Russian President Putin’s Recent Statements

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of “opening Pandora’s box” with its long-range attacks on Russian sites. He claimed that Ukraine aims to harm the Russian economy. Putin’s remarks were made on Saturday during an interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin and were widely circulated by state media.

Recent Attack on Ukraine

Moscow launched renewed attacks on Ukraine overnight into Sunday. This came after Ukrainian officials reported a Russian strike on a busy shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih, a central Ukrainian city and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown. The attack killed 16 people and injured 140. Two drones carried out a double-tap attack, targeting emergency responders.

Ukraine’s Increase in Drone Attacks

Ukraine has intensified its long-range drone strikes on Russian targets, focusing on oil refineries and commercial warehouses to impact Russia’s economy. These drone attacks have embarrassed Putin, and recent polls suggest growing unpopularity of the conflict among Russians.

Russia’s Counterattacks

In response, Russia has intensified missile attacks on Ukraine, aiming at the country’s energy and defense sectors. Putin asserted that Russian strikes are more devastating than Ukrainian assaults. Recently, Russian missile attacks targeted Ukraine’s ports and civilian infrastructure.

The Russian defense ministry reported a strike on Yuzhny port in Odesa, damaging equipment and storage tanks. Odesa’s governor, Oleh Kiper, reported a “massive” attack injuring three people.

Incident Involving Ukraine’s Railway

A Russian drone targeted a passenger train carrying 600 people en route to Odesa, according to Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, a top official at Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine’s railway operator. The crew issued an evacuation order and no injuries occurred.

Ukraine’s Military Actions

Ukraine reported targeting several Russian sites in Crimea, including facilities in Dzhankoy and a launch site in Chornomorske. Kyiv confirmed damaging a Russian Su-24M jet at Saky air base on Thursday.

For more on this evolving situation, reach out to Newsweek editors Daniel Orton and Robert Greenall.