Russian President Putin, in remarks yesterday to alumni of the Time of Heroes educational program, described the Ukrainian attack on the Starobelsk trade school, which had just happened, as an act of terrorism. He stressed that there were no military installations nearby, nor was it the result of debris falling from an air interception. “The strike was deliberate; it was carried out in three waves, involving 16 UAVs, all directed at the same location,” he said. “Naturally, we will investigate the details, and they will be thoroughly examined. Appropriate conclusions will be drawn. However, it is clear to us, and it is once again made evident, whom we are dealing with, whom we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for. This constitutes a manifestation of neo-Nazism. It once again serves to confirm the terrorist nature of the Kiev regime.
Putin also stated that he recognized that this was yet another attempt to provoke Russia, and then blame it for the consequences. “The Kiev regime clearly needs crimes like this. They need them to distract attention from what is happening at the front and inside the country, to provoke a reaction from Russia—and then, we know this, we have seen it many times before—to blame everything on us. On Russia. On our country. All the escalation, all the consequences of such crimes. I repeat, we have been here many times before.”
Putin described Ukraine’s disintegration. “The situation on the battlefield for the Ukrainian forces is gradually going from difficult and critical to catastrophic. Western aid is not helping—it gets stolen on a regular basis, they just cannot help themselves. Neither is forced mobilization, where they snatch people off the streets like stray dogs and then throw them to the frontline. And on that note, desertion is also rising—catastrophically for the enemy. It is becoming widespread. What makes things even worse for the ruling elite is the all-consuming corruption that is rotting society from within… That is why they then help each other flee the country, seeking refuge in Israel and elsewhere abroad.”
He then explained the actions that the Russian government would take. “The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been instructed to inform international organisations and the international community about this crime. But of course, you and I both understand that in cases like this, we cannot limit ourselves to statements from the Foreign Ministry. That is why the Ministry of Defense has been ordered to submit its proposals,” Putin concluded, clearly implying that a retaliation is being planned.