Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of opening a “Pandora’s box” by targeting Russian economic and logistics facilities, saying the attacks have failed to change the course of the war while prompting a broader Russian campaign against Ukraine’s economy.
Speaking in an interview with Russian state television programme Vesti on Saturday, Putin said Ukraine and its Western allies had gained no strategic advantage from the attacks and would not succeed in their efforts to weaken Russia.
He described claims that Russia could be defeated within 40 days as “another adventure” by Kyiv and its Western supporters, accusing them of repeatedly seeking to push Russia into economic and political collapse.
Putin acknowledged that Ukrainian attacks had caused economic damage and casualties in Russia but insisted they had not altered the situation on the battlefield.
According to the Russian leader, Moscow has responded by intensifying strikes against Ukrainian defence-industry facilities and logistics infrastructure, including targets in Kyiv.
“The Kyiv regime has set itself the goal of damaging our economy. What has it done? It opened this Pandora’s box itself,” Putin said.
He claimed that Russia’s retaliatory strikes were more precise and destructive, arguing that Ukraine’s economy, including its agricultural sector, was already under severe pressure.
Putin also accused Ukraine of attempting to interfere with Russia’s elections through attacks, saying Moscow would strengthen state institutions and take measures to protect the legitimacy of the government.
“I am confident that this attempt at informational and psychological influence on Russian society is also doomed to failure,” he said.
On the possibility of peace negotiations, Putin said Russia remained open to dialogue with Ukraine but insisted that any talks must take into account the situation on the ground. He added that Moscow had received what he described as “exotic” proposals for negotiations but rejected them as unacceptable.
Putin also dismissed concerns that Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports and agricultural infrastructure could contribute to global food shortages. He said Russia had sufficient export capacity to ensure that food supplies on international markets would not be disrupted.
