mobilizing the public and thus preparing the ground for possible retaliation, reports Jutarnji list.