Moscow [Russia], August 23: Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened Kiev with a severe response after massive Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries and logistics centres in Russia, in an interview with Russian state television published on Saturday.
Putin said Ukraine had opened a "Pandora's box" with its attacks on the Russian economy, in his first interview with Moscow state television since the strikes began several weeks ago. Kiev had now let the "genie out of the bottle," he said.
"The countermeasures will not be long in coming. You'll get them," he said, addressing Kiev directly. Ultranationalist circles in Russia had recently called on Putin to take a harder line against Ukraine. He said Russian army operations would become "significantly more noticeable and destructive." Ukraine had provoked this response itself, Putin claimed - despite having himself launched the war against the neighbouring country four and a half years ago.
In recent weeks, Russia has increasingly used ballistic missiles against Ukraine, knowing the country has few remaining interceptor missiles to defend itself.
Putin described these strikes, which have killed more civilians than at any point in a long time, as appropriate and effective. He claimed they had helped Russian soldiers on the front line carry out their tasks.
The Russian president said that Ukraine, backed by the West, had failed in its 40-day plan to destroy the Russian economy. The unity of the Russian population had also not been broken. At the same time, Putin again acknowledged that there had been damage, but said it had brought Kiev no advantage on the battlefield.
Russia would now target the most vulnerable sectors of the Ukrainian economy, which were already on the brink, Putin announced. Kiev was dependent on agricultural exports, which provided substantial budget revenues, he said. Ukraine is one of the world's leading grain exporters. Putin said Russia had strong export potential following a good harvest and would supply the global market.
In the interview with Pavel Zarubin, who is regarded as his go-to reporter, Putin said Ukraine had recently made "exotic proposals" for a peace settlement. The Kremlin chief rejected these ideas, delivered through intermediaries, without giving details. According to Putin, the proposals were an attempt to avert what he described as a "catastrophic development" for Ukraine.
Putin also pledged that his country will win the war as he addressed a party conference of the Kremlin-backed United Russia party on Saturday. "At the moment, a great deal depends on our unity, on the courage of Russian soldiers and officers, and on every single person who is working conscientiously in their own role to contribute to victory," Putin said at the Megasport Arena in Moscow. One month ahead of the parliamentary elections, he underlined his support for the Kremlin-backed party, which he praised as the leading force with the most experience in the country.
He and party leader Dmitry Medvedev said they were confident that Russia would win the war on Ukraine, launched by the Kremlin in 2022. "Russia will reclaim more and more territory. Our brave army proves this time and again," said Medvedev, who is also deputy head of the National Security Council. He described Ukraine as a vanishing "phantom state" that had already lost 20% of its territory and half its population. Millions of Ukrainians have fled the country as war refugees, he said.
Source: Qatar Tribune