Putin says Ukraine opened 'Pandora's box' with strikes on economic targets
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Kyiv had opened "Pandora's box" with its strikes on Russian economic targets and that Russia would hit back at Ukraine's most sensitive economic sectors. He accused Ukraine of seeking to damage Russia's economy and intimidate Russians ahead of State Duma elections. Putin said Russia had intensified strikes on Ukrainian defense industry enterprises, including in Kyiv, in response to attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure.
Key Facts
- Putin said Kyiv had opened "Pandora's box" with its strikes on Russian economic targets and that Russia would hit back at Ukraine's most sensitive economic sectors.
- Putin said Russia had intensified strikes on Ukrainian defense industry enterprises, including in Kyiv, in response to attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure.
- Putin said Ukraine planned to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia within 40 days through missile and drone attacks on civilian facilities and logistics infrastructure.
- Putin said Russia is ready for peace talks but only on the basis of "realities on the ground," and that some proposals conveyed to Moscow were unacceptable.
- Putin said Ukraine was trying to intimidate Russians and disrupt the State Duma elections, but that this attempt was doomed to fail.
Putin's Response
Putin said Kyiv had opened "Pandora's box" with its strikes on Russian economic targets and that Russia would hit back at Ukraine's most sensitive economic sectors. He said Russia had intensified strikes on Ukrainian defense industry enterprises, including in Kyiv, in response to attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure. Putin said Russia's strikes on Ukrainian territory were effective, timely, and helped Russian troops solve combat tasks at the front. He said Russia had begun responding to actions against its civilian industrial facilities and logistics infrastructure.
Ukraine's Alleged Plan
Putin said Ukraine planned to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia within 40 days through missile and drone attacks on civilian facilities and logistics infrastructure. He described this as a "new adventure" by the Kyiv leadership and its Western supporters. Putin said Ukraine was trying to intimidate Russians and disrupt the State Duma elections, but that this attempt was doomed to fail. He said no turning point had occurred in the confrontation with Russia after the strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and that the Kyiv regime would never gain the upper hand.
Peace Talks Conditions
Putin said Russia is ready for peace talks but only on the basis of "realities on the ground." He said some proposals conveyed to Moscow were "exotic" in nature and absolutely unacceptable. Putin said Kyiv's attempts to initiate new efforts through mediators were a result of its own policies.
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Putin says Ukraine opened 'Pandora's box' with strikes on economic targets
