The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, downplayed this Thursday the impact of the latest Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries and blamed Kiev for having initiated the bombings on this type of infrastructure without "having carefully considered the consequences."
During a video conference intervention at a business forum, and according to Russian news agencies, Putin insisted that it was Ukraine that opened this dynamic of attacks. "They took the first step. We have started to respond. Now they are also making a scandal about the energy sector (...) They started. They should not have started. Before taking this step, they should have carefully considered the consequences," he pointed out.
The Russian leader noted that, in recent days, Ukrainian forces have directed attacks against several energy facilities in Russia, although he emphasized that the damage has not been particularly severe. "However, they continue," warned the head of the Kremlin, who admitted that this type of action by Kiev "should have been anticipated."
"They constantly take measures that, frankly, we probably should have anticipated. But we thought they wouldn't think of it," said Putin, referring as an example to the attacks recorded a few months ago against the facilities of the two largest Russian digital commerce platforms, Ozon and Wildberries.
At the same time, the Russian leader criticized Ukraine for resorting to its "sponsors" to try to influence and curb Moscow's responses to these blows against its energy sector.
As Kiev has expanded its military capabilities and has been receiving more weapons from its Western partners, Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructures in Russian territory have intensified. These operations, as reiterated on several occasions by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, will continue despite the pressures from the United States, which a few days ago decided to relax some of the sanctions imposed on Russian oil.