Vladimir Putin has indicated that Ukraine has “opened Pandora's box” in its campaign against Russia, intensifying fears of a broader global conflict.
In a recent interview, the Russian president addressed questions about why his military had “sharpened” attacks against Kiev, blaming “Ukraine and its Western handlers” for the escalation and pointing to damage that Volodymyr Zelensky was attempting to inflict on the Russian economy.
Putin's warning of economic blowback
“The Kiev regime has set itself the objective of damaging our economy. What has it done?” Putin told a reporter. “It opened this Pandora's box itself. Well, be ready to get a blowback on your most sensitive sectors of the economy, which, to be honest, are already on their last legs.”
Putin added: “The enemy is trying to intimidate us and undermine the elections. We will not allow them to do it. I firmly believe that this attempt of information and psychological influence on Russian society is doomed to fail.”
Rare admission of damage
The remarks follow a rare public display of weakness earlier this month, when Putin admitted that Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure were causing harm to the nation.
Speaking to government officials during a session of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects, the Russian president acknowledged the impact of what he described as “terrorist attacks” on the country's economy.
“It is understandable that a whole range of factors are affecting economic rates, including external pressure and terrorist attacks on industrial and infrastructure facilities,” Putin told his cabinet.
Defiant stance maintained
He maintained his usual defiant stance, however, claiming there could be no critical consequences from the strikes.
“Of course, there are no, have not been and cannot be critical consequences from such attacks,” he said. “But they do harm us, of course, this is obvious, we understand, see and know this.”
