Putin Says Ukraine Drone Strikes Sow Confusion and Inflict Economic Damage

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Ukraine’s increasing drone strikes on Russia aim to “sow confusion” and “inflict economic damage,” while he told Russian soldiers in a Kremlin meeting that “they will not succeed.”

“(CNN) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes are harming his country’s economy, but he added that "everything is repaired quickly”

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Putin acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes caused “economic damage” and claimed that “everything was quickly restored,” as the comments came hours after Kyiv said it hit a major oil refinery over 1,000 kilometres (around 620 miles) from the front line.

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The Moscow Times reported Putin compared the West to Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler and praised Russian assault groups for “coming in, taking control and securing territory for Russia.”

In parallel, Al Jazeera reported Putin insisted the surge in strikes would not succeed in creating division and that the economy would quickly bounce back, while Ukraine said its strikes are fair retaliation for Russia’s daily barrage of drones and missiles sent towards Ukrainian towns and cities.

Ukrainian drones attacked military facilities and energy sites in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, hours before the opening of an important economic forum attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to عكاظ.

The city’s governor, Alexander Beglov, confirmed that several infrastructures were damaged due to the attack, with no casualties reported, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov vowed to respond to the attacks.

Al Jazeera

In a separate account, الشرق للأخبار said Ukrainian drones targeted Saint Petersburg on the opening day of the annual Economic Forum, with a column of smoke rising after the oil export terminal was targeted and Reuters reporting loud explosions on Wednesday morning.

Zelenskiy described the attack on the St. Petersburg oil terminal and the Kronstadt military base as 'retaliatory,' and the sources said the forum lasts for three days while Putin is scheduled to speak on Friday.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it shot down 354 Ukrainian drones overnight, while the Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 73 missiles and 656 drones at the country since 6 p.m. yesterday local time (15:00 GMT).

“A bluff or a proper, formal warning”

Le Temps

In the same reporting, the Ukrainian Air Force said 40 missiles and 602 drones were shot down or neutralized, and it added that missiles and drones struck 38 sites across the country as photos showed strong explosions and columns of smoke rising above Kyiv’s tall buildings.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced a large strike using hypersonic missiles targeting sites belonging to the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, and it said the attack targeted sites in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk as well as energy and transportation infrastructure linked to the Ukrainian army.

After the strikes, Zelensky urged Europe to develop its own air defense systems and pressed Washington to provide more support, writing that Europe needs its own defense system to counter ballistic missiles so the war can finally be brought to an end.