President Vladimir Putin addressed the Congress of his United Russia Party as Russia prepares for upcoming parliamentary elections. He maintained a combative posture in the face of the increased Ukrainian daily drone attacks against Russian cities and Zelensky’s dubious threat of a 40-day campaign that will end the war. This, together with Zelensky’s attempts to provoke Belarus to enter the war, are not taken seriously by most observers, given the rapid attrition of Ukraine forces on the battlefield. “"The regime is retreating along the entire line of contact, and has therefore resorted to openly terrorist actions. What else can you call attacks on civilians, civilian objects, and the open recruitment of renegades within our country to commit terrorist attacks?” Putin told the congress delegates.
The real threat, he underlined, was not Ukraine but Ukraine’s Western backers. “At the same time, without exaggeration, Russia is experiencing unprecedented pressure from the Western elites. They are unable to inflict a strategic defeat on us or win a victory on the battlefield; their attempts to destabilize the political situation and sow internal unrest are failing too. Consequently, they keep encouraging the Kiev regime, which they have chosen as a battering ram in their struggle against Russia, without any sympathy for the Ukrainian people.”
“Once again, Russia is confidently repelling any attempts to deter our progress. We have sufficient resources, means, and political will, and nobody should doubt that,” he said. “We will absolutely ensure the security of our country and our citizens, and the inviolability of Russia’s borders for decades ahead. This is our ultimate goal. We will certainly handle all the challenges we are facing today, including terrorist attacks on our territory and our infrastructure.
