Russian President Vladimir Putin has openly admitted that frequent Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure are causing damage to the Russian economy and society.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has intensified attacks on facilities deep inside Russian territory, focusing on refineries, storage facilities and pipelines that are key to the country’s lucrative oil and gas exports.
Kiev, among others, has claimed responsibility for the recent attack on a major refinery in the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk, writes aljazeera .
The Ukrainian side emphasizes that these attacks are a just response to the daily Russian bombing of Ukrainian cities. On the other hand, Putin believes that the purpose of these actions is to “spread panic” in Russian society.
Putin expressed confidence that the Ukrainian attacks will not affect Moscow’s determination to continue the occupation of its neighbor.
“As for the economy, they are certainly causing us damage, but we are recovering quickly. These attacks will not succeed in dividing society,” the Russian dictator declared.
In response, the Russian leader announced even more powerful attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure to “discourage them from attacking civilian objects,” and demanded urgent improvements to the Russian air defense system.
He has also again rejected the possibility of holding direct peace negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. /Telegraph