Vladimir Putin has hit back at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he told Kyiv “you started it” and should have “thought through the consequences” before launching strikes on targets inside Russia. This comes as the Russian leader claimed Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy system are retaliation.
Putin’s remarks at Business Russia congress
Putin was speaking at a “Business Russia” congress, according to Russian outlet Life.ru, where he accused Ukraine of hitting Russian online marketplaces and other infrastructure first.
Putin said: “The Kyiv authorities should have calculated in advance the consequences of attacks on Russian marketplaces and other infrastructure sites before carrying them out.” He claimed Russia then responded by striking back, including at Ukraine’s power sector, and used scathing language to describe Kyiv’s reaction.
Ukraine’s response and international concern
Putin said: “They took the first step, we started responding, and now on energy too - they’re already squealing there, and about other sites as well. They started it.”
“They shouldn’t have started it. Before taking that step, they should have properly thought through the consequences.”
The Russian leader also argued that any fallout from Moscow’s response lies with the Ukrainian authorities, saying decisions to attack Russian sites were taken by Ukraine and Russia’s actions followed as a consequence. Life.ru reported that Putin has previously criticised alleged Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and warehouses linked to online marketplaces.
Zelenskyy’s frustration and Trump’s pressure
The outlet further reported that in September, Putin accused Kyiv of attacking civilian facilities first. The comments come as Russia’s strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure continue to draw international concern, with millions of civilians facing disruption, especially as winter approaches.
Zelenskyy was outraged by Russia’s continuing aerial bombardment of his country’s energy infrastructure in apparent defiance of Trump’s demand on Sunday for both sides to halt those attacks.
The Ukrainian government said that it was heeding the ceasefire but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Ukraine never stopped its strikes on refineries that have hurt Russia. It was not possible to independently verify each side’s claims.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov labelled Ukraine’s strikes on oil facilities as a “direct and crude challenge to President Trump”.
Zelenskyy complained that, despite going along with Trump’s demand for a truce, Ukraine in recent days was denied the usual Western intelligence on Russian ballistic missile strikes and limits were placed on its use of US-made Starlink communication terminals.
The Ukrainian leader said that his patience had run out. He said in an interview with the Financial Times published on Thursday that Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries would resume. “We’re done,” he was quoted as saying.
Russians try to dodge conscription
Trump made a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel, despite international efforts to sanction Russia for its invasion and diplomatically isolate Putin.
In other Putin news, a former journalist who escaped to Germany when the war in Ukraine began in 2022, revealed many of the Russian population are frantically attempting to dodge military conscription, the Daily Star previously reported. The journalist, Alexandra Prokopenko, said that the Ukraine invasion and its resulting economic consequences have turned Russians against Putin.
Some label him a "fool" who has gone "nuts". Others, meanwhile, are terrified that nuclear conflict is imminent, sparking concerns about World War 3.
"People are so unhappy with the war that they have started talking about their unhappiness," Alexandra revealed. The disclosure is enormously important.
According to the journalist, Putin governs his nation with an iron grip. Children are indoctrinated daily at school into backing the conflict. Anyone who protests can end up behind bars.
If they're fortunate enough to flee, they will typically be labelled a "foreign agent".
