For the first time since the Cold War, long-range U.S. missiles will be periodically deployed in Germany — a move stoking the ire of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who vowed to "target" European capitals in response, reported the BBC.

"We [Russia] have enough capacity to contain these missiles, but the potential victims are the capitals of these countries," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.  

The Putin loyalist said "Europe is a target for our missiles, our country is a target for U.S. missiles in Europe."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow would react with a "military response to the new threat," saying the move is one step further toward escalation. He accused NATO and the United States of trying to intimidate Russia.

The Tomahawk cruise and SM-6 missiles have been banned in a 1988 treaty between Russia and the U.S. that Putin violated in 2014, the BBC reported.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the deployment would give Europe the time to develop their own missiles, reported The Sun.

He said Europe has an "increasingly serious gap in capability" against what Russia and the U.S. have.

Missiles have taken on an outsized role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the Kremlin indiscriminately targeting civilians.

Britain has also supplied missiles to Ukraine, leaving it up to the country's discretion how to employ them.

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