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Putin’s “difficult period”
At a conference of the ruling United Russia party, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is “going through a difficult phase” and that it “has taught us a lot and shown us what it means to be a Russian citizen.”
“We are going through a difficult phase, but it has taught us a lot”
Putin told the congress that Moscow would “fulfill all social obligations to its citizens,” and he said “Naturally, we are adjusting certain plans in light of the current situation, but all strategically important (domestic) development programs will undoubtedly be implemented in full.”
He also pledged “We will certainly guarantee the security of both the country and our citizens, as well as the inviolability of Russia's borders,” while acknowledging “problems” and “challenges.”
The statements came as Ukraine stepped up long-range attacks, with France 24 reporting that “Debris from downed Ukrainian drones sparked a blaze at a major oil refinery in the south” and that Russian authorities said the strike killed at least two people.
In the same context, DW said Putin promised security to United Russia party members “amid frequent Ukrainian attacks,” and he called for strengthened Russian air defense capabilities.
Ukraine strikes and claims
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram that “Our ‘long-range sanctions’ reached two oil refineries in Russia,” adding that “Each (strike) means a reduction in the resources that fuel the Russian war machine.”
France 24 reported that the refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani was hit, and it said Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported “one person was killed” in Krasnodar.
DW said Putin downplayed the effect of Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory “on the front, on the line of combat contact,” while also saying Russia needed to “quickly and significantly ramp up production of those air defense systems that are most needed.”
The reporting also described a second claimed target, with DW saying Zelenskyy claimed Ukrainian forces “reached a refinery in the Yaroslavl region, approximately 700 kilometers from our border.”
In parallel, France 24 said local Governor Mikhail Evraev reported that some roads between Moscow and the region's capital, Yaroslavl, were temporarily closed due to “an enemy attack by Ukrainian drones,” and it said Yaroslavl's airport briefly closed overnight.
Elections, unity, and sanctions
Ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for September, Putin spoke at the United Russia party congress and told delegates that the hardships Russia faced “had made it stronger and provided valuable lessons.”
“We are going through a difficult period, but it has taught us much”
Hindustan Times quoted Putin saying, “We are going through a difficult period, but it has taught us much,” and it also reported that he wished the United Russia party success in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
RBC-Ukraine said Putin described the current period as fateful and claimed that the West was “allegedly unable to defeat Russia militarily and is therefore turning to other methods,” while he called Russian soldiers fighting in the war against Ukraine the “true elite” of Russia.
In a separate thread of Western pressure, Sud Ouest reported that at the Munich Security Conference, the UK’s Cooper told the BBC, “Nous continuons d’envisager des actions coordonnées, y compris un renforcement des sanctions contre le régime russe.”
Sud Ouest also said European countries announced that the state Russian was the principal suspect in Alexeï Navalny’s poisoning and that Navalny died in a Russian prison on “le 16 février 2024,” while it quoted the line “Nous tenons (la Russie) pour responsable de sa mort.”